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 SoC1. 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 inductorSupply

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

standards compliance and testing

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

standards compliance and testing

You have limited experience

in regulatory approvals

Module vs. SoC Considerations TableConsider 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 ModuleSource - 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

$$ T

housa

nds

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 SpreadsheetAnnual 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.

Hidden Cost #1: RF Engineering

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.

Hidden Cost #1: RF Engineering

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.

Hidden Cost #1: RF Engineering

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.

Hidden Cost #1: RF Engineering

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 ~$2,500Included 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 ~$2,500Included 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 requiredNo

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 requiredNo

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?

Hidden Cost #5: Lost Product Revenue from TTM Delays

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).

Hidden Cost #5: Lost Product Revenue from TTM Delays

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

Hidden Cost #5: Lost Product Revenue from TTM Delays

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

New Bluetooth silicon and standard, more

power efficient and lower cost module

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

New Bluetooth silicon and standard, more

power efficient and lower cost module

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 LinksEstimated

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 / Telechttp://www.tele.soumu.go.jp/e/sys/equ/tech/

~$8,600 Yes

Sub-GHz / Proprietary

wirelessGenerally only require regulatory compliance. Yes

4848

Wireless Standards Certifications and Estimated Costs

Standards Body Helpful LinksEstimated

Costs

Module Certification

Applies (Yes/No)

Bluetooth®

Membership feeshttps://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-overviewYes

Qualification fees

overview

https://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/test-

qualification/qualification-overview/fees

$4,000 -

$8,000Yes

Qualification FAQshttps://www.bluetooth.org/en-us/test-

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 FAQshttps://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 2Cost 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 2Cost 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

Choosing Between a

Wireless Module and a

Wireless SoC

Six Hidden Costs of Using a Wireless SoC