Meaning
Harmonized technical standards issued by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute establish mandatory radio frequency performance requirements for wideband data transmission equipment operating within the unlicensed 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific and medical frequency spectrum. Commercial smart products and wireless modules must comply with etsi en 300 328 to claim conformity under the Radio Equipment Directive of the European Union. The specification applies to systems utilizing frequency hopping spread spectrum techniques and wideband modulation schemes such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee radios.
The rule set stops at the boundary of equipment operating exclusively outside the 2400 to 2483.5 MHz frequency range.
Technical Boundary
Transmitter performance rules enforce strict boundaries on equivalent isotropically radiated power, maximum power spectral density and occupied channel bandwidth. Radio equipment evaluated under etsi en 300 328 must implement adaptive frequency sharing mechanisms, such as clear channel assessment and listen-before-talk protocols, when transmitting at elevated power levels. Unwanted emissions generated in spurious domains during active transmission or standby modes must remain below standardized milliwatt thresholds across adjacent frequency bands.
Receiver blocking thresholds mandate minimum immunity levels against strong out-of-band interfering signals, preventing communication link degradation in congested environments.
System Evaluation
Physical laboratory assessment requires testing the wireless product under nominal operational environments and extreme operating temperature and supply voltage combinations. Test engineers mount the device inside an anechoic chamber to evaluate total radiated power distribution when using integrated trace antennas. Conducted measurement methods verify raw transceiver characteristics on boards equipped with temporary coaxial interfaces.
Test reports generated from this process serve as mandatory technical evidence within the manufacturer conformity file.
Integration Risk
System builders integrating pre-certified wireless modules must account for enclosure interactions, ground plane geometry and host processing noise that can degrade radio performance. Adding peripheral circuitry or modifying the antenna trace geometry on the host printed circuit board invalidates modular compliance data, requiring full system reassessment. Enclosure plastics and nearby metallic shielding can alter radiating patterns, pushing radiated spurious emissions beyond legal compliance limits.
Retaining compliance documentation protects the finished product during European market surveillance audits.