In order to receive protection commands in a remote tripping device, one or more signals is or are received, protection commands and combinations of protection commands are coded by means of an individual signal or by means of a predetermined combination of signals, and each protection command is allocated a predetermined minimum safety and/or security value. In this case, each signal is allocated a detector (41, 42, 43, 44, 45) which detects the presence of the signal on the basis of at least two different safety and/or security values which can be predetermined, and a protection command is detected with an allocated minimum safety and/or security value if an individual signal, which codes the protection command individually or in conjunction with other protection commands, is detected with a safety and/or security threshold value which is greater than or equal to the minimum safety and/or security value allocated to that protection command, or if all the signals in a combination of signals which codes the protection command individually or in conjunction with other protection commands are in each detected with a safety and/or security threshold value which is greater than or equal to the minimum safety and/or security value allocated to the protection command.