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Some of our engineers shipped products inside Nordic. Now they'll ship yours.

needCode's team includes engineers who worked at Nordic Semiconductor - and it built the world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack, co-authored Bluetooth SIG mesh specifications, and runs a dedicated BLE Power Optimization Lab. On nRF52, nRF53, and nRF54 silicon, that means BLE, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, and Matter delivered by people who know the platform from the inside - and battery life measured on instruments, not hoped for in a spreadsheet.
needCode IoT

We work with Industry Leaders

Nordic makes low-power wireless easy to start - and hard to finish.

Nordic's silicon and nRF Connect SDK are the reason so many products start on nRF: the getting-started path is excellent, and a "hello world" BLE peripheral takes an afternoon. The gap opens later. Battery life that has to hit a two-year target under real traffic. Connection stability with dozens of simultaneous links. A mesh that behaves at a thousand nodes instead of ten. Thread and Matter interoperability that survives a certification lab. These are the parts where a first BLE project quietly runs out of road - and where knowing the platform from the inside is the difference between iterating and shipping.

That inside knowledge is literally on the team: needCode includes engineers who shipped products at Nordic, and the wider team built the world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack and co-authored the SIG mesh spec. Power isn't guessed - it's measured in a dedicated BLE Power Optimization Lab. On nRF silicon, needCode starts where a first-time team is still reading the SDK docs.

Inside knowledge, on the team

Engineers who shipped products at Nordic - the platform understood from the inside, not learned from the getting-started guide.

Mesh at the top of the field

The world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack and SIG spec co-authorship - nRF mesh that behaves at scale, not just in a demo.

Power, measured

A dedicated BLE Power Optimization Lab - battery targets validated on instruments, where nRF's low-power promise is either kept or lost.

The Nordic silicon we work on

From the nRF52 workhorses to the nRF54 next generation - and the nRF Connect SDK they all run on.

nRF52 Series

The workhorse BLE family behind a huge share of shipped Bluetooth products - nRF52832, nRF52840, and siblings, covering BLE, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, and Zigbee. Mature, field-proven, and the silicon most nRF products still ship on today.

nRF53 Series

The dual-core generation (application + network core) for products that need more compute alongside the radio - offloading application logic without starving the protocol stack. The architecture rewards teams that understand how to split work across cores.

nRF54 Series

Nordic's next-generation platform (nRF54L / nRF54H) - new architecture, improved efficiency, and the silicon forward-looking products are designing in now. needCode tracks the generation transition so a design starts on the right part, not last year's.

nRF Connect SDK & Multi-Protocol

The Zephyr-based SDK all current nRF parts share - and the multi-protocol reality of running BLE with Thread, Matter, or Zigbee on one radio. needCode's multi-protocol and coexistence depth covers the concurrency most nRF products eventually need.

On Nordic nRF silicon, or choosing it?

Book a discovery call with our CEO

What we build on Nordic silicon

The full stack of nRF engagements, from firmware to certified mesh - on the low-power discipline the platform demands.

BLE SDK & Application Firmware

Drivers, BLE stack integration, and the application firmware your product ships - built on nRF Connect SDK / Zephyr by a team with silicon-vendor pedigree and its own certified-stack history.

Bluetooth Mesh at Scale

Provisioning, OTA, and reliability for nRF mesh networks that have to work at building scale - from the team that built the world's first certified BLE Mesh stack and proved it at a thousand nodes.

Ultra-Low-Power Design

Getting an nRF product to its battery target under real traffic - current profiling, sleep-state engineering, and protocol-timing optimisation, measured in a dedicated Power Optimization Lab. This is where nRF's low-power promise is kept.

Thread, Matter & Multi-Protocol

Matter-over-Thread and multi-protocol products on nRF silicon - commissioning, interoperability, and the coexistence engineering of running more than one protocol on one radio, through to certification.

The platform, known from the inside

Engineers who shipped at Nordic

needCode's team includes engineers who previously built and shipped products at Nordic Semiconductor - platform knowledge that comes from having worked inside it, not from the getting-started guide. 

A certified-mesh heritage

needCode built the world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack and co-authored Bluetooth SIG mesh specifications - the deepest possible credential for nRF mesh work, where most teams are still learning provisioning.

Power, measured not promised

A dedicated BLE Power Optimization Lab means battery targets on nRF silicon are validated on instruments - the single hardest and most-missed requirement in low-power product design.

Standards depth, spec-current

Bluetooth SIG members and contributors, with automated PTS qualification that compresses certification from weeks to an overnight run - nRF products that reach certification pre-tested.

Four ways to bring needCode in

From a feasibility question to a standing team. We match the engagement to where your Nordic project is.

01

Feasibility & Platform Consultation

  • Duration:
    2-4 weeks
  • Best for:
    Validating an nRF part and protocol mix for your product - power budget, connection load, mesh scale - measured on hardware
  • Deliverable:
    Feasibility assessment on real silicon, part and architecture recommendation, power estimate, leadership readout

02

Firmware & SDK Build

  • Duration: 
    Phased
  • Best for:
    BLE, mesh, or multi-protocol firmware on nRF Connect SDK, from stack integration to shipping application code
  • Deliverable:
    Working firmware on your hardware, power validation, test harness, documentation

03

Power & Certification Hardening

  • Duration: 
    Phased
  • Best for:
    Taking an nRF product to its battery target and through BLE/Thread/Matter certification without a launch-date surprise
  • Deliverable:
    Lab-measured power results, pre-certification testing, qualification support

04

Embedded Team

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

What we ship on

The Nordic stack, end to end - silicon to protocols to power instrumentation.

Nordic silicon

nRF52 series
nRF53 series
nRF54 series

Protocols

Bluetooth LE
Bluetooth mesh
Thread
Matter
Zigbee
BLE Channel Sounding

SDK & platforms

nRF Connect SDK
Zephyr RTOS
bare-metal where needed

Power

protocol-timing optimisation
current profiling
BLE Power Optimization Lab
sleep-state engineering

Quality & tooling

Automated PTS qualification
board-matrix CI
HIL rigs
Bluetooth SIG-grade test discipline

Deliverables

BLE / mesh / multi-protocol firmware
power-validated designs
certification-ready stacks
documentation

Case studies

On this page the proof is BLE-side - a named mesh deployment, a first-of-its-kind certification, and a power lab - not the UWB/Qorvo story that anchors the ranging pages.

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
needcode-powerpolen-case-study-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.
qorvo-logo-banner
UWB-Alliance-logo-banner

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.
ISO 9001_2015ISO - IEC 27001_2022

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
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.”
avatar Semeh Sarhan
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.”
avatar Marco Salvioli Mariani
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.”
A Testimonial picture
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.”
avatar Tim Allemeersch
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!”
avatar Matas Petrikas
Matas Petrikas
CEO & Co-founder
at Vai Kai UG

Insights

FAQ

Yes - needCode develops on Nordic's nRF52, nRF53, and nRF54 families using nRF Connect SDK and Zephyr, covering BLE, Bluetooth mesh, Thread, Matter, and Zigbee. The team includes engineers who previously shipped products at Nordic, and it built the world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack. Engagements span firmware, mesh, ultra-low-power design, and certification, starting with an NDA and a scoping call.

needCode is not a corporate partner of Nordic - its named silicon partnership is with Qorvo. What needCode brings to nRF projects is engineer pedigree: team members who previously built and shipped products at Nordic, plus a certified Bluetooth mesh heritage and a dedicated power lab. For an nRF product, that inside platform knowledge is the capability that matters, and it's on the team rather than on a partnership page.

It depends on your compute, power, and longevity needs: nRF52 is the mature, field-proven workhorse for most BLE and mesh products; nRF53's dual-core architecture suits products needing more application compute alongside the radio; nRF54 is the next generation for new designs planning for efficiency and long product life. needCode advises from your actual requirements in a feasibility consultation, and often the right answer balances maturity against how long the product must stay in market.

Yes - and it's needCode's deepest credential: the team built the world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack and co-authored Bluetooth SIG mesh specifications, with mesh proven at 1,000 nodes and 99.9% delivery in commercial deployments. On nRF silicon, that means provisioning, OTA, and reliability engineered for building scale, not just a working demo. Mesh is where a first nRF project most often underestimates the distance from ten nodes to a thousand.

Battery life is validated, not estimated: needCode runs a dedicated BLE Power Optimization Lab where current draw is measured on instruments across real traffic and sleep states, then optimised through protocol timing and sleep-state engineering. Nordic's silicon is genuinely low-power, but hitting a multi-year target under real conditions is engineering, not a datasheet number. This is the single most-missed requirement in low-power product design.

Yes - nRF Connect SDK is Zephyr-based, and needCode works in Zephyr across the nRF families, including the multi-protocol configurations (BLE with Thread, Matter, or Zigbee) that nRF products commonly need. Zephyr depth also transfers across other vendors' silicon, which is part of why the platform knowledge compounds. Bare-metal is available where a design requires it.

Yes - needCode supports BLE, Thread, and Matter certification on nRF silicon, with automated PTS qualification that compresses Bluetooth testing from weeks to an overnight run and pre-certification testing that removes launch-date surprises. As Bluetooth SIG members, the team runs certification as a checkpoint rather than a risk. The certification path is handled through the Standards & Certification service.

Yes - Matter-over-Thread is a core nRF use case, and needCode handles commissioning, Thread networking, BLE-based setup, and the multi-protocol coexistence of running Matter alongside other protocols on one radio, through to certification. The coexistence engineering - making two protocols share one radio cleanly - is a dedicated needCode competence, not an afterthought.

Where a product combines Nordic BLE with UWB ranging - a common digital-key or RTLS pattern - needCode covers both, bringing its dedicated UWB team (the largest in Central Europe) alongside its Nordic BLE work. On nRF-plus-UWB designs, one team handles the whole radio picture and the coexistence between them. UWB itself is anchored on separate chipset pages.

The difference is inside knowledge and proven depth: engineers who shipped products at Nordic, the world's first certified Bluetooth mesh stack, SIG spec co-authorship, and a dedicated power lab - credentials a firmware generalist meeting nRF on your project can't assemble. A general agency reads the nRF Connect SDK docs; needCode's people helped ship the kind of products those docs describe.

Let's work on your next project together

Book a demo and discovery call with our CEO
to get a look at:
Strategic Expertise
End-to-End Solutions
Advanced Technology
Custom Hardware Devices
Bartek Kling
Bartek Kling / CEO
© 2026 needCode. All rights reserved.

Manufacturing

Modern manufacturing machines are typically equipped with IoT sensors that capture performance data. AIoT technology analyzes this sensor data, and based on vibration patterns, the AI predicts the machine's behavior and recommends actions to maintain optimal performance. This approach is highly effective for predictive maintenance, promoting safer working environments, continuous operation, longer equipment lifespan, and less downtime. Additionally, AIoT enhances quality control on production lines.

For example, Sentinel, a monitoring system used in pharmaceutical production by IMA Pharma, employs AI to evaluate sensor data along the production line. The AI detects and improves underperforming components, ensuring efficient machine operation and maintaining high standards in drug manufacturing.

Logistics & supply chain

IoT devices - from fleet vehicles and autonomous warehouse robots to scanners and beacons - generate large amounts of data in this industry. When combined with AI, this data can be leveraged for tracking, analytics, predictive maintenance, autonomous driving, and more, offering greater visibility into logistics operations and enhancing vendor partnerships.

Example: Amazon employs over 750,000 autonomous mobile robots to assist warehouse staff with heavy lifting, delivery, and package handling tasks. Other examples include AI-powered IoT devices such as cameras, RFID sensors, and beacons that help monitor goods' movement and track products within warehouses and during transportation. AI algorithms can also estimate arrival times and forecast delays by analyzing traffic conditions.

Retail

IoT sensors monitor movement and customer flow within a building, while AI algorithms analyze this data to offer insights into traffic patterns and product preferences. This information enhances understanding of customer behavior, helps prevent stockouts, and improves customer analytics to drive sales. Furthermore, AIoT enables retailers to deliver personalized shopping experiences by leveraging geographical data and individual shopping preferences.

For instance, IoT sensors track movement and customer flow, and AI algorithms process this information to reveal insights into traffic patterns and product preferences. This ultimately leads to better customer understanding, stockout prevention, and enhanced sales analytics.

Agriculture

Recent research by Continental reveals that over 27% of surveyed farmers utilize drones for aerial land analysis. These devices capture images of crops as they are and transmit them to a dashboard for further assessment. However, AI can enhance this process even further.

For example, AIoT-powered drones can photograph crops at various growth stages, assess plant health, detect diseases, and recommend optimal harvesting strategies to maximize yield. Additionally, these drones can be employed for targeted crop treatments, irrigation monitoring and management, soil health analysis, and more.

Smart Cities

Smart cities represent another domain where AIoT applications can enhance citizens' well-being, facilitate urban infrastructure planning, and guide future city development. In addition to traffic management, IoT devices equipped with AI can monitor energy consumption patterns, forecast demand fluctuations, and dynamically optimize energy distribution. AI-powered surveillance cameras and sensors can identify suspicious activities, monitor crowd density, and alert authorities to potential security threats in real-time, improving public safety and security.

For example, an AIoT solution has been implemented in Barcelona to manage water and energy sustainably. The city has installed IoT sensors across its water supply system to gather water pressure, flow rate, and quality data. AI algorithms analyze this information to identify leaks and optimize water usage. Similarly, smart grids have been introduced to leverage AI to predict demand and distribute energy efficiently, minimizing waste and emissions. As a result, these initiatives have enabled the city to reduce water waste by 25%, increase renewable energy usage by 17%, and lower greenhouse gas emissions by 19%.

Healthcare

Integrating AI and IoT in healthcare enables hospitals to deliver remote patient care more efficiently while reducing the burden on facilities. Additionally, AI can be used in clinical trials to preprocess data collected from sensors across extensive target and control groups.

For example, intelligent wearable technologies enable doctors to monitor patients remotely. In real-time, sensors collect vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose levels. AI algorithms then analyze this data, assisting doctors in detecting issues early, developing personalized treatment plans, and enhancing patient outcomes.

Smart Homes

The smart home ecosystem encompasses smart thermostats, locks, security cameras, energy management systems, heating, lighting, and entertainment systems. AI algorithms analyze data from these devices to deliver context-specific recommendations tailored to each user. This enables homeowners to use utilities more efficiently, create a personalized living space, and achieve sustainability goals.

For example, LifeSmart offers a comprehensive suite of AI-powered IoT tools for smart homes, connecting new and existing intelligent appliances and allowing customers to manage them via their smartphones. Additionally, they provide an AI builder framework for deploying AI on smart devices, edge gateways, and the cloud, enabling AI algorithms to process data and user behavior autonomously.

Maintenance (Post-Release Support)

When your product is successfully launched and available on the market we provide ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure your product remains competitive and reliable. This includes prompt resolution of any reported issues through bug fixes and updates.

We continuously enhance product features based on user feedback and market insights, optimizing performance and user experience.

Our team monitors product performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and proactively addresses potential issues. This phase aims to sustain product competitiveness, ensure customer satisfaction, and support long-term success in the market.

Commercialization (From MVP to Product

Our software team focuses on completing the full product feature range, enhancing the user interface and experience, and handling all corner cases. We prepare product software across the whole lifecycle by providing all necessary procedures, such as manufacturing support and firmware upgrade.

We also finalize the product's hardware design to ensure robustness, scalability and cost-effectiveness.

This includes rigorous testing procedures to validate product performance, reliability, and security. We manage all necessary certifications and regulatory compliance requirements to ensure the product meets industry standards and legal obligations.

By the end of this phase, your product is fully prepared for mass production and commercial deployment, with all documentation and certifications in place.

Prototyping (From POC to MVP)

Our development team focuses on implementing core product features and use cases to create a functional Minimum Viable Product (MVP). We advance to refining the hardware design, moving from initial concepts to detailed PCB design allowing us to assemble first prototypes. Updated documentation from the Design phase ensures alignment with current project status. A basic test framework is established to conduct preliminary validation tests.

This prepares the product for real-world demonstrations to stakeholders, customers, and potential investors.

This phase is critical for validating market readiness and functionality before proceeding to full-scale production.

Design (From Idea to POC)

We meticulously select the optimal technology stack and hardware components based on your smart product idea with detailed use cases and feature requirements (Market Requirements Document / Business Requirements Document). Our team conducts thorough assessments of costs, performance metrics, power consumption, and resource requirements.

Deliverables include a comprehensive Product Requirements Document (PRD), detailed Software Architecture plans, an Initial Test Plan outlining validation strategies, Regulatory Compliance Analysis to ensure adherence to relevant standards, and a Proof of Concept (POC) prototype implemented on breakout boards.

This phase aims to validate the technical feasibility of your concept and establish a solid foundation for further development.

If you lack a validated idea and MRD/BRD, consider utilizing our IoT Strategic Roadmap service to gain insights into target markets, user needs, and desired functionality. Having a structured plan in the form of an IoT Strategic Roadmap before development begins is crucial to mitigate complications in subsequent product development phases.