RFDesign
RFDesign Pty Ltd is an Australian electronics design firm that designs and manufactures long-range ISM-band radio modems, redundant flight control systems, and industrial telemetry devices for UAV operators, defense integrators, and industrial automation customers, selling direct via e-commerce and via OEM bare variants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBrisbane, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What RFDesign does
RFDesign Pty Ltd is an Australian electronics design and manufacturing company headquartered in Archerfield, Queensland, founded in 2008 and operating with a small (1–10 employee) lean team. The company designs, tests, and inspects in Australia a portfolio of long-range radio modems (RFD900x, RFD900ux, and RFD868x series) covering the 900 MHz and 868 MHz ISM bands with Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum, hardware-accelerated AES-128/256 encryption, antenna diversity switching, and demonstrated 40 km+ range. Complementary product lines include redundant flight control systems (AF1 and AF3) with up to three isolated CANbuses and distributed arbitration, industrial telemetry and isolated I/O devices (TxMod, Din IO), and VideoLink, which combines telemetry with low-latency video streaming.
The platform integrates natively with the MAVLink protocol and major open-source autopilots (Pixhawk, APM), reinforced by a comprehensive accessory ecosystem of telemetry interface cables, FTDI USB-C cables, and a full antenna range (monopole, dipole, Yagi, PCB) across 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz. Certification coverage spans NDAA/Order 13981 (US federal), FCC Part 15.247, AS/NZS 4268, EN300 220/EN301 489 (EU), ANATEL (Brazil), Industry Canada, and NZ General User Radio License, creating region-specific product variants for global deployment.
The business model is hardware-sales-led, with direct-to-consumer e-commerce via store.rfdesign.com.au (single-unit AUD pricing, bundle discounts, global DHL shipping) complemented by an OEM-embedded channel through bare modem variants sold to system integrators. Customer coverage spans UAV/drone operators (primary), industrial automation, safety-critical autonomous systems, and system integrators/OEMs, with named reference accounts including Boeing, BAE Systems, CSIRO, MIT, ANU, UQ, and 3DR. The company operates as a privately held proprietary limited entity with no disclosed external funding or M&A activity.
RFDesign firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RFDesign
- Legal name
- RFDesign Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://rfdesign.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- RFDesign Pty Ltd is an Australian electronics design firm that designs and manufactures long-range ISM-band radio modems, redundant flight control systems, and industrial telemetry devices for UAV operators, defense integrators, and industrial automation customers, selling direct via e-commerce and via OEM bare variants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RFDesign industry classification
Industry- Product category
- UAV Radio Communication Equipment
- NAICS
- Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Communications Equipment Manufacturing (3342)
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- UAS Communications, Datalinks, SATCOM & Remote Control Systems (IMABAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Avionics Communication Systems (VHF/UHF/SATCOM/Data Link) (IMABAFAG), UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO), Industrial Communication & Interface Components (Transceivers, PHYs, isolators, level shifters, fieldbus/Ethernet ICs) (IMAGAJAI)
Keywords
Where RFDesign is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brisbane
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
RFDesign business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling radio modems, flight control systems, antennas, cables, and accessories. Products sold as one-time purchases with various regional compliance variants (AU, US, NZ, BR, EU).
- Modem Bundles: Pre-configured product bundles offering complete telemetry solutions at discounted prices compared to individual components, driving higher average order values.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RFD900x Modem - Base model for 902-928MHz band |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RFD900x-US Modem - FCC compliant variant |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RFD900ux Modem - Compact lightweight variant |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RFD868x Modem - European 868MHz band variant |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RFD900x Modem Bundle - Complete telemetry kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Antenna 900MHz 2dBi Monopole |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | HERE 4 Multiband RTK GNSS |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
RFDesign product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RFDesign designs and manufactures long-range ISM band radio modems (RFD900x, RFD900ux, RFD868x series), redundant flight control systems (AF1, AF3 series) for safety-critical UAV applications, and industrial communications devices (TxMod, Din IO) with isolated I/O. All products are designed, tested, and inspected in Australia and are NDAA compliant. The company also offers the VideoLink system combining long-range telemetry with low-latency video streaming for UAVs.
Product overview
RFDesign is a designer and manufacturer of highly integrated electronics solutions based in Australia, specializing in advanced UAV components and payloads. The product portfolio centers on three core product lines: RF Modems (RFD900x, RFD900ux, RFD868x) providing long-range data communication with best-in-class radio link performance; Redundant Flight Control systems (AF1, AF3) offering multiple redundancy solutions for safety-critical UAV applications; and Industrial Communications products (TxMod, Din IO) for industrial telemetry. VideoLink combines telemetry with low-latency video streaming. The ecosystem is supported by a comprehensive range of antennas, FTDI cables, telemetry interface cables for Pixhawk and APM autopilots, and modem bundles. All modems are designed, tested, and inspected in Australia and are NDAA compliant.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RF Modems: Long-range radio modems including RFD900x, RFD900ux, and RFD868x series for UAV telemetry and data communication
- Redundant Flight Control
- Industrial Communications
- VideoLink
Products and services
- RFD900x Radio Modem High-performance 900MHz ISM band radio modem for long-range data communication. Features up to 40km range, 1W transmit power, AES hardware encryption, and supports point-to-point and multipoint network topologies. NDAA compliant.
- RFD900ux Radio Modem
- RFD868x Radio Modem
- AF1 Redundant Flight System
- AF3 Redundant Flight System
- TxMod Industrial Telemetry Device
- Din IO Isolated I/O Device
- VideoLink
Quantifiable outcome
- 40km+ communication range demonstrated (up to 80km in Edge Research balloon tests, 57km in India on dipoles)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use RFDesign
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
RFDesign technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature7 records
RFDesign partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CSIROcoreAustralian government research organization working with RFDesign on UAV technology applications. Listed among organizations RFDesign has worked with.
- BoeingcoreDefense contractor working with RFDesign on UAV programs. Listed among organizations RFDesign has worked with.
- BAE SystemscoreDefense contractor with UAV programs utilizing RFDesign technology. Listed among organizations RFDesign has worked with.
- 3DRcoreUAV technology company and autopilot provider with technology compatible with RFDesign modems. Listed among organizations RFDesign has worked with.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RFDesign competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Silicon Laboratories (Silabs): Semiconductor supplier whose wireless ICs (and the original SiK firmware host platform) underpin many long-range radio modems — a silicon vendor whose roadmap and reference designs materially shape RFDesign's product architecture.
- u-blox: Swiss provider of positioning and wireless modules, including short-range and LPWA radios used in UAV telemetry and GNSS receivers (HERE 4 category) — comparable to RFDesign's RF modem and HERE GNSS product lines.
- Digi International: Established vendor of Xtend long-range 900MHz radio modems and a broad portfolio of wireless/IoT modules — direct competitor to RFDesign's modem line but operating at much larger scale across many adjacent verticals.
Direct peers
- Holybro: Major Pixhawk/Ardupilot autopilot hardware vendor and provider of companion telemetry radios — adjacent competitor that could either partner with or compete against RFDesign inside the same MAVLink/Pixhawk ecosystem.
- Silvus Technologies: US-based manufacturer of long-range, MIMO mesh radios (StreamCaster) for unmanned systems and defense — directly competitive with RFDesign's RFD900x/868x series in the UAV/drone C2 datalink category and also NDAA-compliant.
- Persistent Systems (MPU5): Provider of the MPU5 tactical mesh radio and Wave Relay product line targeting military, defense, and unmanned systems — competes head-on with RFDesign in long-range, encrypted, NDAA-compliant UAV datalinks.
- TBS (Team BlackSheep): Long-range UAV radio manufacturer behind TBS Crossfire and TBS Tracer — competes directly with RFD900x/ux for the long-range FPV and commercial UAV telemetry market with a similar hobbyist-plus-pro customer base.
- Microhard Systems: Niche Canadian manufacturer of long-range, ruggedized wireless datalinks (900MHz, 2.4GHz) for UAV, industrial, and defense markets — highly comparable in product positioning and target customer profile to RFDesign.
Emerging players
- Hex / CubePilot: Developer of the Cube autopilot family and Here GNSS positioning modules — competes directly with the HERE 4 RTK GNSS product and AF series redundant flight controllers in the same open-source UAV ecosystem.
- Ardupilot / 3DR: Open-source autopilot project and former hardware vendor whose SiK radio firmware underpins RFDesign's modems — both collaborator and ecosystem risk for RFDesign given the firmware heritage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RFDesign social profiles
Digital presenceRFDesign compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
RFDesign financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RFDesign leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
RFDesign funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RFDesign M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RFDesign
What does RFDesign do?
RFDesign designs and manufactures long-range ISM band radio modems (RFD900x, RFD900ux, RFD868x series), redundant flight control systems (AF1, AF3 series) for safety-critical UAV applications, and industrial communications devices (TxMod, Din IO) with isolated I/O. All products are designed, tested, and inspected in Australia and are NDAA compliant. The company also offers the VideoLink system combining long-range telemetry with low-latency video streaming for UAVs.
Is RFDesign a public or private company?
RFDesign is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was RFDesign founded?
RFDesign was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is RFDesign based?
RFDesign is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does RFDesign make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are modem Bundles.
Who are RFDesign's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Silicon Laboratories (Silabs), u-blox and Digi International. Direct peers are Holybro, Silvus Technologies, Persistent Systems (MPU5), TBS (Team BlackSheep) and Microhard Systems. Emerging players are Hex / CubePilot and Ardupilot / 3DR.
Does RFDesign have an API?
No public API is recorded for RFDesign.
What industry is RFDesign in?
RFDesign's product category is UAV Radio Communication Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAJ, UAS Communications, Datalinks, SATCOM & Remote Control Systems, with a secondary code of IMABAFAG, Avionics Communication Systems (VHF/UHF/SATCOM/Data Link). Its NAICS code is 334220 and its SIC code is 3812.