Free e-book: IEEE 802.15.4ab vs IEEE 802.15.4z

On NXP UWB silicon? The ranging engineering is the same discipline. We have it.

Q: Can needCode develop on NXP Trimension UWB silicon?

Yes - needCode brings dedicated UWB engineering to NXP Trimension designs, including SR150 for secure ranging and digital key and SR040 on the device side. UWB ranging is defined by open standards (IEEE 802.15.4z/4ab, FiRa, CCC), so the hard engineering - TWR/TDoA/AoA, STS security, session management - transfers directly across vendors, while the NXP-specific driver layer is the part a dedicated UWB team absorbs fastest. Engagements start with an NDA and a scoping call.

Q: Is needCode an NXP partner?

needCode is not positioned as an NXP partner - needCode's named silicon partnership is with Qorvo. What needCode brings to NXP designs is vendor-portable UWB depth: the largest dedicated UWB team in Central Europe, 9 platform bring-ups, a FiRa contributor seat, and a UWB protocol sniffer that works on any silicon. For an NXP-silicon product, that ranging engineering is the capability that matters, and it's vendor independent by nature.

Q: Does the UWB experience really transfer from other silicon to NXP?

Yes - because UWB is standards-defined, the ranging, security, and session engineering is the same problem across Qorvo, NXP, and any compliant silicon; first-path detection, STS handling, and CCC session behaviour don't change with the part number. What's vendor-specific is the driver and register layer, which is the fastest part for an experienced UWB team to learn, because it already understands what the hardware is doing. This is why a dedicated UWB team outperforms a generalist starting from the NXP datasheet.

Q: Can needCode build a CCC Digital Key product on NXP SR150?

Yes - CCC Digital Key on SR150 involves the same secure-ranging engineering needCode applies across UWB silicon: dynamic STS, multi-anchor sessions, relay-attack-resistant distance bounding, and BLE for discovery and pairing. needCode is an active FiRa contributor and builds CCC and Aliro session stacks, with certification support available through its Standards & Certification service. The security layer is exactly where dedicated UWB depth pays off.

Q: Can you debug UWB problems on NXP silicon?

Yes - needCode's UWB Protocol Sniffer captures and decodes IEEE 802.15.4a/z traffic on any UWB silicon, NXP included, with FiRa and CCC decoders. When a range looks wrong on an NXP board, the frames are read directly rather than inferred from device logs. No silicon vendor ships an equivalent tool, which makes protocol-level visibility available on an NXP project from day one.

Q: Can you bring up our custom NXP-based UWB board?

Yes - custom board bring-up is a core engagement: clocks, power domains, RF layout review, antenna integration, and first ranging on the hardware, from a team nine UWB platform bring-ups deep. The bring-up discipline is what transfers across silicon; the NXP register map and reference-design specifics are learned quickly on top of it.

Q: Do you support NXP RTLS parts for industrial positioning?

Yes - needCode designs complete real-time location systems on UWB silicon, including NXP RTLS parts: custom tags and anchors, ranging algorithms, sensor fusion, deployment, and integration with WMS and operational systems. RTLS engineering - anchor planning, NLOS handling, scale - is vendor-portable, and the same discipline applies whether the silicon is NXP or another UWB vendor.

Q: Can you help us choose between NXP and other UWB vendors?

Yes - and needCode's vendor-portable position makes that advice more honest than a single-vendor shop's: a 2-4 week feasibility consultation compares candidate silicon on measured behaviour against your product's ranging, AoA, certification, and cost requirements. needCode works across UWB silicon and has no incentive to steer you toward one part. The recommendation comes from hardware results, not a preferred vendor.

Q: Does needCode support NXP's BLE and connectivity silicon too?

Yes - a UWB product rarely uses UWB alone; a digital key pairs UWB ranging with BLE discovery, and coexistence between them is real engineering. needCode's multi-protocol depth covers the adjacent NXP BLE and connectivity silicon a UWB product sits next to, so the whole radio picture is handled by one team rather than split across vendors' reference designs.

Q: How is needCode different from a general firmware agency for NXP work?

A general agency starts from the NXP datasheet; needCode starts from the ranging problem, with the datasheet as the easy half. The difference is a dedicated UWB team (the largest in Central Europe), 9 platform bring-ups, standards-body membership, and a proprietary UWB sniffer in the pipeline - depth that a firmware generalist meeting UWB on your project can't replicate, regardless of which vendor's silicon is on the board.

UWB ranging - TWR, TDoA, AoA, CCC and FiRa session management, STS security - is the same engineering problem whether the silicon says Qorvo or NXP. needCode is the largest dedicated UWB team in Central Europe, with 9 platform bring-ups, a FiRa contributor seat, and our own UWB protocol sniffer. We bring that depth to NXP Trimension designs - SR150, SR040, and the digital-key and RTLS products built on them. Vendor-portable expertise, not a datasheet read.

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The NXP silicon we work on

We work with Industry Leaders

The chipset changes. The ranging engineering doesn't.

UWB is defined by open standards - IEEE 802.15.4z and 4ab at the PHY, FiRa and CCC above them - which means the hard parts are the same across vendors: getting first-path detection right in multipath, making STS security behave, holding a CCC session through frame hopping, keeping ranging honest under real radio conditions. A team that has solved those problems has solved them for UWB, not for one part number. What is vendor-specific - the driver layer, the register map, the reference-design quirks - is exactly the surface a UWB team absorbs fastest, because it already knows what the silicon is trying to do.

needCode brings that ranging depth to NXP Trimension silicon. We're the largest dedicated UWB team in Central Europe, nine platform bring-ups deep, an active FiRa contributor, and we debug NXP or any UWB traffic with our own protocol sniffer rather than device logs. Where a generalist firmware shop starts from the NXP datasheet, we start from the ranging problem - and the datasheet is the easy half.

UWB depth, vendor-portable

The ranging, STS, and session engineering is standards-defined - solved once, it transfers to NXP silicon.

A dedicated UWB team

The largest in Central Europe, 9 platform bring-ups, FiRa contributor - not a generalist shop meeting UWB for the first time on your project.

Our own instrument

A UWB protocol sniffer that captures and decodes 802.15.4a/z on any vendor's silicon - including NXP - so ranging problems are seen, not guessed.

The NXP silicon we work on

NXP's Trimension UWB family and the surrounding connectivity silicon a UWB product touches.

Trimension SR150

NXP's automotive- and access-grade UWB part for secure ranging and digital key - the silicon behind CCC Digital Key and Aliro-class products. The ranging, STS, and CCC-session work here is the same discipline needCode applies daily across UWB platforms.

Digital Keys & Access

Automotive & SDV

Trimension SR040

NXP's UWB part for the device/tag side - phone-as-key accessories, tags, and IoT ranging endpoints. Pairing a ranging endpoint with an anchor or phone is core RTLS and digital-key engineering, vendor independent.

Indoor Positioning (RTLS)

Trimension RTLS Parts

NXP's UWB silicon aimed at industrial real-time location - anchors and tags for positioning at facility scale. needCode designs complete RTLS on UWB silicon, from custom hardware through ranging algorithms to WMS integration.

UWB RTLS Design & Deployment

Industrial IoT & RTLS

Adjacent NXP Connectivity

The BLE and connectivity silicon a UWB product sits next to - because a digital key is UWB plus BLE discovery, and coexistence is real engineering. needCode's multi-protocol depth covers the whole radio picture, not just the UWB part.

Multi-Protocol / Coexistence

BLE

On NXP UWB silicon, or maybe considering other vendors?

Book a discovery call with our CEO

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What we build on NXP UWB silicon

The full stack of engagements, brought to NXP designs from dedicated UWB experience.

Board Bring-Up & Custom Hardware

Getting your NXP-based board to boot, range, and behave - clocks, power, RF layout review, antenna integration - from a team nine UWB platform bring-ups deep. The bring-up discipline is what transfers; the register map is what we learn fast.

Platform Bring-Up & SDK

UWB SDK & Application Firmware

Drivers, ranging stacks, FiRa/CCC session management, and the application firmware your product ships - the same four-layer SDK discipline behind the public QM35 SDK, applied to your NXP codebase.

UWB SDK Development

Digital Key & Secure Ranging

CCC Digital Key and Aliro secure-access products on NXP silicon - session and STS implementation, relay-attack-resistant distance bounding, credential handling. The security engineering is where UWB depth matters most.

Digital Keys & Access

Relay Attack Prevention

Test, Debug & Certification

Protocol-level debugging with our own UWB sniffer against NXP traffic, automated test batteries on real boards, and the FiRa/CCC certification path - run by an active FiRa contributor.

UWB Sniffer

Standards & Certification

Vendor-portable UWB depth, brought to your NXP design

A dedicated UWB team, not a generalist shop

The largest dedicated UWB team in Central Europe, nine platform bring-ups deep - your NXP project is staffed by engineers who do UWB every day, not a firmware team meeting ranging for the first time.

The ranging engineering transfers

FiRa and CCC sessions, STS security, first-path detection, multi-anchor behaviour - standards-defined problems we've solved repeatedly. On NXP silicon, the driver layer is the new part; the hard ranging engineering is already ours.

We debug at the protocol level, any vendor

Our UWB Protocol Sniffer captures and decodes 802.15.4a/z on any UWB silicon, NXP included - so when a range looks wrong on your NXP board, we read the frames instead of guessing from logs.

Standards depth, spec-current

Active FiRa contributor with interoperability test events on two continents and UWB Alliance member - the depth that keeps a UWB stack, on any silicon, tracking the spec rather than trailing it.

Four ways to bring needCode in

From a vendor-selection question to a standing team. We match the engagement to where your NXP project is.

01 Feasibility & Vendor Consultation

Duration:
2-4 weeks
Best for:
Validating NXP Trimension for your product - or comparing it against alternatives - measured on hardware, from a team with no silicon axe to grind.
Deliverable:
Feasibility assessment on real silicon, architecture recommendation, honest vendor comparison, leadership readout.

02 Bring-Up & Firmware Build

Duration:
Phased
Best for:
Custom NXP board bring-up and the UWB SDK / application firmware your product ships on
Deliverable:
Working firmware on your hardware, test harness, documentation, release ownership

03 System Delivery

Duration:
Phased
Best for:
Complete digital-key or positioning systems on NXP silicon - hardware, firmware, deployment, integration
Deliverable:
A deployed, validated system with handover

04 Embedded Team

Duration:
Multi-year, retainer-based
Best for:
Companies that want standing UWB depth inside their NXP programme
Deliverable:
An embedded team in your cadence - the delivery model behind an 8-year silicon-scale programme

What we ship on

NXP UWB silicon and the standards, ranging methods, and instruments a UWB product needs.

NXP silicon

Trimension SR150

Trimension SR040

Trimension RTLS parts

adjacent NXP BLE / connectivity

Standards

IEEE 802.15.4z / 4ab

FiRa

CCC Digital Key 3.0 / 4.0

Aliro

omlox

Ranging

DS-TWR / SS-TWR

TDoA (UL/DL)

AoA

dynamic STS

multi-anchor sessions

RTOS & platforms

Zephyr

FreeRTOS

ThreadX

bare-metal

Hardware

Custom UWB tags & anchors

antenna integration

low-power design

Tooling

UWB Protocol Sniffer (in-house, Qorvo-proven)

board-matrix CI

HIL rigs

Wireshark dissectors

Case studies

needCode's deepest public proof is on Qorvo silicon - shown here honestly, as evidence of UWB engineering depth that transfers to NXP, not as an NXP relationship.

Qorvo: RF Leadership

Context: Rapid scaling for new chipset bring-up.

Scale: Grew from <10 to 30 FTEs.
Output: Supported bring-up of 9 new hardware platforms (SDKs, Drivers, Stacks).
Retention: Zero-churn core team retained for 5+ years.

Dedicated Development Center for RF Solutions

Bluetooth Mesh Smart Lighting Control System

Smart Lighting: Core R&D Extension

Context: Client needed deep, specialized expertise to pivot from proprietary tech to a new global standard.

Service: Deployed a dedicated squad of embedded engineers to function as the client's core R&D team.
Output: Co-authored official Bluetooth SIG protocols and delivered the world’s first certified BLE Mesh stack.
Value: Enabled the client to secure Series A funding and defined the industry standard for smart buildings.

Creative Werks: Innovation rescue

Context: Hardware obsolescence threatened production shutdown.

Action: Full-stack takeover (PCB redesign + Firmware + Mobile App).
ROI: 1230% ($1.6M value generated).
Speed: Payback period of 2-3 months.

NeedCode-case study - IoT Solution for Boat Lift Modernization - cover2s

PowerPollen: AgTech automation

Context: Lack of internal expertise stalled a critical automation project.

Action: Re-architected system using unified MCU and ISOBUS standards.
ROI: 13.8x ($2.9M value generated).
Impact: Enabled $1.9M increase in harvester value.

Strategic Partnership

needCode is an official business partner of Qorvo, bringing over 8 years of proven expertise and trusted service to the technology sector.

Check our performance

Members of the UWB Alliance

In 2025 we became a member of the UWB Alliance. This strategic step reinforces our commitment to pioneering Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology.

Proudly Certified for Excellence and Security

needCode is officially certified for:
ISO 9001:2015 – Quality Management
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 – Information Security

ISO certifications reflect our focus on delivering reliable IoT solutions, smart product development, and secure technology services.

Testimonials

“I think the key takeaway from needCode is their ability to adapt and understand the customer's requirements. That took away probably a large portion of what could have been a lot of development time and expense for both companies.”

Bob Folkestad

President at Creative Werks

“One aspect that truly sets needCode apart is its profound expertise in firmware development. Their proficiency in various programming languages, embedded systems and hardware architecture is truly impressive. When faced with difficult problems, their strong problem-solving skills and analytical mindset shine through, allowing them to overcome obstacles with remarkable ease.”

Semeh Sarhan

CEO at Xtrava

“I worked with needCode while leading the NWTN-Berlin team in 2018. A big chunk for our FW development has been outsourced to them and they had proven to iterate very quickly, following specs and deliver on time. It was great working with them. I recommend working with needCode’s team on any Embedded SW development.”

Marco Salvioli Mariani

CTO at NWTN Berlin GmbH

“needCode Team proved to be one of the best engineers I have ever met. The part I like the most about the team is the more difficult an obstacle seems to be, the more motivated they were to find a solution and a way forward.”

Szymon Słupik

CTO at Silvair

“needCode is an outstanding partner. Their quick follow-up, scalability, and extensive professional network set them apart. Their expertise in wireless technologies has been valuable, supporting us from low-level drivers to architecture discussions.”

Tim Allemeersch

Director at Qorvo, Inc.

“needCode did a great job improving the firmware of the Vai Kai connected toys and developing new features, surpassing our expectations multiple times. I would definitely recommend hiring Bartek and needCode for the embedded software projects!”

Matas Petrikas

CEO & Co-founder at Vai Kai UG

Insights

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