NEAT Electronic
Carephones up for tech check
October 24, 2019
EKTOS is the only test lab in Denmark and Sweden offering accredited testing of “Social Alarms”
Swedish company NEAT Electronics AB is a market leader in care phones, devices that enable elderly or disabled people to call for help in case of emergency.
NEAT’s carephones are sold all over the world and the company has subsidiaries and sales offices in Europe, Australia, and Latin America.
In case of emergency, a NEAT phone can make a crucial difference. The alarm has to get through no matter what. The red button that sends for help has to work every single time.
That is why authorities have set up extraordinarily tough requirements for products like the NEAT care phone – in a specialist language called “Social Alarms”. To be approved they are met with much tougher robustness and reliability requirements, compared to what other types of communication devices have to live up to.
Accredited test lab
EKTOS helps NEAT test new products to meet these demands. The EKTOS Test & Reliability Services division runs test facilities in Struer and Copenhagen, and it is the only test lab in Denmark and Sweden offering accredited testing of “Social Alarms”. This goes for the alarm standard that applies to NEAT’s products and for a similar standard in the same category
(for more information about these two categories, please check the fact box below).
When products are testes in alignment with these standards, which are harmonized under the Radio Equipment Directive (RED), NEAT itself can handle the approval through a Declaration of Conformity (DoC). No additional approval from a Notified Body is needed. It is a common misunderstanding in the electronics business that you have to involve a Notified Body, when a product contains a radio module. But this is not the case, when you get your product tested in alignment with a harmonized standard by an accredited test lab like EKTOS. The Radio Equipment only requires a Notified Body to be involved, if there is no harmonized standard to show compliance with the Radio Equipment Directive regarding radio parameters (article 3.2). When it comes to EMC parameters (article 3.1) you can use the EN 301 489-3 standard, although it is not yet harmonized under the EMC directive. The involvement of a Notified Body is not required.
Long-standing collaboration
– We have a close and long-standing collaboration, says Ulrik Lundberg, Business Unit Manager at NEAT Electronics.
– Since 2012 EKTOS has helped us with the testing of around 15 products. They test radio performance, electro magnetic compatibility, and electrical safety. Also, EKTOS has performed climatic testing for us, to investigate the resistibility of a device to e.g. vibration and heat.
Do not disturb
David Busk, head of the EKTOS TRS lab in Copenhagen explains:
– Regarding Social Alarms the authorities have allocated a special radio frequency for them. It is quite narrow and goes from 869,200 to 869,250 MHz. Transmission power is lower than usual, so devices using this frequency band have to meet stricter demands than other types of electronics with radio communication.
– In addition to the requirements for social alarms the device also has to be tested in regards to ECM requirements. We check that the device is not being disturbed by other devices, and that it is not disturbing any devices itself. Furthermore the device has to comply with EU regulations for efficient use of the radio spectrum, and it has to meet the requirements for low-voltage devices.
Not unnecessarily complicated
Ulrik Lundberg is satisfied with working together with EKTOS:
– They are competent people. You always get a quick response, and they are not making it more difficult than it is. We have worked with other test labs, and some of them have a tendency to make things unnecessarily complicated. At EKTOS the process is simple. I think they are a bit more flexible than their competitors, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about.
David Busk elaborates:
– Before we start testing we always have a thorough discussion with the customer. We need to agree on exactly which standards the devices have to comply with. Also, some of the devices, or parts of them, have been tested earlier. In that case we can skip some of the tests and thus avoid double-testing. This speeds up the process and saves money as well.
Alarms and sensors
As mentioned NEAT Electronics manufactures carephones for elderly and disabled people to call for help in case of emergency. Also, NEAT has developed sensors for automated monitoring, such as armbands that send out positioning data, or send out an alarm when no activity is detected. NEAT has also developed a sensor for sleeping patients. It detects a person’s heartbeat and breathing, and activates an alarm if the person has left the bed for a specified period of time. Smoke detectors and flooding alarms are also featured in the NEAT product portfolio, all of them communicating via radio technology.
Development is an important part of the DNA of NEAT Electronics, with an on-going effort to create new products and increase their fields of application. In this, wireless technologies are crucial, and a number of solutions are used, all requiring accredited test to live up to rules and regulations. As an example, devices using 4G have been designed. And NEAT offers medical sensors measuring blood pressure, pulse, and EKG, and sending measurements via Bluetooth to a mobile telemonitoring system allowing for detailed medical monitoring in a patient’s own home.
If you are interested in getting an overview over the ECM and radio requirements your product has to meet, please feel free to get in touch with CEO of EKTOS TRS Kennet Palm (mail kpa@ektos.net)
FACT BOX
EKTOS is the only test lab in Denmark and Sweden offering accredited testing of “Social Alarms” according to these two standards:
- EN 300 220-3-1 V2.1.1 (2016-12), Short Range Devices (SRD) operating in the frequency range 25 MHz to 1 000 MHz; Part 3-1: Harmonised Standard covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of Directive 2014/53/EU; Low duty cycle high reliability equipment, social alarms equipment operating on designated frequencies (869,200 MHz to 869,250 MHz).
- “Social alarm devices” are radio communications systems that allow reliable communication for a person in distress in a confined area to initiate a call for assistance. Typical uses of social alarms are to assist elderly or disabled people.”
- EN 300 220-3-2 V1.1.1 (2017-02), Short Range Devices (SRD) operating in the frequency range 25 MHz to 1 000 MHz; Part 3-2: Harmonised Standard covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of Directive 2014/53/EU; Wireless alarms operating in designated LDC/HR frequency bands 868,60 MHz to 868,70 MHz, 869,25 MHz to 869,40 MHz, 869,65 MHz to 869,70 MHz)
- “The low duty cycle/high reliability device category covers radio devices that rely on low overall spectrum utilisation and low duty cycle spectrum access rules to ensure highly reliable spectrum access and transmissions in shared bands. Typical uses include alarm systems that use radio”.
EKTOS er som eneste testlab i Danmark og Sverige akkrediteret til test af ”Social Alarms”
Svenske NEAT Electronics AB er førende på markedet for tryghedstelefoner. Det er apparater, der gør det muligt for ældre mennesker og mennesker med funktionsnedsættelse at sende en alarm til plejepersonalet, hvis man falder eller får et ildebefindende.
NEATs tryghedstelefoner sælges over det meste af verden og virksomheden har datterselskaber og salgskontorer i Europa, Australien og Latinamerika. En telefon fra NEAT kan få afgørende betydning i en nødssituation. Signalet skal nå frem uanset hvad. Den røde knap, der tilkalder hjælp, skal virke hver gang.
Derfor stiller myndighederne ekstra skrappe krav til produkter som NEATs tryghedstelefon – det der i fagsproget kaldes ”Social Alarms”. For at blive godkendt skal de indfri krav til robusthed og pålidelighed, der er markant højere end dem man stiller til andre typer kommunikationsudstyr.
Akkrediteret testlab
EKTOS hjælper NEAT med at teste nye produkter, så alle disse krav opfyldes. EKTOS’ afdeling for Test & Reliability Services (TRS), der har testfaciliteter i Struer og København, er som det eneste testlab i Danmark og Sverige akkrediteret til at foretage disse specielle tests. Det gælder både den alarmstandard, som NEATs produkter falder ind under og en anden standard i samme kategori
(læs mere om de to standarder i faktaboksen nedenfor).
Når produkterne testes efter en af disse standarder, der er harmoniseret under Radioudstyrsdirektivet (RED), kan NEAT selv håndtere selve godkendelsen ved hjælp af en Declaration of Conformity (DoC) og behøver ikke at gå til et Bemyndiget Organ (Notified Body på engelsk). I branchen møder man ofte den misforståelse, at man er nødt til at få godkendt sit produkt af et Bemyndiget Organ, fordi der indgår et radiomodul. Det er imidlertid ikke tilfældet, når man får sit produktet testet efter en harmoniseret standard af et akkrediteret testlab som EKTOS. I Radioudstyrsdirektivet er der kun krav om involvering af et Bemyndiget Organ, hvis der ikke findes en harmoniseret standard til at vise, at produktet opfylder Radioudstyrsdirektivets krav til radio-parametrene (artikel 3.2). Når det gælder EMC-parametrene (artikel 3.1) kan man tilsvarende anvende EN 301 489-3 standarden, selv om den endnu ikke er harmoniseret under EMC-direktivet, og der er der ikke krav til brug af bemyndiget organ.
Mangeårigt samarbejde
– Vi har et tæt og mangeårigt samarbejdet med EKTOS, fortæller Ulrik Lundberg, Business Unit Manager i NEAT Electronics.
– Siden 2012 har EKTOS hjulpet med os med test af cirka 15 produkter. De gennemfører test af radio performance, elektromagnetisk kompatibilitet og el-sikkerhed. EKTOS har også udført klima-test for os. Her undersøges et produkts modstandskraft over for bl.a. vibrationer og varme.
Må ikke forstyrre
David Busk, leder af EKTOS TRS laboratoriet i København, forklarer:
– Myndighederne har reserveret en særlig radiofrekvens til Social Alarms. Den er ret smal og ligger mellem 869,200 og 869,250 MHz. Sendestyrken er lavere end normalt og derfor skal produkter, der anvender denne frekvens, leve op til højere krav end dem man stiller til anden elektronik, der anvender radiokommunikation.
– Udover kravene til sociale alarmer skal produktet også testes i henhold til EMC-krav for at sikre, at det ikke bliver forstyrret af andre apparater og at det heller ikke selv forstyrrer sine omgivelser. Desuden skal produktet overholde nogle EU-regler om effektivt brug af radio-spektret og det skal overholde de regler, der gælder for produkter, der kører på lavspænding.
Ikke unødigt kompliceret
Ulrik Lundberg er tilfreds med samarbejdet mellem NEAT og EKTOS:
– EKTOS har kompetente medarbejdere. Man får altid hurtig respons og de gør det ikke sværere end det er. Vi har samarbejdet med andre test-huse og mange har haft en tendens til at gøre tingene unødigt komplicerede. Hos EKTOS er processen enkel. Jeg synes, at de er lidt smidigere og mere fleksible end konkurrenterne, så jeg har absolut ingenting at klage på.
David Busk uddyber:
– Inden vi begynder at teste tager vi altid en grundig dialog. Vi skal f.eks. afklare, præcis hvilke standarder produkterne skal overholde. Det kan også være, at nogle af produkterne, eller dele af dem, allerede har været testet tidligere. Hvis det er tilfældet kan vi udelade nogle test og på den måde undgå dobbelt-test. Det gør processen hurtigere og billigere for kunden.
Alarmer og sensorer
Som nævnt udvikler NEAT Electronics tryghedstelefoner, som gør det muligt for ældre mennesker og mennesker med funktionsnedsættelse at hidkalde hjælp i en nødssituation. Desuden har virksomheden udviklet sensorer til automatisk monitorering. Det er f.eks. armbånd der angiver, hvor en person befinder sig, eller som registrerer, hvis en person er inaktiv i lang tid. Man har også udviklet en sensor til overvågning af sovende patienter, der sender en alarm, når en person har forladt sin seng og ikke er vendt tilbage inden for et bestemt tidsrum. Røgalarmer og oversvømmelsessensorer hører også til NEATs portefølje af produkter, der alle kommunikerer med radioteknologi.
Produktudvikling er en vigtig del af NEAT Electronics’ DNA. Man arbejder løbende på at udvikle sine produkter og øge deres anvendelsesmuligheder. Her er trådløse teknologier helt afgørende og man anvender mange forskellige løsninger, der alle kræver akkrediteret test for at kunne leve op til regler og forordninger. Bl.a. har man udviklet produkter, der kommunikerer via 4G. Man tilbyder også medicinske sensorer, der måler f.eks. blodtryk, puls og EKG og via Bluetooth sender målinger til et mobilt diagnostik- og analysesystem, der gør det muligt at gennemføre detaljeret medicinsk monitorering i patientens eget hjem.
Hvis du er interesseret i at få et overblik over, hvilke krav der er til EMC og radio i dit produkt, så er du velkommen til at kontakte direktør i EKTOS TRS Kennet Palm (mail kpa@ektos.net)
FAKTABOKS
EKTOS er som eneste testlab i Danmark og Sverige akkrediteret inden for disse to standarden for Social Alarms:
EN 300 220-3-1 V2.1.1 (2016-12), Short Range Devices (SRD) operating in the frequency range 25 MHz to 1 000 MHz; Part 3-1: Harmonised Standard covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of Directive 2014/53/EU; Low duty cycle high reliability equipment, social alarms equipment operating on designated frequencies (869,200 MHz to 869,250 MHz).
“Social alarm devices” are radio communications systems that allow reliable communication for a person in distress in a confined area to initiate a call for assistance. Typical uses of social alarms are to assist elderly or disabled people.”
EN 300 220-3-2 V1.1.1 (2017-02), Short Range Devices (SRD) operating in the frequency range 25 MHz to 1 000 MHz; Part 3-2: Harmonised Standard covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of Directive 2014/53/EU; Wireless alarms operating in designated LDC/HR frequency bands 868,60 MHz to 868,70 MHz, 869,25 MHz to 869,40 MHz, 869,65 MHz to 869,70 MHz)
“The low duty cycle/high reliability device category covers radio devices that rely on low overall spectrum utilisation and low duty cycle spectrum access rules to ensure highly reliable spectrum access and transmissions in shared bands. Typical uses include alarm systems that use radio”.
