About Bluetooth® qualification
The Bluetooth wireless technology allows convenient and secure connectivity over short distances in smart devices such as mobile phones, laptops, medical devices, wearables, smart home devices etc. To enable market access such Bluetooth devices have to meet both regulatory and Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) requirements.
Complying with the Bluetooth SIG Qualification Program means that devices (end-products, subsystems or components) meet a certain level of quality standards and interoperability. This is necessary to obtain the Bluetooth trademark and a pre-condition of the intellectual property license for using the Bluetooth technology.
7layers, a Bluetooth Qualification Test Facility (BQTF), is recognized by the Bluetooth SIG as being competent to perform Bluetooth qualification tests, including RF tests, Protocol and Profile Conformance tests and Profile Interoperability tests. In this role we keep a strict eye on all changes to the test specifications that have to be followed when aiming for Bluetooth Qualification.
New Bluetooth RF test specification becomes active
Today we would like to inform you, that by 14 October 2015 the Bluetooth RF test specification 4.2.1 becomes active (according to TCRL 2015-1), with the most significant change based on the test specification errata 6139. Due to this change, the requirements for “extreme test conditions” have been reduced considerably:
So far
– 16 test cases for Bluetooth Basic Rate and Bluetooth Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) had to be performed under extreme test conditions regarding temperature and voltage.
Now
– All test cases covering testing under extreme voltage conditions have been removed.
– Only 4 test cases remain that have to be assessed under extreme temperature conditions, covering sensitivity and output power tests.
Consequences for Bluetooth device qualification
This reduction in required extreme condition testing further eases the Bluetooth Qualification process and the market can now benefit from a growing amount of Bluetooth devices coming to market ever more quickly.
However manufacturers and suppliers should be aware that it is the Bluetooth member who has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that the qualified product complies with the Bluetooth specifications. Passing the Bluetooth Qualification Process does not automatically guarantee full compliance, as only certain aspects are being assessed. Members who want to safeguard that their devices really satisfy end user requirements may benefit from an extended quality assurance testing, 7layers can offer on demand.
About 7layers: 7layers is an international group of engineering & test centers and a specialist in wireless technologies, offering services and products that support the set-up and maintenance of Smart Services, which play an important role in the Internet of Things. 7layers supports stakeholders in Smart Services processes, such as manufacturers and suppliers of connected devices, wireless component manufacturers, network operators, Smart Services service providers, data platform providers and the service delivery actions. To describe the set-up and continuous monitoring tasks necessary to maintain Smart Services processes, 7layers uses its SODA model which depicts smart services in terms of a dynamic “circular” process.
7layers runs accredited Test Houses in the USA, Germany, Korea, Japan and China, offering conformance and interoperability testing, certification and global type approval. We offer test services in two Bluetooth Qualification Test Facilities (BQTFs) while the experienced 7layers Bluetooth Qualification Experts (BQEs) are at your disposal for Bluetooth Qualification.
The 7layers Systems House offers product and Smart Services development and integration support, development of test specifications and test cases, as well as InterLab test solutions and test management systems. The 7layers Software House provides the InterLab Software System for the systematic verification & validation of complex high-tech products.
7layers belongs to the Bureau Veritas Group, a global leader in testing, inspection and certification, serving a large variety of industries.
More information at: www.7layers.com and www.bureauveritas.com/cps Contact: [email protected]