Product Changes and Variants: Testing and Approval Consequences Webinar

Product development rarely ends at initial certification. Whether driven by supply chain constraints, component End-of-Life (EOL), cost optimizations, or feature expansions, manufacturers frequently modify wireless and connected devices throughout their lifecycle. However, even seemingly minor design tweaks or introducing a product variant can invalidate existing compliance approvals and trigger unexpected testing obligations.   

In this webinar, Michael Derby, Technical Director at Element Connected Technologies, breaks down the regulatory implications of product changes and variants. This guide outlines key global requirements, risk assessment protocols, and strategies to maintain compliance under FCC, ISED, and EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED) frameworks.  

Why watch this Product Changes and Variants webinar?  

This is a practical session for teams who already hold an approval and now need to defend it across several models. After watching, you will be able to: 

• Scope exactly how much testing a family of models needs. 

• Stop guessing the worst-case model, because the most populated one often is not it. 

• See why the test results, not your judgment, decide the permissive change class. 

• Know where the lab's job ends and where deriving compliance becomes yours. 

• Avoid building a RED partial-testing case that a target market later rejects. 

Key topics covered in this webinar  

• Why are testing and authorization not the same thing?  

• When does a change need a new certification rather than a permissive change?  

• What makes a change Class I rather than Class II, and can you predict it?  

• Which apparently minor design changes actually affect EMC results?  

• When can several models sit under one certification?  

• How do you identify and prove the worst-case model?  

• How does the RED handle changes without a permissive change process?  

• Will an EU test report support approvals in other markets?  

Watch the webinar below