Always essential but often overlooked, certification can make or break a product’s launch. If certification is neglected or left until the last minute, the time it takes to prepare documentation and the processes of certifying authorities can result in lengthy delays, allowing competitors to get to market first in extreme cases. What’s needed is a way to simplify and streamline certification, so resources aren’t diverted from the core focus of developing the IoT product and service.

The complexities of IoT device certification

Certification can be costly, complex and involve a relatively large amount of work with different certification authorities in different countries and regions having different requirements and processes. It’s important for developers to recognize that they will need to gain certification in all the countries they plan to sell their products and services and therefore which certifications are needed should be identified as early as possible.

There are also multiple forms of certification to comply with. Commonly, cellular networks require devices to be certified before allowing them to connect to their networks. This is true of service providers offering several other network technologies, including satellite services. A further layer of certification comes from national regulators for health and safety and communications technologies and finally, there can be regional rules that devices need to comply with in order to gain certification. Keeping up-to-date on this dynamic landscape demands close attention and significant resources so developers increasingly turn to providers of certification services who can help accelerate the certification process thanks to their in-depth pre-existing knowledge. Providers of services can also simplify the process by taking advantage of component vendors who can supply pre-integrated products such as modules. This helps shorten the process because certification authorities know that pre-certified components meet their standards and requirements.

Quectel’s Testing and Certification Services

Quectel has been drawing on its global experience of IoT device deployments to establish Quectel’s Testing and Certification Services, which have been supporting the market over the last few years. These services exploit the company’s deep relationships with certification bodies around the world and Quectel’s team of technical experts spans every technology across IoT. With these services, Quectel ensures its customers achieve certification for their products in as little as eight weeks.

This timeframe can be achieved thanks to the truly A-Z full service for IoT device testing and certification that Quectel offers. This includes not just the in-house testing but also on-site support and debugging that is required all the way through to the customer receiving their certification letter. Quectel also handles all the project management, paperwork, dealing with labs and carriers and staying on top of updated requirements at lower cost and timelines than alternatives.

The benefits of adopting Quectel’s Certification Services were detailed in a recent Quectel Masterclass, titled ‘Quectel’s Certification Services – keeping costs and timelines down even as requirements change’. The Masterclass was presented by Seungryoul Yoon, the Certification Director (North America) at Quectel, who provided an introduction to Quectel Certification Services, an overview of global IoT device certification and explained the benefits to device certification that can be achieved with pre-certified modules. Yoon also detailed how customers can achieve in-house North American carrier certification, including for Verizon, without using a third party lab. You can view the Masterclass here.