Wireless & Radio certification testing

RCM Australia & New Zealand wireless radiocommunications requirements

Expansion: Regulatory Compliance Mark

Effective region: Australia and New Zealand

Regulator: Australian Communications and Media Authority for Australia. Radio Spectrum Management Group (RSM) for New Zealand.

Legal status: Mandatory

Wireless radio testing certification, approval and compliance requirements for RCM

EMC Bayswater offers a comprehensive Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) radiocommunications testing services. Including NATA accredited AS/NZS 4268 testing for low power transmitters and receivers.

Products sold in Australia and New Zealand with wireless radio modules must comply with the relevant radio standard. Radio modules are wireless transmitters/receivers, capable of transmitting or receiving data. RCM wireless radio testing can include tests such as;

• Maximum transmit power
• Spurious emissions
• Occupied bandwidth/frequency
• Spectral density

These wireless radio tests to ensure the radio performance of the transmitter or receiver for Australia. And ensure that these measured performance values fall within the allocated limits.

Legal Implications for RCM marking

The equipment or product must comply with relevant applicable ACMA’s mandated radiocommunications standards such as Radiocommunications (Compliance Labelling – Devices) Notice 2014 (Australia) or Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for Short Range Devices) Notice 2017 No. 2 (New Zealand).

How to determine what level of compliance your product is?

Refer to “Schedule 2, Applicable standards and compliance levels” of the “Radiocommunications (Compliance Labelling – Devices) Notice 2014“. Please refer to the following extract from the Radiocommunications Devices (Compliance Labelling) Notice 2014 (the Notice) in order to comply a compliance level 1 or 2 devices.

Compliance level 1

To comply with compliance level 1 for an applicable standard, the supplier of a device must:

(a)  prepare a description of the device; and

(b)  complete and sign a declaration of conformity for the device.

Compliance level 2

(1)  To comply with compliance level 2 for an applicable standard, the supplier of a device must:

(a)  comply with compliance level 1; and

(b)  obtain and retain reasonable written evidence that the device complies with the standard.

(2)  For paragraph (1)(b), the reasonable written evidence must include at least one of the following:

(a)  written authority by the Federal Communications Commission for a device to operate in the United States of America (USA), along with documented information showing how the device has been altered to meet Australian requirements where these diverge from USA requirements;

(b)  a test report prepared by an accredited testing body endorsed in accordance with the body’s accreditation criteria;

(c)  a test report from a person that is not an accredited testing body;

(d)  a manufacturer’s performance specifications for the device.

An example class 1 or 2 radio determination would be as follows. If your product falls under the item 10; of the Radiocommunications (Short Range Devices) Standard 2014, compliance level 1. Thus you referencing the requirements of the Radiocommunications (Short Range Devices) Standard 2014. This, in turn, references the industry standard AS/NZS 4268. Which EMC Bayswater is accredited to perform testing and issue endorsed test reports. Typically short-range devices may include;

• Bluetooth
• ZigBee
• Z-Wave
• LoRa
• 433MHz remote key less entry
• RFID
• WiFi

These are relatively low RF power transmitters or transceivers that operate over a relatively short range.

In some instances, a valid overseas certification or compliance report if deemed satisfactory could be used to demonstrate compliance with the RCM requirements. Either in whole or if required with extra variation testing. Recently the industry standard AS/NZS 4268 was updated from 2012 to the new 2017 version. The latest version of the standard has incorporated a larger emphasis on allowing FCC and ETSI test reports to show compliance. Thus reducing the need of having to conduct any additional testing. Essentially either an FCC test report used in whole or an ETSI test report used in the whole can demonstrate compliance. However, a ‘mix and match’ hybrid test report of FCC and ETSI results is not accepted. Regardless of the compliance path i.e. FCC or ETSI test reports the supplier must ensure that device operates in accord with the Radiocommunications (Low Interference Potential Devices or LIPD) Class Licence 2015.

Note: there may be variations between the two countries and many similarities for various products. Some of these wireless radio testing standards that may be used in part or whole include:

EMC Bayswater offers an overseas report technical review service. This can assist in the determination of the suitability of an overseas report as evidence against the RCM requirements. We can also provide a determination of the EMR applicability or exemption from human exposure testing. Some transmitters are exempt from EMR examination due to the maximum RF power and proximity to the human body. For products that do require physical EMR assessment can be achieved through SAR testing. Depending upon the particular product and transmitter specifications testing may not be required.

For further information regarding the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) requirements. Including RCM labelling, declaration of conformity, registration on the national database. Please refer to our dedicated RCM section. Additional RCM EMC compliance often required for many products. As the radio component is only a subpart to a more complex system.