UWB Regulatory Requirements – Key Points for FCC Certification of Devices

FCC certification is widely known. This document focuses specifically on FCC certification for UWB devices.

FCC certification is a mandatory compliance certification enforced by the United States for electronic, telecommunication and wireless equipment.It primarily regulates products for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and radio frequency (RF) safety.All electronic products,especially wireless and communication devices,sold in the US market must comply with FCC technical standards. FCC certification is also required for products targeting Canada and other North American markets. For instance, it is a prerequisite for domestic electronic products sold on Amazon.

Nearly all products with wireless transmitting functions need to obtain FCC certification, including common technologies such as BLE, Zigbee and Wi-Fi. The same rule applies to UWB devices.

FCC certification falls into two categories: FCC SDoC and FCC ID. FCC SDoC applies to ordinary devices without wireless functions, covering only EMC testing. FCC ID is mandatory for wireless devices, requiring both EMC and RF testing.

FCC Requirements for UWB Devices

The compliance requirements for UWB devices under FCC rules are straightforward, focusing on five core criteria below:

1. 10 dB Bandwidth

The operating frequency band of UWB devices shall range from 3100 MHz to 10600 MHz. The 10 dB bandwidth must lie within this range and shall be no less than 500 MHz. The test result of Channel 5 of a UWB device is shown in the figure below.

2. Transmission Stop upon No ACK within 10 Seconds

For UWB handheld devices, the transmitter must receive an acknowledgment (ACK) signal from the receiver within 10 seconds. Transmission shall be terminated automatically if no ACK is received.

3. Peak & Maximum Average Transmit Power

FCC imposes dual limits on UWB radio emission:

Peak Power: The peak EIRP shall not exceed 0 dBm per 50 MHz, i.e. EIRP ＜ 0 dBm/50MHz. Since most spectrum analyzers cannot be set to a resolution bandwidth (RBW) of 50 MHz, an equivalent conversion formula is provided (taking 3 MHz RBW as an example): EIRP(3 MHz Limit)=EIRP(50 MHz Limit)+20log(50 MHz3 MHz)

Average Power:The average EIRP shall not exceed -41.3 dBm per 1 MHz,i.e. EIRP ＜ -41.3 dBm/MHz.Relevant test diagram is shown below.

4. Spurious Emissions Test

FCC specifies limits for out-of-band spurious emissions across different frequency bands, as illustrated in the figure below.

5. AC Power Conducted Spurious Emissions Test

This is a standard EMC test, designed to restrict RF spurious signals (such as clock harmonics,switching noise and RF crosstalk) conducted through power lines.The test frequency range is 150 kHz ~ 30 MHz,with specified limits for both peak and average values.

The schematic diagram for this test setup is as follows： 

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