Choosing Between a Wireless Module and a Wireless SoC

Choosing
Between a
Wireless Module
and a
Wireless SoC
Six Hidden Costs of Using a
Wireless SoC

22
 Two options for adding wireless – a module or an SoC
 Module vs SoC breakeven analysis
 Exploring the six hidden costs of using an SoC
1. RF Engineers
2. Lab equipment and facilities
3. RF design,
4. Regulatory approvals and wireless standard certifications
5. TTM delays
6. Supply management
 Moving from one module/wireless standard to another
 Moving from a module to an SoC
 Appendices
Table of Contents

33
 There’s a rush to add wireless connectivity to everything from
thermostats to lawnmowers.
 The premise is that a connected device leads to better visibility to
end customer usage and improves customer service.
 But not all product designers know how to add wireless functionality.
 It generally boils down to two options...
Adding Wireless to Your Product?
Bluetooth low energy ZigBee Thread Wi-Fi

44
Designers can add wireless by putting a wireless SoC directly onto the
product’s printed circuit board (PCB).
SoC = fully-integrated SoC with RF, analog, and digital circuitry, and a
microcontroller (MCU) in an easy-to-use, inexpensive IC
 Smaller and cheaper than a wireless module
 Lots of unknowns when designing it in
Option 1: Add Wireless with an SoC (System-on-a-Chip)
Bluetooth
SoC

55
Designers can use a wireless module that includes the same wireless
SoC at Option 1, but is a fully characterized system, including RF and
shielding, timing components (crystals), BOM, regulatory approvals,
and standards bodies’ certifications.
Module = Fully certified, qualified, and approved
wireless module including BOM on an individual PCB
 Resolves many unknowns of designing
with a wireless SoC
 Generally bigger and more expensive
Option 2: Add Wireless with a Module
Bluetooth module

66
HF XTAL
and components
 The Bill of Material (BOM) components are roughly the same.
BGM113 Blue Gecko Bluetooth Smart Module
Chip antenna
LC of the
DCDC
Blue Gecko Bluetooth Smart SoC Ref Design
Chip antenna
impedance
matching
LF XTAL
and components
Supply
by-pass caps
DCDC inductor
Supply
decoupling
Antenna connector
Antenna
impedance
matching
HF XTAL
and componentsLF XTAL
and components
BOM Comparison – Roughly Equivalent

77
 Lowest possible BOM cost is critical
 Product has high annual volumes (+200-300K/year)
 You have RF Engineers on staff
 You own RF lab equipment and tools
 There is ample time for prototypes to optimize antenna
 You have experts and/or budget for wireless
standards compliance and testing
 You have experts and/or budget for regulatory
approvals
Designers Should Seriously Consider an SoC when…

88
 Fast time to market is crucial
 There is no appetite for RF design risk on TTM
 BOM cost, while important, can be supported by the MSRP
 You have limited RF engineering on staff
 You have limited RF lab equipment or tools
 Product has volumes <150K/year
 You have limited experience in wireless
 You have limited experience
in regulatory approvals
Designers Should Seriously Consider a Module when…

99
 Lowest possible BOM cost is critical
 Product has high annual volumes (+200-
300K/year)
 You have RF Engineers on staff
 You own RF lab equipment and tools
 There is ample time for prototypes to
optimize antenna
 You have experts and/or budget for
wireless standards compliance and testing
 You have experts and/or budget for
regulatory approvals
 Fast time to market is crucial
 BOM cost, while important, can be
supported by the MSRP
 Product has volumes <150K-200K/year
 You have limited RF engineering on staff
 You have limited RF lab equipment or tools
 There is no appetite for RF design risk on
TTM
 You have limited experience in wireless
 You have limited experience
in regulatory approvals
Module vs. SoC Considerations Table
Consider an SoC When… Consider a Module When…

1010
 Lower piece cost
 Possibly lower BOM cost
 Longer design window
 Higher risk to TTM
 Certification and regulatory cost
 Higher piece cost
 Possibly higher BOM cost
 Shorter design window
 Lower risk to TTM
 Pre-certified and regulatory approval
Module vs. SoC Breakeven Analysis
*Silicon Labs’ Press Release Pricing in 2015
 Breakeven Point = Volume when using an SoC or Module is equivalent in $GM
Blue Gecko Bluetooth Smart
SoC pricing = $0.99 @ 100KU*
Blue Gecko Bluetooth Smart BMG113
module pricing = $3.07 @ 100KU*

1111
 NOPE.
 The iPhone 6 has shipped about 200 million units,
and yet iFixit reveals a Wi-Fi module inside.
 Why?
 Pre-certified w/ standards
 Pre-approved w/ gov’ts
 Reduced design risk
 Removed unknowns
 Shortened TTM
With Apple’s Volumes an SoC is Always Right, Right?
iPhone 6 Teardown with Murata Wi-Fi Module
Source - ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+6+Teardown/29213

1212
 So, what is the easiest and most cost effective way to add wireless?
 It’s a complicated answer that can change depending on
 the product,
 the design team,
 the time to market requirements,
 the end markets,
 the competition, and so on…
 Further, the answer can change over time as factors evolve
 Let’s examine various cost trade-offs…
Back to the Breakeven Analysis…

1313
 Module price includes the BOM cost, SoC does not
 Flat $3.07 module pricing between 10K-300K annual volumes
 Flat $1.49 SoC + BOM pricing between 10K-300K annual volumes
 Flat $0.99 SoC pricing
 Flat $0.50 BOM pricing
 Gross Margin = $5.12 or 40% above module price
 Assumes both SoC and module use this for the sales price
 SoC requires 3 months of extra development time due to more
complexity in design, certification and regulatory approvals
Breakeven Assumptions

1414
 The “Total” R&D cost is spread over each unit by volume step
 50KU/year volume has higher cost per unit allocation than 300KU/year volume
Breakeven Cost Calculations
Cost for a single product  Module Costs SoC Costs
Wireless Standards Body Certification (Single) $ - $4,000
Wireless Memberships (Single) $4,000 $4,000
Reg. Approvals (US, IC, EU, Korea, Japan) $5,000 $36,000
Lab Equip or Rental for Development
(3 months for rental at $5K/month for module)
$5,000 $15,000
RF Expertise
(3 months for SoC design and debug)
$ - $20,000
Total $14,000 $79,800

1515
 Products with an SoC are $1.58 lower BOM than Module
 Products with an SoC make $1.49 more GM$ than Module
Breakeven Margin and Revenue Calculations
100KU
Module Cost (BGM113) $3.07
SoC Total Cost $1.49
SoC Cost (EFR32 32 QFN w/ 256 Flash) $0.99
SoC BOM Cost $0.50
SoC Savings vs. Module $1.58
Product Retail ASP Wireless Premium @ 40% GM on Module Price $5.12
Margin $$ per Module $2.05
Margin $$ per SoC $3.54
Net SoC Net Margin (Margin $$ - Module Margin $$) $1.49

1616
Breakeven is Between 200K and 300K Annually
$(200)
$-
$200
$400
$600
$800
10,000 25,000 50,000 100,000 200,000 300,000
GM$$Thousands
Annual Volumes
Module Net $$GM
SoC Net $$GM
Breakeven
(SoC $$GM - Module $$GM)
Breakeven
Zone

1717
 Breakeven analysis is tricky.
 Predicting all the factors is nearly impossible.
 This is simply one scenario.
Breakeven Spreadsheet
Annual Volumes 1 10,000 25,000 50,000 100,000 200,000 300,000
Total Revenue 5.12$ 51,167$ 127,917$ 255,833$ 511,667$ 1,023,333$ 1,535,000$
Module Dev Costs (14,000)$ (14,000)$ (14,000)$ (14,000)$ (14,000)$ (14,000)$ (14,000)$
Module Costs (3.07)$ (30,700)$ (76,750)$ (153,500)$ (307,000)$ (614,000)$ (921,000)$
Module Net $$GM (13,998)$ 6,467$ 37,167$ 88,333$ 190,667$ 395,333$ 600,000$
SoC Dev Costs (79,800)$ (79,800)$ (79,800)$ (79,800)$ (79,800)$ (79,800)$ (79,800)$
SoC TTM Lost Revenue (1.28)$ (12,792)$ (31,979)$ (63,958)$ (127,917)$ (255,833)$ (383,750)$
SoC + BOM Costs (1.49)$ (14,900)$ (37,250)$ (74,500)$ (149,000)$ (298,000)$ (447,000)$
SoC Net $$GM (79,798)$ (56,325)$ (21,113)$ 37,575$ 154,950$ 389,700$ 624,450$
Breakeven
(SoC $$GM - Module $$GM)
(65,800)$ (62,792)$ (58,279)$ (50,758)$ (35,717)$ (5,633)$ 24,450$

1818
1. RF Engineers – Company needs RF engineers if putting RF on their
PCBs. RF engineers are expensive.
2. Lab Equipment and Facilities – Owning and equipping an RF lab is
expensive and fundamentally required to do RF development.
3. Getting the RF done correctly takes time.
4. Regulatory approvals and wireless standard certifications cost
money and take time.
5. TTM delays reduce revenue and hurt ROI.
6. Once in production, managing supply can be an issue.
Exploring the Six Hidden Costs in Using an SoC
These could be “Six Hidden Benefits of Using a Module”

1919
Overview: Hidden SoC Costs/Hidden Module Benefits
Cost category for a single product  Wireless Module Wireless SoC
100K pricing from example above $3.07 each $0.99 each
RF Engineering Low High
Resource and lab equipment costs Low High
Board design effort (antenna, layout,
match, PCB, debug)
Low High
Regulatory certifications costs Low High
Standards certifications costs Low Med
Time to Market (TTM) risks Low High
Supply management risks Low Med

2020
 RF Engineers are expensive
 Burdened salary = $100-200K/year
(Glassdoor.com)
 No two RF designs are the same,
so constant RF expertise is
required
 RF performance challenges:
 Antenna type, supplier
 Optimal trace shape/length
 PCB design constraints
 PCB fab constraints
 RF parasitics
 RF impact of housings, batteries,
displays, etc.
Hidden Cost #1: RF Engineering

2121
 RF Engineers are expensive
 Burdened salary = $100-200K/year
(Glassdoor.com)
 No two RF designs are the same,
so constant RF expertise is
required
 RF performance challenges:
 Antenna type, supplier
 Optimal trace shape/length
 PCB design constraints
 PCB fab constraints
 RF parasitics
 RF impact of housings, batteries,
displays, etc.
Modules are already optimized by the module companies’ RF
experts, eliminating many of the challenges.

2222
 SoC suppliers provide application notes (AN) like Silicon Labs’ AN930
to help RF layout.
 Antenna ANs Include recommended antennas, traces, board
recommendations, calculations, and matching networks to maximize
performance while minimizing cost and footprint.
 However, every design is different, and recommendations are
always—always—hard to implement.
 In fact, industry experts will attest that it is very common to follow
an recommendations “exactly” and still have performance issues.

2323
 SoC suppliers provide application notes (AN) like Silicon Labs AN930
to help RF layout.
 Antenna ANs Include recommended antennas, traces, board
recommendations, calculations, and matching networks to maximize
performance while minimizing cost and footprint.
 However, every design is different, and recommendations are
always—always—hard to implement.
 In fact, industry experts will attest that it is very common to follow
an recommendations “exactly” and still have performance issues.
A module’s layout is self-contained. Any RF recommendations
are minimal.

2424
 Modules cost more partly because they are already RF-optimized
within a small footprint and with an optimized, low BOM.
 The whole “system” can be laid-out and placed in a matter of hours
if not minutes.
 Of course, RF is “never always” easy, and there may be surprises.
 But in the base case, putting a module on the board is much easier
than putting down an SoC.
 See the next pages for a table of some issues that can affect RF
performance.

2525
RF Performance Factor Potential RF Impact
Antenna type, supplier
and placement
Antenna placement, type, material composition, manufacturer (and cost)
can change signal gain to the matching network resulting in mismatch
and poor performance.
Antenna trace shape
and length
Minor variations in length and shape can change the expected signal
energy and therefore the recommended matching network.
Board manufacturer Differing distances or insulation material between layers, PCB via
materials, trace widths, screw holes, etc. can have effects.
Component suppliers Different suppliers’ components can behave differently and result in
different performance. This can result when designers use “the ones they
have on the shelf” versus the recommended supplier, or save a few
pennies with a cheaper alternative.
RF Engineering Challenges – Page 1 of 2
Continued…

2626
RF Performance Factor Potential RF Impact
Component types Different component technologies can affect received power and voltage
(e.g., wire-wound capacitors vs. thin-film).
Plastics and screw
location
Screw placement can have coupling effects for both radiated and
received energy.
Battery location Battery location and technology can affect signal power. A charging
battery can also be an unknown player.
Display location Like batteries mentioned above, displays can also create interference on
the antenna.
RF Engineering Challenges – Page 2 of 2

2727
 RF engineering and debug requires special equipment, software, and
facilities
Hidden Cost #2: Lab Equipment and Facilities
Lab Equipment Cost to Own Cost to Rent/Day
Calibrated traceable gain horn antenna ~$2,500
Included in a single
day rental at test
facilities.
This is generally
$1,000-3,000/day.
Bi-conical antenna ~$2,000
3D positioner ~$2,000
Spectrum analyzer ~$6,000
Testing software with desired standard and modulation ~$1,500
RF isolated, anechoic room (5m x 5m) ~$20,000
Wireless standard emulator, sniffer, and debug ~$20,000
Estimated Total Outlay ~$54,000
1 - 5 days OR
~$1,000 to ~$15,000

2828
 RF engineering and debug requires special equipment, software, and
facilities
Hidden Cost #2: Lab Equipment and Facilities
www.ni.com
Lab Equipment Cost to Own Cost to Rent/Day
Calibrated traceable gain horn antenna ~$2,500
Included in a single
day rental at test
facilities.
This is generally
$1,000-3,000/day.
Bi-conical antenna ~$2,000
3D positioner ~$2,000
Spectrum analyzer ~$6,000
Testing software with desired standard and modulation ~$1,500
RF isolated, anechoic room (5m x 5m) ~$20,000
Wireless standard emulator, sniffer, and debug ~$20,000
Estimated Total Outlay ~$54,000
1 - 5 days OR
~$1,000 to ~$15,000
Modules designs have already been fully tested and qualified in the
module companies’ labs.
Additional testing is always a good idea, but challenges and costs
should be minimal.

2929
 Many engineers believe it should be easy to successfully follow an
antenna application note.
 But RF antenna layout is often complex, and even the best efforts
require board spins.
 Every design is different due to parasitics from the PCB, the ground
plane, the traces, the spacing, the vias, different vendors, etc. …
Hidden Cost #3: PCB Antenna Design and Optimization
Example parasitics
guidelines from a typical
antenna application
note.

3030
 Many engineers believe it should be easy to successfully follow an
antenna application note.
 But RF antenna layout is often complex, and even the best efforts
require board spins.
 Every design is different due to parasitics from the PCB, the ground
plane, the traces, the spacing, the vias, different vendors, etc. …
Hidden Cost #3: PCB Antenna Design and Optimization
Example parasitics
guidelines from a typical
antenna application
note.
Layout for a module requires following a few simple guidelines.
The module is robust to PCB variables.
Testing is always advised, but performance should be acceptable
with the first boards.

3131
 All wireless standards require compliance testing
 Re-certifications convey with module (products w/ module are grandfathered)
 Country approvals are nuanced, with some needing extra work
Hidden Cost #4: Standards and Regulatory Approvals
Certifying Body Estimated
Cost
Module Pre-Certification
Applies (Yes / No)
Wireless SoC Pre-Certification
Applies (Yes / No)
FCC (US) ~$7,900 Yes No
IC (Canada) ~$7,900 Yes No
ETSI / CE
(Europe)
~$7,900
Yes; some limited
testing/re-testing required
No
S. Korea ~$4,500 Yes No
Japan ~$8,600 Yes No
Bluetooth® ~$8,000 Yes; Membership fee required No; Membership fee required
ZigBee® ~$4,000 Yes; Membership fee required No; Membership fee required

3232
 All wireless standards require compliance testing
 Re-certifications convey with module (products w/ module are grandfathered)
 Country approvals are nuanced, with some needing extra work
Hidden Cost #4: Standards and Regulatory Approvals
Certifying Body Estimated
Cost
Module Pre-Certification
Applies (Yes / No)
Wireless SoC Pre-Certification
Applies (Yes / No)
FCC (US) ~$7,900 Yes No
IC (Canada) ~$7,900 Yes No
ETSI / CE
(Europe)
~$7,900
Yes; some limited
testing/re-testing required
No
S. Korea ~$4,500 Yes No
Japan ~$8,600 Yes No
Bluetooth® ~$8,000 Yes; Membership fee required No; Membership fee required
ZigBee® ~$4,000 Yes; Membership fee required No; Membership fee required
End products using pre-certified/pre-approved modules inherit the
module’s approvals and certifications.
Plus, when approvals or certifications change after a product has
already been sent to market, a module’s re-approval and / or re-
certification will likely apply to the end product too.
Products with SoCs on board would likely have to be retested.

3333
Hidden Cost #4: Regulatory Approvals (see appendices)
 Appendices provide:
 Selected consulting companies for regulatory approval and standards
certifications
 Breakout of standards bodies and estimated costs
 Breakout of regulatory approvals and estimated costs

3434
Hidden Cost #5: Lost Product Revenue from TTM Delays
Design antenna
& RF matching
circuit(s)
Build &
populate
board(s)
Regulatory &
Standards
testing
Pass?
Tweak BOM
values or
redesign HW
No
Go to
Market
2-6 weeks 2-4 weeks 2-8 weeks
6-18 weeks;
high risk of
rework
1-2 weeks 1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks;
low risk of
rework
SoC Development
Module Development
Yes

3535
Pass?
Design antenna
& RF matching
circuit(s)
Build &
populate
board(s)
Regulatory &
Standards
testing
Tweak BOM
values or
redesign HW
No
Go to
Market
2-6 weeks 2-4 weeks 2-8 weeks
6-18 weeks;
high risk of
rework
1-2 weeks 1-2 weeks
2-4 weeks;
low risk of
rework
SoC Development
Module Development
Yes
Challenges of designing an SoC onto the board can delay a
product’s time to market (TTM).
Modules provide a faster, safer path to market and associated
revenue.

3636
 Added challenges of designing an SoC onto the board can delay a
product’s time to market (TTM).
Coming Soon!!Buy Now!!
Annual Volumes 1 10,000 25,000 50,000 100,000 200,000 300,000
Module Revenue
(baseline TTM)
$5.12 $51,167 $127,917 $255,833 $511,667 $1,023,333 $1,535,000
SoC w 3 months
lost TTM =
Rev/12*-3
$(1.28) $(12,792) $(31,979) $(63,958) $(127,917) $(255,833) $(383,750)
Versus

3737
Coming Soon!!Buy Now!!
Annual Volumes 1 10,000 25,000 50,000 100,000 200,000 300,000
Module Revenue
(baseline TTM)
$5.12 $51,167 $127,917 $255,833 $511,667 $1,023,333 $1,535,000
SoC w 3 months
lost TTM =
Rev/12*-3
$(1.28) $(12,792) $(31,979) $(63,958) $(127,917) $(255,833) $(383,750)
Versus
Modules allow customers to buy the product sooner.

3838
 Multiple components & vendors
 Multiple OPNs / pricing
 Multiple lead-times
 Variable MOQs
 System quality issues post assembly
 Compounded yield issues
 Smaller customers may face supply
issues
 One component & vendor
 One OPN / price
 One lead time
 Single MOQ
 System pre-tested and calibrated
 Modules delivered with 100% yield
 Consolidated module company
demand reduces supply issues
Hidden Cost #6: Supply Management and Assurance
SoC Production Management Module Production Management

3939
 Multiple components & vendors
 Multiple OPNs / pricing
 Multiple lead-times
 Variable MOQs
 System quality issues post assembly
 Compounded yield issues
 Smaller customers may face supply
issues
 One component & vendor
 One OPN / price
 One lead time
 Single MOQ
 System pre-tested and calibrated
 Modules delivered with 100% yield
 Consolidated module company
demand reduces supply issues
Hidden Cost #6: Supply Management and Assurance
SoC Production Management Module Production Management
Modules are less complex to manage for supply and production.

4040
Overview: Hidden SoC Costs / Hidden Module Benefits
Cost category for a single product  Wireless Module Wireless SoC
100K pricing from example above $3.07 each $0.99 each
RF Engineering Low High
Resource and lab equipment costs Low High
Board design effort (antenna, layout,
match, PCB, debug)
Low High
Regulatory certifications costs Low High
Standards certifications costs Low Med
Time to Market (TTM) risks Low High
Supply management risks Low Med

4141
 Moving to a new wireless standard
requires design and software rework,
as well as new certifications and
approvals.
 Module companies do this
work ahead of time with pin-
compatible, software-compatible,
drop-in module replacements.
 New modules come pre-certified and
with regulatory approvals.
 Reduces work load and risk…
Transitioning Between Wireless Standards / Revisions
Outdated Bluetooth silicon and standard
Needs to be updated to new
Bluetooth standard.

4242
 Moving to a new wireless standard
requires design and software rework,
as well as new certifications and
approvals.
 Module companies do this
work ahead of time with pin-
compatible, software-compatible,
drop-in module replacements.
 New modules come pre-certified and
with regulatory approvals.
 Reduces work load and risk…
Transitioning Between Wireless Standards / Revisions
Pin
compatible
Outdated Bluetooth silicon and standard
New Bluetooth silicon and standard, more
power efficient and lower cost module
Software
compatible

4343
 Companies providing both modules
and SoCs make transitioning from
one to the other easier.
 Same supplier
 Same software
 Same support teams and expertise
 Same community support
 Same silicon and performance
Transitioning from a Module to an SoC
Needs to be migrated to an
SoC solution.

4444
 Companies providing both modules
and SoCs make transitioning from
one to the other easier.
 Same supplier
 Same software
 Same support teams and expertise
 Same community support
 Same silicon and performance
Transitioning from a Module to an SoC
Same
software
Same supplier,
support,
community
Same new Bluetooth silicon and standard,
smaller and lower cost than module

4545
 Choosing a wireless module versus SoC is complex.
 RF expertise, lab equipment, time to market, volumes, BOM costs, and so on…
 Silicon Labs offers market-leading wireless modules and SoCs.
 Click below to select your IoT wireless module and/or SoC solution.
Summary
Bluetooth Smart ZigBee Thread Proprietary

Thank You
(Page down for more Appendices…)

4747
Regulatory Approvals and Estimated Costs
Regulatory Body Helpful Links
Estimated
Costs
Module Applies
(Yes/No)
US FCC, Parts 15B and
15C for unlicensed
radios
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_47_CFR_Part_15
This page provides an easy-to-read guide.
~$7,900 Yes for Part 15B
Industrie Canada (IC)
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/eng/sf01698.html
Guidelines for testing: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-
gst.nsf/eng/sf01130.html
FCC Part 15 certification applies for IC certifications with
written reports stating cross-country compliance.
~$7,900 Yes
Europe ETSI and CE
Covers Europe, Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia.
http://www.etsi.org/standards/looking-for-an-etsi-
standard/list-of-harmonised-standards
EN 300 328, EN 301 489, and EN 60950 are all important for
unlicensed radios.
~$7,900 Yes
South Korea http://rra.go.kr/eng2/cas/introduction.jsp ~$4,500 Yes
Japan MIC / Telec
http://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/e/sys/equ/tech/
~$8,600 Yes
Sub-GHz / Proprietary
wireless
Generally only require regulatory compliance. Yes

4848
Wireless Standards Certifications and Estimated Costs
Standards Body Helpful Links
Estimated
Costs
Module Certification
Applies (Yes/No)
Bluetooth®
Membership fees
https://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/members/membership-
benefits
$0 - $8,000
(or higher)
No
Qualification
overview
https://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/test-
qualification/qualification-overview
Yes
Qualification fees
overview
qualification/qualification-overview/fees
$4,000 -
$8,000
Yes
Qualification FAQs
qualification/qualification-overview/listing-process-updates
ZigBee®
Membership fees
http://www.zigbee.org/zigbeealliance/join/#levels
http://www.zigbee.org/Join/HowtoJoin.aspx
http://www.zigbee.org/Join/MembershipFAQ.aspx
$4,000 -
$9,000 (or
higher)
No
Qualification
overview
http://www.zigbee.org/zigbee-for-
developers/zigbeecertified/
Yes
Qualification fees Per test house ~$4,000 Yes
Qualification FAQs
https://docs.zigbee.org/zigbee-docs/dcn/05/docs-05-3594-
04-0zqg-zigbee-certification-testing-faq.pdf

4949
Consulting Firms for Regulatory Approvals and Wireless
Certifications
Consulting Company Link
Northwest EMC http://www.nwemc.com/
TUV
http://www.tuv.com/en/corporate/business_customers/product_testing_3/product_testing.
html
NTS https://www.nts.com/services/certification_services
7Layers http://www.7layers.com/#!/type-approval/

5050
Estimates of Designing Modules vs. SoCs – 1 of 2
Cost Category Module
Cost
Confidence Level (%)?
Comment?
SoC
Cost
Confidence Level (%)? Comment?
Selecting antenna Zero 100% Med 50% – The supplier likely has a list of
recommended antennas. Even so, picking one
with confidence can require careful analysis.
Laying out antenna Low 90% – As an all-in-one
system, a module is hard to
mess up. However, there
may be restraints on
module placement and
“keep-out zones” that
could get messed up. It’s
also likely that the module
package probably includes
shielding to account for
these eventualities and so
the probability of these
issues is really low.
High 90% – Very high likelihood of trial-error-tweak-
repeat cycle. Even highly experienced RF
engineers spend weeks optimizing antennas for
Rx/Tx performance and low BOM cost. This
includes rigorous attention to keep-out zones,
effectively isolated inductive loops, component
selection and placement, etc.… Also likely to
need RF expertise, lab equipment and an RF-
isolated testing environment.
Optimizing antenna
layout
Low High
Reducing interference to
antenna inputs
Low High 90% – Very high likelihood of coupled noise into
RF front end from unanticipated and / or
unintentional radiators.
Reducing interference to
antenna output power
Low Med 50% – Very likely that suboptimal layouts will
degrade output performance; unintentional
interferors will also degrade output power.
Continued…

5151
Estimates of Designing Modules vs. SoCs – 2 of 2
Cost Category Module
Cost
Confidence Level (%)?
Comment?
SoC Cost Confidence Level (%)? Comment?
Pinout complexity Standard Module companies mask SoC
pinout changes by
accommodating them in an
unchanging module footprint.
Standard SoC pinouts may change between alpha and
production silicon. Likewise they may
change with subsequent releases.
Software
complexity
Low / Med 50% – It’s likely that module
companies have an “SoC
abstraction layer” development
software and API. It varies from
supplier to supplier.
Low /
Med
50% – Depending on the SoC company’s
design philosophy, their software APIs may
be super easy or super hard. It varies from
supplier to supplier.
Regulatory
certifications
None / Low 100% – Modules can come pre-
certified for various regions and
wireless standards. There may
be some product-level certs
required that the module
supplier cannot provide, driving
some incremental cost here.
High 100% – Each product must be certified in
each desired regulatory region and for each
supported wireless standard. This is a time
consuming and expensive task, and not
always successful the first time resulting in
“redos.”
Standards
certifications

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