Understanding Wi-Fi Protected Setup: A Comprehensive Guide on Functionality & Usage

Key Takeaways

• WPS lets you connect to Wi-Fi effortlessly without knowing the SSID or password.
• WPS has security risks due to potential PIN vulnerabilities, which is why some newer devices don’t support it at all.
• You can keep WPS enabled for easy device connections, but security-conscious users should disable it and use standard Wi-Fi passwords, or opt for the newer Wi-Fi Easy Connect method.

The double-edged sword of living in the modern world is that everything can connect wirelessly, which often leaves us open to easier attacks. WPS can help mitigate that risk for you without requiring you to be tech-savvy with a simple push of a button on your router .

What Is Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS)?

The WPS button on your router is a simple method for connecting your wireless devices when you don’t want to connect manually. It uses an automated protocol to get you on the local Wi-Fi network without requiring the password while your network remains secure.

That’s key because, as everything has become more interconnected, network security has become more and more important in the day-to-day, doubly so as work-from-home environments have become commonplace. Whether it’s protecting your email and social media passwords or your company data, there’s a real and present need for cybersecurity.

The problem, though, is that not everybody is necessarily tech-savvy, and the complex security protocols and tech standards can sometimes get in the way of securing ourselves. So, for example, if somebody is having a hard time connecting to their printer wirelessly using security standards, they might get so frustrated they connect without any security standards at all, such as using the same password for everything.

WPS is an attempt to fix that issue regarding Wi-Fi signals. More specifically, it allows people to create a secure connection between two devices using Wi-Fi without the need for a lot of tech knowledge. The only caveat is that both devices need to be using the WPA or WPA2 security standard.

Initially introduced in 2006 by Cisco, WPS over the years became a pretty standard feature for many devices that use Wi-Fi. It’s still common on devices you buy nowadays, but some have removed it because of security concerns.

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Why Use WPS?

Ultimately, a lot of it is about convenience, especially as we become more and more inundated with needing to remember dozens of passwords. Even with password managers , it can become a pretty frustrating task to find the SSID and re-enter a password for every device you connect with.

This problem is made worse because some device interfaces are simply horrendous or incredibly hard to access without a good set of tools. For example, most Wi-Fi range extenders require you to log in to their admin page, which itself can sometimes require you to use an Ethernet cable. Then there’s the issue of actually finding their log-in page, the log-in details, and setting them to something new.

All of that can lead to a ton of frustration for those who aren’t tech-savvy and may end up having the device sitting in the corner unused. That’s where the quick setup of WPS can help since it can connect two devices with, basically, a push of a button.

Is WPS Safe?

That being said, there are some pretty serious concerns when it comes to WPS because brute-force attacks on a WPS device’s PIN are possible. That means you should switch off WPS in your device if you aren’t using it, assuming your router allows disabling it. Alternatively, check the vendor’s website to see if it’s patched the PIN vulnerability.

You should be aware that because of those vulnerabilities, fewer wireless devices work with WPS these days. Android 9 and newer, for example, have no support at all for WPS . Assuming your router supports it, you can instead use the newer Wi-Fi Easy Connect , where you scan a QR code physically stuck to your router which hands the credentials directly to your wireless device.

It’s also worth noting that WPA3 has made WPS somewhat more secure. (However, even if you have WPA3 security, it’s likely that your router also has WPA2 enabled for backward-compatibility purposes.)

How to Use WPS

Generally speaking, there are two primary ways to connect to the WPS devices: using a button and/or using the PIN, as mentioned earlier.

The button is generally the easier of the two options, especially since it doesn’t require you to find or use any sort of admin page. Instead, all you need to do is press two WPS buttons: the one on your router and the one on the device you want to connect with, in that order. It functions similarly to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi pairing on your phone works, except the router has to come first so it can be discoverable.

If you’re not sure what to look for on your router, we have a couple of examples. Below is the WPS button on the back of a TP-Link mesh router.

Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek

WPS buttons can look different, though. The button on the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E router is located on the side and looks like this.

Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek

Not all devices have a WPS button, even though it’s arguably much safer than a PIN. If your router has a WPS PIN, you’ll simply have to enter the authentication PIN, usually on the page of your router or stuck to the device, when prompted for it on the admin page. It’s a little bit more of a hassle than the button, but it’s the only alternative if there isn’t one.

Should You Keep Using WPS?

Whether you should use WPS depends on how much convenience you want. If you’re concerned about your network’s security, it’s best to leave it turned off and connect using your Wi-Fi network’s password. If you don’t mind the security concerns with WPS, go ahead and use it to connect devices like printers and TVs to your network much more easily. At least WPA3 has boosted WPS’s security, so if you have a newer router you have less reason for concern. If your router is more than a few years old, though, it might be time to upgrade to one of our recommended Wi-Fi routers .