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This
page was last revised on August 4, 2007.
Why
Get Your Equipment Certified?
The
FCC requires that license-free wireless equipment be Part
15 Subpart C (intentional radiator) certified. If you are
using equipment that you assembled yourself then you may be
operating outside the law. We can help you operate legally.
Click
here to purchase FCC certification consulting over the
phone.
Wireless
Service Providers
Are you using wireless equipment that is FCC Part 15 certified?
If not, you may want to consider obtaining Part 15 certification.
Once you have
invested time, energy and money into building your wireless
business it makes sense to protect that business. Using Part
15 certified equipment (as required by law) will protect you
from being fined (or worse) by the FCC.
Wireless Manufacturers
Are you offering FCC Part 15 certified equipment for sale?
If you are then your equipment will not expose your customers
to FCC enforcement action. If however you are selling equipment,
amplifiers or systems that do not have FCC Part 15 certification,
then you are putting not just your own business at risk; you
are also putting your customer's business at risk.
Non-Wireless
Manufacturers
Perhaps you offer a product that is NOT a wireless product
but a computer peripheral product. You may be required to
get that product certified or you may be able to use a simpler
procedure called a Declaration of Conformity (DoC). These
products still need lab testing but they don't need to go
through as much testing as a product that is designed to transmit.
We're ready and able to advise you and help you meet these
more simplified FCC requirements.
We Can Help
If you are assembling your own
equipment, using purchased
but non-certified equipment, using an amplifier
that has not been certified as a part of a complete
radio-amplifier-antenna system or manufacturing
and selling non-certified equipment, we can help you
obtain FCC Part 15 certification for your equipment quickly,
while minimizing costs.
FCC
Part 15 Certification FAQ
Q.
What is an "intentional radiator"?
A.
An Intentional Radiator is a transmitter designed to send
wireless energy over the air. Compared to a transmitter, a
personal computer usually radiates some spurious wireless
energy into the air but it is not radiated intentionally therefore
the computer is not an intentional radiator.
Q.
If my wireless system uses a wireless card that already has
an FCC approval, do I still need to send the system to a lab
to get it certified?
A.
Yes. A system that uses an already-certified card still needs
to be tested and certified with the antenna system(s) that
you plan to use. After successful testing, your new system
will receive its own certification.
Q.
Does it cost less to certify a system that uses an already-certified
wireless card?
A.
Yes. Some test steps can be omitted because they were already
conducted when the card manufacturer certified the card.
Q.
What are conducted emissions?
A:
Conducted emissions are electrical noise that is generated
(usually in the power supply, sometimes on the motherboard)
and then conducted into the AC power line.
Q.
What is EIRP?
A.
EIRP is Effective Isotropic Radiated Power. This is the power
that is actually radiated from an antenna system. It equals
transmitter output power (dBm) minus the transmission line
losses (dB) plus antenna gain (dBi). EIRP is measured in dBm.
Q.
What bands can I certify equipment for?
A.
902-928 MHz, 2400-2483.5 MHz, 5725-5850 MHz.
Q.
What about the 5250-5350 MHz and 5470-5725 MHz bands? Those
are Part 15 bands too.
A.
Yes they are and you can certify equipment for those bands
however, the time needed to certify this equipment is much
longer. Equipment for those bands must meet Dynamic Frequency
Selection (DFS) requirements to avoid interfering with military
radar. Only a few labs are doing DFS testing at this time
because it is a new process and the test equipment costs are
relatively high. In the future, additional labs should start
performing these tests. Certification costs for DFS equipment
typically run $2000 to $3000 higher than for non-DFS equipment.
Q.
How does DFS work?
A.
Dynamic Frequency Selection is a mechanism that dynamically
detects signals from other systems and changes your transmitter
frequency to avoid interfering with the other system. Equipment
certified for the 5250 - 5350 MHz band and the 5470 - 5725
MHz band needs to pass strict DFS testing.
Q.
In general, what are the steps for getting my system certified?
A.
First, you register with the FCC. Then you prepare your equipment
and your equipment documentation for submission to the certification
lab. The lab tests your equipment and verifies that it passes.
The lab notifies you of any test failures. Once your equipment
passes, the lab prepares a test report, assembles the various
parts of your Certification Application package and sends
the completed application package to the TCB for final approval.
Q.
What's a TCB?
A.
TCB stands for "Telecommunications Certification Body". The
number of people employed by the FCC is limited therefore
equipment certification is done by TCBs. TCBs are private
companies that the FCC has certified to review lab test results,
process system certification applications, and issue the Certification
"Grants". Using TCBs speeds up the certification process because
TCBs free the FCC staff from having to review each application.
Q.
How many different types of tests does my system have to pass?
A.
The basic test categories include: conducted noise, radiated
spurious emissions, radiated power (EIRP), emission bandwidth,
power spectral density, and maximum permitted exposure levels
(MPE).
Q.
Can you guarantee that my system will pass the lab tests?
A.
No, there are no guarantees. The lab can only test your system
and report the test results to you. If your system fails,
sometimes the lab is able to recommend small changes (for
example: adding an additional ground connection or adding
a bypass capacitor) that will allow your system to pass.
Q.
How many hours are usually needed to correct a more difficult
problem?
A.
That depends on many variables however the lab has seen past
failures and already knows how to correct many minor problems.
In two hours time, the lab can often diagnose the problem
and provide suggestions about how to correct it. If
your system has more severe problems, the lab can direct you
to EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) engineers who can help
you to diagnose and correct the problems.
Q.
How much does additional paid engineering assistance cost?
A.
$200 per hour.
Q.
How long does the entire certification process take?
A.
That depends on the number of tests, the test results, the
speed of your corrective action (if needed), the completeness
of your application package and on the lab workload. On average,
the entire approval process can take from 2 to 4 weeks.
Q.
What is the approximate cost to get my system certified?
A.
Again, there are variables however the total cost, including
the lab time and the TCB cost, should range from a low of
$3219 to a high of $8594, depending on how much lab test time
is needed. Many systems that use an already-certified wireless
card will only require one day of lab time; the total certification
cost will be about $3219.
Q.
What is included in these costs?
A.
These total costs include from one to five days of lab testing
time, time to write the test report, time to prepare the TCB
application package, time for the TCB to review both the test
report and your application package, and time for the TCB
to grant the final approval for your system.
Q.
Will I receive an estimate of the costs?
A.
You will be provided with a written estimate of the total
costs for certification. You will be advised of the progress
at each step as your system proceeds through the testing and
certification process. You will be asked to approve each charge
before the work is done. If problems are encountered during
testing, you will be notified immediately so you can decide
how you want to proceed.
Q.
Will I know my total cost in advance?
A.
If your system passes the testing without any problems and
if your documentation is complete, then the cost that you
were quoted will be your total cost. If your system fails
during testing, you will have the choice of deciding how to
proceed.
Q.
If my system fails and I decide not to proceed, will my payments
be refunded?
A.
Once lab testing has taken place, payment for that lab time
is not refundable because the lab has already spent time and
money to test your system. If you choose not to proceed, all
other unused funds will be immediately refunded to you.
Q.
When is payment due for certification services?
A.
Payment is due before the lab begins testing your equipment.
Q.
What forms of payment are accepted?
A.
Check, Master Card, VISA, Pay Pal, and bank wire transfers.
Q.
How can I minimize my certification costs?
A.
Here are several suggestions to minimize your costs. 1) You
can join together with other companies and split the cost
to certify and to use a common system design. 2) You can ask
an existing Grantee (certification holder) to authorize you
to use of an EXACT COPY of their already-certified design.
3) You can ask an existing Grantee to agree to do a Permissive
Change to add additional antennas to their already-certified
design. 4) You can develop one or more new systems based upon
an existing system design that you have already certified.
Q.
I heard that I can make an exact copy of a system that someone
else has already certified and that my copy will be legal.
Is this true?
A.
Not exactly. Exact copies are legal only if you have the approval
of and authorization from the original Grantee. Without the
Grantee's authorization, even if your system is an exact copy,
it is not legal.
Q.
How can anyone tell if my system has passed certification
and is legal?
A.
All legally-certified systems will be permanently marked with
the correct FCC ID number of the manufacturer who received
the FCC Grant.
Q.
What do I need to include in my shipment to the lab?
A.
You need to include one complete and operable system including
motherboard, wireless card, case, power supply, connecting
cables, antenna(s), antenna cables, system software and a
User Manual.
Q.
The software allows my system to be configured to operate
on the U.S. frequencies but also to operate using some frequencies
and power levels that are legal in other countries but not
in the U.S. Is this OK?
A.
No. The software must limit your system to operation only
on the frequencies and only at power levels that are legal
in the U.S.
Q.
What if I don't have a system operating manual?
A.
We can either write the manual for you or provide you with
a template to use to write your own manual.
Q.
Where do I ship my system?
A.
We will provide you with the shipping address of the lab.
Q.
Where can I get more information on my own?
A.
Here's a link to the FCC website FAQ that answers a lot of
in-depth certification questions. <https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/oetcf/kdb/reports/FAQSearchResult.cfm>
Call
Us For Assistance
We
welcome the opportunity to talk with you, to advise you and
to help you obtain FCC Certification for your wireless systems.
To discuss your certification needs, you can purchase consulting
time in 1/2 hours increments for $50 per 1/2 hour. Simply
click here
to complete your purchase. If you need help making your purchase
or to follow up with your consulting session, please phone
us at 818-227-4220.
All the information on this page is Copyright©
2007 by Ask-Wi.Com, Inc.
Note: Information on this page is for informational
purposes only. FCC rules are not all-inclusive and may sometimes
need further clarification and/or further interpretation.
Your individual certification needs may not be fully covered
by this FAQ. If you have further questions we advise you to
consult additional sources of information before concluding
that a system that you wish to certify either does or does
not meet the FCC certification requirements.
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