# The Radio Equipment Directive (RED) — What Every Wireless Product Must Meet

The Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU is the primary EU legislation covering any device that intentionally transmits or receives radio waves. If your product has Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular, Zigbee, or any other wireless capability, RED applies to you. This short breaks down the three essential requirements, the key standards, and what often gets missed.


## Transcript

### Who RED applies to

If your product transmits or receives radio waves — Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular, Zigbee, anything — the Radio Equipment Directive applies to you in the EU. It's not optional, and missing it is one of the most common CE marking errors hardware companies make.

### Three essential requirements and key standards

RED has three essential requirements. Health and safety references EN 62368-1. EMC uses EN 55032 and EN 55035. Spectrum efficiency covers the radio tests: EN 300 328 for Bluetooth and 2.4GHz WiFi, EN 301 893 for 5GHz WiFi. A module's RED compliance doesn't cover the host — test the complete assembly, and get an EU Authorised Representative on the DoC.

### What gets missed

If you're putting a wireless module into a product, plan for system-level RED testing, not just module-level. Get your EU Authorised Representative in place before signing the Declaration of Conformity, and confirm your lab's scope covers the ETSI standards for your radio bands.

Tags: RED directive, radio equipment, CE marking, wireless, EU compliance