Meaning
Power measurements quantify the strength of unintended radio signals that fall outside the necessary bandwidth of a transmission. Spurious emission intensity is a critical metric for electromagnetic compatibility because it measures the energy that could interfere with other wireless services. These emissions are usually the result of non-linearities in the transmitter or parasitic oscillations in the circuit.
Out-of-Band Power
Energy leaking into frequencies far away from the carrier must be kept below strict regulatory thresholds. Monitoring spurious emission intensity ensures that a Wi-Fi device does not disrupt cellular networks or aviation signals. Testing labs scan a wide range of frequencies to find any peaks that exceed the limits.
This scan often extends to the tenth harmonic of the fundamental frequency to ensure total spectral safety.
Spectral Purity
Clean signals have very little energy outside of the main channel used for data. High levels of spurious emission intensity indicate a problem with the design of the power amplifier or the output filtering. Fixing these issues usually involves adding more decoupling capacitors or improving the shielding of the radio section.
Compliance Threshold
Every country has its own set of rules for the maximum allowed power of unwanted signals. Manufacturers must prove that the spurious emission intensity of their product is within these bounds before it can be sold. The data is collected during the final certification phase and included in the technical construction file.