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Have a business idea that requires IoT application development but struggle to understand the peculiarities of the process? This guide will help you understand how to create apps that offer security, flexibility, scalability, and robust features.
Having developed three of our own products and custom IoT apps for our clients, WebbyLab is here to share helpful insights on building IoT applications.
Key highlights:
All examples and tips in this post will be backed up by our team’s practical experience:
Discover more about IoT app development in the subsequent sections.
An access control system, Propuskator, developed by WebbyLab
Before starting IoT application development, you need to define your app’s functional requirements and conduct competitive research. Our latest post explains how to do this.
Once you cover those initial preparations, move on to the following five steps that’ll help to turn your bright idea into a fully functional, successful IoT app. At WebbyLab, we successfully leverage all the approaches below to streamline and optimize the development process.
First, consider the most efficient delivery model for building an IoT application: developing from scratch, using SaaS platforms or their alternatives. The framework is a so-called “backbone” of your IoT app. It helps to understand better the project timeline, budget, and technical requirements.
At this stage, you need to plan your app’s data and network protocols, cloud architecture, open API support, and scalability. Consider the necessity of IoT device development, hardware support, firmware updates, and security mechanisms to make your IoT application reliable and safe for use.
Kostiantyn Oliynyk
Head of IoT at WebbylabHelped dozens of startups create effective IOT products.
Get a ConsultationIn IoT, prototyping is one of the proven ways to allocate the costs within your project wisely, ensure it’s relevant, and provide all the functionality required. IoT app prototype development is a decent starting point for several reasons:
During this stage, you’ll also explore various wired and wireless technical solutions to address specific challenges and establish seamless communication with IoT devices. Some of those include KNX systems and the Zigbee protocol.
Having created a well-structured IoT prototype, you’re safe to continue the development process.
Based on the prototype and project documentation, build a robust IoT app that works with your hardware best. At this stage, focus on the UX/UI components of the IoT application design and backend coding architecture. These processes will ensure your app is user-oriented, bug-free, and provides the highest value to your end-users. Then, you’ll be ready for IoT application deployment.
IoT apps become more complex and feature-rich. So, the QA process is a must-have stage in any IoT development. It helps identify and address various types of errors and consider adding other functionality that might improve your app’s performance. There are five different testing types used in the IoT QA process: security testing, performance testing, usability testing, compatibility testing, and scalability testing.
Once the IoT app is released, don’t overlook its further maintenance and improvement. Besides the marketing hustle, you’ll also need to process customer feedback to enhance your application’s performance and help get it into the top positions in the IoT software market. Additionally, analyze the firmware of IoT devices to keep it secure and up-to-date.
Five stages of IoT app development
You may also be interested in how an IoT solution helps the precision farming industry.
Having learned the IoT app development stages, let’s talk features. Here are the must-have functionalities of any IoT application:
Linking devices to the app as well as the cloud and establishing stable communication is a fundamental function of any IoT application.
Whether it’s a client app or a large BMS solution, both end-users and professional integrators face the challenge of establishing communication. Hence, it’s critical to refine and improve this flow to ensure user-friendliness. It’s because it will most likely be the user’s first interaction with the app performed for every device.
A dashboard for real-time device monitoring and control
Modern users perceive real-time interfaces as a must. Therefore, any IoT app should include convenient, fast, and responsive interfaces.
A dashboard with historical data
One of the main goals of building IoT applications is to gather and analyze historical data from devices within the system and beyond. We consider this a mandatory feature of IoT apps because the need to engage with historical data inevitably arises, and it’s best to incorporate this capability from the outset.
Once devices are deployed in the field, updating their software (firmware) can become prohibitively expensive or, in some cases, entirely unfeasible, particularly if end-users are involved. OTA updates are an integral feature that should be implemented at the very beginning to facilitate product development and address issues related to embedded software.
Flexible alerting and notification methods for users, integrators, and service personnel are the cornerstone of mobile app development for IoT. This ensures that users who interact with devices in real time receive notifications about significant system events, especially those that are worth paying attention to.
Using Siri for device control in 2Smart Cloud
The ability to control devices or receive data from them via voice assistants on the phone or in the smart home ecosystem is a convenient and popular feature among consumers. Having access to these functions can often be pivotal for users when choosing smart devices.
For a business maintaining an IoT fleet of devices, having remote tools for administering all users and their devices is often critically necessary. This capability boosts service efficiency and reduces the need for offline servicing.
When learning how to create an IoT app, one of the crucial steps is understanding the components and technologies that make them up. The typical Internet of Things application includes hardware, software, cloud, and network integration. This setup ensures smooth communication between the end user and the device.
Overall, the IoT architecture comprises the following components:
A common IoT architecture
Maksym Lesnikov
Chief Technology OfficerHelped dozens of startups create effective digital products.
Get a ConsultationArchitecture planning largely depends on the final vision of the product and its expected tasks. It’s crucial to dedicate enough time to discovery and planning. It’s cost-effective and reduces the risk of failure or extra costs during development. In the context of IoT projects, this is even more critical because mistakes made in planning the architecture of device communication may be difficult, or even impossible, to correct.
Yehor Fedorov, IoT Project Team Lead at WebbyLab
Apart from this, another essential aspect to consider is historical data collection. In IoT, this process implies a real-time performance recording of different sensors and devices within the system.
Below are some key technologies essential for Internet of Things app development:
Devices used in WebbyLab’s projects
IoT app development typically involves multiple stakeholders with distinct responsibilities — software developers, hardware developers, casing developers, installers, and support providers, among others. To ensure you get your app built and launched properly, designate roles and responsibilities from the outset. We recommend doing it with the RACI matrix.
Now, let’s consider the components of the IoT app infrastructure.
A robust and reliable backend system is the backbone of any successful IoT application. Having it on the cloud side is even more preferable. Cloud-based infrastructure is scalable and flexible, which allows your IoT app to handle large amounts of data from connected devices. At WebbyLab, we typically leverage Node.js and microservice architecture for the backend and Docker for rapid application deployment in the cloud.
Apart from the client backend, seamless communication and data exchange with IoT devices is essential. In our experience, we have found MQTT to be a core communication protocol for IoT devices. MQTT offers lightweight and secure data transfer, making it perfect for various IoT projects.
Collecting and analyzing data from IoT devices may not always seem critical, but it’s the IoT system’s lifeblood. It allows your IoT apps to function correctly and, speaking of the business side, optimize processes and make better-informed decisions. WebbyLab uses time series databases such as InfluxDB for data storage and Grafana for data visualization.
The major challenges of IoT application development are mostly connected to four key aspects: security, reliability, privacy, and tech inconsistency. Let’s review the specifics of each.
IoT security should be implemented in the initial stages of IoT app development. It reduces the risks of breaches and inconsistent performance. For example, in a charging station created by WebbyLab, there is an option to pay for charging via the app. It’s essential to ensure the app can’t be breached to prevent unauthorized charges.
Based on our experience in IoT optimization, we suggest adding multiple security layers encrypted and embedded to the devices’ ID numbers at the production stage. Additionally, to secure the station from third-party access, you can add a “dangerous activities” entity, which needs manual confirmation from the administrator to perform certain actions.
Wearable, home, and many other IoT devices often collect personal information and sensitive data. For instance, biometric data, personal preferences, users’ behavior, or any other data hunted by frauds. The hacking methods become more tricky and severe, so the IoT engineers must create a robust system with an advanced security level and consistently update it (including IoT device updates) to minimize the risks of data compromise.
That is why, for instance, IoT home devices require regular mobile app updating from the official vendor to ensure the highest level of personal data security.
Check our portfolio with custom solutions we built for clients to achieve unique business objectives and ensure stable business growth
Ensuring your application is reliable is one of the IoT app development challenges as well. You can provide the high reliability in several ways:
These options allow you to efficiently reduce the risks of system compromise and ensure a smooth performance of your IoT app from the long-term perspective.
Lack of standardization has become one of the most notable technical IoT challenges on the market. Company-developer needs to combine different Internet of Things protocols integrated within a single IoT application. In most cases, the IoT app developer defines the possible ways to connect the basic MQTT protocol — Message Queue Telemetry Transport — with other protocols used within the target system.
The overall IoT app development cost can vary depending on different factors, and we’ll share the estimate according to WebbyLab’s experience. The factors influencing the final price include the project’s type (prototype, MVP, or full IoT product), its complexity and development approaches, company rates, and many more. On average, the cost to develop an IoT application for your business starts from 15 thousand dollars and higher.
There are two approaches to custom IoT app development:
What to keep in mind if you’re developing custom apps from scratch? Consider various processes, from product planning and development to release and maintenance.
Luckily, today, you no longer need to hire in-house experts to deliver the IoT project you need: there are many authoritative vendors, such as WebbyLab, ready to build a functional, robust app at the most reasonable cost.
Below, you can learn the average rates and delivery time for IoT app development services at WebbyLab, depending on the project type and processes performed.
| MVP IoT Product | Standard Ready-to-Market IoT Solution | Custom IoT Product with Advanced Features | |
| Research Phase, Estimation & UX/UI Design | From 40 hours
From $1,200 |
From 80 hours
From $,2400 |
From 130 hours
From $4,000 |
| Mobile App Development | From 200 hours
From $8,000 |
From 360 hours
From $1,5000 |
From 500 hours
From $20,000 |
| QA Testing & App Launch | From 80 hours
From $2,400 |
From 150 hours
From $4,500 |
From 200 hours
From $6,000 |
| Tech Documentation Outline & Maintenance | From 40 hours
From $1,200 |
From 60 hours
From $1,800 |
From 80 hours
From $2,400 |
| Total | 160 hours
$12,800 |
650 hours
$23,700 |
910 hours
$32,400 |
As for building IoT MVP, our team provides the development services of the IoT hardware, software (web or mobile app), and an IoT platform. The overall development price for such a project starts at $30,000. It can be delivered in as fast as 12 weeks.
We at WebbyLab understand the problems of modern entrepreneurs and try to help them launch their own products as quickly as possible and start receiving income from them. This approach not only benefits the business owner but also ensures comfort for their contractors, enabling them to envision their project’s future and respond to market challenges.
Kostiantyn Oliynyk, Head of IoT at WebbyLab
When choosing our services, you can also include the customization features to the final IoT app, like integrating IoT cloud services with third-party devices, specific data metrics, analytics, etc., which will add to your product’s functionality and value. The pricing for the add-on features is calculated individually for each project.
If you’re determined to start IoT app development, you’ve got another critical thing to consider. Which application to build: a mobile or a web one? Let’s go through the benefits that each platform offers.
iFLO, Propuskator, and 2Smart Cloud mobile apps
2Smart Cloud, 2Smart Standalone, and iFLO web apps
Modern technologies enable the use of hybrid approaches in client application development, such as progressive web applications (PWAs) or WebView apps.
WebbyLab has created a client application for smart device consumers using WebView. This tech allowed us to build a unified web app that is accessible from any browser. We then used it in the IoT mobile app development of React Native apps for iOS and Android, incorporating specific native functions unique to each OS.
This approach optimizes product development in the long run and streamlines the process from the beginning. Changes and new functionalities are seamlessly added in one centralized location within the code rather than multiple places. However, implementing this approach demands expertise, skill, and time for the initial setup of the framework to ensure smooth operation and efficient development.
Kostiantyn Oliynyk
Head of IoT at WebbylabHelped dozens of startups create effective IOT products.
Get a ConsultationIt can often seem that you need to make both a web and a mobile application to ensure accessibility for everyone. This is a mistake. A product should consider the characteristics of its users and simplify their user experience rather than providing a multitude of tools. Simpler is better.
Kostiantyn Oliynyk, Head of IoT at WebbyLab
Besides choosing the technologies, it’s crucial to consider the end user’s goals. The consumers of a smart outlet will ideally complete their tasks through a simple and accessible mobile app — while the BMS system’s operator needs a fully functional IoT monitoring dashboard with access to all devices from one place.
Recognizing a reputable developer who really knows how to develop IoT applications is crucial for your project’s success. That’s why we’ve prepared several tips to help you find and hire IoT developers:
Yet, searching for a reliable IoT app development service provider on your own can take time and effort. The good news is you can always connect with trusted IoT experts at WebbyLab.
WebbyLab has a profound background in Internet of Things application development. We build IoT based apps that benefit businesses with streamlined processes, higher profits, and improved services.
Our IoT app developers have delivered plenty of successful projects, including 2Smart Standalone, 2Smart Cloud, Propuskator, and Ezlo. The application we created for our client, MyBox, deserves special attention.
Universal ecosystem for managing and maintaining EV Charging stations
MyBox is an EV charging station manufacturer and supplier that needed to develop a cloud-based ecosystem for managing private and public EV charging stations. WebbyLab helped them create a stable and secure custom application for the remote configuration, maintenance, and management of numerous EV chargers with various user flows and hardware.
A MyBox IoT app developed by WebbyLab
And that’s just one example. Want to see more? Feel free to check out our portfolio.
At first, it may seem too overwhelming to build an IoT application. Of course, each of the five stages we mentioned has its challenges and peculiarities. Still, the task is manageable if approached properly.
One way to create your app easily is by reaching out to professional IoT application developers. Luckily, WebbyLab has plenty of those. Feel free to contact us anytime and get a quote on your IoT app.
Written by:
Head of IoT at Webbylab
With a robust academic background in Telecommunication Systems Engineering, I apply my knowledge to lead innovations in the IoT domain. Starting as the first team member in the newly formed IoT department at WebbyLab, I've spearheaded its growth, fostering the expansion into embedded and hardware development alongside our core software projects. My dedication lies in pushing the boundaries of IoT technology, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence that profoundly impacts our clients' operational success.
The proven way to accelerate IoT app development is to entrust the development process to professionals with enough expertise and skills to create projects of different scopes and complexity. They feature technical know-how in creating IoT applications and can deliver the standard project in a few weeks. If you’re creating an app for the Internet of Things with your in-house team, closing the skills gap with employee onboarding is possible. It can significantly optimize the workflow without sacrificing the quality of your product.
To optimize the custom IoT application design cost, choose the most relevant SoC and consider optimal battery requirements and BoM cost. Additionally, professional IoT app developers recommend reviewing manufacturing costs and understanding the non-recurring expenses of your end product, which can significantly reduce the final product’s price.
The overall IoT app development time depends on different factors, including the project’s complexity and scope, the functions it includes, the number of developers, and the expertise required. On average, an IoT app idea with a standard set of functionality is delivered within three to six months. However, in some cases, it’s also possible to get a simple MVP product delivered in as fast as one month.
The IoT solutions are getting more complex and functional, transforming IoT app frameworks from optional solutions to must-have tools. Many IoT application frameworks of varying approaches are designed to manage the complexities of IoT app development. While some provide a structure to work inside, others offer enterprise-level data analysis and control.
Certainly, IoT apps can be developed for both Android and iOS platforms using different programming languages and development frameworks.
Our checklist on how to develop IoT applications that deliver top-level security includes encryption, device authentication, and regular OTA updates.
2Smart Standalone, 2Smart Cloud, Propuskator, Ezlo, and MyBox are just several successful IoT applications developed by WebbyLab. If you want to create an IoT app that truly stands out, reach out to us for a quick consultation.
Industries like healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and transportation, energy, and agriculture develop IoT applications most often.
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