TOKYO, Japan, Dec 11, 2025 – Renesas Electronics is expanding its IoT connectivity lineup with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) solutions, led by the RA6W1 dual-band microcontroller (MCU) and the RA6W2 MCU with integrated Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE. Aimed at smart home, industrial, medical, and consumer applications, the MCUs address the demand for always-connected, low-power IoT systems. Renesas has also introduced integrated wireless modules with built-in antennas, wireless protocol stacks, and pre-validated RF connectivity.
Ultra-Low-Power Operation for Always-Connected IoT
For devices that rely on real-time control, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air (OTA) updates, Renesas’ Wi-Fi 6 MCUs use Target Wake Time (TWT) to maintain cloud connectivity while extending sleep cycles and reducing power consumption. The approach supports applications such as environmental sensors, smart locks, thermostats, surveillance cameras, and medical monitors.
Renesas designed both MCU groups for low-power consumption, operating at 200 nA to 4 µA in sleep mode and under 50 µA in Delivery Traffic Indication Message (DTIM10). Their “sleepy connected” Wi-Fi function keeps devices online with minimal power draw, aligning with the energy-efficiency requirements.
Scalable RA MCU Architecture with Full Software Support
Engineers can use the RA6W1 and RA6W2 MCUs to build standalone IoT devices without a separate control MCU. Each device integrates communication interfaces, analog peripherals, and an Arm Cortex-M33 core running at 160 MHz with 704 KB of SRAM. This removes the need for a separate control MCU in many designs. The RA6W1 and RA6W2 can operate as wireless add-ons when paired with a host MCU from Renesas’ RA family. Both MCUs support the Flexible Software Package (FSP) and the e² studio development environment, allowing developers to build on existing RA workflows. As the first Wi-Fi MCUs in the RA portfolio, they establish a scalable platform and promote software reuse across the RA portfolio.
High Performance Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 with 2.4 and 5 GHz Connectivity
The MCUs support 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands, which helps improve throughput, reduce latency, and lower power consumption. The dual-band design can switch bands based on real-time conditions to keep the connection stable, even when many devices share the network. They also include Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and TWT for data transfer. These features improve performance in urban environments and extend battery life in portable devices.
Robust Security and Matter-Certified Interoperability
Renesas equips the RA6W1 and RA6W2 MCUs with security features such as AES-256 encryption, secure boot, key storage, TRNG , and XiP support with on-the-fly decryption. Together, these functions protect data against unauthorized access. The RA6W1 is RED certified (Radio Equipment Directive), which can simplify compliance for future designs. It is Matter-ready, certified to Matter 1.4, and works across smart home platforms. Renesas supports the MCUs and their related modules through its Product Longevity Program, which provides 15 years of support for MCUs and 10 years for modules.
“We’re offering our customers the flexibility to design with a standalone Wi-Fi device, a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE combo, or fully integrated modules depending on their needs,” said Chandana Pairla, VP of the connectivity solutions division at Renesas. “These wireless solutions save power, simplify system design and lower BOM cost. With hosted or hostless implementation options, customers can confidently begin their wireless onboarding journey and seamlessly integrate into next-generation connected systems.”
Two types of modules, Wi-Fi 6 (RRQ61001) and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE combo (RRQ61051) simplify design by integrating RF components and wireless connectivity stacks that comply with global network standards. Supported RF certification standards include the U.S. (FCC), Canada (IC), Brazil (ANATEL), Europe (CE/RED), UK (UKCA), Japan (Telec), South Korea (KCC), China (SRRC) and Taiwan (NCC). By integrating connectivity at the system level, the modules reduce design effort and accelerate time to market.
Winning Combinations
Renesas offers “Advanced Low-Power Wireless HMI for Household Appliances” and “Automatic Pet Door & Tracking System” that combine the Wi-Fi 6 MCU and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE MCU with compatible devices from its portfolio to offer an array of Winning Combinations. Renesas offers more than 400 Winning Combinations from the Renesas portfolio to enable customers to speed up the design process and bring their products to market.
Availability
The RA6W1 MCU is available in FCQFN and WLCSP packages, along with the RRQ61001 and RRQ61051 modules. The RA6W2 MCU (BGA package) will be available in Q1/2026. The devices are supported by the FSP, e² studio, evaluation kit and software development kit (SDK) that include flash memory, PCB trace antennas, connectors and embedded power profiler for power consumption analysis. Renesas also offers software tools to aid system application development, as well as the Production Line Tool (PLT) for production testing of wireless MCUs.
Source: Renesas Electronics
About Renesas Electronics Corporation
Renesas Electronics, based in Tokyo, supplies power management integrated circuits (PMICs) and ships more than 1.5 billion power devices annually for computing, industrial, IoT, data center, and communications markets. Its portfolio includes PMICs, discrete devices, GaN power products, and design tools such as PowerCompass and PowerNavigator. These work with microcontrollers, SoCs, and connectivity solutions to support system design. The company was formed in 2010 through the merger of Renesas Technology and NEC Electronics, with origins in semiconductor units of Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and NEC.