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BLE Certification costs

Jamie Wojcik47869
Prodigy 270 points

Other Parts Discussed in Thread: CC2540, CC2541

Can anyone explain what the cost involved are in getting Bluetooth Low Energy Certification for the CC2540?  I know the costs of FCC, CE...  What is involved if someone does not want to pay for a module that is certified?  Just an estimate is fine. 

 

Thanks,

Jamie

  • 0
    Guru 18625 points

    Hi,

    perhaps the info you want is the one in:

    https://www.bluetooth.org/Technical/Qualification/fees.htm

    Take a look if you want.

  • 0
    TI__Guru 57865 points

    Hi Jamie,

    Please note that the CC2540 is already Qualified and the TI BLE stack is Bluetooth v4.0 Compliant.

    Br

  • 0 in reply to J Lindh
    TI__Prodigy 270 points

    So a customer would not need to do Bluetooth testing if they use the CC2540?  Or is qualified and certified different?  Can they just have a qualified Bluetooth device?  Or is certification needed to use the logo?  Maybe they just need to do FCC and the other normal testing?

  • 0 in reply to kazola
    Expert 1685 points

    You wont be able to see that link if you're not a bluetooth SIG member.

    This is an interesting topic.  My impression is that you must be certified by

    1. Bluetooth SIG - supposably this is covered since the CC2540 is already certified...and the custom protocols dont matter
    2. FCC - any device that acts as a radiator needs special FCC identification numbers
    Please correct me if i'm wrong...
  • 0 in reply to Jonathan Cohn
    Prodigy 10 points

    I am still confused,

    what do I have to do ?

    apply myself  for an FCC identification number   and in europe for a CE identification number ?

    thanks,

    Peter

  • 0 in reply to Peter Schafflechner
    Prodigy 10 points

    It depends..

    a) Are you adding a new Bluetooth SIG profile?

    b) Or is it something custom using GATT?

    In case of a, you have to qualify for both Central and peripheral devices sw.

    In case of B you have to qualify the peripheral device software

    Also Bluetooth qualification does not require you to get FCC.....once you have RF, protocol and Profile done, you can use the logo.

    FCC, ETSI, RTTI etc are required to be able to SELL devices in these respective regions

    annum

  • 0 in reply to Annum Zero
    Expert 1685 points

    This is an older post, but I think I need to bring it up again.

    Can a TI employee explain the certification costs of implementing the CC2540 into a peripheral to be used with a custom Profile?  

    From what I've read, the chip itself is already certified, but the entire device must be certified.  What about the custom profile that is being used?  Does FCC care about that?

    Are there estimates on this certification costs?

  • 0 in reply to Jonathan Cohn
    TI__Genius 12545 points

    I do not think the FCC cares about the custom profile. That is something that needs to be certified with Bluetooth SIG if you plan to be BLE compatible and want to be certified by BLE. Your board will required Bluetooth certification as well.

    You will have to follow up with Bluetooth SIG and the measurement house to establish costs

  • 0 in reply to Chatto
    Expert 1685 points

    So obviously, FCC is required, but are you saying that Bluetooth/BLE certification is optional, and allows you to put the BLE/bluetooth logo on the device?

    Can products ship without being BLE/Bluetooth certified?

  • 0 in reply to Jonathan Cohn
    TI__Guru 57865 points

    Hi Jonathan,

    Jonathan Cohn said:
    Bluetooth/BLE certification is optional, and allows you to put the BLE/bluetooth logo on the device?

    To have the "Bluetooth SMART" logo on your product, you need to create an End Product Listing (EPL) on Bluetooth SIG. This is free and you can refer to the TI subsystems, read more here. Custom profiles are not subject to qualification as they do not affect the core functionality. 

    Jonathan Cohn said:
    Can products ship without being BLE/Bluetooth certified?

    The product must be qualified in order to be called a Bluetooth product. If you do not state anywhere that the product is using Bluetooth, I suppose you wont need it... I think.

    Best Regards

  • 0 in reply to J Lindh
    Expert 2170 points

    From the FAQ at bluetooth.org:

    Do all products have to go through the Bluetooth Qualification Process?
    Yes. Any product or design containing Bluetooth wireless technology is required to be listed on the Bluetooth SIG listing databases (both the QDL and EPL) as required within the PRD.

    Richard

  • 0 in reply to Richard Dolf
    TI__Genius 12545 points

    Richard,

    As long as you do not classify your product as a Bluetooth product, you would not need Bluetooth SIG certification. Certification would not be required in cases where people use the CC2541 in its proprietary mode (which could use the same modulation scheme as BLE) with a proprietary stack.

    If however, you do want your products to work with other Bluetooth products it is necessary that it be certified by Bluetooth SIG.

  • 0
    Intellectual 500 points

    Can you point me in the right direction for finding the costs of FCC and CE?

    Also, if using the CC2540 is it always required to do FCC testing? I thought the CC2540 is already FCC compliant so I don't understand why FCC testing would need to be done again.

  • 0 in reply to Ben Hagan
    TI__Genius 12545 points

    YOu can get info about the certification process from the link below
    http://processors.wiki.ti.com/index.php/How_to_Certify_your_Bluetooth_product

    as for the cost, we suggest you ask your local test house as costs vary.

    If you use an FCC certified module, then you will not need to do testing for that. However you will still need to do end product FCC certification.