Embedded Software Development Company — Firmware, IoT Device Software & Medical Device Engineering
Automely is an embedded software development company, IoT software development company, and firmware development company building firmware, IoT platforms, and IEC 62304-compliant medical device software for hardware product companies across the US and UK. Hardware products are only as good as the software running on them. The firmware controls device behaviour. The cloud backend processes sensor data. The mobile app gives users visibility into device status. The over-the-air update infrastructure lets you improve the product after it ships. All of these are software problems. They require developers who understand both the hardware constraints and the software engineering discipline needed to work within them. Dedicated embedded software engineers and product engineering teams, onboarded in 7 days.
Dedicated engineers • 7-day onboarding • Firmware, IoT & medical device software • NDA on day oneWritten by Hamid Khan — CEO & Co-Founder, Automely • Last updated: May 2026Clients Served
Projects Delivered
Average Onboarding
Clutch & GoodFirms
Why Embedded Software Development for Hardware Products Requires Specialist Engineers
Embedded software development faces constraints that standard web and application development does not. RAM and flash storage are measured in kilobytes, not gigabytes. There is no operating system, or only a real-time operating system (RTOS) rather than Linux. Processing power is measured in MHz rather than GHz. Battery-operated devices need aggressive sleep mode management. A missed timing deadline is not a slow page load — it is a safety failure. Writing software for these environments requires a different skill set. Developers need C and C++ rather than JavaScript, direct hardware register manipulation, interrupt service routine design, and the validation discipline that regulated industries demand.
Product engineering services extend this to the full software stack of a hardware product. This includes the firmware on the device, the cloud backend processing device data, the API layer connecting device data to applications, the mobile or web application users interact with, and the manufacturing test software used during production. A hardware product needs all of these layers to work reliably together. The team building them must understand the constraints at every layer at the same time.
AI is increasingly relevant in hardware products — not in the firmware itself, but in the cloud processing layer. Machine learning models run on device telemetry data for predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and usage pattern analysis. Computer vision models process camera or sensor data in the cloud. AI-powered dashboards surface actionable insights from device fleet data rather than raw telemetry. Automely's AI engineering capability applies directly to the cloud layer of hardware products.
WHAT WE BUILD
Embedded Software Development Services — Firmware, IoT & Medical Device
Every product engineering engagement is scoped around your hardware — target MCU, connectivity requirements, regulatory certification pathway, and the full software stack the product needs to reach production.
Embedded Firmware Development & RTOS Development
Embedded firmware development for microcontrollers and microprocessors: bare-metal C/C++ firmware development, RTOS development with FreeRTOS, Zephyr, and ThreadX, peripheral driver development (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, USB, Ethernet), bootloader and secure-boot implementation, OTA firmware update development from day one, low-power mode management for battery-operated devices, and watchdog timer and fault-recovery logic. Experience with ARM Cortex-M, ESP32, STM32, Nordic nRF52 series, and NXP i.MX families.
Build Your Firmware →IoT Device Software & Platform Development
End-to-end IoT software development and connected device software development: device-side firmware with MQTT, CoAP, or HTTPS connectivity; AWS IoT development and Azure IoT development on AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, and Google Cloud IoT; device provisioning and certificate management at manufacturing scale; real-time telemetry pipelines from device to dashboard; over-the-air update orchestration; device shadow and twin management for offline-capable devices; and the web or mobile dashboard that makes device data visible and actionable to end users.
Build Your IoT Platform →Medical Device Software Development (IEC 62304)
IEC 62304 software development for regulated medical devices: IEC 62304-compliant software lifecycle, Software of Unknown Provenance (SOUP) management, risk management integration (ISO 14971), design history file documentation, verification and validation test protocol development, cybersecurity requirements for connected devices (FDA pre-market guidance alignment), and software architecture for Class II and Class III medical devices. Experience with FDA submission support documentation and CE marking technical file requirements.
Build Your Medical Device Software →Digital Product Engineering for Hardware Product Software Development
Full software stack engineering for digital hardware products: firmware plus cloud backend plus mobile or web application developed as an integrated programme. API design connecting device telemetry to application features, user account and device pairing flows, fleet management dashboards for enterprise device deployments, analytics pipelines for product usage and performance data, and the CI/CD infrastructure for both cloud and firmware components. End-to-end ownership of the software layers so hardware engineers can focus on the electronics.
Start Your Product Engineering →Embedded Firmware Testing & Validation
Automated testing infrastructure for embedded software: Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) test framework development, unit testing for embedded C/C++ using Ceedling/Unity, static analysis integration (PC-Lint, Polyspace, SonarQube), requirement traceability matrix maintenance, regression testing automation for firmware releases, boundary condition and fault injection testing, and the test documentation required for IEC 62304 or DO-178C aviation certification.
Build Your Test Infrastructure →Product Engineering Consulting & Embedded Architecture Review
Architecture and technical strategy for hardware product software: embedded software architecture reviews for products approaching scale, connectivity protocol selection (Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Thread, Zigbee, LTE-M, NB-IoT) with power and cost analysis, OTA firmware update strategy design, security architecture for connected devices, manufacturing test strategy, and technical due diligence support for hardware product companies raising investment or preparing for acquisition.
Get Technical Advice →HOW WE WORK
Our Embedded Software Development Process
Six stages built around the specific requirements of hardware product software — from hardware discovery and firmware architecture through cloud integration, application development, and certification support.

01
Hardware & Requirements Discovery
We review your hardware specification, target MCU/MPU, power constraints, connectivity requirements, and certification targets. We map the full software stack needed — firmware layers, cloud backend, mobile or web app — and identify the regulatory requirements that will govern the development process. Deliverable: Software architecture specification with hardware interface definitions and certification pathway plan.
02
Firmware Architecture & BSP Design
We define the Board Support Package (BSP), peripheral driver architecture, RTOS task structure, memory map, and communication protocol stack before any implementation begins. For regulated products, we establish the software development lifecycle documentation framework required by IEC 62304 at this stage. Deliverable: Approved firmware architecture, driver interface specifications, and development environment configured for your target hardware.
03
Firmware Development & Unit Testing
Peripheral driver development, RTOS task implementation, communication stack integration (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular), power management, OTA update infrastructure, and bootloader. Unit tests written alongside implementation using Ceedling/Unity. For IEC 62304 projects, verification evidence captured per software safety class requirements. Deliverable: Firmware releases at agreed sprint cadence with passing unit test suite and version-controlled source.
04
Cloud Backend & Device API
Device connectivity backend on AWS IoT Core or Azure IoT Hub — device provisioning, MQTT telemetry ingestion, time-series storage, device shadow / twin management, OTA update orchestration, and the REST or GraphQL API that applications use to query device data and send commands. Deliverable: Deployed backend with device integration tested against physical hardware, with API documentation.
05
Application Layer Development
Mobile app (React Native) or web dashboard (Next.js) — device pairing flow, real-time telemetry display, alert configuration, device management for fleet operators, and user account management. For enterprise IoT deployments, fleet management dashboards with device health monitoring, firmware version tracking, and bulk OTA update management. Deliverable: Working application connected to live device data, tested on target platforms.
06
Validation, Certification Support & Handover
System-level testing against requirements (HIL testing where applicable), boundary condition and fault injection testing, performance testing under production load. For medical devices: verification and validation protocol execution, SOUP documentation completion, design history file review. Deliverable: Validated firmware and application suite, complete technical documentation, and a maintained development environment with your team onboarded.
Why Hardware Companies Choose Automely Over Generic Software Agencies
Hardware product software projects fail when the development team does not understand embedded constraints. Web developers write cloud backends without understanding device data volumes. Firmware gets delivered without OTA infrastructure. Medical device software gets built without the IEC 62304 documentation framework. Automely builds for how embedded systems actually work.
The Problem You Face
What Automely Does Differently
Web or mobile developers hired to build the 'app side' of the product write cloud backends and mobile apps without understanding the firmware constraints — timing assumptions, memory limitations, and connectivity loss handling differ fundamentally from web development
We build firmware and application layers as an integrated programme — the cloud backend is designed around the device's actual data model, and the mobile app handles connectivity loss, device pairing edge cases, and real-time telemetry the way the firmware actually delivers it
OTA firmware update infrastructure added as an afterthought after launch — often requiring devices to be recalled or manually reflashed because the update mechanism was not designed into the firmware from the start
We design OTA update infrastructure — bootloader, dual-bank flash layout, update verification, rollback on failure — into the firmware architecture from the beginning, so products can be updated safely in the field from day one
Medical device software development started without IEC 62304 documentation framework — validation evidence, SOUP inventory, and software safety classification retroactively applied to code that was not written with traceability in mind, requiring expensive rework before regulatory submission
We establish the IEC 62304 software development lifecycle structure at the architecture stage — requirements traceability, SOUP management, and verification evidence captured continuously during development, so the technical file is a by-product of the development process rather than a separate project
Connectivity protocol chosen based on familiarity (Wi-Fi, because the development team knows it) rather than product requirements — leading to battery life failures in field deployment where power budget analysis was never done
We perform connectivity protocol selection with explicit power budget analysis, range requirements review, and infrastructure dependency assessment — so the protocol choice is justified against the product's real operating conditions before any hardware is ordered
Firmware testing done manually by flashing devices and observing behaviour — no automated regression testing, so each firmware release requires hours of manual validation and regressions are discovered by customers
We build automated testing infrastructure — unit tests with Ceedling/Unity, HIL test frameworks where applicable, and static analysis — so firmware releases are validated against a regression suite and defects are caught before reaching hardware
Device cloud architecture built on generic web infrastructure — relational database with individual INSERT per telemetry reading, collapsing under the volume of even a few hundred devices sending sensor data at 1Hz
We build IoT backends on time-series databases (TimescaleDB, InfluxDB) with appropriate ingestion pipeline architecture — designed for the actual data volumes a device fleet generates, not adapted from a web application data model
Embedded Software Results — 16-Week IoT Launch, Full IEC 62304 DHF Delivered On Schedule
Below are examples of embedded software and product engineering projects delivered by Automely. All client details are kept confidential.
HARDWARE SECTORS WE SERVE
Embedded Software Across Hardware Industries
We build firmware, IoT platforms, and product engineering stacks across the full range of hardware product categories — from consumer electronics to regulated medical devices.

Consumer Electronics
Consumer electronics software development — firmware and mobile app development for smart home devices, wearables, and connected consumer products — from prototype firmware to production OTA update infrastructure.
Consumer Electronics Software

Industrial IoT & Automation
Industrial IoT development — sensor firmware, MQTT telemetry pipelines, SCADA and HMI interfaces, predictive maintenance dashboards, and fleet management for industrial device deployments. See also our manufacturing software development services for the operational and ERP side.
Industrial IoT Software

Medical Devices
IEC 62304-compliant medical device software development for Class I, II, and III devices — from firmware to cloud backend to clinician-facing web applications, with FDA 510(k) and CE marking (EU MDR) documentation support. See also our healthcare software development services for HIPAA-aligned EHR and patient portal work.
Medical Device Software

Asset Tracking & Logistics
LTE-M and NB-IoT firmware for asset tracking devices, GPS and cellular-connected hardware, fleet tracking platforms, geofencing logic, and real-time location dashboards for logistics operators.
Asset Tracking Software

Smart Building & Energy
Smart home and smart building software development — Thread/Matter and Zigbee mesh sensor networks, HVAC control firmware, energy monitoring platforms, and the cloud dashboards that building managers use to optimise energy consumption.
Smart Building Software

Hardware Product Startups
Full-stack product engineering for hardware product startups — firmware, cloud backend, and mobile app delivered as an integrated programme, with OTA firmware update infrastructure and manufacturing test software included from the start.
Hardware Startup Engineering
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Embedded Software & Product Engineering FAQs: Firmware, IoT Protocols, Medical Device Regulations and IEC 62304
What is embedded software?
Embedded software is written to control a specific hardware device. This is different from general-purpose software that runs on a computer or phone. The word 'embedded' means the software lives inside the hardware product itself. It is usually stored in flash memory on a microcontroller or microprocessor and runs when the device powers on. Embedded software controls the hardware's behaviour: reading sensor inputs, making decisions, controlling actuators and outputs, managing power states, and communicating with other devices or cloud services. Devices that run embedded software include thermostats, medical monitors, industrial controllers, automotive ECUs, smart home devices, wearables, industrial robots, and consumer electronics.
Unlike application software, embedded software typically runs without a conventional operating system — or with a minimal real-time operating system. It has strict memory and processing constraints. It must meet deterministic timing requirements. In many cases it cannot be easily updated after deployment, so correctness at the point of release is critical. Embedded software is mainly written in C and C++. Rust is growing in use for safety-critical applications.
What is product engineering?
Product engineering is the end-to-end process of designing, developing, and maintaining a technology product. It covers the full software stack from conception through to production-grade deployment and ongoing iteration. For hardware products, this typically means all software layers: embedded firmware on the device, cloud backend processing device data, APIs connecting device and application, and the mobile or web application users interact with. For software-only products, it covers architecture, full-stack development, quality assurance, DevOps infrastructure, and ongoing iteration. The key difference from project-based development is continuity. Product engineering means ongoing ownership of the product's quality and evolution — not just delivery of a defined scope.
What regulations apply to medical device software?
Medical device software faces regulatory requirements in every major market. In the US, the FDA classifies Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The classification — Class I, II, or III — sets the pathway (510(k), De Novo, or PMA) and the level of evidence required. In the EU, SaMD is regulated under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR 2017/745). In vitro diagnostic software falls under IVDR 2017/746. The main software-specific standard across all markets is IEC 62304 — the software lifecycle process standard for medical device software. It defines requirements for development planning, requirements analysis, architecture, detailed design, unit implementation and testing, integration testing, system testing, and software release. ISO 14971 governs risk management for software. Cybersecurity for connected devices is increasingly regulated. The FDA's 2023 cybersecurity guidance and the EU's Cyber Resilience Act both impose specific requirements on networked medical devices.
What connectivity protocol should I use for my IoT device?
Protocol selection for IoT devices depends on three constraints: range, power budget, and data rate required.
| Protocol | Range | Power | Data Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth LE 5.x | <100m | Very low | Low–Medium | Wearables, smart home, medical |
| Wi-Fi (802.11) | <50m | Medium–High | High | Home/office devices, cameras, always-on |
| Thread / Matter | <30m mesh | Low | Low | Smart home mesh networks |
| LTE-M | Cellular | Low | Medium | Asset tracking, remote sensors |
| NB-IoT | Cellular | Very low | Very low | Deep coverage, low-data sensors |
| Zigbee | <30m mesh | Low | Low | Industrial sensors, building automation |
| LoRaWAN | >10km | Very low | Very low | Wide-area agriculture, utilities |
For consumer products in the home, Bluetooth LE for local control and Wi-Fi for cloud connectivity is the most common combination. For industrial or outdoor devices that need to work without existing network infrastructure, LTE-M or NB-IoT with a SIM is usually the right choice. Thread and Matter are the emerging standards for smart home interoperability. These matter if compatibility with Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa is a product requirement.
Standards & references we build to: FDA — Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) • Bluetooth SIG — Core & profile specifications • LoRa Alliance — LoRaWAN specification
Related Reading on Embedded Software & Hiring
Continue your research on embedded software development costs, hiring firmware and IoT engineers, and adjacent healthcare and manufacturing work where IEC 62304 and industrial IoT overlap.
AI Development Cost in 2026 →
Pricing benchmarks for IoT cloud platforms, AI on device telemetry, and full-stack hardware product engineering.
Healthcare Software Development →
HIPAA-aligned cloud and clinician-facing software paired with our IEC 62304 medical device firmware work.
Manufacturing Software Development →
MES, ERP, and predictive-maintenance work for the operational side of industrial IoT deployments we firmware-enable.
Get Your Dedicated Embedded Developer Onboarded in 7 Days
Building a firmware-controlled device? Designing an IoT cloud platform? Preparing for IEC 62304 medical device certification? Tell us your hardware target, connectivity requirements, and software stack needs. We will match you with a dedicated embedded software engineer and have them onboarded within 7 business days.
- Book a free 30-minute technical consultation — focused on your hardware target, connectivity requirements, and certification pathway
- Receive a scoped proposal with embedded software architecture recommendation within 48 hours
- We onboard your dedicated embedded software engineer within 7 business days
No lock-in contracts • NDA on day one • Firmware, IoT & IEC 62304 medical device expertise

