RF module certification and Apache Mynewt

[Michael Lawton]

All nRF52832 based RF modules on the market have been certified using a Nordic SoftDevice. Some manufacturers say that it is ok to use a different Nordic SoftDevice without invalidating the certification. I want to install Apache Mynewt (along with it's NimBLE Bluetooth stack) on a certified module.

Will this invalidate the module's RF/EMC certifications? E.g. FCC/IC/CE etc

I guess the question here might be does Nimble have the potential to greatly alter the RF emissions compared to the Nordic SoftDevice.

Regarding Bluetooth qualification:

Using the Nordic Softdevice, I think I can use the certified module QDID in addition to the Nordic QDIDs and no extra testing is required although I still need to pay to for the Declaration ID.

If I use NimBLE (Apache Mynewt BT stack), I can use the NimBLE QDIDs instead of the Nordic QDIDs. I'm not sure if I can also use the module's QDID. So I think I may have to do a RF-PHY test and maybe other tests?

[Michael Lawton]

I received a good answer about this from Rigado.

Installing any BT stack or firmware on the chip will not invalidate the RF/EMC certification as the frequency, modulation etc are all controlled by the chip itself and the firmware only controls higher level functions.

According to Rigado the Bluetooth RF-PHY QDID for their module can be used for the end product so no extra Bluetooth testing should be needed. I think I have seen some conflicting information here saying RF-PHY testing is always needed as the final hardware is different than the standalone module. Can anyone else chime in with a second opinion on this?

[run_ar]

Sounds about right. And, yes, you can reuse the RF-PHY for the rigado module.

One thing you need to watch for is if the module manufacturer has made a qualified design referencing nordic component for LL and Host. If you use a newer softdevice you might not be able to reference that design as the newer SD would support a different feature set. However in that that case you could reference Nordics qualified design and the module manufacturers RF-PHY test and you would be fine.