Inquiry on FCC Test Procedure for ESP32-C5 (ESP-Hosted NG)

[san-av]

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Issue or Suggestion Description

Hello,

We are preparing for FCC certification for a product that integrates the ESP32-C5 radio module.
On our system, Wi-Fi functionality is provided through the ESP-Hosted NG host driver (ESP32-C5 acting as the Wi-Fi STA device, controlled from an external host).

Before we proceed with FCC testing, we would like to understand the official recommended procedure from Espressif.

Could you please advise on:

1. How FCC certification is typically performed with the ESP32-C5?
2. What tools, firmware, modes, or commands are required to configure the ESP32-C5 for RF regulatory testing?
3. Whether any special test firmware, test mode, or factory mode is needed (beyond normal Wi-Fi operation)?
4. Any guidance or documentation Espressif can provide for using ESP32-C5 in certification environments.

We would appreciate your recommendations or any official test procedures for performing radio compliance testing on ESP32-C5-based designs.

Thank you.

[mantriyogesh]

Since the questions are generic, I will wait for Ma Li or someone from the support team to handle these questions.

[ceerqingtingml]

Hi San,
You can use EspRFTestTool Toolkit.
Please refer to FCC Certification.
The test firmware has not been officially released yet. Please use the attached rf test bin to test.
C5_RF_Test_Bin.zip

[san-av]

Hi Ma,

Thank you for providing the necessary information through the FCC test documentation and the reference links.and the ESP32-C5 test firmware. Upon reviewing the FCC test references, it’s clear that the FCC testing requires only the Wi-Fi Non-Signaling Test.

To begin with, I flashed your test firmware on the ESP32-C5 DevKitC and conducted the Wi-Fi Non-Signaling test through the EspRFTestTool. However, since the ESP32-C5 is an onboard device on our proprietary target board running Nuvoton-OpenWrt-22.03, using a separate test tool (EspRFTestTool running on a Windows system interfacing with the target board) would be cumbersome for a practical FCC test setup.

Running a similar tool or app directly on the target board (which has the ESP32-C5 onboard) would be more practical for our scenario. Specifically, we would like to implement a FCC test script on our target board that emulates the EspRFTestTool’s sequence of commands and response handling to fulfill the FCC test requirements.

Therefore, could you please provide any information on how to construct the FCC test commands (serial/UART messages) and interpret/handle the responses? Any relevant documentation or guidance would be highly valuable in helping us achieve FCC compliance for our product.

[san-av]

Hi, any updates on my query?

[mantriyogesh]

Let me check back with Ma Li on this. Also, please feel free to poke us if you are blocked on something for hosted.

[san-av]

Hi @ceerqingtingml, @mantriyogesh,

Following up on my earlier query. If you are not able to respond at the moment, or if this requires additional time or internal discussion, could you please let me know when you might be able to share an update?

If this topic would be better addressed through another Espressif forum or a private support channel, please let me know and I will follow up there instead.

Looking forward to your reply.

[ceerqingtingml]

@san-av I have replied via sales@espressif.com.

[mantriyogesh]

As this is not primarily dependent on ESP-Hosted , please check through the sales@espressif.com, as your non esp-hosted queries would get addressed faster there. ESP-Hosted related support is faster here.