The FCC proposed the implementation of very low-power (VLP) devices in the Wi-Fi 6E frequency band in September last year, and updated the § 15.407 and the draft versions of KDB 987594 in March and April this year. The IC also updated the draft version of RSS-248 Issue 3 on June 25 this year, adding very low-power devices in the Wi-Fi 6E frequency band. This indicates that manufacturers will soon be able to apply for IC Wi-Fi 6E very low-power device certification.

What are the certification requirements for IC Wi-Fi 6E very low-power devices? What are the differences in technical requirements for very low-power devices between IC, CE, and FCC?

So don't miss the following content:

>> Differences between old and new standards <<

The standard differences between the draft version of RSS-248 Issue 3 and the old version of RSS-248 Issue 2 are shown in the following table:

From the difference table between the old and new standards above, it can be seen that the new version of the standard mainly adds very low-power devices and related requirements, with only minor changes in other content, and there is basically no difference from the old version of the standard.

>> Technical requirements <<

To obtain certification for IC Wi-Fi 6E very low-power devices, it is necessary to know the technical requirements for their permission and limitations, as shown in the following figure:

In addition, the user manual for very low-power devices requires the following text:

- Devices shall not be used for control of or communications with unmanned aircraft systems

- Devices shall not be used on oil platforms

- Devices shall not be used on aircraft

>> Canada VS Europe and America <<

The technical requirements for very low-power devices in Canada differ from those in the European Union and the United States as follows:

From the above table, it can be seen that there is not much difference between the very low-power devices of IC and FCC, only in the frequency band. IC is used in the full frequency band, while FCC is only used in the UNII-6 and UNII-8 frequency bands; The difference between IC and CE is significant, as shown in the red highlighted column at the far right of the table.

The above content is based on the currently available draft version of RSS-248 Issue 3. If there are significant changes in the official version in the future, we will study and share them with everyone as soon as possible. If manufacturers have plans to produce W-Fi 6E very low-power devices and want to ship them to Europe, America, and Canada, they can refer to the above content to prepare in advance and differentiate products according to differences in each country. After RSS-248 Issue 3 is officially released, certification can begin.

BTL has been deeply involved in the field of mandatory Wi-Fi certification for many years and has rich certification experience. BTL now has the testing capability for FCC Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 2.4G/Wi-Fi 5G/Wi-Fi 6E), including VLP devices. Welcome manufacturers to contact the BTL team, and BTL will share the most professional and comprehensive certification information with you.