NXP has unveiled the IW693 Wi-Fi 6E (and Bluetooth) SoC with 2×2 MIMO for industrial IoT and Smart Home applications, offering a higher-end option to the company’s IW612 tri-radio solution, but which omits an 802.15.4 radio.
The IW693 supports concurrent dual Wi-Fi (CDW) and Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy operation in four modes:
- Mode 1: CDW 2×2 Wi-Fi 6/6E 5-7 GHz (802.11ax) + 1×1 Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz (802.11ax)
- Mode 2: CDW 1×1 Wi-Fi 6/6E 5-7 GHz (802.11ax) + 1×1 Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz (802.11ax)
- Mode 3: 2×2 Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz (802.11ax)
- Mode 4: 2×2 Wi-Fi 6/6E 5-7 GHz (802.11ax)
NXP IW693 specifications:
- Wi-Fi features
- 2×2 Wi-Fi 6/6E and 1×1 Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz concurrent dual wireless mode (mode 1)
- 2×2 radio
- 40 MHz channel for 2.4 GHz (RF paths 2A/2B)
- 1024 QAM (MCS11), up to 80 MHz channel for 5-7 GHz (RF paths 5A/5B)
- 1×1 radio
- 20 MHz channel for 2.4 GHz (RF path C)
- 1024 QAM (MCS11), up to 80 MHz channel for 5-7 GHz (RF paths 5A)
- Shared features for 2×2 and 1×1 radios
- STA and mobile AP
- Wireless Multi-Streaming
- Adaptive Scheduler
- Wi-Fi TSF host clock sync between AP and STA
- Wi-Fi cross-chip TSF clock sync between AP and AP
- OFDMA, target wake-up time (TWT)
- Bluetooth features
- Supports Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy
- High speed, long range, advertising extensions
- Isochronous channels supporting LE Audio
- Integrated PA (+13 dBm)/LNA/SW
- Host interfaces
- WiFi – PCIe (IW693P) and SDIO (IW693S)
- Bluetooth – UART for data + I2S/PCM for audio
- Supply voltage – 1.8 V and 3.3 V
- Package – 11 x 11 x 0.85 mm HVQFN148 with 0.5mm pitch
- Temperature Range – Operating: -40°C to 85°C; storage: -55°C to 125°C
While the company calls it an “SoC”, the IW693 is designed as a WiFi 6E coprocessor connected to a host with PCIe or SDIO for WiFi, and UART and I2S/PCM for Bluetooth. It also incorporates NXP’s Edgelock security technology to help support end-device and application-level security with features like hardware-accelerated secure boot, firmware authentication, secure lifecycle management, and anti-rollback protection.
Target applications for the IW693 include wireless power over Ethernet (POE) hubs, Smart home hubs, mobile routers, IoT gateways, video-enabled smart appliances, wireless medical connectivity, and industrial connectivity. The company also offers the automotive-grade AW693 with the same features, plus AEC-Q100 Grade 2 compliance.
We’ve come a long way since WiFI for IoT meant 2.4 GHz only, and NXP is not the only company to offer Wi-Fi 6E for IoT, as Espressif Systems just announced they were working on WiFi 6E solutions too, and a recent investor report even mentions WiFi 7.
NXP did not provide pricing and availability information for the IW693 itself, but they say module manufacturers are scheduled to offer certified IW693-based modules in Q1 2026. Additional information may be found on the product page and in the press release.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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