IoT & Hardware Engineering Services in Australia | Industrial IoT Excellence

Australia's unique industrial landscape—from vast mining operations in Western Australia to precision agriculture across the Murray-Darling Basin—demands robust, reliable IoT and hardware engineering solutions. Big0 delivers enterprise-grade IoT platforms, embedded systems, and industrial hardware that thrive in Australia's challenging environments while meeting strict ACMA electromagnetic compatibility standards.

With Australian IoT device shipments projected to reach 117 million units by 2025 and major telecommunications providers like Telstra, Optus, and TPG investing heavily in NB-IoT and LoRaWAN infrastructure, Australian businesses are uniquely positioned to leverage IoT for competitive advantage. Our Australia-based engineering teams understand local connectivity challenges, regulatory requirements, and industry-specific needs.

Why Australian Industries Choose Big0 for IoT Engineering

Australian Regulatory Expertise

ACMA EMC Compliance & C-Tick Certification We design hardware from the ground up for Australian EMC compliance, ensuring your devices meet ACMA requirements and qualify for C-Tick certification. Our engineering team understands AS/NZS CISPR standards and designs for electromagnetic compatibility testing success.

Telecommunications Regulatory Compliance IoT devices connecting to Australian carrier networks must meet stringent regulatory requirements. We navigate ACMA telecommunications regulations, spectrum licensing, and carrier certification processes for Telstra, Optus, and TPG networks.

IP Rating for Australian Environments From tropical Queensland humidity to outback dust storms, we design hardware with appropriate IP ratings (IP65-IP68) for Australian environmental extremes. Our thermal management ensures reliable operation in temperatures from -10°C to 60°C.

Australian Connectivity Optimization

Telstra NB-IoT & Cat-M1 Integration Leverage Telstra's extensive NB-IoT coverage across metropolitan and regional Australia. Our IoT devices are optimized for Telstra's LTE-M and NB-IoT networks, providing excellent penetration in underground mines and remote agricultural areas.

LoRaWAN Network Integration We integrate with Australian LoRaWAN networks including Meshed, National Narrowband Network Co (NNNCo), and private enterprise LoRaWAN deployments. Ideal for wide-area agricultural monitoring and smart city applications.

Multi-Carrier Redundancy Critical applications benefit from our multi-carrier IoT solutions, automatically switching between Telstra, Optus, and TPG networks to ensure continuous connectivity across Australia's vast geography.

Industrial IoT Solutions for Australian Industries

Mining & Resources IoT

Underground Asset Tracking Real-time location systems (RTLS) for personnel and equipment in underground mines across Western Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. BLE beacons, UWB technology, and mesh networks that function without cellular coverage.

Predictive Maintenance Systems Vibration sensors, thermal imaging, and acoustic monitoring for critical mining equipment. Machine learning algorithms predict equipment failures 7-14 days in advance, reducing downtime costs by 45% in Australian mining operations.

Environmental Monitoring Continuous monitoring of air quality, dust levels, gas concentrations, and water quality in compliance with state EPA requirements. Automated reporting to NSW EPA, Queensland DEHP, and WA DWER.

Autonomous Vehicle Integration Hardware interfaces for autonomous haul trucks and drilling equipment. Integration with Caterpillar Command, Komatsu FrontRunner, and Hitachi AHS systems deployed across Australian mines.

Agriculture & Precision Farming IoT

Soil Moisture & Weather Monitoring Solar-powered IoT sensor networks across large agricultural properties. Real-time soil moisture, temperature, rainfall, and evapotranspiration data accessible via mobile apps. Integration with Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.

Livestock Tracking & Management GPS collars and ear tags for cattle and sheep across extensive grazing properties. Virtual fencing, health monitoring, and reproductive cycle tracking. Designed for Australia's vast pastoral leases in NT, QLD, and WA.

Irrigation Automation Smart irrigation controllers with weather-based scheduling, soil moisture integration, and remote control. Optimized for Murray-Darling Basin water allocations and state water restrictions.

Crop Monitoring Drones Agricultural drone hardware with multispectral and thermal cameras. NDVI analysis, crop health assessment, and pest detection. CASA Part 101 compliant operations and RePL certified pilots available.

Australian Smart City IoT Solutions

Council & Government Applications

Smart Parking Systems In-ground sensors and overhead camera systems for parking management in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth CBDs. Integration with council parking apps and payment systems.

Waste Management Optimization Ultrasonic fill-level sensors in public bins across Australian councils. Route optimization reduces collection costs by 30% and supports council sustainability targets.

Environmental Monitoring Networks Air quality, noise pollution, and water quality monitoring for state EPAs and local councils. Real-time public dashboards and automated compliance reporting.

Smart Street Lighting LED lighting with IoT controls, motion sensing, and adaptive brightness. Deployed across Sydney's smart city precincts, Melbourne's CBD, and Adelaide's innovation districts.

Transport Infrastructure

Traffic Flow Monitoring Computer vision and radar sensors for traffic counting, speed monitoring, and incident detection. Integration with state transport departments (Transport for NSW, VicRoads, DTMR).

Public Transport Integration Real-time passenger counting, vehicle tracking, and predictive maintenance for buses, trams, and trains. Compatible with Opal, myki, and go card systems.

Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Smart EV charging stations with dynamic load management, renewable energy integration, and billing systems. OCPP 1.6/2.0 compliant for Australian EV charging networks.

Embedded Systems & Hardware Design

Custom PCB Design & Manufacturing

Australian Supply Chain Integration We partner with Australian PCB manufacturers and local component distributors to minimize supply chain disruptions and support local manufacturing initiatives. Quick turnaround prototyping in Sydney and Melbourne.

Multi-Layer High-Speed PCB Design Advanced PCB layouts for IoT gateways, industrial controllers, and edge computing devices. Signal integrity analysis, impedance matching, and thermal management for Australian operating conditions.

Flexible & Rigid-Flex PCB Solutions Specialized PCB designs for wearable devices, medical equipment, and space-constrained applications. Australian manufacturing partners for low to medium volume production.

Embedded Software Development

Real-Time Operating Systems Firmware development with FreeRTOS, Zephyr, and bare-metal implementations. Optimized for ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, and ESP32 microcontrollers.

Edge AI & Machine Learning TensorFlow Lite and Edge Impulse implementations for on-device AI. Predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, and pattern recognition without cloud connectivity requirements.

Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates Secure firmware update mechanisms with rollback capabilities. Critical for remote devices across Australia's vast geography where physical access is expensive.

Industrial-Grade Enclosures

IP-Rated Weatherproof Housings Custom enclosure design and manufacturing for Australian conditions. UV-resistant materials, ventilation for heat dissipation, and cable gland configurations for field installation.

Explosion-Proof & Hazardous Area Enclosures ATEX and IECEx certified enclosures for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas in mining, oil & gas, and chemical processing facilities.

Australian IoT Platform Development

End-to-End IoT Platform Architecture

Device Management at Scale IoT platforms managing 10,000+ devices across Australian deployments. Device provisioning, configuration management, and remote diagnostics.

Time-Series Data Processing High-performance time-series databases (InfluxDB, TimescaleDB) hosted in Australian AWS Sydney and Melbourne regions. Sub-second query performance on billions of sensor readings.

Real-Time Analytics & Alerting Stream processing with Apache Kafka and Apache Flink. Configurable alert rules, escalation workflows, and integration with Australian emergency services where required.

Mobile & Web Dashboards Responsive web applications and native iOS/Android apps for IoT data visualization. Offline-first architecture for field workers in remote areas without connectivity.

Integration with Australian Business Systems

ERP Integration Seamless integration with SAP, Oracle, and MYOB ERP systems used by Australian enterprises. Automated data synchronization for asset management, maintenance scheduling, and inventory management.

Compliance Reporting Automation Automated generation of compliance reports for Australian regulatory bodies including ACMA, state EPAs, Safe Work Australia, and industry-specific regulators.

Australian Cloud Hosting IoT platforms hosted in AWS Sydney, Azure Australia East, or Google Cloud Sydney regions to comply with Australian data sovereignty requirements and minimize latency.

Australian IoT Connectivity Solutions

NB-IoT & LTE-M Deployment

Telstra Mobile IoT Network Extensive coverage across 99.4% of the Australian population. Excellent penetration in underground locations and rural areas. Optimized power consumption for battery-powered sensors with 10+ year lifespan.

Optus LTE-M Network Alternative carrier option for business continuity and coverage optimization. Multi-carrier SIM configurations for automatic failover.

Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) Optimization Hardware and firmware optimized for LPWA networks, achieving 10+ year battery life on standard lithium cells. PSM (Power Saving Mode) and eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception) implementation.

LoRaWAN Private & Public Networks

Private LoRaWAN Deployment Design, installation, and management of private LoRaWAN networks for large properties, industrial facilities, and campus environments. Gateway placement optimization for Australian conditions.

Public Network Integration Integration with Meshed and NNNCo national LoRaWAN networks. Coverage across Australian capital cities and many regional centers.

LoRaWAN Gateway Hardware Ruggedized outdoor gateways with solar power options, 4G backhaul, and GPS synchronization. Designed for Australian weather extremes and remote deployment.

Satellite IoT for Remote Australia

Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite IoT Integration with Myriota (Adelaide-based) and Swarm satellite IoT networks for truly remote Australian locations beyond cellular coverage. Ideal for outback mining, pastoral properties, and environmental monitoring.

Two-Way Satellite Communication Iridium and Inmarsat satellite modems for bidirectional communication in remote areas. Emergency alerting and critical data transmission from anywhere in Australia.

Industry-Specific IoT Solutions

Water Management & Utilities

Smart Water Metering AMI/AMR smart water meters with leak detection and consumption analytics. Integration with Australian water utility billing systems (Sydney Water, Melbourne Water, SEQ Water).

Pipeline Monitoring Pressure, flow, and leak detection sensors across water distribution networks. Early warning systems reduce water loss and prevent infrastructure failures.

Water Quality Monitoring Continuous monitoring of pH, turbidity, chlorine, and contaminants in compliance with Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

Energy & Utilities

Solar Farm Monitoring Module-level monitoring for utility-scale solar installations across Queensland, NSW, and South Australia. Performance analytics, fault detection, and AEMO compliance reporting.

Smart Grid Integration Distribution network monitoring, voltage regulation, and demand response systems. Compatible with Australian DNSPs (Ausgrid, Energex, SA Power Networks).

Substation Monitoring Temperature, humidity, and equipment health monitoring in electrical substations. Predictive maintenance reduces outage risks and maintenance costs.

Manufacturing & Industry 4.0

Production Line Monitoring Real-time OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) tracking, quality control, and predictive maintenance for Australian manufacturing facilities.

Asset Tracking & Management RFID and BLE-based asset tracking for tools, equipment, and work-in-progress inventory. Integration with Australian manufacturing ERP systems.

Cold Chain Monitoring Temperature and humidity logging for pharmaceutical, food, and chemical storage. Automated compliance reporting for TGA and FSANZ requirements.

Australian Success Stories

Mining Equipment Predictive Maintenance - Western Australia

A Pilbara iron ore mining operation deployed our IoT sensors across 45 autonomous haul trucks and critical processing equipment. Predictive maintenance algorithms reduced unplanned downtime by 52%, saving AUD $8.7 million annually in lost production. The system integrates with Caterpillar Command and provides 7-14 day advance warning of component failures.

Precision Agriculture IoT Network - Murray-Darling Basin

A 15,000-hectare irrigation property in NSW implemented our soil moisture sensor network with 200+ solar-powered nodes. Water usage reduced by 23% while crop yields increased by 11%. The system integrates with water allocation trading platforms and provides compliance reporting for NSW Department of Primary Industries.

Smart City Parking - Melbourne CBD

Deployment of 3,500 in-ground parking sensors across Melbourne CBD integrated with the city's parking app. Parking search time reduced by 35%, decreasing inner-city congestion and emissions. Revenue increased by 18% through improved enforcement and dynamic pricing.

Environmental Monitoring - Great Barrier Reef

Water quality monitoring IoT network deployed across 75 locations along the Queensland coast. Real-time monitoring of nutrient runoff, turbidity, and temperature with satellite backhaul in remote locations. Data feeds into Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority research programs.

Australian Compliance & Standards

Regulatory Compliance

ACMA EMC Standards - AS/NZS CISPR 22 (Information Technology Equipment) - AS/NZS CISPR 32 (Multimedia Equipment) - AS/NZS 4268 (Radio Communications Transmitters) - C-Tick certification for market access

Telecommunications Compliance - ACMA spectrum licensing and apparatus licensing - Carrier certification for Telstra, Optus, TPG networks - Radiocommunications (Electromagnetic Radiation - Human Exposure) Standard 2014

Safety & Environmental - AS/NZS 3000 (Wiring Rules) for powered equipment - IP rating certification to AS 60529 - RoHS and WEEE compliance for electronic waste

Industry-Specific Standards

Mining & Resources - MDG 15 (Guideline for Mobile and Transportable Equipment for Use in Mines) - IECEx certification for hazardous areas - Compliance with state mining safety regulations

Agriculture - Integration with Australian WaterNSW allocations - Biosecurity compliance for livestock tracking - AgTech data standards and farm data codes

Healthcare & Medical Devices - TGA Therapeutic Goods (Medical Devices) Regulations 2002 - IEC 60601 for medical electrical equipment - HL7 FHIR standards for health data interoperability

IoT Security for Australian Deployments

Device-Level Security

Secure Boot & Hardware Encryption ARM TrustZone implementation, secure elements (ATECC608A), and hardware cryptographic accelerators. Protection against physical tampering and firmware extraction.

Certificate-Based Authentication X.509 certificates for device authentication with automatic rotation. Private key storage in secure elements prevents credential theft.

Encrypted Communication TLS 1.3 for MQTT/HTTPS communication, AES-256 encryption for LoRaWAN payloads, and IPsec VPNs for industrial protocols.

Australian Data Protection

Data Sovereignty Compliance All IoT data stored in Australian AWS Sydney/Melbourne regions or Azure Australia East. Compliance with Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

IRAP Assessment Readiness IoT platforms designed to support IRAP (Information Security Registered Assessors Program) assessments for government and critical infrastructure deployments.

Penetration Testing Regular security assessments by Australian cybersecurity firms. Vulnerability management and patch deployment processes for IoT firmware.

Australian IoT Pricing & Investment

Hardware Development Investment

Prototype Development: AUD $25,000 - $85,000 - Proof of concept design - PCB layout and prototyping - Initial firmware development - Lab testing and iteration

Production Design: AUD $65,000 - $250,000 - Production-ready PCB design - EMC compliance engineering - ACMA certification testing - Enclosure design and tooling

Pilot Deployment: AUD $150,000 - $600,000 - 50-500 unit production run - Field installation and commissioning - Data collection and validation - Pilot program management

IoT Platform Development

Core Platform: AUD $180,000 - $500,000 - Device management system - Time-series database infrastructure - API development - Basic dashboard and mobile app

Enterprise Platform: AUD $450,000 - $1.5M - Scalable architecture (10,000+ devices) - Advanced analytics and ML - Multi-tenancy support - ERP/business system integration - Australian regulatory compliance

Managed Services

IoT Platform Hosting: AUD $3,000 - $25,000/month - Australian cloud hosting (AWS Sydney) - Database management and backups - Security monitoring and updates - 99.9% uptime SLA

Connectivity Management: AUD $15 - $45/device/year - Multi-carrier SIM management - Data plan optimization - Network monitoring and troubleshooting - Overage protection

ROI for Australian IoT Deployments

Australian organizations implementing our IoT solutions typically achieve: - 23-45% operational cost reduction through automation and predictive maintenance - 18-35% increase in asset utilization through real-time monitoring and optimization - 12-18 month payback period for industrial IoT implementations - 3.5x-5.7x ROI over 5 years for smart agriculture and mining applications

IoT Development Process for Australian Clients

Phase 1: Discovery & Requirements (2-4 weeks)

• Australian use case analysis and site visits
• Connectivity assessment (cellular, LoRaWAN, satellite)
• Regulatory requirement identification (ACMA, industry-specific)
• Technical feasibility and cost estimation

Phase 2: Design & Prototyping (6-12 weeks)

• Schematic design and component selection
• PCB layout with Australian supply chain
• Firmware architecture and development
• Initial lab testing and iteration

Phase 3: EMC Compliance & Certification (4-8 weeks)

• Pre-compliance testing in Australian labs
• ACMA compliance testing (AS/NZS standards)
• C-Tick certification application
• Carrier certification if required

Phase 4: Pilot Deployment (8-16 weeks)

• Small-scale production run
• Field installation at Australian sites
• Real-world performance validation
• User training and documentation

Phase 5: Production & Scale (Ongoing)

• Volume manufacturing with Australian partners
• Large-scale deployment and installation
• Platform monitoring and maintenance
• Continuous improvement and feature additions

Australian IoT Technology Stack

Microcontrollers & SoCs

• ARM Cortex-M: STM32, Nordic nRF52/nRF53, NXP Kinetis
• ESP32/ESP32-S3: WiFi/BLE for connected applications
• Qualcomm: MDM9207 for LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular
• RISC-V: Open-source architectures for custom applications

Connectivity Modules

• Cellular: Quectel BC95-G, Telit ME910G1, u-blox SARA-R5
• LoRaWAN: Semtech SX1262, RAKwireless RAK3172
• Satellite: Myriota modules (Australian), Swarm Tile
• Short Range: nRF52840 (BLE 5), ESP32 (WiFi)

Australian Cloud & Platform Services

• AWS Sydney/Melbourne: IoT Core, Greengrass, SiteWise
• Azure Australia: IoT Hub, IoT Central, Digital Twins
• Telstra IoT: Connectivity management and platform services
• Local Hosting: Dedicated servers in Australian data centers