Why Connected MCUs Will Replace Bolt-On Wireless

Bolt-on wireless looked simple, but it created the same failures across every industry: RF issues, missed deadlines, rising BOM costs, and endless integration work. Connected MCUs remove that entire class of problems.

Published on December 9, 2025

Why Connected MCUs Will Replace Bolt-On Wireless

If you’ve spent any time building or supporting connected products over the last decade, you’ve seen the pattern repeat itself: a product team realizes they need wireless, so they bolt on a Wi-Fi module, wire up SDIO or SPI, route antennas where there’s some available space, and duct-tape the firmware stack into place right before release. 

It works…until it doesn’t. And the truth is, most of us knew it was going to be painful the moment that architecture was chosen. 

Whether it’s a forklift, a vitals monitoring device, a handheld scanner, or an HVAC controller, the problems are surprisingly universal. And they all stem from the same root issue: wireless was treated like an accessory instead of part of the system.

We are finally at a turning point. Connected MCUs with integrated WiFi 6 and 6E fundamentally change the architecture of connected products. Modules like Ezurio’s Veda IF912 and Veda IF913, built on Infineon’s AIROC CYW5591x silicon, represent the shift away from bolt-on wireless and toward designs where compute, memory, and connectivity finally operate as one system.

Here is why that shift is happening and what it solves.

The Pain: Bolt-On Wireless Is Not as Simple as It Looks

Customers usually come with the same set of problems:

  1. Integration complexity snowballs quickly

    That “easy” SDIO WiFi module looks fine at first, until you realize:

    • Your host processor cannot keep up under load
    • The driver requires specific kernel patches
    • Layout constraints damage antenna performance
    • You are juggling two separate firmware roadmaps

    By the end, half the schedule is swallowed by issues no one planned for.

  2. RF performance suffers because it has to fit the enclosure, not the system

    Bolt-on designs force antennas into whatever space is left. That might be inside a forklift mast, behind a metal enclosure, or buried under plastic inside a medical device.

    The RF problems are predictable long before they happen, and yet they still happen.

  3. Certifications slow everything down

    When wireless is a separate module, you must:

    • Test the radio module for compliance
    • Test the host MCU for EMI
    • You have to do integration testing when you put them together
    • Repeat certification again anytime the antenna changes

    Teams underestimate this every single time.

  4. The BOM cost keeps increasing

    One board for the host MCU, one for wireless, external memory, custom harnesses, enclosures—by the time the full system is built, the wireless subsystem costs far exceed what the product owner expected.

    And in long-lifecycle industries such as material handling, medical, and commercial HVAC, that pain compounds across entire product lines.

Forklift with external telematics box.png

The Turning Point: Wi-Fi 6 & 6E Connected MCUs

The reason this shift is happening is simple: 

We finally have connected MCUs that are powerful enough, low power enough, and secure enough to replace external wireless subsystems entirely.

The Veda™ IF912 and 913 modules combine:

  • 192 MHz Cortex M33
  • Integrated Flash and PSRAM
  • Dual-band WiFi 6 (IF912) or tri-band WiFi 6E (IF913)
  • Bluetooth LE
  • Industrial temp range
  • Pre-certified global approvals
  • SoC or NCP modes
  • Full security (WPA3, secure boot)


This means the wireless subsystem is no longer bolted on. It’s a self-contained compute & connectivity module that slides directly into your main system design. 

For the first time, the architecture reflects how engineers actually want to built products: 

A single module handling wireless, networking, security, protocol stacks, and memory, instead of scattering those components across multiple boards. Simplifying the integration, RF performance and certification challenges discrete systems have.

Veda IF912 and 913 family image.png

Veda™ IF912 and 913 in Real Applications

Let’s give a real example. One customer in material handling equipment had an external telematics box strapped to forklifts, pallet jacks, and other warehouse vehicles. It worked fine, but they hated the cost and the RF headaches. They wanted the same functionality integrated directly inside the chassis. The Veda™ IF912/913 gave them:

  • A smaller footprint
  • A lower BOM
  • No external enclosure
  • No separate wireless board
  • Integrated memory
  • WiFi 6 for crowded RF environments
  • A common platform for multiple vehicle models


Most importantly, they finally had a design they could standardize across an entire product line, something they could never do with a bolt-on box. One wireless subsystem, one security domain, one certified module, and one unified firmware stack. This is the architecture shift that is happening. 

To learn more about the Veda™ IF912 and IF913, visit: https://www.ezurio.com/partners/silicon-partners/infineon 

To learn more about Infineon’s AIROC CYW5591x family, visit: https://www.infineon.com/products/wireless-connectivity/airoc-connected-mcu