The invention is directed to controlling an electric motor by means of a frequency converter. The frequency converter can be connected to one of several different mains voltages. According to the present invention, the maximum output power of the frequency converter, is limited when the actual mains voltage is lower than the maximum nominal mains voltage, for which the frequency converter is designed, and during the limitation the frequency converter controls the speed of the motor within a power range up to a limited maximum output power. This gives a genuine multi-voltage unit, which can be connected to a wide range of mains voltages.