Sensors, environmental measurements, operational data… A connected object generates information throughout its use. How this information is collected, stored, and transmitted depends largely on the choices made during product development.
With the European Data Act, access to this data is becoming more important. For companies developing IoT equipment, connected machines, or intelligent electronic systems, this issue must be addressed from the outset. electronic design of the product.
Data Act: what changes on September 12, 2026?
The Data Act has been applicable in the European Union since September 12, 2025. A new obligation came into effect on September 12, 2026 for connected products and related services placed on the market after that date: they must be designed in such a way as to facilitate user access to the data covered by the regulation.
This data must be made available to the user in a simple and secure manner, free of charge for exercising their right of access, in a complete, structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format. Where relevant and technically feasible, access must be direct from the product.
This obligation concerns access to dataThis does not mean that all associated services must become free: a manufacturer can continue to offer value-added features, such as a visualization platform, analytics, or alerts.
Why is electronic design directly affected?
Data displayed in an application first follows a technical chain. A sensor takes a measurement; the embedded electronics acquire and process it; the product stores it, uses it locally or transmits it to another system.
The decisions made at this stage therefore influence data access options. What storage capacity is needed? How frequently should measurements be taken? Should the data be stored on the equipment or sent to a server? Which communication technology is suitable for the product's use?
The solutions will differ for an industrial machine that is constantly powered and for a self-contained sensor that must operate for several years on battery power. Frequent transmission, for example, can facilitate data retrieval, but it also has implications for energy consumption and component selection.
The Data Act does not impose a specific communication protocol. However, it does encourage early consideration of how the data in question can be collected and used.
What data from a connected product should be taken into account?
Depending on the equipment, the data involved may include measurements of temperature, pressure, flow rate, position, or speed, as well as certain information related to its operation. The metadata necessary to understand and use this information is also taken into account.
However, these data must be distinguished from those resulting from more advanced processing, such as certain enriched, inferred or derived information, which do not necessarily fall under the same obligations.
The Data Act also does not require a manufacturer to collect and store all the data that a component is technically capable of producing. The challenge is to identify the data that the product architecture actually plans to store or transmit, and then determine how to make it accessible when the regulation requires it.
This distinction prevents the product from being unnecessarily oversized. However, it requires a clear understanding of the data from the earliest stages of the project.
Five points to anticipate in the specifications
1. Define the relevant data. Before adding sensors, it is necessary to define what the product needs to measure and for what purpose. Each additional data point may require acquisition, processing, storage, or transmission, potentially impacting cost and energy consumption.
2. Plan their storage and shelf life. A measurement can be used immediately and then deleted, stored temporarily in the equipment, or sent to a remote infrastructure. These scenarios do not imply the same memory capacity or architecture.
3. Organize their retrieval. Data stored in a microcontroller is not automatically usable by the user. Wired connection, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular network, or gateway: the communication method must be chosen according to the intended use and product constraints.
4. Secure access. Making data accessible does not mean opening it up to everyone. Authentication, rights management, and communication security must be considered in conjunction with the hardware, firmware, and associated digital services.
5. Maintain a capacity for evolution. A product may receive new features or updates after its release. Insufficient memory or a limited communication architecture can complicate these developments.
Integrating these questions into the specifications of a electronic design project This allows for consistent decision-making before prototyping. Conversely, adding a communication interface late, increasing storage, or changing the microcontroller may require revising the electronic design, which can then have consequences for testing, certification, and industrialization.
From sensor to digital service: thinking about the product as a whole
In a connected object, electronics, firmware, communication, and digital services are interconnected. The architecture must meet the product's physical function, but also its needs for security, autonomy, reliability, and data access.
At SYMESWe support electronic projects from the initial needs assessment and specifications to prototyping and industrialization. For connected products, this approach allows us to integrate communication, data processing, and usage considerations early on, in order to build a solution tailored to the product's intended use.
