Low-power Wi-Fi 6 MCUs preserve IoT battery life
Renesas has announced the RA6W1 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 wireless MCU, to be followed by the RA6W2 Wi-Fi 6 and BLE combo MCU. Based on an Arm Cortex-M33 CPU running at 160 MHz, these low-power microcontrollers dynamically switch between 2.4-GHz and 5-GHz bands in real time, ensuring a stable, high-speed connection.
The RA6W1 and RA6W2 MCUs use Target Wake Time (TWT) to let IoT devices sleep longer, extending battery life and reducing network congestion. They consume as little as 200 nA to 4 µA in deep sleep and under 50 µA while checking for data, enabling devices to stay connected for a year or more on a single battery. This makes them well-suited for applications requiring real-time control, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air updates— for example, environmental sensors, smart home devices, and medical monitors.
Alongside the RA6W1 and RA6W2 MCUs, Renesas launched two fully integrated modules designed to reduce development time and accelerate time to market. The Wi-Fi 6 (RRQ61001) and Wi-Fi 6/BLE combo (RRQ61051) modules feature built-in antennas, certified RF components, and wireless protocol stacks that comply with global network standards.
The RA6W1 MCU in WLCSP and FCQFN packages, as well as the RRQ61001 and RRQ61051 modules, are available now. The RA6W2 MCU in a BGA package is scheduled for release in Q1 2026.
The post Low-power Wi-Fi 6 MCUs preserve IoT battery life appeared first on EDN.
