Canadian RSS wireless testing for radio equipment

Canada RSS Wireless Testing Services

Compatible Electronics is directly accredited for RSS-247 Issues 2 & 3, RSS-248 Issues 1 & 2, RSS-210, RSS-310, and RSS-102 at all three California locations. Combined FCC + ISED testing from a single session — one set of measurements for both US and Canadian certifications.

NVLAP AccreditedFCC Listed LabRSS-247 / RSS-248 AccreditedCombined FCC + ISED Testing

Accredited RSS Standards

RSS-247

Digital Transmission Systems & LE-LAN

RSS-247 Issue 2 (February 2017) — 902–928 MHz, 2400–2483.5 MHz, 5725–5850 MHz; no DFS testing; accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park
RSS-247 Issue 3 (August 2023) — current version; same bands; no DFS testing; accredited at all three locations
Covers: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), Bluetooth Classic and BLE, Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4), Z-Wave, LoRa FHSS

RSS-248

6 GHz RLAN Devices

RSS-248 Issue 1 (November 2021) — 5925–7125 MHz RLAN; accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park
RSS-248 Issue 2 (December 2022) — current version; accredited at all three locations
Covers: WiFi 6E (802.11ax) and WiFi 7 devices operating in the 6 GHz band (5925–7125 MHz)

RSS-210

Licence-Exempt Category I

RSS-210 Issue 10 (December 2019) + A1 (April 2020) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park
RSS-210 Issue 10 (December 2019) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado and Brea
RSS-210 Issue 9 (August 2016) + A1 (November 2017) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado
Covers: NFC readers, HF RFID initiators, inductive devices, low-power transmitters, field disturbance sensors

RSS-310

Licence-Exempt Category II

RSS-310 Issue 4 (July 2015) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park
Covers: remote controls, low-power alarm devices, wireless sensors, auditory assistance devices, other Category II licence-exempt transmitters

RSS-102

RF Exposure

RSS-102 Issue 5 (March 2015) + A1 (February 2021) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park
Canadian MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) limits and evaluation methods for all wireless transmitters
Separation distance calculation and verification; SAR referral for body-worn devices where applicable

RSS-Gen

General Requirements

RSS-Gen Issue 5 + Amendment 2 (February 2021) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado, Brea, and Newbury Park
RSS-Gen Issue 5 + Amendment 1 (March 2019) — accredited at Lake Forest/Silverado and Brea
General compliance requirements applicable to all radio apparatus sold in Canada

RF Measurements Performed

Transmitter

Core RF Measurements

Conducted output power — at antenna port, all channels and data rates
Radiated EIRP — in calibrated anechoic chamber; all channels at maximum power
Occupied bandwidth (99% method)
Spurious emissions — harmonics and out-of-band products
Band edge emissions compliance
Frequency accuracy and stability
Power spectral density (PSD) per MHz for spread spectrum devices

Spread Spectrum

FHSS / DSSS Specific

Frequency hopping channel count verification — minimum 50 channels for RSS-247 FHSS
Maximum dwell time per channel — 400 ms for FHSS systems
DSSS processing gain verification
6 dB bandwidth verification

RF Exposure

RSS-102 Evaluation

MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) evaluation for all frequency bands
Separation distance calculation and verification
SAR referral for body-worn devices where applicable

Combined FCC + ISED Testing

ISED RSS measurement procedures closely align with FCC Part 15 methods — Compatible Electronics produces both FCC and ISED certification packages from a single test session, with no duplicate measurements.

FCC + RSS-247

WiFi / Bluetooth / Zigbee / LoRa

ANSI C63.10 + RSS-247 Issue 3 — from one wireless session at all three locations
Same measurements satisfy both FCC Part 15.247 and RSS-247 simultaneously
Combined FCC ID and IC number application packages delivered together

FCC + RSS-248

WiFi 6E / WiFi 7 (6 GHz Band)

ANSI C63.10 + RSS-248 Issue 2 — 5925–7125 MHz RLAN from one test session
FCC Part 15E (U-NII) + RSS-248 combined application package
Covers WiFi 6E (802.11ax) and WiFi 7 devices in the 6 GHz band

FCC + RSS-210/310

NFC / Inductive / Category I & II

ANSI C63.10 + RSS-210 or RSS-310 — from one session
FCC Part 15.225 + RSS-210 for NFC readers and HF RFID initiators at 13.56 MHz
FCC Part 15C + RSS-310 for remote controls and Category II licence-exempt devices

Canadian ISED Certification Process

Products must be certified by ISED (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) before sale or importation into Canada. Most wireless products require an IC (Industry Canada) number assigned by an ISED-recognized certification body.

Testing

Accredited Lab Testing

Testing at Compatible Electronics NVLAP ILAC MRA accredited laboratory
Test reports issued to applicable RSS standard(s) with accreditation mark
Reports accepted by all ISED-recognized certification bodies (TCBs) for IC number issuance

Certification

IC Number Issuance

Test reports submitted to ISED-recognized TCB for IC number application
IC number assigned by ISED and included in product labeling
Modular transmitters may qualify for Permissive Change — contact us for guidance

Labeling

Product Requirements

Product must display IC number per ISED labeling requirements
User documentation must include ISED interference statement
Records retained by manufacturer and available to ISED upon request

Real-World Testing Examples

WiFi 6E Tri-Band Router — FCC + RSS-247 + RSS-248

A networking equipment manufacturer required simultaneous FCC and ISED certification for a WiFi 6E tri-band router covering 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands. Compatible Electronics performed ANSI C63.10 measurements for FCC Part 15C (2.4 GHz) and Part 15E (5 GHz and 6 GHz non-DFS channels) at Lake Forest/Silverado. The same measurements supported RSS-247 Issue 3 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) and RSS-248 Issue 2 (6 GHz RLAN) for ISED. A combined FCC + IC application package was delivered for both markets from one test session without duplicate measurements.

LoRa FHSS Module — FCC + RSS-247 Combined

A semiconductor manufacturer needed FCC Certification and ISED certification for a LoRa module operating as a frequency hopping spread spectrum system in the 902–928 MHz band. Compatible Electronics performed ANSI C63.10 testing verifying all 64 upstream channels, maximum 400 ms dwell time per channel, conducted output power at all spreading factors (SF7–SF12), and EIRP with the reference antenna. The same measurements satisfied both FCC Part 15.247 and RSS-247 Issue 3 requirements. A single combined submission package was delivered for both FCC ID and IC number applications.

NFC Payment Terminal — RSS-210 + FCC Part 15.225

A payment technology manufacturer required ISED RSS-210 and FCC Part 15.225 certification for an NFC point-of-sale terminal. Compatible Electronics performed RSS-210 Issue 10 testing for the 13.56 MHz inductive device at Lake Forest/Silverado — measuring field strength at specified distances, frequency accuracy, occupied bandwidth, and spurious emissions. The parallel FCC Part 15.225 measurements were performed in the same session, producing combined FCC and ISED test reports for simultaneous North American market compliance.