Experimental setups to produce and to monitor model membranes have been successfully used for decades and brought invaluable insights into many areas of biology.  This lecture focuses on aspects of experimental methods that make them particularly suited for the investigation of biological transport accross model cell membrane. Two major approaches to electrical recording of transporter activity are discussed: (a) artificial planar lipid membranes, such as the black lipid membrane and solid supported membrane, which are useful for studies on bacterial transporters and transporters of intracellular compartments, and (b) patch clamp and voltage clamp techniques, which is able to investigate transport properties in model cell membranes.