7 Common Mistakes in Low-Power IoT Hardware Design

Did you know that more than 80% of IoT projects fail due to device-level problems in low-power design? The path from concept to market remains challenging despite predictions of 80% growth in device deployment by 2025.

The numbers tell a concerning story—only 26% of IoT projects make it to market successfully. While 60% look promising initially, they face obstacles during development. Many developers misunderstand the parameters that influence low-power design, which leads to expensive mistakes in low-power VLSI design. The right low-power design methodologies matter from day one since an average IoT project’s minimum viable product costs between AUD $48,000 and AUD $79,000.

Let’s examine seven common mistakes developers make in low-power IoT hardware design. Poor choices can substantially affect your project’s success—from overlooking power efficiency early to selecting inappropriate components. Understanding these challenges will help you direct your IoT hardware development effectively and join the successful few who implement these projects well.

Power efficiency is the backbone of successful IoT hardware design. Battery maintenance makes up 80% of lifetime operational costs in remote industrial sensor networks. Many developers treat power optimisation as an extra feature instead of making it central to their design.

Several factors cause teams to overlook power efficiency early in design. Teams often rush to market and focus on making devices work quickly. They put less emphasis on how much energy these devices use.

Power management can feel overwhelming. You need to know about multiple technical areas to optimise energy well:

• Communication protocols and their energy profiles
• Microcontroller sleep states and power modes
• Component selection and circuit design
• Environmental factors affecting performance

IoT networks keep growing, which means energy needs are rising too. This makes energy management vital for sustainable development. Many teams lack the right expertise here, especially when they design for places with limited power setup.

Some developers don’t see the big picture of power inefficiency. They focus on building a working prototype without thinking about how thousands of units will work in the real world.

Not paying attention to power efficiency early creates problems throughout the product’s life. Battery life takes a big hit. This matters because experts predict 70% of IoT devices will run on batteries by 2027.

Bad power design means you’ll need frequent maintenance. For IoT devices in hard-to-reach spots, changing batteries isn’t just hard—it gets pricey when you have many devices. System reliability drops and ownership costs go up fast.

Scalability becomes a real challenge. IDC says we’ll have over 55.7 billion connected devices by 2025, with 75% linked to IoT platforms. A small power waste of 100 milliwatts per device adds up to huge total costs and carbon footprint.

Devices that waste power often need bigger batteries or extra power setups. This makes them larger, heavier, and more expensive to build. Some applications, like wearables or tiny sensors, might not even work because of these limitations.

Start with power budgets before picking components. Figure out your energy needs based on duty cycles, how often you’ll send data, and what processing you need.

Build efficient computing systems and mix advanced hardware and software strategies. This helps cut power use without losing performance. Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) works well here. It changes supply voltage and clock speed based on workload to balance performance and energy use.

Smart use of sleep modes helps too. Modern microcontrollers have ultra-low-power sleep modes using just 50 nA, like the STM32L4 series or Nordic nRF52 platform. Active mode uses 2-10 mA in comparison. Good firmware keeps devices sleeping most of the time. They wake up briefly to sense, compute, and communicate.

Pick your communication protocols wisely. Data transmission usually uses the most power in IoT devices. Wi-Fi and LTE give you high data speeds but use 50-200 mA while sending data. LoRaWAN and Zigbee work better for long-range, low-data needs, using only 15-30 mA.

Power gating lets you turn off parts of the chip when they’re not needed. This cuts down on static power use. Mix this with duty cycling—the ratio of active time to total time—and your battery lasts much longer.

Power consumption calculators help model how devices behave. You can predict battery life under different conditions before building anything. These tools add up current draw values for each state and let you swap components to find the best power setup.

The main goal in modern IoT systems is to save energy. This means making batteries last longer while cutting down on waste and power use. Put power efficiency first from day one. You’ll avoid expensive redesigns and build IoT solutions that last longer and sell better.

Lab testing of IoT devices rarely shows how they’ll perform in unpredictable environments after deployment. Yes, it is this gap that creates one of the most common yet overlooked challenges in low-power IoT hardware design. Standard test setups don’t match ground operating conditions. Devices work perfectly in labs but fail after deployment.

Several factors contribute to overlooking ground testing conditions. Creating accurate test environments for different conditions costs too much and brings technical challenges. IoT devices work in varied settings—from smart homes to industrial environments—and each setting affects performance uniquely.

Product development teams often rush to market instead of thorough testing. Ground testing slows down product release and creates pressure to cut short these significant stages. Many developers don’t realise how ground conditions can be different from controlled environments.

Testing multiple variables at once creates big obstacles. Teams might not have tools or expertise to recreate authentic scenarios with:

• Temperature and humidity fluctuations
• Physical barriers and signal interference
• Network quality variations and bandwidth throttling
• Power fluctuations and failures
• User interaction patterns

IoT applications’ complex and unique characteristics need different test scenarios. Teams must test normal usage, peak points, and day-long simulations to check total performance and scalability. Notwithstanding that, many teams skip this complete testing approach.

Skipping ground condition tests creates serious risks for low-power design effectiveness. Power consumption changes by a lot between laboratory and field conditions. Devices use more power when they struggle with poor connectivity, retry transmissions, or work in extreme temperatures.

Battery life predictions become unreliable with just idealised testing. A year-long battery life in labs might last only weeks in actual deployment. This gap undermines many IoT solutions’ core value.

On top of that, it becomes hard to predict performance issues when devices face network instability, signal interference, or environmental stress. A device might work fine at first but develop strange behaviour or completely fail as ground conditions take their toll.

Untested devices often show Iot security gaps that appear only after deployment. These security issues can harm not just the device but entire networks of connected systems.

Customer satisfaction drops when devices don’t meet expectations in real environments. Brand reputation suffers, and support costs rise through returns, warranty claims, and troubleshooting help.

Building robust ground testing needs multiple approaches. Network virtualization tools help simulate realistic conditions including low bandwidth, high latency, and unstable connections. These tools show how devices handle loss, delay, and reconnection scenarios common in deployment.

Power profilers help test consumption with different workloads, network conditions, and duty cycles. Automated regression tests flag power-related issues across firmware updates. This ensures power efficiency stays consistent throughout development.

Field testing should be a vital part of your validation process. This reveals issues that appear only in context, like user habits, signal interference, or environmental factors that labs cannot copy.

These practical testing strategies help:

1. Digital twins accurately represent physical assets to test performance before hardware deployment
2. Tests in different environmental conditions (temperature extremes, humidity variations, electromagnetic interference)
3. Power failure and network disruption simulations to check recovery capabilities
4. Usability tests with actual end-users to find ground interaction patterns

Testing should assess the entire IoT ecosystem—not just individual parts. Device connectivity might look perfect alone but fail when working with other systems or facing spotty network conditions.

Successful IoT products go through strict testing that redefines the limits of standard parameters. Simulating unexpected events—like duplicated data, dropped connections, power failures, and hardware glitches—builds resilience into your low-power design methods and extends product life by a lot.

Regulatory compliance takes a back seat in IoT hardware development, which creates major barriers to market entry. Most new IoT devices fail certification on their first try. This failure can really mess up timelines and make costs shoot up. The lack of planning for certification hits low-power designs hard because compliance rules directly affect how much power these devices use.

Several factors lead teams to underestimate compliance needs. The IoT regulatory landscape doesn’t have clear-cut standards like traditional IT setups do. Many developers struggle to figure out which certifications their device needs in different regions and industries. 

Supply chain complexity makes compliance paperwork tough. A single IoT device can have hundreds of parts from different suppliers, which makes security tracking a real headache. Teams often find themselves unprepared to handle Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), which new regulations now require.

Resource limits also play a big part. Small teams usually don’t have compliance experts on hand. The technical limits of many connected devices make it tough or impossible to add required security features. The rush to hit the market pushes compliance checks to the end of development. By that time, teams have already made key hardware and firmware design choices that might not work with certification rules.

Not planning for compliance creates big problems for low-power IoT hardware. Failed certifications often force teams to redesign hardware, which messes up power consumption. Parts picked without thinking about certification might need swapping out for less efficient ones just to meet standards.

Money penalties for breaking compliance rules have gotten pretty steep. The EU Cyber Resilience Act can slap companies with fines up to €15 million or 2.5% of their worldwide yearly revenue. Even smaller penalties can hurt project success, especially for startups and smaller makers.

Products that don’t meet regional requirements can’t be sold in regulated markets. This locks companies out of potential sales after they’ve already spent money on development.

Low-power designs face the worst hit when last-minute changes aim to meet standards. Quick fixes to radio frequency design, security features, or communication protocols usually focus on passing certification rather than saving power. This ruins the main selling point of many IoT applications.

Teams need to plan ahead throughout development to prevent certification issues. Start thinking about certification requirements during the design phase instead of treating them as a final checkbox. Know which standards apply to your device type and target markets before picking any components.

Start testing for certification early in development. Running key tests during design helps meet market deadlines and saves you from expensive fixes later. This way, you can spot potential issues when they’re still cheap and easy to fix.

Use pre-certified modules and components when you can. These parts have already passed tough testing and proven they meet standards. This lets you skip parts of the certification process. Going with uncertified modules can cost your company a lot.

Wireless devices need extra attention to pass regulators’ test cases for playing nice with other devices. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee share the 2.4 GHz ISM band, so you need specific tests to show they won’t interfere with each other.

Create clear IoT policies that spell out how systems will follow relevant standards and regulations. This paperwork helps manage ongoing compliance and shows certification authorities you’re doing things right.

Working with certification experts who know different jurisdictions’ rules can help a lot. Their knowledge helps guide you through complex certification requirements, especially if you plan to sell your device in multiple regions.

RF design is one of the most underrated parts of IoT hardware development. Engineers often notice RF as “black magic” because it’s complex and needs them to tackle interference, signal degradation, and environmental variables. This gets even trickier with low-power IoT devices where every milliwatt makes a difference.

Several basic issues create RF design challenges. Most companies building IoT solutions don’t have specialised RF experts. As one industry expert puts it, “A lot of companies coming from the machine side or even with some networking background, do not have the RF background. RF is black magic for them”.

The clash between making things smaller and keeping good performance creates big obstacles. Physics won’t budge when it comes to antenna design. Smaller antennas usually mean worse performance, but the market just needs more compact devices with multiple wireless technologies.

Many developers don’t realise how nearby parts mess with RF performance. When device design ignores how components affect RF performance, it can fail certification and get pricey to redesign. Analogue circuits usually create the most troublesome noise. This noise disrupts signal quality in ways you won’t spot during the first stages of development.

Bad RF design kicks off a chain of problems for low-power performance. We used higher transmission power because poorly matched antennas force devices to make up for weak signals. This drains batteries faster than necessary.

When electronics and antennas don’t match well, performance drops and wastes power through heat. This waste directly leads to shorter battery life and hurts the main selling point of many IoT applications.

Bad antenna choices also create bottlenecks that limit how well devices work. This shows up as shorter range and less reliable communication. Devices then waste energy sending messages multiple times – a huge problem for battery-powered devices in remote spots.

You need a systematic approach from day one to avoid RF design mistakes. The right antenna choice should come first based on what your application needs. Battery-powered devices should focus on:

• Frequency selection – Lower frequencies (Sub-GHz) usually need less power and reach further, making them perfect for low-power applications
• Antenna efficiency – Small efficiency gains can substantially extend battery life in power-limited devices
• Impedance matching – This key setting ensures maximum power flows between antenna and circuits, because mismatched impedance wastes lots of power

Environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and physical barriers can mess with antenna performance. Outdoor or industrial applications need tough antennas that handle harsh conditions to stay reliable.

Digital and analogue circuits should stay far apart to cut down noise interference. Standard practise calls for keeping 50 ohms impedance throughout – from driver through transmission to receiver.

Experience with RF design and simulation tools helps a lot, but your design needs ground testing with proper equipment. Working with antenna experts who have good testing facilities will improve your results.

By paying attention to RF design basics and picking the right antenna, you can build more efficient, reliable low-power IoT devices that work well in the real world.

Scalability remains a blind spot in IoT device design, yet it’s one of the key factors that determine long-term success. The number of connected devices keeps growing. Projections show that 152,000 smart devices will connect to the internet every minute by 2025. This makes it vital to design hardware that adapts to future requirements.

Teams often miss how fast IoT technology evolves. Product developers tend to focus on what works now instead of what might be needed later. Time-to-market pressure and budget limits usually cause this short-term thinking.

There’s another reason why this happens – teams underestimate future processing needs. IoT applications grow more sophisticated and just need more computing power while keeping power use low. Without good planning, devices become outdated as software capabilities advance.

On top of that, many development teams lack the detailed expertise to build truly adaptable systems. IoT uses a complex technology stack that covers hardware, software, and connectivity. Few companies have all these skills in-house. This knowledge gap leads to systems that work at first but can’t adapt over time.

Poor scalability planning directly hurts power efficiency goals. As IoT systems grow, poorly designed hardware must work harder to keep up. This leads to higher power use and shorter battery life.

Devices without upgrade options often need complete replacement when new features or security patches come out. This creates more electronic waste and raises ownership costs. For companies involved in contract electronics manufacturing, ensuring devices have longer lifespans is crucial. The IoT’s success depends on the cost savings that come from devices lasting longer.

Device lifespan limits pose the biggest problem. IoT devices’ return on investment depends heavily on how long they stay useful. Shorter lifespans drastically cut their economic value. A long life isn’t just nice to have – it’s the foundation of IoT’s value.

Building adaptable low-power IoT hardware [link_1] starts with modular systems that let you add sensors or features easily. This helps future upgrades without replacing the whole device.

Leave room for extra processing power to handle future software updates. Applications grow more demanding over time, so picking slightly stronger hardware than needed helps devices stay relevant longer. This might mean choosing a more capable microcontroller than currently required.

Make sure to build in over-the-air (OTA) update abilities from the start. OTA systems should work reliably, quickly, and automatically to enable affordable updates. Industry experts say “it is wise to add a primitive way to upgrade your firmware from the very first versions of your product”.

The best strategies for scalability include:

• Pick components you can get for years to come
• Use open standards instead of proprietary ones
• Keep most application logic in the cloud/edge rather than the device
• Build application-agnostic networking layers

Planning for scalability and future needs from day one helps create IoT solutions that stay relevant, efficient, and valuable throughout their extended lifecycle.

Component selection is the foundation of any IoT device. Many developers don’t realise how important it is to achieve the best power efficiency. Power management takes up over 30% of total energy usage in remote sensor platforms. This makes picking the right components crucial for low-power design success.

Teams often put functionality or cost ahead of power efficiency when picking components. Product timelines are usually tight, which leads teams to rush their component choices without a full review of power consumption effects.

Time isn’t the only challenge. Many teams lack a complete understanding of the component ecosystem. The digital world has many technologies—from microcontrollers to sensors and wireless modules. Each has unique power features that need special knowledge.

Design teams usually focus only on active-mode power use. They miss the standby current, which determines battery life when devices are mostly sleeping. One industry source points out that “power management devices for IoT must first have very low standby current”. Teams often overlook this key detail.

Bad component choices directly hurt power optimisation efforts. Wrong microcontrollers force developers to use more power than needed. To cite an instance, MCUs without autonomous peripheral handling need to keep the power-hungry CPU running for basic tasks.

Inefficient wireless interfaces also spike energy use significantly. The wrong connectivity choice can multiply power needs many times over. Data transmission is often the most energy-intensive task in IoT devices.

Power management circuits that aren’t well-chosen waste energy through poor conversion. Boost converters with high quiescent current can quietly drain batteries during idle times. Solutions range from 1μA to 7μA consumption.

Start by setting clear power budgets early in development. Here’s everything you need to think about:

• Pick microcontrollers with ultra-low-power sleep modes and autonomous peripheral features that let the CPU stay dormant during routine tasks
• Choose sensors with built-in signal conditioning and digital outputs to lower MCU processing needs
• Review wireless modules based on your actual needs rather than maximum throughput specs
• Select power management ICs with minimal quiescent current, especially for battery-powered devices

Component selection needs a balance of power efficiency, performance, size and cost. Keep your specific application needs in focus rather than picking components just based on specs or popularity.

External expertise substantially reduces failure rates in IoT projects, yet many proceed without proper outside input. Independent security labs and third-party reviews provide a vital view that internal teams can’t match, whatever their capabilities.

The expertise gap remains a fundamental challenge in IoT development. The specialised skills needed continue to outpace supply, even as IoT maturity grows. Most IoT projects just need diverse expertise in radio network design, module integration, data security, systems integration, privacy regulation, and data analytics. Organisations rarely have this complete skill set in-house.

Development teams often resist outside collaboration because they worry about intellectual property protection and extra costs. Some teams wrongly think their internal testing is enough and undervalue independent assessment.

Internal teams develop blind spots when they work on similar products repeatedly. Bernie Rietkerken from Riscure explains, “While an internal team may have substantial knowledge, they’re informed by similar evaluations of similar products from the same manufacturer”.

Low-power design optimisation suffers when teams skip external review. Teams miss subtle power inefficiencies that third-party reviewers would spot easily without specialised expertise. These inefficiencies add up throughout the device’s lifecycle and substantially reduce battery life and overall performance.

Security vulnerabilities surface when devices deploy to real-life environments. Attackers easily target poorly secured IoT devices and potentially compromise entire networks, not just individual devices. Power-intensive security patches and updates become necessary, which proper external review could have prevented.

Success rates improve when teams combine internal knowledge with external expertise. Nearly three-fifths (59%) of successful IoT projects used either external resources or a mix of internal and external expertise—up from 50% in 2020.

Partners should have proven track records in:

• Identifying viable use cases
• Building business cases
• Developing proofs of concept
• Deploying and scaling solutions

Look for providers with complete expertise in device management, networking, security, and systems integration. External specialists help maximise value from collected data and ensure security throughout your IoT decision-making process as projects mature.

Independent security experts are a great way to get peace of mind when they challenge your approach before deployment. Laurens Van Oijen from UL states, “A third-party lab takes an independent, and therefore, purely objective approach to proving it right whether a product conforms to and complies with the standard”.

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Power efficiency should be your top priority when designing IoT hardware. Your design should start with power efficiency at its core. Lab tests aren’t enough – devices need testing in real-life conditions. Without proper testing, your battery life estimates won’t hold up, and your product’s value takes a hit.

Getting regulatory approval is a vital challenge you should tackle early. Failed certifications cost more than money – they can throw off your entire market launch plan. RF design needs expert knowledge to avoid power-hungry mistakes in antenna choice and setup.

Making your devices adaptable helps them stay useful as technology changes. This strategy prevents them from becoming outdated and gives better returns for you and your customers. An Iot developer like us understands component choices directly affect power use, so we take time to evaluate thoroughly before locking in hardware specs.

Working with outside experts can help you dodge common pitfalls. Fresh viewpoints catch issues your team might miss, especially in power optimization and security weak spots.