The Clock is Ticking! Are you ready for ETSI EN 300 328 v1.8.1?

Published on June 16, 2014

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You’ve likely heard by now that the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) will be implementing a new set of compliance standards for 2.4 GHz wireless products, effective January 1st, 2015. These changes are being made to address the issues created by the dramatic increase in wireless products operating at this band over the past 10 years.

Let’s take a minute to help ensure you have a plan for handling this upcoming changes to CE Marking:

What products fall under the purview of the new v1.8.1?

The ETSI EN 300 328 standard addresses any wideband RF product sold into Europe that utilizes the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Examples would include products that incorporate WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Smart, or ZigBee® communication protocols. Documentation confirming compliance to v1.8.1 will be required by January 1, 2015.

Can I simply update the test data that was acquired back when my product was certified to meet EN 300 328 v1.7.1?

Unfortunately, No. The most significant changes in the standard are not simply new limits, but rather changes to the actual test procedures. Therefore, new tests must be taken to confirm compliance with the v1.8.1 standards.

What Lab capabilities are needed to be able to successfully test for compliance to these new standards?

The new v1.8.1 standards have redefined many of the test procedures and types of measurements required, which also raises the bar on the capabilities and equipment a testing facility must have in order to complete this certification. Specialized test equipment required includes:

  • a Power Meter with ability to sample at a rate of 1 Msamples/sec
  • a Signal Generator that can provide a noise profile for testing Adaptivity

How soon do I need to begin the process of certification for v1.8.1?

As always, the sooner the better, to provide you time to address any design changes that may be needed should testing determine that the standards cannot be successfully met. The complexity of the testing and the number of measurements required could result in a week or longer of testing time to complete.