Why should you enhance the connectivity of your IoT device?

If you are a designer of a future IoT product, consider using a 4G or 5G connection for your device. This will guarantee long distance access with low power consumption in the global market. And when it comes to testing, Etteplan laboratory’s Account Manager Ismo Kaastinen explains: “Only few companies make their cellular IoT product from components, requiring full standardization type approval. Most cellular IoT product manufacturers integrate an off-the-self IoT module into their product. This approach requires only verification measurements to ensure that the module within the product operates well.”

There are a number of possible measurements. Firstly, in the module selection phase measurements for different modules can be performed to identify the best performing one for the product. Additionally, whether the product uses internal or external antenna, both should be tested in an antenna performance measurement chamber. Sometimes an antenna design engineer needs to re-design or improve the existing antenna. Often, an antenna integrated in the product’s PCB is the most cost-effective solution in IoT products.

Once the first prototype is ready, a test also allows for other measurements such as total radiated power (TRP), antenna pattern, antenna efficiency, sensitivity etc. Additionally, the latest 4G IoT technologies such as LTE-M and NB-IoT can be measured.

When it comes to product quality, IoT functionality integrators are often interested in the overall performance of their IoT module: receiver sensitivity, susceptibility to noise from other surrounding electronic products, transmitted power, thermal and mechanical performance. These can all be measured as well, creating an understanding of what are the elements impacting product performance in the field: range, battery lifetime, sensitivity to electrical noise, even thermal and vibration resistance.

Etteplan laboratories offer multiple ways to verify that the product does the required job when in use. Our hardware lab can pinpoint HW and RF issues up to 40 GHz. We can make Signal and Power Integrity simulations for complex PCBs looking for number of phenomena, for example cross talk. Our EMC lab can validate the product according to most of the relevant EMC standards. We are experts in interoperability testing for products with a number of electrical interfaces. Our antenna measurement chamber (Satimo Stargate 64) in Jyväskylä Mattilaniemi laboratories offers excellent testing capabilities for radiation performance testing. We are a one stop shop for verification testing. Customers often approach us to verify one part of the overall picture, such as an antenna, but leave with a holistic view of their product’s performance in the field.