# Automation Research Group (ARG)

> Philadelphia-based connected-hardware ODM since 2004. ARG designs and manufactures connected products end to end, sensors, wireless sensor nodes, wearable/asset tags, industrial controllers, edge gateways, connectivity modules, and cloud-connected systems, with electronics, firmware, mechanical design, cloud/OTA, and in-house PCBA/production under one roof, from concept to shipped. ARG also sells its own line of instruments (air quality, power quality, gas sensing) and connectivity modules (cellular, Wi-Fi, G3-PLC power line).

Contact: info@automationresearchgroup.com · +1.267.819.2816 · Pennovation Works, 3401 Grays Ferry Ave. B200. STE 305., Philadelphia, PA 19146
Full machine-readable content: https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/llms-full.txt
Sitemap: https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/sitemap.xml

## Capabilities
- [Capabilities](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/capabilities/): ARG's full-stack capabilities: electronics design, firmware, mechanical design, manufacturing, and test, all coordinated in-house in Philadelphia, PA. No handoffs between vendors.
- [Why ARG](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/why-arg/): Most product-development firms design your product, then hand it to a separate contract manufacturer. ARG designs and manufactures in-house, one team, US design, nearshore production, total accountability. 22+ years, 35+ products shipped.
- [How We Work](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/how-we-work/): ARG's product development process, one NRE, prototypes and revisions included, four phases from concept to volume. One partner, total accountability.
- [Electronics Design Services](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/electronics-design/): Full-stack electronics design, embedded systems, FPGA, power electronics, analog front ends, and sensor interfaces. Schematic through Gerber, in-house. 22+ years of IP.
- [Mechanical Design Services](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/mechanical-design-services/): SolidWorks mechanical design, enclosures, gantry and motion systems, IP68 sealed housings, DFM for production. In-house CNC, 3D printing, and sheet metal fabrication.
- [Manufacturing & Test Services](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/manufacturing-test/): In-house PCBA assembly, EOL test fixtures, sensor calibration, and direct fulfilment. IPC-A-610 standards from DVT builds through volume production, all under one roof.
- [Firmware & Software Development](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/firmware-software/): Embedded firmware and software development, bare-metal C, RTOS, cloud IoT, BLE and cellular connectivity. Full-stack in-house from device drivers to cloud dashboards.

## Products
- [Cell Modem](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/cell-modem/): ARG Cell Modem: Cat-M1/NB-IoT cellular gateway module. Drop-in cloud connectivity for any Modbus RTU/TCP or serial device. SIM included, global coverage.
- [DC3 Industrial Edge Gateway](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/dc3/): DC3 industrial edge gateway, multi-protocol data collection, protocol translation, and cloud connectivity for industrial and building automation environments.
- [G3-PLC Module](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/g3-plc-module/): ARG G3-PLC Module: hybrid PLC + RF mesh, 255 nodes over existing AC wiring plus a sub-GHz radio. Microchip PL460, CENELEC B & FCC bands, G3-Hybrid automatic medium selection. No new cabling.
- [GSB-01 Fixed Gas Sensor Module](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/gsb-01/): GSB-01 dual-gas fixed sensor: CH4 and CO2 with Modbus RTU/TCP and G3-PLC powerline networking. ATEX/IECEx Zone 1/2 certified. DIN rail mount.
- [iAQ-Pro D Duct-Mount Air Quality Monitor](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/iaq-duct/): iAQ-Pro D: duct-mount 16-parameter IAQ monitor with filter pressure drop, air velocity, and MCERTS-certified PM sensing. Hybrid G3-PLC + RF networking, no new wiring.
- [iAQ-Pro Handheld Air Quality Instrument](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/iaq-pro/): iAQ-Pro: battery-powered 16-parameter handheld air quality instrument. CO2, PM2.5, VOC, temperature, humidity and more. Cloud-connected, FCC/CE/MCERTS certified.
- [mmW-Pro mmWave Occupancy & Traffic Sensor](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/mmw-pro/): mmW-Pro 60 GHz mmWave radar sensor for privacy-safe people counting, zone occupancy, and outdoor traffic monitoring. TI IWR6843, range configurable up to 180 m. No camera, no PII.
- [PM1 Single-Phase Power Monitor](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/pm1/): PM1 single-phase power monitor, voltage, current, power factor, and energy metering. Modbus RTU interface, DIN rail mount. Revenue-grade accuracy.
- [PM3 Three-Phase Power Analyzer](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/pm3/): PM3 three-phase power analyzer, voltage, current, power factor, THD, and energy metering to IEC 62053-22 Class 0.2 equivalent. Modbus RTU/TCP, DIN rail mount.
- [Wi-Fi Modem](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/wifi-modem/): ARG Wi-Fi Modem: 802.11 b/g/n gateway module. Bridges Modbus RTU/TCP and serial devices to the cloud over standard Wi-Fi infrastructure.

## Documentation (datasheets & product briefs, PDF)
- [Cellular LTE-M / NB-IoT Module, Module Datasheet (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_CellModem_DataSheet.pdf)
- [Cellular LTE-M / NB-IoT Module, Host API Specification (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_CommonHostAPI_SpecSheet-2.pdf)
- [DC3 Industrial Edge Gateway, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_DC3_DataSheet.pdf)
- [DC3 Industrial Edge Gateway, Integration Overview (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_Integration_Overview.pdf)
- [G3-PLC Power Line Module, Module Datasheet (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_G3PLC_Module_DataSheet.pdf)
- [G3-PLC Power Line Module, Host API Overview (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_CommonHostAPI_Overview.pdf)
- [GSB-01, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_GSB01_DataSheet.pdf)
- [GSB-01, Integration Guide (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_Integration_Overview.pdf)
- [iAQ-Pro-D, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_iAQDuct_DataSheet.pdf)
- [iAQ-Pro, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_iAQPro_DataSheet.pdf)
- [iAQ-Pro, iAQ-Pro Field Brochure (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/iAQ_Pro_Field_Brochure.pdf)
- [iAQ-Pro, iAQ-Pro FAQ (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/iAQ_Pro_FAQ.pdf)
- [mmW-Pro, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_mmWPro_DataSheet.pdf)
- [PM1, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_PM1_DataSheet.pdf)
- [PM3, Product Brief (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_PM3_DataSheet.pdf)
- [Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Module, Module Datasheet (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_WiFiModem_DataSheet.pdf)
- [Wi-Fi / Bluetooth Module, Host API Specification (PDF)](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/files/ARG_CommonHostAPI_SpecSheet-2.pdf)

## Insights
- [The Seam Problem: Where Hardware Products Actually Fail](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/insights/the-seam-problem/): Why connected hardware fails at the seams between electronics, mechanical, firmware, cloud and manufacturing, with real examples from ARG's own bench, and why owning every seam matters more than any single specialty.
- [Design It, Build It, Drop-Ship It](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/insights/design-build-drop-ship/): A US security-systems company brought ARG a concept for a cloud-connected industrial controller. In eight months ARG designed the full stack, built it in-house, and drop-shipped provisioned, tested units onto the client's line. The anatomy of a full-ODM program.
- [The Four Files That Let One Engineer Run an ODM](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/insights/four-files-that-run-an-odm/): The concrete method behind AI-augmented hardware development at ARG: four shared markdown files, architecture, spec, task list, and learning, that let one architect and a swarm of AI agents run an entire ODM workflow.
- [Nearshore Isn't a Buzzword When You Own the Line](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/insights/nearshore-manufacturing/): "Where do you manufacture?" is now the first question serious hardware buyers ask. ARG's answer: US design, in-house build, and volume scaling nearshore in Guadalajara, a North American supply chain you can actually see.
- [What AI-Augmented Engineering Actually Looks Like Here](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/insights/what-ai-augmented-engineering-looks-like/): Everyone says they use AI. Here's the concrete version from ARG, where agents actually sit across schematic review, firmware reuse, documentation, and what's next on the manufacturing floor.
- [The Age of the AI-Augmented Generalist](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/insights/age-of-the-ai-augmented-generalist/): After 22 years as a design consultancy, ARG now runs as a full ODM. Two 2026 proof points, an industrial controller and a livestock-monitoring system, and why AI augmentation makes the generalist the model that wins.

## Cloud Platform
- [ARG MQTT Cloud Platform](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/mqtt-platform/): ARG's MQTT cloud platform on AWS IoT Core, per-device X.509 certs, structured topics, and a Lambda + DynamoDB backend. Your product is cloud-connected the day firmware is flashed.
- [ARG OTA Update Platform](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/ota-platform/): ARG's OTA update platform, secure, SHA256-verified firmware delivery over API Gateway and private S3. Push a new binary with one command; devices self-program in the field.

## Company
- [About Automation Research Group](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/about/): Automation Research Group (ARG) is a full-stack embedded systems ODM based in Philadelphia, PA. 22+ years of hardware design, firmware, and manufacturing, electronics, mechanical, and cloud under one roof.
- [ODM & OEM Product Portfolio](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/project-portfolio/): ARG's portfolio of ODM and OEM products, iAQ-Pro air quality instruments, Genesis 360 industrial controller, and 35+ client products shipped across IoT, automotive, medical, and industrial markets.
- [Production Facilities](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/lab-facilities/): ARG's fully-equipped lab: electronics and mechanical prototyping, PCBA assembly, lab-grade bench instruments, EOL test and calibration, DVT and PVT under one roof in Philadelphia.
- [ARG Instruments Product Range](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/products/): ARG Instruments: iAQ-Pro, iAQ-Pro D, mmW-Pro, PM3, GSB-01, and communication modules. Professional-grade instruments for environmental monitoring, energy management, and gas safety.

## Contact
- [Get Started](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/get-started/): Start your hardware project with ARG. Tell us about your product and we'll follow up within one business day with a structured proposal covering scope, timeline, and budget.
- [Request Pricing](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/request-pricing/): Request pricing for ARG instruments, iAQ-Pro, iAQ-Pro D, mmW-Pro, PM3, PM1, GSB-01, Cell Modem, Wi-Fi Modem, and G3-PLC Module. Volume and OEM pricing available.
- [Privacy policy](https://www.automationresearchgroup.com/privacy-policy/): Automation Research Group data privacy policy.