Radiofrequency testing

Why conduct radiofrequency testing?

Over the past few years, the demand for radiofrequency testing has grown significantly for two main reasons:

•  Radio communication modules are increasingly present in medical devices, industrial equipment, and IoTs.
• A changing and stringent regulatory environment with the implementation of RED Directive 2014/53/UE, which applies to all these products and complements the EMC and Low Voltage directives.

Radiofrequency testing is essential to ensure the compliance of equipment using radio frequencies. Specifically, it verifies transmission power, spectral occupancy, the presence of spurious emissions, and reception sensitivity.

When the product manufacturer from a chipset, all applicable radio tests, creates the radio functionality must be conducted.

 However, for the majority of products, the radio functionality is ensured by integrating a module already evaluated under the RED directive .
In this case, the EMC and electrical safety evaluations must be fully redone on the final product.

For the radio, the initial module evaluation can be reused under the integrator's responsibility and must be documented in their risk analysis. The absence of proof of compliance (test report) requires redoing all radio tests. Integrating a radio module into a final product affects the overall radiation and requires re-evaluation.

Services offered 

To provide manufacturers of connected products with a single point of contact for their performance and qualification testing, LNE offers a comprehensive range of expertise, including radiofrequency testing oriented towards 5G and, in the future, 6G.

LNE offers the following radiofrequency tests:

• Measurement of isotropic radiated and conducted power
• Measurement of spurious emissions from the transmitter and receiver
• Measurement of maximum spectral power density
• Measurement of frequency stability
• Measurement of bandwidth
• Measurement of frequency error
• Measurement of receiver blocking
• Measurement of channel access mechanism
• Measurement of dynamic frequency selection (DFS)
• Measurement of power in adjacent channels
• ….

Technologies covered:

• 2G : GPRS
• 3G : UMTS
• 4G : LTE / LTE NB-IOT / LTE CAT-M1
• 5G FR1
• WIFI 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz
• Bluetooth Low Energy / Bluetooth Classique
• NFC / RFID 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 868 MHz
• Protocoles 868 MHz
• …

Accreditations

Services conducted under COFRAC Testing accreditation n° 1-0606 * (in french)

*List of sites and scopes available on cofrac.fr

Additional services 

Thanks to their diverse skills and technical resources, our technical teams can offer all the environmental tests necessary for your product qualification: EMC, electrical safety, mechanical, climatic, vibration, shock, acceleration, etc.

Our experts in artificial intelligence system evaluation can also assist you in developing your products or processes that incorporate an AI algorithm and perform  cybersecurity penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities.

These tests will help you compile your CE marking, EU Type Examination (ON RED), OC Scheme, CB Scheme Certification, etc. As an ISO 17065 accredited body, LNE can evaluate your products and associated technical files for certification or issue these certifications, depending on your advancement.

Training : The LNE also offers regulatory training on bringing connected equipment to market.

Means and equipment

To conduct these radiofrequency tests and ensure that electrical/electronic products meet applicable normative requirements, the LNE has the following equipment:

• 3 m semi-anechoic chamber
• 40 GHz measurement receiver
• Cellular network simulators for 2G, 3G, 4G, NB-IOT, 5G
• Vector signal generator
• Fast power sensor
• 40 GHz EMF probe

Standards and regulations

Pour leur mise sur le marché européen, les produits et équipements utilisant des radiofréquences doivent répondre aux exigences essentielles de la directive RED 2014/53/UE pour que puissent y être apposé le marquage CE. Les essais proposés par le LNE permettent de répondre à de multiples normes, en particulier :

For their European market release, products and equipment using radio frequencies must meet the essential requirements of the RED 2014/53/EU directive to bear the CE marking. The LNE’s tests meet multiple standards, particularly:

• ETSI EN 300 328: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Zigbee radio functions
• ETSI EN 300 220: Short-range devices operating in the 25 MHz to 1,000 MHz band
• ETSI EN 301 893: Wi-Fi 5 GHz radio functions
• ETSI EN 300 330: RFID and NFC radio functions operating between 9 kHz and 30 MHz
• ETSI EN 300 440: Short-range devices operating in the 1 GHz to 40 GHz band
• ETSI EN 301 511: 2G radio functions
• ETSI EN 301 908-1: 3G, 4G, 5G radio functions

Why Choose the LNE

Thanks to this partnership, expertise, and environmental testing equipment, LNE becomes a one-stop-shop offering all services on a single site, providing you with the following benefits:

• A complete range of environmental tests (EMC, electrical safety, mechanical, climatic, vibration, shock, acceleration, etc.) to meet evaluation, characterisation, and qualification needs.
• Unique expertise covering regulatory assistance, cybersecurity, and AI evaluation.
• Simplified logistics, reducing project costs, timelines, and time to market for your products.
• Support throughout your product’s lifecycle, from design to certification for national or international market release.
• State-of-the-art equipment ensuring high-quality measurement.