00Knowledge base
You don't have to be a technician to make good choices. On this page, Heliora explains in plain language which technology we use, why we choose it and what that means for you.
01ZIGBEE
Zigbee is a wireless standard designed specifically for smart devices: sensors, switches, lamps and plugs. Unlike Wi-Fi, Zigbee is built for small messages with extremely low energy use — which is why a battery-powered sensor often runs for years on a single coin cell.
Zigbee devices form a mesh network together. It is mainly mains-powered devices — smart plugs, fixed modules — that relay signals and strengthen the network; battery-powered sensors usually do not. With well-placed mains-powered devices the network becomes more stable, unlike Wi-Fi, which gets busier as more devices join.
02WIFI
Some devices need a lot of bandwidth: cameras, voice assistants or devices that stream video. For those, Wi-Fi (or better still: a network cable) is the right choice. But for a door contact or a temperature sensor, Wi-Fi is overkill: it consumes a lot of power, often requires a cloud account per brand and fills your wireless network with dozens of extra devices.
That is why Heliora deliberately works in layers: wired where possible (fixed devices, cameras, access points), Zigbee for sensors and switches, and Wi-Fi only where it is genuinely needed technically. That keeps your Wi-Fi fast for the things you actually use it for.
03LOCAL
Many commercial smart home products send every command first to a manufacturer's server — often on the other side of the world — and only then back to your lamp. Heliora builds systems that run inside your own home: the “brains” live at your place, not in the cloud.
Only features that by definition need the internet — such as control from outside your home or a weather forecast on your dashboard — use a connection, and even then through secure access that Heliora sets up deliberately.
04HOME-ASSISTANT
Home Assistant is an open smart home platform with a very large worldwide user community. It runs on a small computer in your home and connects thousands of brands and standards — Zigbee, Wi-Fi, wired systems — in one clear dashboard with flexible automations.
KNX, Niko Home Control and Loxone are solid professional systems, each with its own philosophy. In our guide “Home Assistant vs KNX, Niko Home Control and Loxone” we compare them honestly, without a sales pitch — you'll find the guides further down this page.
For anyone looking for maximum freedom, local operation and a future-proof foundation, Home Assistant is in Heliora's view the strongest choice for existing homes and renovations. Building completely new and want everything wired? Then KNX can be a fair option — and we will tell you that honestly during the intake, too.
05EMF
EMF (electromagnetic fields) arise wherever electricity flows or wireless communication takes place: around cables and appliances, and around transmitters such as Wi-Fi routers, dect phones and mobile masts. In a modern home or a busy shopping centre, dozens of sources are active at the same time.
Some people report feeling less comfortable or sleeping less well in signal-rich environments, and want a calmer environment especially in bedrooms and children's rooms. In the scientific assessments summarised by health institutes such as Sciensano, no causal link has been established, and Heliora deliberately makes no medical statements. What we do is measure and design according to the precautionary principle, grounded in objective measurements — without medical claims or promised health outcomes.
In short: low-EMF design is a comfort and precaution choice, not a medical treatment. We promise no health effects and no zero exposure — what we do deliver is a space designed to be measurably calmer.
06SHIELDING
Yes, up to a point — and it is measurable. A shielded room works on the principle of the Faraday cage: conductive materials around the room attenuate wireless signals. In practice we use special conductive paint, shielding mesh or fleece, window film, shielding curtains and a canopy around the bed. A crucial detail: shielding layers must be professionally earthed, otherwise they do not work as intended — which is exactly why this is the domain of an electrotechnical professional.
What is realistic? Well-executed residential shielding attenuates signals by tens of dB; every 20 dB reduces signal power by a factor of about one hundred (field strength by a factor of ten). Also important: residential shielding is precautionary comfort work with measurable but bounded attenuation — we only promise what the final measurement shows. And keep in mind that your own phone will also have less reception in such a room; that is the goal, but it is part of the trade-off.
Heliora offers full shielding of a bedroom or basement as a separate service, on request and always with a measurement before and after. The same applies here: no medical claims and no promises of zero exposure — but a demonstrably quieter room.
07BRANDS
Heliora is independent and selects, per project, the devices that fit best technically: stable firmware, local control, good documentation and easy to replace in case of a defect. A selection of the brands we like to work with:
Heliora is not an official dealer or partner of these brands and receives no commission: the selection is made purely on technical grounds, per project.
Guides
Practical answers to the questions homeowners ask us most — each with the next step included.
G-01
Your electrical inspection came back negative? What the infringements mean, how to read the report and how to get compliant before the re-inspection.
G-02
What is inside a Belgian electrical inspection report? The structure, the required diagrams, compliant versus non-compliant and the deadlines — in plain language.
G-03
No fixed price list, but clarity: which factors drive the cost of an electrical renovation and where you should not cut corners.
G-04
A renovation is the cheapest moment to prepare your home for smart-home technology. The choices to make before plastering: cabling, switch points, network and fuse box.
G-05
An honest comparison of home automation platforms: where KNX, Niko Home Control, Loxone and Home Assistant each shine — and how to choose.
Feel free to ask — you will get an answer in plain language, without sales talk.
