Does Zigbee certification replace radio certification (RED, FCC)?

No. Zigbee runs on the IEEE 802.15.4 physical layer, and the radio still has to meet the legal regimes of each market: the Radio Equipment Directive in the EU (EN 300 328 is the harmonised standard for 2.4 GHz wideband equipment), FCC Part 15 in the US. CSA certification is a private interoperability programme: it grants the right to use the Zigbee certified logo and listing, not market access.

What is the latest Zigbee release?

Zigbee 4.0, announced by the Connectivity Standards Alliance on 18 November 2025 together with Suzi, the new brand for the Zigbee Sub-GHz feature. The release lists four specifications: Zigbee Core R23.2, the Base Device specification BDB v3.1, Device Type Library v1.0 and Zigbee Direct v1.1. The CSA states it is fully backward compatible with Zigbee 3.0 and Smart Energy.

Is Suzi a different technology from Zigbee?

No. The CSA describes Suzi as the new brand for the Zigbee Sub-GHz feature, built on the Zigbee network layer and using the European 800 MHz and North American 900 MHz bands. It has its own product certification programme, which the CSA announced as open on 2 September 2026.

Does a pre-certified Zigbee module make my product certified?

No. Under the CSA certification policy (07-4842-14) a module or chip stack is certified as a Compliant Platform, and a product must be certified separately as a Certified Product built on that platform. The platform saves work (for example only one Green Power Proxy Basic test case when the platform was certified for it and is unmodified), but the product still goes through testing at an authorized test laboratory. Only an unchanged certified product placed in a new enclosure can go through the Certification Transfer Program instead.

What triggers a full retest of a certified Zigbee product?

Section 7.7.2 of the certification policy lists: adding or exposing a new feature or cluster, hardware, software or firmware changes to the device the stack and application run on, and a layout change of the module used. Packaging, colour and interface changes that do not affect Zigbee or radio behaviour need no retest, and can be handled through Certification by Similarity.

Do I have to recertify when a new Zigbee version comes out?

Not for a product already certified. Section 5.2 of the policy says a certification is good for the life of the product, so a test plan or specification revision imposes no recertification. New products, and new versions of existing products, are tested against the current test plan once the grace period ends (6 months by default, unless the working group recommends otherwise).

What are the CSA membership tiers and fees?

Four tiers. As published on the CSA membership page (consulted 7 October 2026): Promoter USD 112,500 a year plus an initiation fee, Participant USD 21,500, Adopter USD 7,500, Associate USD 0. Product certification is USD 2,000 per product for Promoter and Participant, USD 3,000 for Adopter. Associates can only rebrand an existing certified product through the Certification Transfer Program, at USD 2,500 per product plus USD 500 per year per product. Fees are flat per tier, not revenue based.

Is Zigbee Green Power only for energy-harvesting products?

The Green Power Device programme is, but the policy makes Green Power Proxy Basic a mandatory feature for all Zigbee 3.0 routing-capable devices (section 6.1.3). A mains-powered router such as a smart plug or a light must therefore pass Green Power proxy testing too.

Zigbee CSA certification: 3.0, 4.0, Suzi and retest rules

Hugues Orgitello updated 7 Oct 2026 12 min read

Zigbee is a mesh networking and application stack built on the IEEE 802.15.4 radio, and its certification is run by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), the name the Zigbee Alliance took in May 2021. Recent changes are substantial: Zigbee 4.0 was released in November 2025, the sub-GHz feature was rebranded Suzi, and Suzi product certification opened in September 2026. This page works from the CSA primary texts (the certification policy, the specification releases and the membership page) and sets out what is certified, what triggers a retest, what it costs at the published rates, and which common readings the texts contradict.

Zigbee releases, dated

Every date below comes from a CSA release or document, except the R21/R22 stack revisions, which are taken from a silicon vendor white paper.

Date	Release	What changed	Source
2002	Zigbee Alliance established	The CSA still gives 2002 as its founding year	CSA press boilerplate
16 Dec 2015	Zigbee 3.0 ratified	Unifies the earlier application profiles (Home Automation, Light Link and others) into one common application layer, with Green Power support	CSA newsroom
2015 / 2017	Zigbee PRO 2015 (R21), then Zigbee PRO 2017 (R22)	Core stack revisions used under Zigbee 3.0; R22 replaced R21 as the required core	TI white paper SWRA615 (secondary)
11 May 2021	Zigbee Alliance renamed Connectivity Standards Alliance	Matter brand announced the same day; the Alliance keeps the Zigbee brand	CSA press release
24 Jan 2023	Zigbee Direct	Onboarding and control of Zigbee devices over Bluetooth Low Energy, released with its certification programme	CSA newsroom
Mar 2023 (announced 12 Apr 2023)	Zigbee PRO 2023 (R23)	Dynamic Link Key, Device Interview, Trust Center Swap Out, sub-GHz PHY (800 MHz Europe, 900 MHz North America). The CSA FAQ states that the PRO 2023 features are optional	CSA newsroom, CSA FAQ
18 Nov 2025	Zigbee 4.0 and the Suzi brand	Specifications listed: Zigbee Core R23.2, Base Device specification BDB v3.1, Device Type Library v1.0, Zigbee Direct v1.1	CSA press release
2 Sep 2026	Suzi product certification opens	Certification for Zigbee sub-GHz (Suzi) products; CSA membership required	CSA newsroom

At the April 2023 announcement the CSA reported more than 3,900 certified Zigbee products and more than a billion chipsets sold.

What Zigbee 4.0 adds

The 18 November 2025 release groups its features in three blocks. The CSA describes them as "a range of optional features, enabling product manufacturers to choose the specific set that best fits their product". Verify which ones your target device type requires before scoping the test plan.

Area	Features named in the CSA release
Authentication and joining	Dynamic Link Key, Device Interview, Smart Energy Authentication Level Control
Network management	Restricted Mode, Secured Channel, PAN ID Changes, Trust Center Swap Out
Replay protection	Advanced Frame Counter Synchronization
Reliability	Standardized network-level retries, more reliable data polling for sleepy end devices, expanded use of APS acknowledgements
Resilience	Formalized Parent Selection, Unique Link Key Monitoring, Trust Center Connectivity
Onboarding	Zigbee Direct (BLE onboarding and control without a hub), Batch Commissioning
Low power	Sleepy-to-sleepy communication using Coordinated Sample Listening (CSL)
Radio	European 800 MHz and North American 900 MHz PHY, on top of 2.4 GHz

The CSA states that Zigbee 4.0 is fully backward compatible with Zigbee 3.0 and Smart Energy. The release does not give a separate end date for Zigbee 3.0 product certification: check the current programme list in the CSA certification tool before choosing between 3.0 and 4.0 for a new product.

Suzi, the sub-GHz branch

Suzi is not a separate protocol. The CSA calls it the new brand for the Sub-GHz feature of Zigbee, built on the Zigbee network layer, aimed at longer range in buildings, outdoor spaces and industrial sites. It uses the European 800 MHz and North American 900 MHz bands that Zigbee PRO 2023 introduced. The November 2025 release planned the Suzi Certification Program for the first half of 2026; the CSA announced it as open on 2 September 2026.

For the radio side this matters more than the brand: a sub-GHz product is not assessed against EN 300 328 in the EU but against the short range device standards for its band (EN 300 220 series), and in the US against the 902 to 928 MHz rules of FCC Part 15.

Bands and data rates

The CSA Zigbee FAQ gives these raw figures:

Band (as worded by the CSA FAQ)	Raw data rate	Channels
2.4 GHz, global	250 kbps	16
915 to 921 MHz	500 kbps	27
868 MHz, Europe	100 kbps	63

For the 2.4 GHz band, section 7.8.5 of the certification policy names channels 11 and 26 as the first and last channels, which receive the full PHY test set during a spot check.

How CSA certification is structured

The CSA Certification Policy (document 07-4842-14, dated 14 April 2022) is the text that governs Zigbee certification. The table maps the sections that matter for a product project.

Section	Rule
2.2	Testing and certification are separate. Authorized test laboratories test; only the CSA grants certification
2.7	Two types: Compliant Platform (a radio plus processor running Zigbee firmware) and Certified Product. With few exceptions, a certified Compliant Platform is a mandatory prerequisite for a Certified Product
2.14	Testing fees are set by each laboratory; certification fees are set by the CSA and depend on membership type
2.15	The member must obtain its manufacturer-specific identification (Manufacturer Code, Green Power SrcID pool) before certifying, and use only its own unless the owner consents
3.4.1	Platforms must be built on compliant IEEE 802.15.4 PHY/MAC layers, tested to CSA document 14-0332
5.1	Certification is awarded to a particular version of a product. A modified product is a new version that cannot claim certification without going through the programme
5.2	A certification is good for the life of the product: a test plan revision does not force recertification
5.2.1	After a specification or test plan revision, a grace period allows certification to the old one. Default: 6 months unless the working group recommends otherwise
6.1.2 (note)	After the Zigbee 3.0 grace period, the only legacy profile programme left is Zigbee Smart Energy (ZSE)
6.1.3	Zigbee 3.0 products conform to the Base Device specification (BDB), the Zigbee Cluster Library and one or more device specifications. Green Power Proxy Basic is mandatory for all routing-capable Zigbee 3.0 devices
6.2	Green Power Devices (energy-harvesting senders) have their own product programme with no platform programme
7.1	Certification by Similarity covers changes such as colour, enclosure or language. If the original product is older than three years, complete testing is required
7.3	The CSA answers a Testing Exemption Request within one calendar week
8.1	Certification Transfer Program: a certified product from a Participant or Promoter member embedded unchanged in a new enclosure; only manufacturer and device descriptions may change, without recompiling the firmware

The policy also lists Product Family Certification (section 9). The current CSA certification page names four routes for Zigbee: Product, Platform, Certification by Similarity and the Transfer Program.

Retest triggers, per change

Section 7 of the policy is the part most projects need and few summaries reproduce. For a Certified Product (7.7) and for the 802.15.4 radio (7.8):

Change	Consequence	Section
Packaging change (colour, shape)	No retest	7.7.1
Interface change not affecting Zigbee or radio (display type, button style)	No retest	7.7.1
Hardware change not affecting Zigbee (switch position, metrology, button location)	No retest	7.7.1
New feature or cluster added or exposed	Full retest	7.7.2
Hardware, software or firmware change on the device running the stack and application	Full retest	7.7.2
Layout change of the module used	Full retest	7.7.2
Radio IC change, or software/firmware change affecting the radio	Full 802.15.4 retest	7.8.1
Change requiring retest by regulatory authorities	Full 802.15.4 retest	7.8.1
PA added or changed	All Tx tests, Rx spot check	7.8.2
LNA added or changed	All Rx tests, Tx spot check	7.8.2
Other external components on the radio IC, RF enclosure, board layout	Spot check	7.8.2
Change of I/O interface to the board	No retest	7.8.3

For products, the policy notes that spot checks are rarely worth it: "it would be cheaper and faster to retest fully if needed". Plan for a full retest whenever firmware changes.

Membership and published fees

The CSA publishes its fees on its membership page. Figures below were read on 7 October 2026; check the page before budgeting, as they can change.

Tier	Annual fee	Certify a product	Certify own derivative	Implement a product via the Transfer Program	Working groups	Board seat
Promoter	USD 112,500 plus a one-time initiation fee	USD 2,000	USD 1,500	USD 1,500	Participate, vote, chair	Yes
Participant	USD 21,500	USD 2,000	USD 1,500	USD 1,500	Participate, vote, chair	No
Adopter	USD 7,500	USD 3,000	USD 2,500	USD 2,500	No	No
Associate	USD 0	Not allowed	Not allowed	USD 2,500 per product plus USD 500 per year per product	No	No

Two consequences from the policy and the membership page together:

Only Promoter and Participant members can certify products that a third party can then take over through the Certification Transfer Program.
Laboratory testing fees are separate and set by each authorized test laboratory (policy section 2.14).

The official test tool, ZUTH (Zigbee Unified Test Harness), is used by the authorized test laboratories and is available to members from the Adopter level for pre-certification testing, with licences at no cost on request to the CSA certification team.

For a cross-cutting view of certification budgets, see certification costs.

Certification path, step by step

Join the CSA at Adopter level or above, and obtain the Manufacturer Code (policy 2.15).
Choose the standard and version: Zigbee 3.0 or Zigbee 4.0 at 2.4 GHz, Suzi for sub-GHz, Smart Energy for utility metering, Green Power Device for an energy-harvesting sender.
Start from a certified Compliant Platform (the chip vendor stack) and record whether it was certified for Green Power Proxy Basic.
Fill in the PICS (Protocol Implementation Conformity Statement): the test plan must cover every PICS item, including optional features you declare.
Pre-test with ZUTH.
Test at an authorized test laboratory listed by the CSA. The laboratory reports results directly to the CSA.
Certification decision by the CSA and listing on the CSA certified products page.
Use the logo under the CSA trademark and logo guidelines. Misuse is a ground for revocation in the policy.

The policy gives no overall duration. Ask the chosen laboratory for its lead time.

Where Zigbee sits in the certification stack

Regime	Scope	Required when
CE marking, RED	Safety, EMC, spectrum (Article 3(2)), and since 1 August 2025 the Article 3(3)(d)(e)(f) cybersecurity requirements for equipment in scope of the delegated act	Placing on the EU market
FCC Part 15	Intentional radiators	Placing on the US market
CSA Zigbee or Suzi	Stack, device type and cluster conformance	Zigbee logo or listing used, interoperability claimed
CSA Matter	Separate programme, see Matter certification	The product also speaks Matter, or bridges Zigbee to Matter
Thread Group	Separate programme, see Thread Group	The product also runs Thread
Bluetooth SIG	Bluetooth SIG qualification	The product uses BLE, for example Zigbee Direct

None of these substitutes for another. See RED procedure and FCC scope for the radio regimes, and the Cyber Resilience Act for the horizontal cybersecurity regulation (reporting obligations from 11 September 2026, full application from 11 December 2027).

Underlying radio conformance

EU, 2.4 GHz: RED Article 3(2), harmonised standard EN 300 328 for 2.4 GHz wideband transmission systems. See RED procedure.
US, 2.4 GHz: FCC Part 15, section 15.247 covers digitally modulated systems (the IEEE 802.15.4 2.4 GHz PHY uses DSSS) in the 2400 to 2483.5 MHz band. See FCC scope.
Sub-GHz (Suzi, 800/900 MHz): EN 300 220 series in the EU, 902 to 928 MHz rules of FCC Part 15 in the US.

CSA certification covers none of these. Section 7.8.1 of the policy works the other way round: a change that requires retest by regulatory authorities also triggers a full 802.15.4 retest on the CSA side.

Zigbee, Thread and Matter

Criterion	Zigbee	Thread	Matter
What it is	Network and application stack on 802.15.4	IPv6 mesh network layer on 802.15.4	Application layer on IP (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Thread), BLE for commissioning
Bands	2.4 GHz, plus 800/900 MHz (Suzi)	2.4 GHz	Those of the IP transport
IP	No	Yes	Yes
Certification body	CSA	Thread Group	CSA

Practical points:

Zigbee and Thread share the same 802.15.4 radio, and many SoCs run both. Each stack is certified in its own programme: a Thread certification gives no Zigbee credit and vice versa.
Zigbee and Matter are both CSA programmes but separate specifications, test plans and certifications. A product that speaks both is certified twice, and a Zigbee to Matter bridge is a Matter product in its own right.
Zigbee Direct adds a BLE link, so the product also needs Bluetooth qualification and BLE radio conformance.

Claims the texts contradict

Common claim (including earlier versions of this page)	What the text says
"A product built on a pre-certified Zigbee module inherits the module certification"	A module or stack is a Compliant Platform; the product is a separate Certified Product that is tested on top of it (policy 2.7, 6.1.3). Only an unchanged certified product in a new enclosure can use the Transfer Program (8.1)
"Changing the Zigbee firmware triggers a partial recertification"	Adding a feature or cluster, or any firmware change on the device running the stack, is a full retest (7.7.2). The policy itself advises full retests over spot checks for products (7.7.3)
"A certified product must be recertified when it migrates to a new Zigbee version or when the test plan changes"	Certification is good for the life of the product (5.2). What needs certification is a new version of the product (5.1)
"Zigbee 3.0 dates from 2016"	Zigbee 3.0 was ratified on 16 December 2015
"Zigbee 4.0 is announced but not released"	Zigbee 4.0 was released on 18 November 2025 with four named specifications
"Suzi is a separate solution, not a Zigbee profile"	The CSA calls Suzi the brand for the Zigbee Sub-GHz feature, built on the Zigbee network layer. Its certification programme opened on 2 September 2026
"Green Power only concerns energy-harvesting products"	Green Power Proxy Basic is mandatory for every routing-capable Zigbee 3.0 device (6.1.3)
"CSA fees cannot be quoted" or "membership is tiered by revenue"	The CSA publishes flat fees per tier and per product on its membership page
"Certification by Similarity can be granted by the test laboratory"	Only the CSA grants it; no laboratory may grant or pursue it on behalf of the CSA (7.1)

Planning checklist

Membership tier chosen with the per-product fee in mind (USD 3,000 at Adopter, USD 2,000 at Participant and Promoter).
Manufacturer Code obtained before submission.
Target standard and version fixed (Zigbee 3.0, Zigbee 4.0, Suzi, Smart Energy, Green Power Device).
Compliant Platform identified, including its Green Power Proxy Basic status if the device routes.
PICS complete, optional features declared on purpose.
Firmware frozen before laboratory testing: any later change is a new product version.
RED or FCC radio testing run in parallel, with the same hardware revision.

See the certification glossary for the related terms.

Frequently asked questions

Does Zigbee certification replace radio certification (RED, FCC)?: No. Zigbee runs on the IEEE 802.15.4 physical layer, and the radio still has to meet the legal regimes of each market: the Radio Equipment Directive in the EU (EN 300 328 is the harmonised standard for 2.4 GHz wideband equipment), FCC Part 15 in the US. CSA certification is a private interoperability programme: it grants the right to use the Zigbee certified logo and listing, not market access.
What is the latest Zigbee release?: Zigbee 4.0, announced by the Connectivity Standards Alliance on 18 November 2025 together with Suzi, the new brand for the Zigbee Sub-GHz feature. The release lists four specifications: Zigbee Core R23.2, the Base Device specification BDB v3.1, Device Type Library v1.0 and Zigbee Direct v1.1. The CSA states it is fully backward compatible with Zigbee 3.0 and Smart Energy.
Is Suzi a different technology from Zigbee?: No. The CSA describes Suzi as the new brand for the Zigbee Sub-GHz feature, built on the Zigbee network layer and using the European 800 MHz and North American 900 MHz bands. It has its own product certification programme, which the CSA announced as open on 2 September 2026.
Does a pre-certified Zigbee module make my product certified?: No. Under the CSA certification policy (07-4842-14) a module or chip stack is certified as a Compliant Platform, and a product must be certified separately as a Certified Product built on that platform. The platform saves work (for example only one Green Power Proxy Basic test case when the platform was certified for it and is unmodified), but the product still goes through testing at an authorized test laboratory. Only an unchanged certified product placed in a new enclosure can go through the Certification Transfer Program instead.
What triggers a full retest of a certified Zigbee product?: Section 7.7.2 of the certification policy lists: adding or exposing a new feature or cluster, hardware, software or firmware changes to the device the stack and application run on, and a layout change of the module used. Packaging, colour and interface changes that do not affect Zigbee or radio behaviour need no retest, and can be handled through Certification by Similarity.
Do I have to recertify when a new Zigbee version comes out?: Not for a product already certified. Section 5.2 of the policy says a certification is good for the life of the product, so a test plan or specification revision imposes no recertification. New products, and new versions of existing products, are tested against the current test plan once the grace period ends (6 months by default, unless the working group recommends otherwise).
What are the CSA membership tiers and fees?: Four tiers. As published on the CSA membership page (consulted 7 October 2026): Promoter USD 112,500 a year plus an initiation fee, Participant USD 21,500, Adopter USD 7,500, Associate USD 0. Product certification is USD 2,000 per product for Promoter and Participant, USD 3,000 for Adopter. Associates can only rebrand an existing certified product through the Certification Transfer Program, at USD 2,500 per product plus USD 500 per year per product. Fees are flat per tier, not revenue based.
Is Zigbee Green Power only for energy-harvesting products?: The Green Power Device programme is, but the policy makes Green Power Proxy Basic a mandatory feature for all Zigbee 3.0 routing-capable devices (section 6.1.3). A mains-powered router such as a smart plug or a light must therefore pass Green Power proxy testing too.