Wi-Fi and Bluetooth products under the RED

Usually yes. A product with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BLE or another intentional radio communication function fits the RED concept of radio equipment when it intentionally emits or receives radio waves for radio communication. The assessment should cover the complete finished product placed on the EU market, including accessories, antennas, software and firmware needed for the radio equipment to operate as intended.

Do not reduce the file to a module certificate. A pre-certified radio module can be useful evidence, but the manufacturer or importer still needs a product-level RED decision for the final configuration, enclosure, antenna, power supply, firmware, host interface, instructions, restrictions, EU declaration and CE marking.

The baseline obligations are not optional: health and safety, EMC and efficient spectrum use apply to radio equipment. For Wi-Fi and Bluetooth products this normally means safety and exposure evidence, EMC evidence, radio test evidence for each supported band and mode, and a standards matrix showing which essential requirements are covered.

Article 10 also matters in day-to-day product work. Instructions for intentional transmitters must include the frequency bands and maximum radio-frequency power. If the product is subject to restrictions on putting into service or authorisation-of-use requirements in at least one Member State, packaging and instructions need the required restriction information.

A Wi-Fi or Bluetooth product needs a cybersecurity applicability decision, not a generic yes/no label. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/30 applies Article 3(3)(d) to radio equipment that can communicate itself over the internet, directly or through other equipment. It applies Article 3(3)(e) to listed categories when they can process personal, traffic or location data, and Article 3(3)(f) to internet-connected radio equipment that enables transfers of money, monetary value or virtual currency.

The application date was moved to 1 August 2025 by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2444. For Wi-Fi products this often means the cybersecurity file is in scope. For Bluetooth-only products, the answer depends on the actual architecture: for example, whether the equipment itself can communicate over the internet via a phone, gateway or other equipment, whether it is childcare, toy or wearable radio equipment, what data it processes, and whether it enables payment or value transfer.

Harmonised standards are voluntary, but when their references are published in the Official Journal and they are fully applied for the relevant requirement, they can give presumption of conformity for the requirement they cover. For Wi-Fi and Bluetooth products, keep the OJEU-cited standard reference, version, cessation date if relevant, and the exact requirement coverage in the standards matrix.

The notified-body trigger is especially important for Article 3(2) spectrum and Article 3(3) requirements. Commission RED guidance states that if relevant harmonised standards cited in the OJEU for Article 3(2) or 3(3) are not applied, not fully applied or do not exist, the manufacturer or authorised representative must use a conformity assessment procedure involving a notified body.

The most common mistake is treating wireless compliance as a module procurement exercise. RED compliance belongs to the finished radio equipment placed on the EU market, so the compliance file should show how the module evidence, host design, antenna, power supply, enclosure, software, installation instructions and intended use fit together.

Another recurring issue is stale evidence after software or configuration changes. If an update changes radio behavior, cybersecurity behavior, software loaded into the equipment, restrictions, user information or the standards relied on, reopen the RED file before shipping the changed configuration.