NextCity FAQ

No. NextCity is fully cloud-based, so there are no servers to install or maintain. Over-the-air updates and full backward compatibility keep you current without any work on your end.

No. Start with manual reads, move to drive-by, then scale to a fixed-network AMI system, all without swapping hardware or changing platforms.

Drag a spreadsheet (such as an export from your customer information system) into NextCity, and the import builder walks you through matching your columns to NextCity fields. You can also import just one kind of record, such as resident contact information. Built-in transforms like split, trim, and substring clean up data that isn’t in a tidy format, such as GPS coordinates stored in a single column. Meters are linked to your existing account and service location IDs, so nothing has to be re-keyed.

See Import your sync or premise file.

Yes. Schedule recurring imports from your file server (SFTP, FTPS, or FTP). Each scheduled import can apply automatically or wait for review, and NextCity can email the contacts you choose when an import is ready to review.

Yes. NextCity exports reads in the formats your billing or CIS software already accepts, and the report builder can match your existing billing file format, so switching from a legacy system goes smoothly. Consumption totals are billing-ready for each account and line up with your billing cycle dates.

See Download your billing file and schedule exports.

Yes. Schedule reports for the days and times you choose, and they’re delivered to the right recipients automatically. Delivered reports include a download link that stays valid for 7 days. Reports can also go straight to your billing system’s file server.

The period since its last scheduled run. For example, a report scheduled every weekday morning covers the previous 24 hours Tuesday through Friday, and the Monday report covers Friday morning through Monday morning.

Custom reports on meters, devices, alerts, usage, and more, with configurable columns, headers, and formats, plus inputs with default values. A built-in AI agent can help build reports, and results can be organized by your groups.

Yes. Put meters into groups (routes, zones, districts, or a “Vacant” group, for example), then use group filters, including “not equal,” to leave them out of a report. See Organize meters with meter groups.

NextCity flags missed, zero, and out-of-range reads so issues surface before billing. The billing widget sorts meters into “good” and “bad” lists; a meter moves to the bad list after 72 hours without a valid read. Both lists can be downloaded and include each meter’s last communication date and last read date, which makes troubleshooting easier.

Leak, burst, continuous flow, reverse flow, zero usage, freeze, tamper, low battery, and no communication. Alerts are delivered by text, email, and in the platform. See Set up alerts and alert summaries.

Yes. Set thresholds and visibility for the whole organization, a group, or a single meter, so the same alert can be tuned differently for different meters. For example, high-usage alerts can be based on a percentage.

Yes. Our support team can dismiss open alerts in bulk, for example every alert opened before a certain date. The alert history is kept.

Raw reads are time-stamped and stored exactly as they arrive from the meter, which gives you a clean audit trail. Every meter and location has a detail page with its full read history.

No. NextCity never permanently deletes records. If something is removed by mistake, contact our support team to recover it.

Yes. The NextCity mobile app lets field technicians install and program a meter in about 60 seconds. See Program and replace meters and endpoints in the mobile app.

Often, yes. NextCity can replay an endpoint’s earlier check-ins to restore its read history. For NC5 endpoints, technicians can also pull stored read history from the device with the mobile app. As a safeguard, history is only replayed when the endpoint’s reported meter ID matches the meter it’s programmed to, so one meter’s history can’t be copied onto another by accident.

With NC5 endpoints, yes. Every message an NC5 sends includes a read, so a Test Connect produces a read in NextCity right away.

Yes, in two ways:

• Sub-organizations: full NextCity access (reports, detailed data, and more) limited to the locations in their sub-organization. This works well for property managers or partner agencies.
• Resident portal: for people who only need meter reads, basic usage, and alerts. One resident can have access to several locations.

See Sign in to NextCity and manage users.

Yes. Superadmin views cover multiple organizations and cities, with global search across organizations, devices, and residents. Parent organizations can roll up meters from their child organizations, up to five levels deep.

NextCity has ISO 27001-certified data security, with end-to-end encryption, device-specific keys, and multi-layer encryption.

Email nextcitysupport@nextmeters.com or call (844) 538-8203, 6am–6pm MT, Monday through Friday.

A website from your utility that works on any device. It shows your current meter read and your household water use by hour, day, month, and year, compared with earlier periods. See Add residents and invite them to the resident portal (for utility staff).

Go to resident.nextmeters.com and sign in one of two ways:

• Email: enter the email address your utility has on file, and we’ll send you a sign-in link. No password needed.
• Account number: enter your account number and the web access code from your utility.

Not automatically. Your utility decides how to tell residents about the portal. To sign in with your email, make sure your utility has your current email address on file.

Yes. Set up your own leak, high-usage, and vacation alerts, so you know about unusual water use before your bill arrives.

Yes. Compare to Neighbors shows how your use compares with others nearby, so you can better understand your bill.

Yes. One resident account can be linked to more than one service location. Contact your utility to have your properties linked.

Use the portal’s two-way messaging to send a message straight to your city or utility staff.