IoT Product Development
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IoT products fail when hardware and software teams work apart. We are a senior engineering team that builds the whole product: PCB design, embedded firmware, wireless communication, cloud backend and mobile app. Every layer is designed, tested and shipped together.
Who this is for
- Hardware startups that need a team to take a device from first prototype to a product with cloud and app.
- Manufacturers adding connectivity to an existing product line: firmware, cloud and an app on top of hardware you already make.
- Companies replacing a vendor whose IoT system stalled, and who need a team to take over the code, the boards and the cloud.
What we deliver, chip to cloud
Hardware & PCB Design
Custom circuit board design from schematic to production-ready layout. We select components for your operating conditions — temperature range, power budget, form factor, and certification requirements — and design for manufacturability from the start. Prototypes to mass production runs, handled end to end.
Embedded Firmware
Firmware written in C and C++ for STM32, ESP32, AVR, and other embedded targets. We implement sensor drivers, communication stacks (BLE, LoRaWAN, MQTT, MODBUS), RTOS task management, and OTA update mechanisms. Power-optimised for battery-operated devices and hardened for industrial operating conditions.
Cloud Platform & API
Device data needs somewhere to go and something to do with it. We build the cloud backend that ingests telemetry from your devices, stores it efficiently, and exposes it through APIs to your dashboards and third-party systems. Built on AWS or Azure with device authentication, rate limiting, and horizontal scale.
Mobile & Dashboard Interfaces
The field app or web dashboard that makes your device data usable. Live sensor readings, device configuration, alert management, and historical trends — designed for the operators and engineers who actually work with the system every day. Available as web dashboard, iOS/Android app, or both.
How a product goes from idea to field
Each stage ends with something you can hold or run.
- Specification. You receive the requirements, the architecture, the chip and connectivity choices, and a scoped estimate per layer.
- Prototype board. You receive a working prototype on evaluation hardware (ESP32, STM32 Nucleo) that tests the riskiest parts of the design before you pay for custom PCB work.
- Firmware. You receive production firmware with sensor drivers, the communication stack, power management and OTA updates.
- Cloud and app. You receive the backend that ingests and stores device data, the API, and the mobile app or web dashboard.
- Certification support. We design for your target certifications and support testing. Lab and carrier fees are paid separately.
- Handoff. You receive the source code, the documentation and the transferred server, with a retainer available for fleet monitoring and updates.
Systems we have shipped
FlowID is an IoT smart water filter system. The device runs on ESP32-class hardware with deep-sleep mode and a JSON sending queue, an external hardware pulse counter for water flow, and power from 4 or 8 batteries or 24–48V DC. It talks over BLE and MQTT with PSK encryption to a NestJS backend, React Native apps and a web dashboard. The project took at least 3,518 engineering hours, 8 engineers over about three years, and firmware release 1.0.28.
Micare GPS tracker tracks vehicles and assets. We moved the hardware from 2G to 4G, and the firmware synchronises its RTC from the GPS fix and sleeps until an accelerometer interrupt or RTC alarm. It reports over MQTT through an ACL-protected broker with a USSD/SMS fallback. The hardware side took at least 2,563 engineering hours from 2022 to 2024. The tracking API shipped 77 releases up to 1.24.0.
Machine Signals is our own industrial monitoring product with OEE. It runs on ESP32 firmware in C++ and custom boards: a gateway, NodeHead, and modular nodes for current, optic, relay and temperature. A NestJS backend and a Vue dashboard sit on top. The main cloud repository holds 3,032 commits between 2019 and 2026.
hscLink is our own pilot product: LoRa mesh meters for water, gas, heat and electricity with multi-tenant billing. We designed the LoRa node and gateway boards in-house and defined an MQTT topic scheme for telemetry and configuration. The cloud repository holds 792 commits between 2019 and 2026.
What We Build
Asset tracking devices — GPS/GSM trackers with 2+ year battery life on a single charge cycle, designed for cargo, vehicles, and high-value equipment. We handle the hardware, firmware, and the cloud platform that shows fleet operators where everything is.
Agricultural IoT — soil moisture and nutrient sensors (pH, TDS, EC), automated irrigation valves, greenhouse climate control. We’ve shipped systems that cut water use by 30% on commercial farms by replacing manual checks with sensor-driven scheduling.
Industrial automation — CAN bus and Modbus device integration, machine health monitoring via vibration and temperature sensors, predictive maintenance triggers that flag bearing wear before failure. Hardened for 24/7 operation in factory environments.
Smart metering and remote monitoring — LoRaWAN multi-node meter networks, gas and water telemetry, remote panel monitoring. Low-power nodes that report on battery for 5+ years without a site visit.
Consumer IoT and wearables — BLE-connected health monitors, fitness trackers, and smart home devices. We design for the full lifecycle: app pairing flow, OTA firmware updates, and the backend that keeps device fleets current without user intervention.
Industries We’ve Shipped IoT For
- Logistics & Supply Chain — cargo condition monitoring, GPS fleet tracking, RFID inventory
- Agriculture — soil sensors, automated irrigation, livestock tracking, smart greenhouse control
- Industrial — machine health monitoring, predictive maintenance, production line telemetry
- Energy & Utilities — remote meter reading, grid monitoring, smart building automation
- Healthcare — remote patient monitoring, medical device connectivity, cold chain tracking
IoT Products We Built Ourselves
We run our own IoT products through the same process we use for clients:
- hscLink: LoRa mesh meters and multi-tenant billing for water, gas, heat and electricity
- MachineSignals: machine monitoring and OEE dashboards for industrial plants
- iQar: OBD-II forecasts and RFID-locked smart pumps for fleet oil
- Cargo Tracker: a condition logger for sensitive cargo (temperature, humidity, pressure, impact) and a carrier status dashboard
Budget and certification
- Firmware and cloud for one device: $50,000–$120,000.
- Full product with PCB, firmware, cloud and mobile app: $120,000–$300,000+.
- End-to-end IoT MVP with custom hardware and firmware: $80,000–$150,000.
Certification budget sits on top of development and takes months. Particle’s IoT FCC guide lists FCC Subpart B at about $3k–$5k and Subpart C at $40,000 or more, and up to six to nine months and $200k for FCC, PTCRB, OTA and carrier certifications together. Hubble Network’s hardware cost breakdown lists FCC at $5k–$30k+, CE marking at $10k–$25k+, and carrier certification at $15k–$50k+ over 2–6 months. These are third-party figures. We scope the layers before we commit to a price.
From our clients
“The results were received on time.” Clutch review, Executive, Medical Device Manufacturer
“CimpleO is one of the few agencies that clients can really rely on.” Clutch review, CEO and Founder, Ophardt-Maritim
“What impressed me with the team was their need to understand the requirements completely.” Clutch review, former Project Manager, JOC Group
Tell us about your IoT project and we will assess the hardware requirements and give you a realistic scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does IoT development cost?
A focused single-device firmware + cloud backend project runs $50,000–$120,000. A full product with PCB design, firmware, cloud platform, and mobile app ranges from $120,000–$300,000+ depending on hardware complexity, connectivity stack, and production volume targets. We scope the work before committing to a price.
Do you handle both hardware and software?
Yes. Our team covers the full stack: schematic review and PCB layout, embedded firmware (C/C++, FreeRTOS), wireless connectivity (BLE, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, GSM), cloud backend (AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub, ThingsBoard), and mobile or web dashboards. You get one team that understands the whole system, not a hand-off between hardware and software vendors.
Can you build a working prototype before full development?
Yes, and we recommend it. A 4–6 week proof-of-concept on evaluation hardware (ESP32, STM32 Nucleo) validates your architecture and key risks before you invest in custom PCB design. We'll tell you honestly if the prototype reveals problems with your concept.
How long does an IoT project take from start to production-ready?
Firmware + cloud for a single device type: 3–5 months. Full product including custom PCB, certification testing, and production firmware: 6–12 months. Hardware always sets the timeline — if boards are in fab, we start firmware on evaluation kits to avoid idle time.
Do you support post-launch — OTA updates, device management?
Yes. We implement OTA update mechanisms as part of the firmware, not as an afterthought. Post-launch we can provide a retainer for fleet monitoring, firmware updates, and cloud infrastructure management. Most production deployments have ongoing operational needs.
What industries have you built IoT for?
Logistics and asset tracking (2.2-year GPS tracker), agriculture (soil sensors, automated irrigation), industrial automation (CAN bus, Modbus, predictive maintenance), smart metering (LoRa multi-node networks), and healthcare-adjacent monitoring. See our IoT projects for specifics.
Which stage takes the longest, and what does certification add?
Hardware sets the pace, because boards need fab and assembly time before firmware can be proven on them. Certification adds its own stage. Particle's IoT FCC guide puts FCC, PTCRB, OTA and carrier certifications together at up to six to nine months. Hubble Network's cost breakdown lists carrier certification at 2–6 months. Plan this time on top of development.
Do you handle FCC, CE and carrier certification?
We design for the certification requirements you need from the first schematic and support you through testing. Test lab and carrier fees are third-party costs and sit on top of the development budget. Particle lists FCC Subpart C at $40,000 or more and up to $200k for FCC, PTCRB, OTA and carrier certifications together. Hubble Network lists CE marking at $10k–$25k+ and carrier certification at $15k–$50k+, and calls certification the single most underestimated cost category.
Who owns the source code?
You do. You get the firmware, cloud and app source code with full git history and the documentation. We transferred documentation and the server to the client at the end of the FlowID project.
How is the budget split between hardware and software?
It depends on the product. Firmware plus cloud for one device on existing hardware is the $50,000–$120,000 tier. Adding custom PCB design, mobile apps and production firmware moves the project to the $120,000–$300,000+ tier. Certification and manufacturing are not in either tier. We give you the split per layer in the scoped estimate.