The nRF9161 undergoes regulatory certifications, ensuring both regional compliances and compatibility with the LTE 3GPP specification.
The following table shows the FCC and ISED certified Cat-M1 bands for nRF9161.
| Band | FCC certification | ISED certification |
|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 4 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 5 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 8 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 12 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 13 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 25 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 26 | Yes | No |
| Band 66 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 85 | Yes | Yes |
The following table shows the FCC and ISED certified Cat-NB1 and Cat-NB2 bands for nRF9161.
| Band | FCC certification | ISED certification |
|---|---|---|
| Band 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 4 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 5 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 8 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 12 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 13 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 17 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 25 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 26 | Yes | No |
| Band 66 | Yes | Yes |
| Band 85 | Yes | Yes |
The nRF9161 module has been certified to comply with FCC and ISED rules.
The nRF9161 SiP has been certified to comply with the following FCC rules.
The nRF9161 SiP has been certified to comply with the following ISED rules.
A host manufacturer who integrates the nRF9161 SiP to a host device, can apply the certifications to the host device, except for FCC Part 15 Subpart B which must be retested.
The host manufacturer can use nRF9161's FCC ID if the device meets the conditions of the FCC certificate. Normally, the conditions are the following:
FCC/ISED regulatory notices cover modification and interference statements, wireless and FCC Class B digital device notices, permitted antennas and labeling requirements.
Nordic Semiconductor has not approved any changes or modifications to this device by the user. Any changes or modifications could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Nordic Semiconductor n'approuve aucune modification apportée à l'appareil par l'utilisateur, quelle qu'en soit la nature. Tout changement ou modification peuvent annuler le droit d'utilisation de l'appareil par l'utilisateur.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and Industry Canada's licence-exempt RSS standards. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.
Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d'Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes: (1) l'appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l'utilisateur de l'appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d'en compromettre le fonctionnement.
This equipment complies with FCC and ISED radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. The antenna should be installed and operated with minimum distance of 20 cm between the radiator and your body. This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.
Cet appareil est conforme aux limites d'exposition aux rayonnements de l’ISDE pour un environnement non contrôlé. L'antenne doit être installée de façon à garder une distance minimale de 20 centimètres entre la source de rayonnements et votre corps. L'émetteur ne doit pas être colocalisé ni fonctionner conjointement avec à autre antenne ou autre émetteur.
This radio transmitter has been approved by FCC and ISED to operate with the antenna types listed below with the maximum permissible gain indicated. Antenna types not included in this list, having a gain greater than the maximum gain indicated for that type, are strictly prohibited for use with this device.
| Band | Max gain |
|---|---|
| Band 2 | 9.0 dBi |
| Band 4 | 6.0 dBi |
| Band 5 | 7.1 dBi |
| Band 8 | 7.5 dBi |
| Band 12 | 6.6 dBi |
| Band 13 | 6.9 dBi |
| Band 17 (Cat-NB1/NB2) | 6.6 dBi |
| Band 25 | 9.0 dBi |
| Band 26 | 7.0 dBi |
| Band 66 | 6.0 dBi |
| Band 85 | 6.6 dBi |
Le présent émetteur radio a été approuvé par ISDE pour fonctionner avec les types d'antenne énumérés ci dessous et ayant un gain admissible maximal. Les types d'antenne non inclus dans cette liste, et dont le gain est supérieur au gain maximal indiqué, sont strictement interdits pour l'exploitation de l'émetteur.
| Bande | Gain maximal |
|---|---|
| Bande 2 | 9.0 dBi |
| Bande 4 | 6.0 dBi |
| Bande 5 | 7.1 dBi |
| Band 8 | 7.5 dBi |
| Bande 12 | 6.6 dBi |
| Bande 13 | 6.9 dBi |
| Bande 17 (Cat-NB1/NB2) | 6.6 dBi |
| Bande 25 | 9.0 dBi |
| Bande 26 | 7.0 dBi |
| Bande 66 | 6.0 dBi |
| Bande 85 | 6.6 dBi |
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de classe B est conforme à la norme canadienne ICES-003.
The host device shall be properly labelled to identify the modules within the host device. The certification label of the module shall be clearly visible at all times when installed in the host device, otherwise the host device must be labelled to display the FCC ID and IC of the module, preceded by the words "Contains transmitter module", or the word "Contains", or similar wording expressing the same meaning, as shown in the following examples:
L'équipement hôte doit être correctement étiqueté pour identifier les modules dans l'équipement. L'étiquette de certification du module doit être clairement visible en tout temps lorsqu'il est installé dans l'hôte, l'équipement hôte doit être étiqueté pour afficher le FCC ID et IC du module, précédé des mots "Contient le module émetteur", ou le mot "Contient", ou un libellé similaire exprimant la même signification, comme suit:
The nRF9161 has been tested and certified as a mobile device for use of a minimum of 20 cm distance from the human body with no colocation with other transmitters. If the device is to be used closer than 20 cm from the human body and/or with other transmiters simultaneously, the host product manufacturer is required to perform additional evaluation, testing, or testing and Class 2 permissive change. It is required to take responsibility of the module through a change in the FCC ID (new application). The host product manufacturer must also inform the end user about RF Exposure conditions.
The nRF9161 device is only authorized for the rules listed in Supported FCC/ISED rules. The host device manufacturer is responsible for compliance to any other FCC rules that apply to the host device not covered by the nRF9161 grant of certification. It is mandatory for the host device manufacturer to assure the final device’s compliance with FCC Part 15 Subpart B even if certification has been granted to nRF9161.
The nRF9161 module has a single-ended 50 Ω antenna port where the antenna solution shall be connected. nRF9161 is evaluated with a 50 Ω antenna load. To ensure good overall RF performance, antenna impedance and the characteristic impedance of the transmission line (i.e. cable) connecting the antenna and antenna port must be 50 Ω. Impedance mismatch may lead to performance degradation. Maximum antenna VSWR 2:1 is recommended but VSWR 3:1 can still be accepted in the final device. Respective minimum return loss values are 9.5 dB and 6.0 dB.
The length of the transmission line from the antenna to the nRF9161 antenna port should be kept as short as possible to minimize losses, as this loss is directly deteriorating the module’s transmitted and received power. Additionally, low-loss matching circuit between the antenna and the nRF9161 antenna port is recommended to minimize loss caused by antenna and PCB routing mismatch. Reserving space from device manufacturer's application board for matching components (e.g. π-circuit) is recommended. This is because, for example, catalog antennas are typically tuned on reference board and differences to device mechanics may impact antenna impedance. It is also possible that device mechanics change during the development phase of the final device, and these modifications may impact antenna performance. Matching components can be used to compensate the impact of mechanics change to antenna impedance, and thus it may not be mandatory to modify the antenna itself.
The nRF9161 module has an internal ESD circuit in the antenna port, but additional ESD components at device manufacturer's application board may be used. The design of the ESD circuit shall be such that the impact on RF frequencies is negligible
To run conductive RF tests, a test connector nearby the nRF9161 antenna port in the RF transmission line is needed. The 50 Ω impedance requirement applies also to the test connector, and VSWR and insertion loss should be minimal. Regardless of whether the nRF9161 antenna port is connected to an actual antenna or test equipment, the load at the nRF9161 antenna should remain as close to 50 Ω as possible.
For a test connector, microwave coaxial switch connectors (for example, Murata MM8130-2600) are a good choice for this purpose. For conductive tests, a test cable is plugged in which connects the nRF9161 antenna port to the test equipment instead of the antenna. When the test cable is plugged off, the nRF9161 antenna port is connected to the antenna for real use case or radiated testing. The layout for the connector must be carefully designed to fulfil the 50 Ω requirement. For detailed guidance on this, see the coaxial switch connectors datasheets.