FAQ

At Poolker, we favour tailored support built on continuous dialogue, transparency and step-by-step validation.
Our approach is structured around 5 key phases:

1. Scoping & Specification writing: Everything starts from your ideas or your existing specifications. If needed, we help you write or refine them to precisely define the features, business constraints and use case.
2. Requirements & Roadmap: Together we clarify the scope of work (end-to-end development or a specific building block) and plan the roadmap: building a POC (Proof of Concept), developing a working prototype or optimising a module.
3. Collaborative design & Key validations: We launch the detailed studies (PCB electronics, embedded firmware, 3D mechanical design, Cloud/Mobile). At each major milestone, we hold a validation meeting with you to adjust and approve the technical choices before moving on.
4. Prototyping & Real-world testing: We assemble working prototypes and run rigorous test campaigns (radio range, battery life, IP sealing, ergonomics) to validate the product's robustness in the field.
5. Deliverables & Handover: We deliver all agreed deliverables (CAD/PCB source files, source code, prototypes or industrialisation files). You retain full intellectual property of your project.

Yes, absolutely. Poolker's great strength lies in the synergy of our engineers, each specialised in their own field (electronics, embedded software, mechanics and Cloud/Mobile). Thanks to this sharp expertise, we can step in on a targeted basis to strengthen your teams or unblock a specific stage of your project:

• Electronics & Hardware (PCB): Custom circuit board routing, component selection, hardware architecture optimisation and power consumption management (Low Power).
• Firmware & Embedded software: Development, optimisation or rewrite of microcontroller code (STM32, ESP32, nRF, etc.) and integration of radio protocol stacks (LoRaWAN, BLE, Wi-Fi, NB-IoT).
• Mechanical design & Enclosure: 3D CAD design (SolidWorks), modelling and custom mechanical integration suited to sealing (IP) or ergonomic constraints.
• Mobile apps & Cloud: Custom web/mobile development, user experience (UX/UI) improvements and redesign of existing apps, API integration and secure processing of IoT data.
• Audit, Diagnosis & Consulting: One-off expertise to fix a technical malfunction, optimise radio range or prepare your product for certification (CE / EMC).

Whether you want to upgrade an existing board, fix a critical firmware bug or outsource only the enclosure design, our design office adapts to your level of maturity and works transparently with your in-house teams.

To validate the viability of an IoT project without committing heavy financial investment, at Poolker we recommend a step-by-step assessment to isolate and remove each technical risk:

1. Preliminary feasibility study: We analyse how well your business constraints (battery life, radio range, harsh environment, enclosure size) match the technologies available on the market (LoRaWAN, BLE, Cellular, Wi-Fi).
2. The POC (Proof of Concept): We build a quick prototype from evaluation boards and existing sub-assemblies. The goal is to validate the project's critical building block in the lab (e.g. sensor accuracy, radio transmission or power consumption) at minimal cost.
3. Technical and economic assessment: Alongside technical feasibility, we evaluate overall financial viability (unit manufacturing cost / BOM, network subscription cost and industrialisation costs) to ensure a profitable return on investment.

Thanks to this upfront scoping phase, you get real field data and a clear roadmap before launching the final design of your product. You can also use our IoT budget simulator to estimate the overall budget of your project.

Yes, absolutely. Most of our clients come with a clear idea of their business need, but without necessarily mastering all the technical complexity of a connected product. At Poolker, we support you from a blank page to structure and write clear, comprehensive specifications:

• Functional needs analysis: Translating your business uses into concrete features (sensor measurement frequency, alert scenarios, web/mobile user interfaces).
• Technical constraints scoping (Specifications): Defining hardware and environmental requirements — target battery life, optimal communication protocol (LoRaWAN, BLE, NB-IoT, Wi-Fi), sealing (IP) and mechanical resistance constraints.
• Roadmap & Project milestones: Breaking the project down into key phases (feasibility/POC, PCB & enclosure prototyping, firmware, industrialisation) with an associated budget estimate.

Well-written specifications help avoid cost overruns, secure deadlines and ensure the success of your IoT product.

Yes, it's the core of what we do. Poolker is an integrated IoT design office able to handle the entire value chain of a connected product, with no skills gap and no opaque subcontracting:

• Electronics & Hardware: Circuit board (PCB) design and routing, component selection, radio antenna integration (LoRaWAN, BLE, Cellular, Wi-Fi) and power consumption optimisation.
• Mechanical design & Enclosure: 3D modelling (CAD), sealing (IP) constraints, ergonomics and prototyping of an enclosure suited to industrial manufacturing (3D printing, plastic injection moulding).
• Embedded firmware: Microcontroller code development (STM32, ESP32, nRF), sleep mode management and secure radio communications.
• Software, Cloud & Mobile: User interface development (iOS/Android apps, web dashboards), integration with your servers via API and secure data flow management.

Having a single point of contact for all these building blocks ensures perfect synergy between the board, the enclosure and the software, while speeding up your product's development time.

You own 100% of it (unless otherwise agreed). At Poolker, all creations, developments and source files produced for your project are fully transferred to you at the end of the engagement:

• Hardware & electronics deliverables: Electrical schematics, artwork and PCB manufacturing files (Gerber files, BOM), as well as the 3D CAD models of the mechanical enclosure.
• Software deliverables: Full source code of the embedded firmware, scripts and code of the dedicated mobile apps or Cloud platforms.
• No lock-in: No recurring licence fees or hidden copyright apply to your custom developments.

Upon final payment, you are the legal owner of your intellectual property and remain completely free to evolve, produce or industrialise your connected product with the partners of your choice.

At Poolker, security and regulatory compliance are not handled at the end of the project but built in from the design phase (Security & Compliance by Design):

• Hardware & Firmware security: Protecting boards against tampering, encrypting radio communications (e.g. AES-128 on LoRaWAN, TLS on Wi-Fi/Cellular), secure key management and secure over-the-air (OTA) updates.
• GDPR & Cloud compliance: Anonymisation or encryption of transmitted personal data, storage on secure servers hosted in Europe, and strict compliance with user privacy rules.
• CE compliance & RED (Radio Equipment Directive): Designing circuit boards (PCB) to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electrical safety standards to ensure a successful pass in certified laboratory testing (pre-qualification and support through CE/RED testing).

By building these requirements in from the very first technical studies, we protect your product against cyberattacks and avoid any regulatory roadblock when it goes on the European market.