Nordic Partner: needCode

HQ Company Address
Kraków, Poland

Design locations
Poland

Serviced Countries / regions
EMEA and Americas

Company introduction
Who we are and what we do:
needCode is a global go-to partner for wireless connectivity, embedded software and IoT delivering end-to-end BLE and UWB (Ultra-Wideband) connectivity solutions. needCode’s BLE work is built on Nordic Semiconductor silicon and SDKs, while our UWB expertise spans a range of vendor solutions, with Nordic chips integrated for BLE commissioning and host control. needCode’s expertise covers the full spectrum of development, from core protocol implementation to multi-protocol coexistence in complex IoT ecosystems.

What makes us unique:
needCode is a one-stop shop for wireless connectivity that sits at the core of two wireless disciplines: Bluetooth Low Energy and Ultra-Wideband. needCode brings deep embedded engineering and connectivity standards-level expertise in secure ranging, precise positioning, Digital Key, FiRa, and Aliro — paired with extensive hands-on experience across the full Nordic SDK stack.

What sets us apart in practice:

Expertize across key wireless protocols: distinct engineering expertise enabling flexibility in product development across the total possible wireless solution spectrum.
Nordic-native from day one: part of needCode’ engineering team has previously been working at Nordic Semiconductor. needCode’s Teams work inside nRF Connect SDK and Zephyr the same way as Nordic's Teams do, taking an internal integrator perspective knowing the platform.
Productization Track Record: needCode’s BLE and UWB designs passed certification, pilot production, and volume manufacturing.
Robust development process and ISO-certified: development lifecycle is built for robustness, repeatability and auditability, which matters for automotive, access-control, and other regulated verticals.
Optimization mindset: low-power tuning, coexistence handling, and throughput/range trade-offs are things needCode designs with core focus on the architecture, which is the key enabler for long-term positive CAPEX and Timeline project impact. This enables a smooth certification and productization pathway.
Speed and Delivery Quality: combination of BLE/UWB building blocks and senior engineering talent capabilities and project culture results in improved time-to-market delivering upon needCode’s quality promise

Working with Nordic Semiconductor:
needCode intends to leverage the extensive Nordic silicon experience on BLE protocols (nRF52, nRF53, nRF54 and Nordic SDKs) to support Nordic's ecosystem by offering embedded software design, optimization, and integration services. needCode actively promotes Nordic solutions within the UWB products, integrating Nordic chips for BLE connectivity, commissioning, and host control alongside UWB ranging, contributing to customer success stories and being listed as a recognized Nordic Design Partner.

Which projects we focus on:
needCode focuses on quality-oriented mid-to-large embedded projects for Western Europe and North America, offering flexible engagement models from targeted firmware services to full turnkey solutions, specializing in BLE and UWB technologies across key verticals including:

Automotive
Access and security
Positioning and asset tracking
Building automation
Wearables
Smart Agriculture
Smart Metering
Smart Home
Connected Health

Design services
needCode delivers full-cycle product engineering around Nordic nRF (nRF52 / nRF53 / nRF54, nRF Connect SDK, Zephyr OS), as a solution provider, design house, and consulting engineering partner.

Services:

Application-layer BLE firmware on nRF Connect SDK and Zephyr OS — GATT services and profiles, connection and bonding management, data streaming and command/control protocols, device provisioning, and secure OTA/DFU, built on the Nordic BLE stack.
Wireless integration and bring-up: Bluetooth LE (including Direction Finding and Channel Sounding), Bluetooth Mesh, Thread, Matter, Zigbee, proprietary 2.4 GHz, LTE-M (nRF91), and Wi-Fi 6 (nRF70), including multi-protocol coexistence on a single SoC.
UWB ranging and sensing: on dedicated UWB silicon, with an nRF BLE SoC handling discovery and the secure out-of-band key exchange that sets up each UWB session. Supports secure distance ranging and radar-style presence/motion detection, aligned with the CCC, FiRa, Aliro, and Omlox standards.
System architecture and product design — requirements definition, technology and chipset selection, wireless and power architecture, and trade-off analysis across range, throughput, and cost.
Test automation and quality assurance: CI/CD, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test rigs, cross-device interoperability testing across iOS/Android handsets, and power profiling on real hardware.
Hardware design and PCB layout, from schematic to production-ready design.
Rapid prototyping and proof-of-concept builds.
Security implementation: Arm TrustZone, Secure Boot, signed/encrypted DFU, secure provisioning, and key/certificate handling.
Companion mobile applications for iOS (CoreBluetooth), Android, and Flutter — several published and maintained on the App Store and Google Play, working seamlessly with nRF-based devices.
Device-to-cloud integration, with cloud backend and frontend development.
Enclosure and industrial design with mechanical integration.
Pre-production testing and validation, pilot production, transfer to production, and long-term lifecycle maintenance.
Strategic technology workshops and hands-on engineering training — UWB and BLE fundamentals, protocol deep-dives (CCC, FiRa, Channel Sounding), and nRF Connect SDK / Zephyr onboarding.
Standards qualification and certification support, including Bluetooth SIG qualification, FiRa, CCC Digital Key, and RED and NIS2 regulatory readiness

Products and domains we build for:

Automotive — digital key (CCC), tire-pressure monitoring (TPMS), child-presence detection, and infotainment.
Access and security — smart locks (Aliro), access readers, and phone-as-a-key, using UWB and Channel Sounding ranging.
Positioning and tracking — indoor positioning and real-time location (RTLS), asset tracking, indoor navigation, and Bluetooth beacons, including large-scale deployments using Periodic Advertising with Responses (PAwR) and Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding.
Building automation, professional lighting and smart home — Bluetooth Mesh lighting control at building scale, LED drivers and switches, occupancy and environmental sensors, HVAC control, gateways, smart hubs, and thermostats.
Wearables, connected health and fitness — smartwatches and activity trackers, continuous glucose monitors and biosensors, ECG and vital-sign monitors, and sport/fitness devices.
Smart agriculture — crop and livestock monitoring, virtual fencing, and environmental sensing in remote conditions

We are a:
☒ Consultant / Consultancy firm
☒ Design House
☐ Original Design Manufacturing (ODM)
☒ Solution Provider
☐ other:

We offer the following core design services in combination with Nordic products:

☒Hardware and RF design
☒Embedded software development
☒Advanced RF and antenna design
☐Security design and implementation

We also offer the following services:
☒ Rapid Prototyping
☒ Pre-production testing and validation
☒ Pilot production
☒ Transfer to production
☐ Turn-key contract manufacturing
☒ Product Cycle Management
☒ Industrial design (enclosure/casing)
☒ Device to Cloud integration
☒ Cloud backend development
☒ Cloud frontend development
☒ Other: strategic workshops & technology training standards & certification support

We have experience with the following technologies on Nordic products:
Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, Bluetooth Mesh, ZigBee, Thread, Matter, Proprietary, ANT, LTE-M, Wi-Fi 6.

Solutions
needCode is a Nordic Solution and Design Partner working across UWB, BLE, and adjacent 2.4 GHz radios. needCode delivers hardware, firmware, application layer, and validation for products built on or alongside a Nordic SoC under nRF Connect SDK.

needCode’s expertise: UWB (IEEE 802.15.4z/4ab, CCC Digital Key, FiRa MAC/UCI, Aliro), BLE, Thread, Matter, Zigbee, proprietary 2.4 GHz, CAN (SAE J1939, NMEA 2000), board and RF design, SDK development, and application-layer implementations.

UWB solutions

CCC Digital Key: automotive access with BLE out-of-band
Aliro: access solutions on Nordic platforms
RTLS: using FiRa or Omlox, including tag and anchor hardware
UWB sniffer: raw packet capture and PHY/MAC protocol parsing
Custom ranging and FiRa data transfer solutions

BLE solutions

Chained OTA/DFU across multi-node device fleets
Power optimization for battery powered designs

Validation

Test automation for embedded targets
SIL/HIL environments with CI/CD pipelines
Standards conformance suites
Remotely accessed and maintained hardware test rigs
End-to-end testing against physical iOS/Android smartphones

We offer the following solutions in combination with Nordic products:
☐ Programming
☒ Testing
☐ Certifications
☒ 3rd party protocols, software libraries & SDK
☒ Positioning systems/platforms
☐ 3rd Party Prototyping platforms / Development kits
☐ Cloud and Device management
☐ Cellular connectivity

UN Sustainable Development Goals
needCode's engineering directly supports UN SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): our ultra-low-power designs and BLE Power Optimization Lab extend product battery life and reduce the energy and waste footprint of connected devices, while our BLE-mesh smart-lighting and smart-building projects reduce buildings' energy consumption. needCode’s UWB solutions further advance these goals: precise positioning and secure ranging enable occupancy-aware building automation and accurate asset tracking that cut energy use and reduce equipment loss and waste.

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Nordic Partner: needCode

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