FINAL - Certification Deep Dive - lora-alliance.org · documents for completeness LoRa Alliance issues Certificate to Manufacture Device added to Certified Product list Stop LoRa

LoRa Alliance 9th AMM Certification Deep DiveOctober 2017 Derek Hunt - Actility

Agenda

2LoRa Alliance 9th AMM Certification Deep Dive

Certification process + Similarity

Certification Tests

Certification test mode

RF Performance

Certification Overview



4LoRa Alliance 9th OH Certification Deep Dive

• Certification Objectives• To ensure correct LoRaWAN behaviour of end devices.

• Guaranteed adherences to the LoRaWAN Standard.

• Device certified in normal operating configuration.

• Should be cost competitive (1 day test time, not weeks or months).

• Automated testing to maximise coverage within time constraints.

• Does NOT cover any regulatory testing.

• Certification set up• Proprietary Network Server and Application Server acting as test control

layer.

• Standard LoRaWAN gateway with simple packet forwarder running on it.

• End Device under test, supporting Over The Air Activation (OTA) and / or Activation by Personalization.

• There is no physical connection between Device and Gateway communication is via an over-the-air (radiated) radio connection.

• End Device and Gateway housed in Anechoic chamber


NS and test control layer

LoRaWANGATEWAY

ApplicationSoftware

CertificationApplication Software

END DEVICE UNDER TESTLoRaWAN Protocol stack

Anechoic chamber


• Certification startup:• Device is powered on and joins LoRaWAN network by Over The Air Activation (OTA) or by Personalization.

• Some basic communication testes are performed in this state.

• Device is put in to Certification test mode.

• send downlink payload message of 0x01010101 to port 224.

• Certification test mode application software:• Port Field Fport value 224 is dedicated to the LoRaWAN Mac layer Certification test protocol using AS key.

• End device’s normal application is paused.

• Any regulatory constraints are suspendered (No Duty Cycle Limit, No Duel time and No LBT restrictions)

• End Device transmitters a packet approximately every 5 seconds.

• End Device can be requested to send confirmed or unconfirmed messages.

• Every uplink packet contains in the data field the value of the last received downlink counter.

• For payload encryption tests the device generates a mirrored uplink from the received downlink payload.

• For testing different OTA activation scenarios the device can be requested to trigger a Join Request.

• For doing Radiated RF Performance Evaluation measurement the device can be requested to Enable Continuous Wave Mode.


Certification process + Similarity



LoRa Alliance member

Join LoRa

Alliance

StopNo

No

Manufacture selects ATH send

device and completes

questionnaire

ATH performs Certification tests

Tests Passed

Yes

No

ATH sends test results to LoRa

Alliance

LoRa Alliance reviews

documents for completeness

LoRa Alliance issues Certificate to Manufacture

Device added to Certified Product

list

Stop

LoRa Alliance can be consulted for

dispute resolution (if required)

Yes

Yes

LoRa Alliance Product Certification Process Flowchart

Manufacture desires product

Certification


Mets requirements

No

ATH sends test results to LoRa

Alliance

LoRa Alliance reviews

documents for completeness

LoRa Alliance issues Certificate to Manufacture

Device added to Certified Product

list

Stop

ATH seeks more information from

Manufacture or does full or partial retest

Yes

LoRa Alliance Certification by Similarity

Process Flowchart

Manufacture desires product Certification by

Similarity

Manufacture selects ATH completes

questionnaire and Declaration

ATH reviews documents


• If a product uses a LoRaWAN Certified module or when a variant device uses the same LoRaWAN design of an already LoRaWAN certified device.

• The manufacture of the new product must prove that the LoRaWAN Protocol used on this product is the same as implemented on the referenced certified product.

• Prove that any changes in the new product are to the Application layer only and have no effect on the LoRaWAN Protocol.

• Prove that the design is the same as the referenced certified device:• Same LoRa transceiver, Same LoRa protocol SW version, same MCU Core and

same Clock design.• Complete and sign a self declaration of the above• Complete a questionnaire giving details of the new product and the reference

certified product• Must use the same Version of LoRaWAN and Regional Parameters

Certification by Similarity details


• Case 1 - Module Integration: the variant device to be certified embeds a LoRa Alliance Certified module.

• Case 2 - Module Family: the variant device to be certified is a module from the same family of a LoRa Alliance Certified modules.

• Case 3 - Device Certification-by-Similarity: the variant device to be certified uses the same module as another LoRa Alliance Certified device.

Note• The manufacture declaration is key to this process so any false or misleading

information given will potential result in their products certified by similarity being withdrawn and all the device will have to go through the full Certification process.

Cases for Certification-by-Similarity

Certification Tests



Certification Tests• LoRaWAN Functional Test list

• Activation by Personalization • Over The Air activation• Test mode activation• Test application functionality• Downlink error rate• Cryptography• Downlink window timing• Frame sequence number


Certification Tests• LoRaWAN MAC commands Test list

• DevStatusReq MAC command• NewChannelReq MAC command• DlChannelReq MAC command• Confirmed packets• RXParamSetupReq MAC command• RXTimingSetupReq MAC command• LinkADRReq MAC command• Packet error rate RX1• Packet error rate RX2• TxParamSetupReq MAC command

Certification test mode Application Software

14LoRa Alliance 9th AMM Certification

15LoRa Alliance 9th AMM Certification

Certification test mode application software• To Facilitate the certification of the

device via an over-the-air (radiated) radio connection, control in needed over the end device.

• Achieved by activation of a small amount of code that is resident in all Certified devices

• Test Mode activated and de-activated by sending commands.

• Test mode will automatically de-activate after 30 minutes with no response from the test server or 192 frames sent with no response.

Octet Value Command Description

0x00 Deactivated test modeStop test mode and the DUT goes back to normal applicative operation.

0x01 (010101) Activated test modeStart test mode when 4 bytes payload with value 0x01010101 is sent to DUT.

0x02 Confirmed frames All subsequent uplinks shall be “confirmed” frames.

0x03 Unconfirmed frames All subsequent uplinks shall be “unconfirmed” frames.

0x04 Cryptography testsGenerate a mirrored uplink with modified down payload.

0x05 Link Check Request

0x06 Trigger Join Request

Generates a trigger for a join request to be able to test OTA activation and ABP with a single device and furthermore allows testing of “Join Accept” with different parameters: RxDelay, DLSettings, CFList… (Optional command if not implemented manual method required).

0x07 Enable Continuous Wave Mode

Enables continuous wave (CW) based on the values in the payload.(Optional command if not implemented manual method required).

0x08 to 0x7F RFU Reserved for future LoRa Certification use.0x80 to 0xFF Proprietary use Reserved for device manufacturers use.

CommandssentonPortFieldFport value224

RF Performance Evaluation Procedure



RF Performance Evaluation Procedure• LoRa End Device Radiated RF Performance Evaluation Procedure

• Requested by many LoRa Alliance Operators• Created by the Certification Committee to a harmonise approach to the

measurement of the Transmit and Received performance of a LoRaWAN Product.• Used by the LoRa Alliance ATHs or other parties.

• Transmission Performance is measure as EIRP in a full 3D radiation power pattern• Received performance is measured by detecting the point that the product

reached a packet error rate (PER) of 10 percent • Measurement performed on RX1 and RX2.• The angle used for the test is from a region where the antenna gain is stable.

• Purley Optional Test with Manufactures free to declare results.

THANK YOU

Documents

FINAL - Certification Deep Dive - lora-alliance.org · documents for completeness LoRa Alliance issues Certificate to Manufacture Device added to Certified Product list Stop LoRa