Project background

A UK-based startup saw an opportunity to meet user needs and position itself in the premium segment of the home security systems market.

After evaluating ready-made and OEM solutions, the client did not find a product that could meet the required technical, functional, certification, and business criteria. This made a custom product development approach the most suitable path forward.

The goal was to develop a connected alarm and smart-access product family, including a central hub, external warning device, wireless PIR sensor, and wireless door/window sensor. The system had to provide reliable wireless coverage across a multi-floor commercial building without the need for additional signal repeaters while also meeting Grade II alarm system requirements and enabling connection to a police station monitoring center.

The solution also needed to fit a viable business model, meaning that product performance, certification requirements, manufacturing cost, BOM cost, RF reliability, and long-term field operation all had to be carefully balanced from the start.

The Challenge

To keep the business model viable, the client defined strict total manufacturing and BOM cost limits. Our team created a selection matrix for the main components and evaluated product performance against cost, availability, wireless range, power consumption, certification impact, and integration complexity.

One of the key system-level requirements was reliable long-range wireless communication between the hub, external warning device, and wireless sensors, since the system had to provide reliable wireless coverage across a multi-floor commercial building without the need for additional signal repeaters.

To select the most suitable wireless technology, our team performed link budget calculations and module performance testing across several wireless technologies. This helped determine the right technical approach for reliable sensor and external warning device communication in real residential environments.

Another important requirement was that the hub should be compatible with other devices on the market, such as smart lights, sensors, and other connected home devices. To support this, several wireless technologies were integrated into a single hub device, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Z-Wave, and GSM connectivity.

Due to the compact enclosure size and the number of wireless interfaces, placing multiple antennas within a small area created a significant RF design challenge. This required custom RF section design, careful antenna placement, and support from an RF expert partner.

The hub was developed as an embedded Linux device integrating a Cortex-A5 MPU at 500 MHz, Z-Wave, 16 GB eMMC, a TFT touchscreen, a battery charger and monitor, PCIe for GSM connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an NFC reader, an LED driver, and a keypad.

In parallel, we developed the wireless peripheral devices that form the complete alarm product family:

• External warning device based on SiLabs Z-Wave 700 series SoC, including battery monitoring, tamper protection, vandal-proof siren buzzer, boost converter for siren powering, LED drivers, and visual indication.
• Wireless PIR sensor based on SiLabs Z-Wave 700 series SoC, including battery monitoring, tamper protection, and PIR-based motion detection.
• Wireless door/window sensor based on SiLabs Z-Wave 700 series SoC, including battery monitoring, tamper protection, and door/window opening detection.

Across the product family, IoT embedded security features were implemented in both hardware and firmware to support secure and reliable connected operation.

Our Contribution

For the complete connected alarm and smart-access product family, our team supported the development from system architecture and electronics design to firmware, validation, and manufacturing preparation.

The work included:

• Hardware and electronics design and verification for the central hub, external warning device, wireless PIR sensor, and wireless door/window sensor
• Custom embedded Linux build and firmware development for the central hub
• Embedded C firmware development for the wireless Z-Wave devices
• Integration of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, Z-Wave, and GSM connectivity into the hub
• Wireless range analysis, link budget calculations, and RF design support for multiple wireless interfaces in a compact enclosure
• Battery monitoring, tamper protection, siren control, LED indication, PIR motion detection, and door/window opening detection functionality
• IoT embedded security implementation in hardware and firmware
• Pre-compliance functional testing according to Grade II alarm criteria
• Environmental chamber testing, including dry heat, cold, temperature change, damp heat steady-state, and damp heat cyclic testing
• Manufacturing support for the complete product family

Result

The project resulted in a complete connected alarm and smart-access product family, combining a central embedded Linux hub, external warning device, wireless PIR sensor, and wireless door/window sensor into one Grade II alarm system platform.

Our work helped the client move from product concept to a custom-developed security system architecture prepared for certification-related validation, manufacturing preparation, and further market introduction.

The final solution was designed to balance residential coverage, smart-home compatibility, embedded security, RF reliability, environmental robustness, and cost constraints required for a viable premium building security product.