WPC ETA Approval for Wi-Fi Routers in India

Wi-Fi works by transmitting data over radio waves in the de-licensed 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands - and, in the latest devices, the 6 GHz band as well. These bands are open for everyone to use precisely because they are tightly regulated; the WPC Wing sets the rules on which frequencies and power levels are permitted so that the millions of routers, phones and IoT devices operating in India do not drown each other out. WPC ETA is how the Wing verifies that your router plays by those rules.

What makes routers distinct is that they almost always operate on multiple bands simultaneously. A typical dual-band router has separate radios for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and a Wi-Fi 6E or tri-band model adds another. From a compliance point of view, every one of those radios is a wireless function that must be tested and declared. This is the single most important thing to get right for a router, because an application that quietly omits one band leads to a certificate that does not actually cover the product as sold - a problem that tends to surface at the worst possible moment, during a customs check or a marketplace audit.

There is also the safety dimension. A router is a mains-connected electronic device, which brings it within the scope of the BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme for many product types. WPC ETA and BIS CRS are entirely separate approvals from different authorities - one for radio, one for safety - and where both apply, you genuinely need both. Handling them together, in a coordinated way, is far more efficient than discovering the second requirement after the first is done.

The WPC ETA process for routers follows the standard online route, with particular care taken over the multi-band RF testing. Here is how we manage it for you from start to finish.

Standard router applications generally complete in around 4 to 6 weeks once testing is done, though many qualify for the faster self-declaration route. No factory inspection is required for WPC ETA. The most common delay with routers comes from RF reports that do not cover every band the device transmits on - so we confirm the full radio profile before testing even begins.

Router documentation is a little more detailed than simpler wireless products because of the multiple radios involved. The required set is:

• RF Test Report covering every band the router uses (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz as applicable) - NABL or ILAC accredited
• Technical specifications - all frequency bands, output power per band, antenna gain
• Block diagram of the RF / radio sections
• User manual and product photographs
• Company documents - GST, Certificate of Incorporation / PAN
• Authorization letter / NOC from the manufacturer
• Import Export Code (IEC) for importers
• Self-declaration for the model

For a router, the government fee is Rs 10,000 per model, plus RF testing charges that are typically a little higher than single-radio devices because multiple bands must be tested. Where a model also needs BIS CRS for safety, that is a separate cost we will set out clearly. As with all WPC ETA, the validity is for the lifetime of the model, so it is a one-time approval unless you change the hardware.

Routers reward experience, because the multi-band testing and the overlap with BIS CRS are exactly where less-specialised filers slip up. We have handled WPC ETA across the full range of networking hardware - single-band, dual-band, tri-band, mesh and enterprise access points - so we know to confirm the complete radio profile before testing, and to flag the BIS requirement early rather than late. We coordinate the labs, file cleanly on Saral Sanchar, manage WPC queries, and act as AIR for foreign brands, giving you one accountable partner for the whole job.