Connectivity Innovation Remained at the Forefront of CES 2026

CES 2026 saw multiple new announcements and product launches that demonstrated the continued innovation and evolution of the wireless connectivity market. Chief among these included the certification of 20 Megahertz (MHz) Wi-Fi 7 for the Internet of Things (IoT), the unveiling of new Wi-Fi 8 platforms and product demonstrations, Wi-Fi HaLow solutions, Matter 1.5 cameras, Near Field Communication (NFC) commissioning for Matter, the first Aliro-ready smart door locks, growing traction for Z-Wave and Z-Wave Long Range devices, and a variety of Ultra-Wideband (UWB) product announcements and demonstrations across multiple market segments.

Wi-Fi 7: In addition to unveiling new Wi-Fi 7 routers and Access Points (APs) as the technology continues to mature and proliferate further into the mainstream, another key announcement at the show came from the Wi-Fi Alliance, which revealed that it was releasing a new certification for Wi-Fi 7 client devices operating in 20 MHz channels only. This new certification is targeted at client devices that are looking to take advantage of Wi-Fi 7 features such as Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Downlink and Uplink (DL/UL) Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO), and Multiple Resource Units (Multi-RUs), bringing reduced power consumption, smaller form factor, and lower cost solutions, alongside enhanced reliability and robustness. Supporting this new certification at the show was Infineon, which introduced the industry’s first 20 MHz Wi-Fi 7 product family, the AIROC™ ACW741x. This new product family combines Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth® Low Energy (LE) with Channel Sounding, 802.15.4 Thread, and support for Matter all on a single chipset. As quoted in the press release itself, ABI Research believes that the availability of IoT-centric Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth®, and 802.15.4 multi-protocol solutions, such as Infineon’s AIROC™ ACW741x, will be the critical enablers of more robust, efficient, and intelligent edge devices. ABI Research also anticipates that this 20 MHz-only Wi-Fi 7 device category will see rapid adoption in the consumer and industrial markets, enabling the next generation of smart devices to flourish. As mentioned in a previous ABI Insight, “A Look Ahead to the Key Connectivity Trends and Challenges of 2026,” while Wi-Fi 6 has become the dominant technology for Wi-Fi IoT applications, ABI Research expects the growing availability of IoT-centric Wi-Fi 7 solutions to arrive in 2026, following Ceva’s announcement of its Ceva-Waves Wi-Fi 7 1×1 client IP in October 2025. These more IoT-centric solutions will help provide more deterministic connectivity for a range of devices that are also seeking to integrate AI capabilities. More broadly, the Wi-Fi 7 rollout will continue to accelerate in mainstream devices such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, and TVs.

Wi-Fi 8: As expected in our outlook for connectivity in 2026, Wi-Fi 8 featured prominently at the show. MediaTek announced its new Filogic 8000 Wi-Fi 8 platform. Broadcom announced its latest Wi-Fi 8 BCM4918 Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) and two new dual-band Wi-Fi 8 platforms, the BCM6714 and BCM6719. ASUS unveiled its Wi-Fi 8 concept router and throughput test, while TP-Link also demonstrated a working Wi-Fi 8 connection. Wi-Fi 8, due to its emphasis on ultra-high reliability, enhanced efficiency, improved coverage and range, and reduced latency, will be tightly coupled with future messaging around AI capabilities and service enablement across home and enterprise applications. 

Wi-Fi HaLow: Wi-Fi HaLow continues to evolve with the availability of HaLowLink 2, Morse Micro’s latest router/AP and extender solution, alongside a clear demonstration of the growing HaLow ecosystem across multiple markets and device types. Another notable event was the announcement of a strategic collaboration between Edgecore Networks and Synaptics, which demonstrated their next-generation AIoT Edge with support for Wi-Fi HaLow. The solution combines Synaptics’ Astra™ SL1620 embedded IoT processor, along with its multi-protocol Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and 802.15.4 SYN4612 chip, in addition to Morse Micro’s Wi-Fi HaLow technology. Such solutions are a huge step forward for Wi-Fi HaLow adoption in many markets. Around the show, AsiaRF announced the official launch of its WiBRAVO brand of high-end Visible-talking Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) and Intelligent Emergency Operations Center (EOC) platforms, which combines Wi-Fi 7 for close-range 4K streaming and Wi-Fi HaLow for extended range coverage of up to 1 Kilometer (km).

Sub-GHz: Sub-GHz was a hot topic more broadly, following the recent announcements of Zigbee 4.0 and Suzi, the new brand for Zigbee’s sub-GHz feature, alongside the expansion of Z-Wave Long Range (ZWLR) solutions. ZWLR was heavily present at CES 2026, with many new devices, along with the announcement that there are now 125 ZWLR-certified devices now on the market. The delivery of extended home and neighborhood-level connectivity looks to be a key theme for 2026, though the ongoing battleground for sub-GHz spectrum in the United States, particularly related to the lower 900 MHz band, could disrupt future innovation here. The following ABI Insight covers these trends in more detail: “Z-Wave’s Long Range Technology Gains Momentum as Competition for Sub-GHz Spectrum Intensifies.”

UWB and Next-Generation UWB: UWB’s continued evolution was another key theme at the show. SPARK Microsystems demonstrated its SPARK SR1120 LE-UWB™ wireless transceiver in applications such as AI wearables, presence detection IoT sensors, and gaming and esports Human Interface Devices (HIDs). SPARK Microsystems also highlighted its growing number of LE-UWB™ partnerships, including with Softgent and Focal. On the smart access side, Aqara debuted its Smart Lock U400, which will also support the upcoming Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) Aliro standard for access control, while Xthings also unveiled its Bolt Mission UWB deadbolt.  

Meanwhile, the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) announced that 115 vehicle and modules had achieved CCC Digital Key™ certification, demonstrating growing momentum for the secure access standard globally, while many vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) at the show were demonstrating UWB digital key solutions. Alongside this, NXP demonstrated a range of UWB use cases, including wireless Battery Management Systems (BMSs). On the consumer end, Motorola announced a new smart tag, the moto tag 2, and moto sound flow speaker, both supporting UWB. Following the show, Apple unveiled its latest AirTag equipped with its second generation UWB chip, the same technology found in its iPhone 17, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch Series 11. Apple also revealed an upgraded Bluetooth® chip, boosting the range of both its UWB precision finding and initial item location via Bluetooth®.

Finally, Calterah, along with leading test and measurement provider Rohde & Schwarz, announced at CES 2026 that their Dubhe-UWB-SoC chip is the first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip to fully comply with the new IEEE 802.15.4ab standard. Next-generation UWB, due to a variety of techniques, brings enormous enhancements to the real-world performance of UWB digital key applications and will create valuable new tracking use cases in the coming years.

Bluetooth®: As always, Bluetooth® had a strong presence in many new device announcements and demonstrations. In particular, Channel Sounding was present at many of the chipset solution provider booths, while the aforementioned moto tag 2 also includes support for Bluetooth® Channel Sounding. In addition, Bauer Products, a leading supplier of Recreational Vehicle (RV), trailer, and truck security solutions, announced the debut it the first RV lock that utilizes Bluetooth® Channel Sounding.

In many ways, CES has set the tone for 2026. Trends on display include the continued expansion of edge AI devices, the pivot toward hybrid AI and distributed computing, the rise of AI wearables and new form factor assistant devices, an expansion of smart glasses and the anticipated arrival and expansion of Android XR, the evolution of AI home concepts, growing interest in healthcare monitoring, and the continued evolution and diversification of the wireless connectivity market. All of these trends are expected to increasingly converge throughout the year to enable valuable new services across home, enterprise, and automotive environments.

However, at the same time, many battlegrounds are emerging as these technologies become more multi-functional and target similar market applications. ABI Research believes that each will have a significant role to play in the coming years, but vendors must be aware of the growing competition and adapt their portfolios to better target this growing diversity of application segments in the coming years.

Similarly, OEMs themselves are faced with increasingly difficult answers on technology choice. For example, within secure access applications, does one use a lower-cost Channel Sounding solution instead of a more costly but better performing UWB solution? In the wireless audio space, should vendors adopt Bluetooth®, proprietary wireless, low-power Wi-Fi, new UWB, or NearLink audio solutions, or a combination of some or all the above? Should vendors adopt Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7 for IoT applications? Should vendors leverage proprietary sub-GHz or Wi-Fi HaLow? Vendors will also need to more effectively position their solutions against the competition as multiple technologies are now capable of addressing each use case. Those who can develop comprehensive portfolios that can optimize on size and power efficiency, boost reliability and robustness, combine with edge AI capabilities, and create unique synergies between different technologies will be well placed to take advantage of this enormous future opportunity that wireless connectivity will bring.