IoT Product Development and Connected Device Prototyping
From concept to fully working IoT prototype. We handle hardware design, PCB layout, firmware, wireless connectivity, enclosure design, and small batch production. Get your quote within 48 hours.
Starting from $3,000+ for a single-feature connected device
Full stack
Hardware and firmware
PCB, enclosure, and firmware in one team
WiFi, BLE, Zigbee
Wireless protocols
Plus LoRa, cellular, Z-Wave
48 hrs
Quote turnaround
Every IoT project request
DFM-first
Built for production
Every prototype designed to scale
Starting from
$3,000+
single-feature connected device
Our base rate is $25 per hour plus component and material costs. A single-feature connected device — one sensor, one wireless protocol, one simple enclosure — starts at $3,000. Here is what moves the price:
Every quote is itemized. Hardware, firmware, enclosure, and testing are quoted separately so you see exactly where your money goes.
These are real IoT and connected device products built by solo inventors and small teams. None of them had a full engineering department. All of them started with one person and an idea.
Example 1 — Bluetooth IoT / smart home device
Samuel Clay wanted a simple, elegant remote to control his Philips Hue lights and Sonos speakers without pulling out his phone. Every remote on the market was cheap plastic. He wanted something that looked like furniture. So he built it himself.
Turn Touch is carved from solid mahogany with a custom PCB at its core: four tactile switches, a Bluetooth Low Energy module, and firmware Samuel wrote himself after four years of learning embedded systems. The CNC-machined wood enclosure and the PCB were designed together — button travel, wood thickness, and antenna clearance all engineered as one product.
He launched on Kickstarter in February 2017 and sold over 800 remotes in 30 days, well past his $25,000 Kickstarter goal. He is now in his second production run of 1,000 units in two wood species.
What this took: Custom PCB design, Bluetooth LE firmware, CNC-machined wood enclosure, button mechanism engineering, and a manufacturing process capable of producing hundreds of units per day.
Connectivity: Bluetooth LE | Enclosure: CNC mahogany and rosewood | Kickstarter goal: $25,000 — surpassed on Kickstarter
Example 2 — LED electronics IoT / rechargeable consumer device
Architect Max Gunawan was frustrated by lamps that were fixed in one place. He wanted a light that could go anywhere and look like a beautiful object. He had no electronics engineering background. He had an idea and access to a maker space.
After extensive prototyping, he produced a lamp that unfolded from a hardcover book, lit by LED modules, powered by a rechargeable battery, and switched on simply by how far you opened the cover. The wood enclosure, the LED circuit, the battery pack, and the hinge mechanism were all designed as one integrated system — every component placement affected the others.
He launched on Kickstarter with a $60,000 goal and raised $578,000 in two weeks. Lumio generates $5 million a year and is sold in MoMA stores worldwide.
What this took: LED circuit integration, rechargeable battery system with eight-hour runtime, USB charging, precision wood enclosure, and an opening mechanism that doubled as the power switch.
Electronics: LED modules and rechargeable battery | Enclosure: Precision wood | Raised: $578,000
Example 3 — multi-sensor IoT product / Amazon FBA
A product designer noticed that most home air quality monitors were either cheap and inaccurate or expensive and ugly. He wanted something accurate, well-designed, and priced for everyday consumers. No firmware experience. No PCB experience.
The device needed PM2.5 and CO2 sensors, temperature and humidity monitoring, a small e-ink display, WiFi connectivity for app integration, and a rechargeable battery — all inside a housing smaller than a deck of cards that looked good on a desk.
From first brief to approved prototype took six months. A small batch of 50 units sold out in two weeks on Amazon FBA. The product is now in its second generation with a steel mold and full production runs.
What this took: Multi-sensor PCB design, WiFi firmware with app API, e-ink display integration, battery management circuit, injection-molded enclosure, and FCC pre-compliance design.
Sensors: PM2.5, CO2, temp, humidity | Connectivity: WiFi | Timeline: 6 months brief to Amazon FBA
Three steps from your idea to a working, testable product.
01
Send us your product concept, reference devices, and any sketches or CAD files you have. Tell us your target connectivity, sensors, battery life, and enclosure material. We ask the right questions to scope the electronics and firmware accurately.
Deliverable: Project brief confirmed within 24 hours
02
We send an itemized quote covering PCB design, firmware development, component sourcing, enclosure design, and assembly. Hardware and firmware are quoted separately so you can see each line. We also flag any FCC or CE pre-compliance considerations upfront.
Deliverable: Itemized quote with timeline and milestone plan
03
A 50% deposit locks in your project. We develop the PCB, write firmware, design the enclosure, and build the first prototype. You receive milestone updates at PCB review, first power-on, firmware validation, and enclosure fit. No black boxes.
Deliverable: Working prototype or production units delivered
Electronics and enclosure are designed together from day one. This is the difference between a product that works and one that needs to be redesigned halfway through.
Schematic design, component selection, PCB layout, design rule checks, and Gerber file generation. We consider signal integrity, EMC, and antenna placement from the start.
Embedded firmware for your microcontroller, wireless stack integration, sensor drivers, power management, and API development for app or cloud connectivity.
Enclosure designed around the PCB — not the other way around. Button travel, connector positions, antenna clearance, heat paths, and assembly sequence all engineered for manufacturing.
“I came to PrototyperLab with a block diagram and a reference product. Six months later I had a working connected sensor that passed FCC pre-scan and 50 units on Amazon. Their team handled hardware, firmware, and the enclosure as one integrated project. I would have needed three separate contractors otherwise.”
Kevin L.
Founder, smart home product brand
“The Turn Touch-style product I wanted had both electronics and a wood enclosure. I expected to need separate hardware and woodworking teams. PrototyperLab handled both and designed them together. The result was a product where the electronics and the wood actually fit together properly.”
Priya M.
Product designer, consumer electronics
We do both. Our team handles PCB design, component sourcing, enclosure design, and firmware development. We deliver a fully working device, not just a circuit board. If you already have firmware written, we can work with your existing codebase.
We work with WiFi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRa, and cellular including LTE-M and NB-IoT. The right protocol depends on your range requirements, power budget, and the ecosystem your product connects to.
We focus on hardware and firmware. For companion apps we can refer you to trusted software development partners, or we can build the cloud backend and API that your app connects to, leaving the front-end to your own team.
We design with FCC, CE, and RoHS compliance in mind from the start. Antenna placement, RF shielding, and component selection are all made with pre-compliance in mind. We can guide you through the pre-certification process and work with accredited test labs.
A simple single-sensor connected device typically takes 3 to 5 months from brief to working prototype. More complex products with custom hardware, multiple sensors, cloud infrastructure, and a production enclosure take 6 to 12 months. We scope the timeline carefully before starting.
We work with ESP32 and ESP8266 for WiFi and BLE, STM32 for industrial and power-sensitive applications, Nordic Semiconductor nRF series for BLE-focused products, Raspberry Pi Compute Module for higher-compute applications, and Arduino-compatible platforms for simpler projects.
Yes. After your prototype is approved, we can run a small batch of 20 to 100 units. The DFM-first design approach we use from day one makes this transition cleaner and cheaper.
Have questions about payment terms, refunds, or shipping? Visit our full FAQ page.
Every stage of your product journey covered.
Service
20 to 100 units. Production price per unit, quoted per project.
Quoted per project
Service
Real injection-molded plastic parts from 50 units. Aluminum molds.
From $500/mold
Service
Production-scale steel molds for volume manufacturing.
From $3,000
Service
CNC hardwood, flatpack design, and electronics in wood.
From $1,000
Service
Full-stack electronics: hardware, firmware, and enclosure.
From $3,000
Service
Payment terms, refunds, shipping, and process questions.
prototyperlab.com/faq/
Design, strategy, and process services that support every stage of product development.
Other Service
Engineer your product to ship flat, reduce dimensional weight, and cut Amazon FBA fees by 30% to 50%.
Quoted per project
Other Service
Turn a concept sketch into a production-ready design. Ergonomics, aesthetics, tolerances, and manufacturing feasibility reviewed before prototyping begins.
Quoted per project
Other Service
Already in production but your per-unit cost is too high? We review your BOM, manufacturing process, and mold design to find savings.
Quoted per project
Other Service
Competitor analysis, customer survey design, and Amazon niche analysis — before you commit to prototyping.
Quoted per project
Other Service
Retail packaging, mailer boxes, custom inserts, and FBA-compliant prep. Structural engineering and print-ready artwork in one project.
Quoted per project