NextForGen is a smart home and building automation company based in Maltepe, Istanbul. For villas, offices and residential projects it handles everything from site survey to handover; lighting, climate, curtains and security come together in one place in the NextForGen hub and app.
What is a smart home system?
A smart home system is a home's devices connected to each other and to a single app so that they work together. Instead of switching lights on and off one by one, several devices act at once with one tap or in response to an event.
Example: when the front door opens after sunset, the entry and living room lights come on at 60%, the living room air conditioner is set to 23 °C, and the curtains close. This is a "scene"; its trigger is the door opening.
The example scene is not a real customer's home.
What parts does a smart home system have?
A smart home system has four parts: devices, a hub, an app and the switches in the home.
- Devices. Sensors measure (motion, doors, temperature); actuators do the work (relays, dimmers, curtain motors, valves). Ready-made devices such as locks, cameras and air conditioners are in this group too.
- The hub. The center that runs in the home and brings together devices of different brands and protocols. With NextForGen, the system runs on the hub in your home.
- The app. Shows the home by room; scenes, schedules and remote control are handled here. The NextForGen app runs on iOS and Android.
- Switches. In a well-installed system, lights and sockets can also be controlled with their own switches; the home keeps working when you don't have your phone.
Wired or wireless?
Wired infrastructure (KNX) stands out in new builds and major renovations where cable can be run, while wireless devices (Zigbee, Matter, Wi-Fi) that install without opening walls stand out in lived-in homes. The two can be used together in the same app.
- Wired infrastructure: the data line is run before the walls are closed, so it is planned during construction or renovation. It is designed for large villas and commercial buildings.
- Wireless infrastructure: added later, with battery-powered sensors allowing flexible placement; in a lived-in home it is in most cases installed without opening up walls.
- Mixed: a wired main installation and wireless supplementary devices can be used in the same app. NextForGen does no cabling: we connect the existing wired installation to the app and add new devices wirelessly.
Which protocols does a smart home use?
A protocol is the language devices use to talk to each other. The ones you meet most often in smart homes are KNX, Zigbee, Matter, Wi-Fi and MQTT.
- KNX: a wired, open worldwide standard for home and building automation (ISO/IEC 14543-3). KNX-compliant devices from different manufacturers work on the same line.
- Zigbee: a low-power wireless mesh network protocol (based on IEEE 802.15.4). It is common in battery-powered sensors.
- Matter: an IP-based standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, designed so that devices from different manufacturers work together; it runs over Wi-Fi, Thread or Ethernet.
- Wi-Fi: devices that run over the wireless network in your home. There is no common device language; devices mostly come with their own manufacturer app.
- MQTT: a lightweight messaging protocol that carries messages between devices and software; it works through a message broker.
NextForGen supports Matter and MQTT; Zigbee devices and KNX installations are also part of the same app. The detailed comparison table is on the KNX integration page.
Details: KNX integration
How is a smart home installed?
A smart home installation starts with a needs list, not with choosing devices. In six steps:
- Write down your needs room by room. Note what you want in each room (lighting scenes, curtains, climate, locks). With NextForGen, this is done together in the free site survey.
- Assess the existing infrastructure. Can cable be run, can walls be opened, does the home have a KNX installation?
- Choose the infrastructure. Wired, wireless or both.
- Settle the device list and the quote. The device list, labour (including any cabling) and scenes should appear item by item in a written quote.
- Installation. Every device is linked to its room and name; at handover it is ready in the app with its name and room.
- Handover and support. The system is shown to you step by step in the app; later changes are made remotely or on site.
What should you look at when choosing a smart home system?
Before choosing a smart home system, ask these five questions:
- What keeps working when the internet goes down? With NextForGen, lights, sockets and devices keep working with their own switches and buttons; control from the app, automations and scenes need internet.
- Do lights and sockets also work with their own switches? Not everyone in the home should have to use a phone.
- Are devices from different brands in one app? A system tied to a single brand limits adding devices later.
- Is the quote itemized? The device list and labour (including any cabling) should appear separately in the written quote.
- Who provides support after installation? With NextForGen, support after installation is ours; 7 days a week, 08:00–00:00.
Where are smart home systems used?
- Villas and detached homes: lighting, climate, curtains, garden and security in a single flow.
- Offices and workplaces: an office that switches on at the start of the day and switches off with the last person out.
- Residential projects: for developers, the same standard in every apartment, a handover-ready infrastructure; handed over to the owner at delivery.
Details: Villa automation
Details: Smart office