You have a smart home – it just doesn’t do what you want
A smart home isn’t bad because it’s old. It’s bad when it doesn’t do what you expect: the scenes don’t work, the blinds no longer move on their own, the app has fallen out of support or won’t even log in, the manufacturer has gone out of business, and the installer hasn’t been reachable for years. In this situation, ripping everything out straight away is the most expensive answer and the one least often justified – but it’s also not true that everything can be saved. What can be kept is decided on site, not in a catalogue.
MindzenSmart reviews and upgrades existing smart home and building automation systems in Budapest and the surrounding area – in apartments, houses, office buildings, commercial buildings and guest accommodation. We start with a condition survey: we look at what’s installed, what works, what can be saved and what has to be replaced. Then we either reconfigure the existing system, put a new, locally running hub on top of it, or – if that’s the realistic option – recommend a phased replacement. In every case, we rebuild the automation around the way you use the property today. At the end you also receive documentation: a zone list, a device list, an automation register and properly organised access rights.
What problem does it solve?
A review and upgrade can help:
- make your existing system finally do what you expect – we don't patch the automation rules, we rebuild them around how you use the property today
- move the system from a discontinued or defunct manufacturer to a live, supported hub
- end cloud dependency: control runs locally, not on a foreign server that could shut down at any time
- get rid of the "half-smart" state, where the lighting is in one app, the heating in another and the blinds can only be operated from the wall
- sort out documentation and access rights – who the administrator is, what is where and what everything is called
- optimise energy use: existing sensors and meters can also drive heating control based on presence, open windows and solar production
- restore expandability: today's Matter, Thread, Zigbee and Z-Wave devices can also be added to a modern hub
What we have to be honest about: not every system can be saved, and it isn't always possible to build on what's already there. With wired building automation, it sometimes happens that the old system has to be removed completely and only the cabling – sometimes not even that – is kept. Closed devices using a proprietary protocol can usually only be connected to another hub through the manufacturer's gateway. Which case applies to you becomes clear during the site survey, and that's where we tell you, with costs in forints – not on the last day.
Who is this service for?
- Owners of KNX systems – whether the system was built recently or ten years ago – if it doesn’t do what the family or the operator wants, or not in the way they want
- Owners of villas and premium apartments built in the last 10–20 years, where the system’s manufacturer or support has disappeared
- Residents of newly built residential parks, where the developer handed over a factory smart home package, but the service or company behind it has vanished
- Anyone whose system is “almost right”, but was never finished by anyone, lacks documentation, or whose installer is no longer reachable
- Operators of office buildings, commercial buildings and guest accommodation, where lighting, shading and fan-coil control run on KNX, but every change requires hunting down an outside programmer
- Property managers and condominium managers who have taken over a building system and been left without access, documentation or support
What do we survey?
The condition survey is the most important part of the service – it decides what can be saved. We go through the following:
- The hub's type, age, firmware version and support status, as well as the status of the manufacturer and the cloud service
- The type and protocol of the installed devices: wired bus system, Z-Wave, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, proprietary radio or a mixed system
- For a wired system: the cable routes and their condition, the distribution boards, the power supply and whether the existing devices can be connected to a new control system
- For a radio system: the generation of the devices, the extent of the network, the repeaters, the batteries and whether every module is physically accessible
- The existing documentation – for KNX, the ETS project file and the passwords – as well as accounts, administrator access and permissions
- The condition of the lighting, shading, heating and cooling, valve actuators, gate, locks and ventilation
- The local network, wired endpoints, Wi-Fi coverage and the options for network segregation
- For non-residential buildings: floors, tenancies, opening hours, operator roles and the boundary of responsibility towards the building services
- What works today and what doesn't – tested function by function
- What you'd like the system to do – because the new automation is built from this, not from the old one
At the end of the survey you receive in writing what we found, what can be saved, what needs replacing and which route is worth taking – with a schedule and a cost range.
What does the service include?
- Initial screening by phone or email: what system you have, what type it is and whether documentation exists. A photo of the hub and the distribution board speeds things up a lot.
- On-site condition survey with function-by-function testing and – where accessible – reading out the old configuration.
- Written assessment and recommendation: what can be saved, what can’t, which route is justified and what the system will be able to do.
- Agreeing the function list: we don’t copy over the old settings; we talk through what you want.
- Installation: new hub and network connection, taking over or migrating the existing devices, and adding repeaters and replacing components where needed.
- Programming the automations: scenes, shading, heating, away mode, night routines and energy-related controls, with manual override and fault alerts.
- Testing: how the system behaves during a power cut, an internet outage, a hub restart and manual switching.
- Training and handover documentation: device list, zone list, automation register, network description and administrator access.
- Optional next steps: smart home care with remote support, expansion and security system integration. Making an existing alarm smart can often be included in the same job.
Prices
The final price depends on the size and type of the system, the number and protocol of the installed devices, whether documentation exists, the access situation, the ratio of components that can be saved to those that need replacing, the number and complexity of the new automations, and the amount of network work required. It can’t be priced responsibly without a site survey, but after the survey we give you a fixed-price quote.
That’s why we deliberately don’t publish a price range on this page: we always prepare a tailored quote that fits the specific system and your actual needs.
Wired building automation: what can be kept?
With wired systems – KNX is one of them – it’s common for the technology itself to be fine, yet the problem is real: there are no scenes, no remote access, the heating and the shading live separate lives, and even a simple change always requires finding an outside specialist. The system works the way someone set it up back then, and the owner has no access to the configuration.
The honest answer is that this varies a great deal from case to case. Sometimes a modern, locally running control layer can be built on top of the existing system, and from then on the automation can be changed quickly. And sometimes that isn’t a viable route – in that case the old control system is removed, a new system is built in its place, and at most the cabling and the fittings are kept from the existing one. Occasionally not even those.
That’s why we don’t promise in advance to build on top of your system: we check what’s realistic during the site survey. We can even give separate quotes for the two routes – building on top or replacing – so you can compare them.
In office buildings, commercial buildings and guest accommodation
Wired building automation isn’t just home technology: in office buildings, commercial buildings, hotels and institutions, it often runs the lighting, external shading and room-level heating and cooling. Here the problem is typically not technical, but operational:
- Every change needs an outsider. A change of tenant, a refit or new opening hours all require intervention. If the installer is no longer reachable, control of the floor is frozen.
- The documentation isn’t with the client. In many buildings, the system description stayed with the installer, without updates.
- There’s control, but no metering. You can’t tell where the lights stay on at night, where the same room is heated and cooled at the same time, or which area is being kept at temperature while unused.
- The user interface is outdated. Old wall panels and visualisation software often get no security updates and have no usable mobile interface.
We explore and document the existing system, then tell you whether it can be made usable with a modern control layer or whether replacement is more realistic. Either way, the result is the same: opening hours, the public holiday calendar, scheduling by floor and by tenant, presence-based lighting and temperature modes can be changed quickly without an outsider, and operation works on mobile and in a browser, with role-based views.
Where is the line? In small and medium-sized buildings without a BMS (building management system), we install control of fan-coils, split units and valves, and the reception of fault and status signals from the building services. We don’t replace or take over an existing central BMS, and we don’t touch the dedicated controls of the boiler room, chillers, fire alarm or smoke extraction. We don’t undertake electrical or mechanical design work that requires a licence, or general contracting.
You’ll find a summary tailored to leased buildings here: Office buildings, commercial buildings, building operators.
Discontinued support, dead cloud: when everything in the wall is still there
Over the past fifteen years, many smart home systems were built on the cloud: the hub was just a gateway, while the logic and the app ran on the manufacturer’s server. When the manufacturer discontinued the product or support behind it ended, these systems became unreliable overnight. A well-known example on the Hungarian market is Zipato – Zipabox and Zipatile – which appeared in several newly built residential parks in Budapest, but support for it is now almost impossible to get. Owners of discontinued Z-Wave hubs and other cloud-based systems have ended up in a similar situation.
The modules in the wall – relays, dimmers, blind controllers, opening and motion sensors, thermostats – often use the standard Z-Wave or Zigbee protocol. These can be excluded from the old hub and included in a new one. If the old hub no longer works or there’s no access to it, Z-Wave devices can be excluded using the general exclusion function of any hub together with the button on the module, and Zigbee devices by a factory reset.
Older Z-Wave devices certified before S2 encryption and SmartStart may work with the new hub, but they don’t support these encryption and simplified pairing features. Among Zigbee devices, support for types using non-standard solutions depends on the hub. In a closed radio system using a proprietary protocol, the affected module has to be replaced. That’s why the exact device type matters as early as the initial screening.
Which systems are we called in for?
Typically wired building automation systems that were installed in premium apartments, villas, office buildings, commercial buildings and guest accommodation but are only partly used. We also take on discontinued hubs or hubs left without support: Zipato Zipabox and Zipatile, old Z-Wave hubs and cloud-based systems that are now unsupported. Half-finished systems also come to us: devices from several manufacturers in separate apps, with no integration, or configurations left unfinished by the owner’s own DIY build.
When choosing the new hub, we don’t push a single brand. The protocol of the existing devices, the functions you want and your plans for expansion decide what goes on top of the system. We give you a specific recommendation in writing after the site survey.
Frequently asked questions
Do the walls have to be opened up if the manufacturer has gone out of business?
With a radio system, usually not: the modules in the wall can be migrated to a new hub. With a wired system it depends on the case: sometimes the control system has to be removed and only the cabling is kept. The site survey decides this.
Can my old radio devices be moved to a new hub?
In most cases, yes. If the old hub no longer works, the devices have to be excluded locally, so every module needs to be accessible. Older-generation devices may work, but not all of them support today’s comfort and security features.
Is my existing wired system still worth keeping?
Sometimes, yes: with a modern control layer, scenes, shading, heating and cooling logic and remote access can be rebuilt. And sometimes replacement is more realistic. This can’t be decided remotely – we tell you during the site survey. Where justified, we quote for both routes.
Do you take on office buildings too, or only apartments?
Yes, we do. In non-residential buildings we take an operations-focused approach: the emphasis is on opening hours, scheduling by tenant and by floor, role-based operation, consumption data and documented access rights.
Will you take over the building’s BMS as well?
No. We don’t replace or take over an existing central BMS, and we don’t touch the dedicated controls of the boiler room, chillers, fire alarm or smoke extraction. In small and medium-sized buildings without a BMS, however, we install control of fan-coils, split units and valves, and the reception of fault and status signals from the building services. We also make room-level control usable: lighting, shading, temperature control, scheduling, metering and the user interface.
The company that installed it is no longer reachable. Can you still take over the system?
Yes, this is a common starting point. Missing documentation doesn’t rule out a takeover; it just means investigative work, and we tell you its cost in advance. Afterwards the system will be documented and not tied to a single company.
What is a “scene”?
A saved setting that adjusts several devices at once – at the press of a button, at a set time or when something happens. A “Movie night” scene, for example, dims the lights and lowers the blinds. “Leaving home” switches off the lights, sets the heating to economy and arms the alarm. Smart home apps use the same name.
How long does an upgrade like this take?
A reconfiguration typically means one or two days of on-site work and a few days of fine-tuning. A hub replacement takes two to five days depending on the size of the system, followed by fine-tuning during use. A phased replacement can be scheduled in groups of functions. We set the exact timing after the site survey.
Does it need internet, and will there be a subscription?
We build the new system to work locally: scenes and automations run without internet, and manual switching is kept. Internet may be needed for remote access, updates and some manufacturer services. We don’t build a mandatory subscription into the basic operation.
Someone else installed it, not you – will you take it on?
Yes, that’s exactly what this service is for. We start with a condition survey and record in writing what we found. Only then do we give a quote. That way both sides know which system we’re taking responsibility for.
What if the survey shows that it isn’t worth saving?
Then we tell you so plainly and present the alternative: full or phased replacement, at a cost agreed in advance. This can happen with closed-protocol devices, worn-out motors or when reverse-engineering the system wouldn’t be economical.
Can you sort out the alarm and cameras alongside the smart home?
Yes. MindzenSmart (Mindzen Direct Kft.) is a security systems company registered with the Hungarian police (file number: 01110-822/6574-2/2026.SZv.). This means we can handle the alarm, cameras and access control in the same job. The detectors of your existing alarm can also become inputs for the new smart home. Details: Making an existing alarm smart.
