When Engineering Solutions Meet Roadblocks – RF Product Development Challenges
Not the Result I Expected: When Regulatory Barriers Stop RF Innovation
Every RF engineer has faced this moment: Your design works perfectly in the lab, but it can't go to market. The problem isn't your engineering—it's everything else. In RF product development, regulatory compliance often trumps technical innovation, and understanding these barriers early can save you thousands in wasted development costs.
There’s an old joke in engineering circles that goes like this:
When an engineer designs something that doesn’t work correctly, he says, “I’ve got to find out what went wrong and fix it.”
When a scientist is in a similar situation, he says, “That’s not the result I expected.”
The reality is a bit more complex. There are times when the engineer winds up with an unexpected result that simply cannot be fixed. Sometimes the problem is with physics: the desired result simply cannot be achieved with the available technology, and there is no clear path to a technical solution.
More often, though, the unsolvable issues are more based on non-technical factors. Various rules, laws, and administrative procedures get in the way of creating a solution.
Case Study #1: When Part 15 Devices Meet DoD Requirements
We worked with a defense company that had developed a product using 802.11 wireless LAN radios for communication. Although the product was innovative and worked well, the Defense Department rejected it.
The reason? 802.11 radios are Part 15 devices, and DoD specifically prohibits Part 15 devices from being used in any application involving life and safety. Since that covers almost all weapons systems and a great deal of other applications, the company could not sell its product into the US defense market.
The supplier contacted us and asked us to do an evaluation of what could be done to make the product compliant with the applicable regulations. In the course of our research, things got even messier.
Turns out the application not only prohibited Part 15 devices, but required radios operating on classified frequencies, and that a further DoD objection was the time it would take to issue the necessary clearances in order for the project to proceed.
Ultimately, it turned out that a technical solution was possible, but not practical due to regulatory constraints. The client thanked us for our work, paid their bill, but was not happy with the outcome. Not because we couldn’t find the answers, but because the answers we found were not what they expected.
Case Study #2: When FCC Rules Change Mid-Product Life
A second case in point was for one of our commercial clients. We designed a product that, at the time, met the requirements for FCC certification. Several years later, after the FCC tightened the rules to match EU requirements, the customer wanted to make a change in the product that required re-certification. Unfortunately, this meant that certain frequencies covered by the original unit could no longer be used, and the product had to be limited in tuning range in software to allow re-certification.
Reducing the tuning range of the system was not what the customer had in mind, but a redesign to make the system compliant with the new rules was not in their budget, so limiting the tuning range was the only reasonable option. Again, the client was not happy with the outcome, but also realized that his choices, given the circumstances, were limited.
The Reality of Non-Technical Barriers in RF Product Development
In both cases, technical solutions were available to address the problem, but regulatory and financial issues rendered those solutions impractical. Most of the time, our engineers can find a way to work around technical and regulatory issues, but occasionally, rules and money simply become too big a barrier.
Potential Regulatory Issues:
Targeting military or defense applications
Using unlicensed spectrum (Part 15 devices)
Planning international deployment
Developing life-safety or mission-critical applications
Operating in frequency bands with recent regulatory changes
How Radio Design Group Can Help
Got a technical or regulatory issue in your RF product that needs resolving? Before investing in a design that can't be certified or deployed, consider a regulatory feasibility assessment.
With 30+ years of experience navigating FCC, DoD, and international RF compliance requirements, we can help you:
Identify regulatory barriers before design begins
Evaluate technical solutions within compliance constraints
Navigate DoD frequency allocation and security clearances
Plan for FCC certification and re-certification requirements
Develop cost-effective workarounds when regulations change
Contact us to discuss your RF product development challenges, or learn more about our RF engineering services.
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