The internet of things (IoT) is the term of all devices (things) that can talk to each other and are connected to the internet. These things can exist from simple sensors to modules and wearables, connected together. By combining these connected devices with automated systems, it is possible to “gather information, analyze it and create an action” to help someone with a particular task, or learn from a process.
But looking in today’s smart age if you look around you’d see that the majority of the things aren’t yet connected. Your refrigerator doesn’t yet know if the inventory is low and should be refilled, or that your couch or chair is still the old couch/chair and doesn’t know if someone is sitting over it. Similarly, most of all other devices in your home, work environment do not analyze any information or do any action. But if you listen to the experts on this field, they believe that in the coming 5 years that over 75 billion IoT devices will be connected to the internet in 2025. And what this will do is actually add a brain to everything. So this is a huge market that is still in its start phase, its expected we will see a lot of new start-ups and manufacturers shifting their business to the IoT industry.
The rise of non-wired IoT devices
First, the need for power in communication and data transfer was earlier seen as a limitation for letting different things communicate. But there is already a solution found to this problem as powerless IoT sensors are already under development. These sensors would draw power from light to fulfill their energy requirements. Thus, these smart devices could work anywhere.
Secondly, wireless technology has become the dominant choice in designing and developing devices for all electronic categories in the IoT. And as we know, the easiest way to do that is by integrating pre-certified wireless modules into your IoT product.
But when you have any wireless technology in your device, you will need to get market approval for RF operations in the respective market(s). You are going have to do regulatory testing to ensure the successful co-existence of your IoT device for minimized interference in the shared radio spectrum. Unfortunately, there’s no universal certification body with globally recognized testing standards; instead, each country or region has its own regime and accountable organization. For example, you need the FCC certification in the USA, the ISED certification in Canada and the CE marking in Europe.
Many start-ups and manufacturers undermine how demanding and time-consuming the certification process can be. Testing must be done in an accredited test lab and may be required for individual components as well as the entire product. Preparing the necessary paperwork can take weeks or even months, not to mention the expensive testing costs. If your device operates in different regions, you’ll have to make sure it gets all applicable certifications.
The best way to minimize the significant costs and burden of regulatory testing is to plan for it from day one of your product design and select pre-certified modules. These modules have already passed through CE and FCC testing and can save you the most cumbersome part of your device certification. Going for such modules also minimizes the risk of designing a non-compliant product, as well as unnecessary expenses and delays due to re-testing.
A good start
As mentioned before, its important to start early in the process with the regulatory testing and compliance part of your device. We can help you build a smart testing plan using your budget efficiently by avoiding unnecessary testing while still complying with all relevant regulatory and performance requirements. We are independent and can also guide you to a global network of accredited testing laboratories, which have a very good expertise in the areas of product testing. You can think about testing for all types of IoT and wearable electronic products – Bluetooth, wi-fi, battery operated, NFC, RFID, etc. We can also help you with the Technical Construction File of your project. So that your conformance path would be an efficient route to market approval.
By working with us as a reliable compliance partner, start-ups and manufacturers can mitigate risk and get the support and assistance needed to navigate the sea of regulatory requirements.