Welcome to a new series of posts on the topic of test and certification. This post is by Joe Lomako, Bluetooth Business Manager at TRaC.
Although most engineers working with short range wireless understand the difference between the ZigBee (ZB) and Bluetooth (BT) standards, many still ask about the difference in the testing and approval process. There are several differences, starting with the terminology - ZB products must be "certified", whereas BT products are "qualified".
In both cases, the approval means that the products can use the relevant logos.
Testing for ZB and BT is somewhat different, and can vary depending on whether it is a chipset, module or end products. Bluetooth chipsets, modules or end products also require "RF testing". RF Testing is the most common type of test and typically takes about 60 hours worth of test time.
Although most engineers working with short range wireless understand the difference between the ZigBee (ZB) and Bluetooth (BT) standards, many still ask about the difference in the testing and approval process. There are several differences, starting with the terminology - ZB products must be "certified", whereas BT products are "qualified".
In both cases, the approval means that the products can use the relevant logos.
Testing for ZB and BT is somewhat different, and can vary depending on whether it is a chipset, module or end products. Bluetooth chipsets, modules or end products also require "RF testing". RF Testing is the most common type of test and typically takes about 60 hours worth of test time.
In addition, BT chipsets (but not modules or products) require "protocol testing".
For ZigBee, chipsets undergo "platform" testing which is a form of "protocol" testing. This test is time-consuming, taking about 5 days test time. ZB end products require profile tests, which usually take about 1-3 days, depending on functionality.
There is the also the common misconception that when a Bluetooth product has undergone "qualification testing" and a ZigBee product has undergone "certification testing" then that is all that is required for worldwide market access. This is not accurate!
Both BT and ZB are RF technologies, so products must be tested to ensure they meet radio, EMC and safety standards such as CE in the European Union and FCC in the USA. These tests generally take longer than the certification/qualification process, with the total time dependant upon the number of countries in which the product will be sold, typically running to about 5 days.
Essentially, common regulatory standards apply to both Bluetooth and ZigBee products, however these technologies are sometimes employed in applications where product-specific standards exist, which the product must meet.
An example would be Smart Energy meters, which must also meet with the EN 60950 under the RTTE directive and EN 61010 for test and measurement equipment
BT and ZB have somewhat different testing requirements. It is, however, usually the standard regulatory tests that dominate the test time, and therefore cost, for most products.
Previous Certification & Test entries:
* Certification & Test: Is above 1GHz the new Wild West?
* Certification & Test: Where have all the ZigBee products come from?
For ZigBee, chipsets undergo "platform" testing which is a form of "protocol" testing. This test is time-consuming, taking about 5 days test time. ZB end products require profile tests, which usually take about 1-3 days, depending on functionality.
There is the also the common misconception that when a Bluetooth product has undergone "qualification testing" and a ZigBee product has undergone "certification testing" then that is all that is required for worldwide market access. This is not accurate!
Both BT and ZB are RF technologies, so products must be tested to ensure they meet radio, EMC and safety standards such as CE in the European Union and FCC in the USA. These tests generally take longer than the certification/qualification process, with the total time dependant upon the number of countries in which the product will be sold, typically running to about 5 days.
Essentially, common regulatory standards apply to both Bluetooth and ZigBee products, however these technologies are sometimes employed in applications where product-specific standards exist, which the product must meet.
An example would be Smart Energy meters, which must also meet with the EN 60950 under the RTTE directive and EN 61010 for test and measurement equipment
BT and ZB have somewhat different testing requirements. It is, however, usually the standard regulatory tests that dominate the test time, and therefore cost, for most products.
Previous Certification & Test entries:
* Certification & Test: Is above 1GHz the new Wild West?
* Certification & Test: Where have all the ZigBee products come from?
