Radio modules are widespread and utilized for nearly every type of wireless communication, from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to cellular and LoRa. Most of these modules have some type of modular level approval or pre-approval. However, this pre-approval does not guarantee that your host product may enter a specific country or region without further compliance work. There are several advantages to using these pre-approved or certified modules but there are also risks that are not always evident, which can cause significant delays and even final product rejection if not addressed prior to implementation.
During new product introductions and global product launches, the last thing your company needs is an unforeseen setback due to a module level or component issue. Selecting a trustworthy vendor to supply you with RF modules is the most important decision you will make while bringing a wireless product to global markets. As we take you through the pros and cons of utilizing these modules in host devices, we will also share what you should look for in a module manufacturer partner and explain why this choice can make or break your project. But first, what is a radio module?
What is a radio module?
A radio module is a wireless component installed into a host system with the following aspects:
- Self-contained
- Discrete assembly
- Typically with its own shielding
- A defined RF boundary
- Its own antenna or a defined antenna port
- Designed to be dropped into a host product as a component
- Characterized and tested as a unit independent of whatever it gets integrated into.
A module differs from a chip-on-board component, which is categorized as follows:
- A bare RF die or chipset mounted directly onto a host PCB
- Generally includes radio circuitry
- Includes an RF front end
- Includes a matching network
- Has an antenna implemented as part of that host board’s design
- There’s no self-contained shielded assembly with its own defined boundary
- The RF functionality is essentially built into the product itself.
- Think of a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi SoC placed directly on your main board, where you (or your ODM) laid out the RF traces, the balun/matching, the crystal, and routed to an antenna
The first major decision that must be made is whether an RF module should be utilized, or a chip to be installed directly onto the product board. Here are some common factors that go into the decision making:
- Volume and unit cost
- In-house RF design competency
- Product design flexibility and constraints
- Supply chain and product lifecycle
Many manufacturers make the decision to leverage RF modules and the pre-compliance that many module manufacturers have completed. Next, we will examine the pros and cons of leveraging an RF module.
Pros
Utilizing a wireless module can save time and money when implementing wireless options in devices. Approve-IT sees many of our manufacturer clients purchase wireless modules and install them into their host products. The option is very efficient and repeatable across different models and product lines.
Some of the benefits of using radio modules in your host products are:
- A pre-designed package that is generally easy to incorporate into a host product
- Relatively economical value
- Multiple module manufacturers provide many different choices
- Pre-certified to work within the technology it is designed for like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Pre-certified to meet government regulations like FCC, ISED, or the EU RED.
- Multiple configuration options to accommodate global access
- Limit the need for experienced RF or EMC engineers
- Eliminate the need for internal development of a radio module
- Shorten the time to market by eliminating design cycles relative to the radio module
Cons
Although there are many positive reasons to use radio modules in host devices, there are also added risks that can derail your project, cause significant delays, cost overruns, or even eliminate the ability for your host product to gain market access. In our experience, most of our manufacturer customers can overcome the cons through careful planning and consulting with experienced experts like Approve-IT.
Here are some of the challenges we have observed over the past several years that significantly impacted the global access of the host product:
- Little to no support from the module manufacturer
- Poor quality product
- Not all countries will allow for modular approvals or certifications – the host still requires additional certification, even if the module is already approved
- The module may only be available through a distributor with little access to the actual manufacturer of the host device
- The module manufacturer may not be willing to support global access of the product by providing actual test reports or design files needed for approval in some countries
- The module manufacturer may not be willing to support additional testing modes that may be required once the product is installed in its host
- The module manufacturer may change the design without notifying their customers which can impact the host product approvals
- The module manufacturer may not be willing to support ongoing cybersecurity updates now being required by the EU
- The module may not have any pre-testing or certifications at all, requiring these to be done at the host level
- There may be many different models or SKUs options of the same RF module, and only certain SKUs/models are pre-approved in each country on your target list
What to look for in a module manufacturer partner
Selecting a trustworthy vendor to supply you with RF modules is the most important decision that you can make in this process. The level of support, availability, and flexibility of the module manufacturer is crucial for the success of your global product launch. The cheapest module manufacturer vendor is not always the best, and understanding the risks and rewards of vendor selection is critical.
Key questions to ask while you vet your potential partners, before purchasing any RF modules:
- Will they work directly with you or only through a distributor?
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- Only having access through a distributor can severely limit your ability to solve design implementation issues quickly and correctly. It’s always best to work directly with the manufacturer.
- Do they have a comprehensive website where implementation manuals with associated non-confidential up-to-date technical documentation?
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- The module manufacturers website should be quite comprehensive with direct contact information, data sheets, user and implementation manuals, certifications and accreditations of each module that include the government issued certification, and a reputation for support and quality of their products.
- Are they willing to enter into a vendor agreement with you?
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- A vendor agreement with the module manufacturer is highly recommended. Important facets of the agreement include technical support for additional testing required for global access, support for test modes of the module, guarantees not to implement design changes without prior approval from you, ongoing support of the firmware and software to supply updates as required by governments to meet new regulations or fix vulnerabilities or bugs, and to supply full design information including schematics, bill of materials, and test reports that may be required for global access in some countries.
- Are they willing to provide confidential design information to government regulators that require it for global access in some countries?
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- Block diagrams, schematics, BOMs, and other confidential documents can be mandatory requirements for a country certification process.
- Are they willing to provide CE/RED and other country test reports that are not generally available to the public (like on the FCC website)?
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- Although some countries may not allow leveraging an RF module approval for the host system, the host system approval may still rely on the RF test reports from the module as part of the mandatory technical documentation requirements to gain type approval for the host system.
Other factors to consider might include where the module manufacturer is located and where the CE/RED, FCC and IC/ISED testing was done. Although this is somewhat of a moving target currently, different governments are implementing restrictions on product origins, test reports, and manufacturers in general. Although these items are outside the technical functions of the products, they do represent a real risk to gaining global access.
Country level considerations
It is important to note that not all countries will accept modular approvals, in these countries the host product will need to be tested to show compliance with the respective radio communication laws. Working closely with sales and marketing to determine the projected countries where the host product will be sold is important to define the global access strategy for the host product. Radio testing is expensive and requires several expert disciplines to be coordinated and performed correctly. A module that has more of the certifications on your global access list may be more valuable and cost effective than a module that does not but is cheaper. Consultants like Approve-IT can easily identify the best approval route and strategy for each country on your target list, whether it is leveraging modular approval, family approval, or limiting the number of approvals through creating regulatory model numbers or SKUs.
Conclusion
There are many advantages to using radio modules, from their diversity to their simplicity of implementation without RF or communications experts on your compliance team. They decrease design time and provide enhanced options for a host system. While these modules provide some great advantages, they can also derail a product’s global access if advance care is not taken to thoroughly understand the modules capabilities and the module manufacturer’s willingness to support their product. Being aware of the risks, rewards, and responsibilities of each party in the process is a critical part of the planning process. Approve-IT strongly advises selecting a reliable and supportive module manufacturer vendor if you choose this route. We also highly recommend using a third-party vendor or having an experienced regulatory compliance engineer on your team that understands the pros and cons of using third-party RF modules, and the impact for each country on your target list.
