LoRa and LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) testing and certification services

LoRa & LPWAN Testing Services

Compatible Electronics provides comprehensive LoRa and LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) testing and certification services for manufacturers developing long-range IoT devices. Our NVLAP accredited laboratory performs RF compliance testing for LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and other LPWAN technologies operating in sub-GHz unlicensed bands.

NVLAP Accredited FCC Listed Lab ISO/IEC 17025:2017 3 California Locations

What is LoRa / LPWAN?

LoRa (Long Range) is a spread spectrum modulation technique enabling long-range communication at low data rates with minimal power consumption. LoRaWAN is the MAC layer protocol built on LoRa physical layer, commonly used for IoT sensor networks with ranges up to 15 km in rural areas. LPWAN encompasses LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and other technologies optimized for battery-powered devices transmitting small data payloads infrequently.

LoRa / LPWAN Frequency Bands

Americas

United States & Americas

915 MHz (902–928 MHz)
FCC Part 15.247 — Frequency hopping spread spectrum
AU915 / AS923 — Australia & APAC

Europe

European Union

868 MHz (863–870 MHz)
433 MHz (433.05–434.79 MHz) — alternative
ETSI EN 300 220, 1% duty cycle limits

APAC & Other

Asia-Pacific & India

923 MHz — Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia
IN865 — India (865–867 MHz)
Spreading factors SF7 to SF12 (LoRa)

RF Measurements & Standards

RF Measurements Performed

Conducted output power at all spreading factors
Radiated field strength and EIRP
Occupied bandwidth verification
Spurious and harmonic emissions
Frequency accuracy and stability
Duty cycle compliance verification
Listen Before Talk (LBT) requirements where applicable
Channel hopping verification (FCC Part 15.247)
Power spectral density measurements

Standards We Test To

FCC Part 15.247 — Frequency hopping spread spectrum (902–928 MHz)
ANSI C63.10 (2013) — Measurement procedures for unlicensed wireless devices
ETSI EN 300 220-1 V2.4.1 / EN 300 220-2 V2.4.1 — Short range devices (868 MHz)
EN 301 489-3 — EMC requirements for short range devices (RED)
RSS-247 — Industry Canada digital transmission systems and frequency hopping
AS/NZS 4268 — Australia/New Zealand short range device standard
RSS-102 / EN 62311 — RF exposure evaluation

LPWAN Technologies & Products We Test

Technologies

LoRa and LoRaWAN (Class A, B, C devices)
Sigfox uplink/downlink devices
Proprietary sub-GHz LPWAN protocols
Multi-technology IoT devices combining LPWAN with other wireless

Products

Smart utility meters (electric, gas, water)
Agricultural IoT sensors (soil, weather, livestock tracking)
Asset tracking and logistics devices
Environmental monitoring sensors
Smart city infrastructure devices
Industrial process monitoring sensors
LoRaWAN gateways and network servers
Parking sensors and smart infrastructure
Supply chain and cold chain trackers
Remote monitoring devices for oil and gas

Real-World Testing Examples

Smart Utility Meter — FCC Certification

A utility technology company required FCC Certification for their LoRaWAN electric meter module. Compatible Electronics performed FCC Part 15.247 testing including frequency hopping verification across all 64 upstream channels, conducted output power at SF7 through SF12, and spurious emission scanning. RF exposure evaluation confirmed MPE compliance for the outdoor meter enclosure mounting configuration.

Agricultural Sensor Network — FCC + ISED

A precision agriculture company needed FCC and ISED certification for soil moisture and temperature sensors deployed in remote fields. Testing covered FCC Part 15C and RSS-247, including maximum EIRP measurements with the embedded PCB antenna, duty cycle verification, and confirmation of the 400 ms maximum dwell time per channel required under Part 15.247.

European Asset Tracker — CE Marking

A logistics company required CE marking for a LoRaWAN asset tracker operating in the EU 868 MHz band. Testing to ETSI EN 300 220-2 included ERP measurements, spurious emissions, frequency accuracy, duty cycle compliance per the 1% duty cycle limit for the 868.0–868.6 MHz sub-band, and LBT verification for higher duty cycle bands.

Certification Requirements

USA

FCC Certification

FCC Certification (FCC ID) per Part 15.247 — frequency hopping
ANSI C63.10 test procedures
RF exposure evaluation per FCC OET 65

Canada

Industry Canada (ISED)

RSS-247 — digital transmission systems and frequency hopping
Parallel US/Canada testing from one session
RF exposure per RSS-102

EU / International

CE Marking & Other Markets

ETSI EN 300 220 + EN 301 489-3 for CE marking
AS/NZS 4268 for Australia/New Zealand (RCM)
EN 62311 RF exposure (Europe)
Note: RF/regulatory compliance testing only; LoRa Alliance interoperability certification handled separately