Renesas Electronics Corporation, a leading provider of advanced semiconductor solutions, has unveiled the RA6W1 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 microcontroller (MCU) and the RA6W2 MCU, which combines Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) connectivity. These MCUs are designed to meet the rising demand for always-connected, energy-efficient IoT devices across smart home, industrial, medical, and consumer sectors. To further streamline development, Renesas also introduced fully integrated modules featuring built-in antennas, pre-validated RF connectivity, and complete wireless protocol stacks.
Always-On Connectivity with Ultra-Low Power IoT
Today’s IoT devices need to remain always connected to enhance usability and ensure fast response times, all while minimizing power consumption to extend battery life and comply with eco-friendly standards.
Renesas’ Wi-Fi 6 MCUs include features such as Target Wake Time (TWT), allowing devices to stay in extended sleep modes without sacrificing cloud connectivity or efficiency.
This capability is especially important for applications like environmental sensors, smart locks, thermostats, surveillance cameras, and medical monitors, where real-time control, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air (OTA) updates are essential.
Scalable RA MCU Architecture with Full Software Support
Powered by the Arm Cortex-M33 CPU core at 160 MHz and equipped with 704 KB of SRAM, these MCUs allow engineers to build cost-effective, standalone IoT applications using integrated communication interfaces and analog peripherals eliminating the need for an external MCU.
Alternatively, designers can pair the RA6W1 or RA6W2 with a host MCU chosen from Renesas’ extensive RA portfolio, using them as connectivity and networking add-ons.
Both MCUs are compatible with Renesas’ Flexible Software Package (FSP) and the e² studio integrated development environment. As the first Wi-Fi MCUs in the RA lineup, they provide a scalable platform that enables seamless software reuse across the RA family.
Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6: High-Performance 2.4 & 5 GHz Connectivity
Supporting both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, the MCUs provide high throughput, low latency, and energy-efficient operation. Their dual-band functionality automatically selects the optimal frequency based on real-time conditions, ensuring a stable, high-speed connection even in crowded network environments.
Advanced features like Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT) further enhance performance and power efficiency, making these MCUs ideal for dense urban deployments and battery-powered IoT devices.
Robust Protection and Matter Interoperability
The RA6W1 and RA6W2 MCUs feature advanced built-in security, including AES-256 encryption, secure boot, key storage, a true random number generator (TRNG), and XiP with on-the-fly decryption, ensuring data remains protected from unauthorized access.
The RA6W1 is RED certified (Radio Equipment Directive), helping developers future-proof their designs. Both devices are Matter-ready and certified with Matter 1.4, ensuring compatibility across smart home platforms. Renesas also supports these MCUs and modules through the Renesas Product Longevity Program, providing 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 reduce BOM costs. With both hosted and hostless implementation options, customers can confidently begin their wireless onboarding journey and seamlessly integrate into next-generation connected systems.
Renesas offers two types of modules for the RA6W2: Wi-Fi 6 (RRQ61001) and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE combo (RRQ61051). These modules simplify design by integrating certified RF components along with complete wireless connectivity stacks that meet global network standards.
Supported RF certifications 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 providing system-level connectivity, the RA6W2 modules help developers reduce design complexity and accelerate time-to-market for IoT applications.
Winning Combinations
Renesas offers solutions such as “Advanced Low-Power Wireless HMI for Household Appliances” and “Automatic Pet Door & Tracking System”, which combine the new Wi-Fi 6 MCU and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth LE MCU with a variety of compatible devices from its portfolio. These form part of Renesas’ Winning Combinations technically vetted system architectures where mutually compatible devices work seamlessly together, providing optimized, low-risk designs for faster time to market.
Currently, Renesas provides more than 400 Winning Combinations across its product portfolio, helping customers accelerate the design process and bring their products to market more quickly.
