Wi-Fi 7 expands beyond PCs into low-power IoT devices

January 12, 2026 /SemiMedia/ — Infineon Technologies said on Thursday it has introduced a new Wi-Fi 7 connectivity chip aimed at Internet of Things devices, as the industry begins extending the latest wireless standard beyond smartphones and PCs into power-constrained applications.

The AIROC ACW741x family integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth Low Energy 6.0 and IEEE 802.15.4 Thread into a single device. Infineon said the product is the first Wi-Fi 7 solution for IoT designed exclusively for 20 MHz channels, prioritising low power consumption and stable connectivity over peak throughput.

The launch follows recent moves by the Wi-Fi Alliance to include 20 MHz-only devices in its Wi-Fi 7 certification programme, a step seen as critical for broad adoption of the standard across IoT use cases such as smart homes, building automation and industrial systems.

Low-power design and multi-link features target dense environments

Infineon said the chip supports a Multi-Link feature optimised for IoT, allowing devices to maintain or switch connections across the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands to mitigate congestion and interference in dense wireless environments.

Designed for battery-powered devices, the ACW741x targets applications including security cameras, door locks and thermostats, where ultra-low connected standby power is critical. The company said the architecture significantly reduces standby power compared with existing IoT Wi-Fi solutions.

The chip also integrates wireless sensing capabilities, including Wi-Fi channel state information and Bluetooth channel sounding, enabling functions such as ranging and contextual awareness. High levels of on-chip integration and a compact QFN package are intended to lower system cost and ease migration to Wi-Fi 7 for IoT device makers.

Infineon said the ACW741x family is currently sampling, with development kits available to customers.