Standards & bodies

CE marking

The manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the applicable European Union requirements, which for connected devices include radio, electrical safety, EMC and cybersecurity rules.

CE marking is not a certificate issued by an authority but a self-declaration backed by a technical file. For an IoT device the relevant directives are typically the Radio Equipment Directive for anything with a wireless interface, the Low Voltage Directive for mains-powered products, the EMC Directive, RoHS for substances and, going forward, the Cyber Resilience Act, which adds security-by-design and vulnerability handling obligations. Manufacturers show compliance by testing against harmonized standards, many of them from ETSI and the IEC.

Using a pre-certified IoT module reduces radio testing but does not remove the obligation for the final product, especially once an antenna or enclosure changes. The marking is required to place a product on the EU market, so its timeline belongs in the project plan alongside FCC certification for the United States.

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