When setting up Wi-Fi at your business’s workplace, you may come across a feature known as Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). It’s available as a push-to-activate button on many wireless routers. If supported by your router, you can push a small button to activate WPS. With that said, you might be wondering what WPS is exactly and how it works.
What Is WPS?
Originally developed by Cisco in 2006, WPS is a router feature that’s designed to simplify the process of setting up a secure wireless network. Rather than manually configuring security settings, you can press the WPS button to create a secure wireless network. As a result, it’s a common feature offered by many routers.
It’s important to note that WPS only supports WPA Personal or WPA Personal encryption protocols. You can’t use this feature with the WEP encryption protocol. Of course, this shouldn’t be a concern since WEP has since been depreciated. Both WPA and WPA Personal offer a higher level of protection against intrusion and cyber attacks.
How WPS Works
WPS works in a relatively simple way. If supported by your router — which it should be — you can press the WPS button to scan for nearby wireless devices. Next, you can open the settings in the respective wireless devices to choose the wireless network. The devices will then automatically connect to the wireless network.
With WPS, you don’t have to enter a password when connecting devices to your wireless network. Assuming you’ve pressed the WPS button, the devices will connect automatically, thereby simplifying the process of setting up a secure wireless network.
Is WPS Secure?
Although it’s convenient and easy to use, WPS suffers from security flaws. The biggest problem is that it exposes all of your connected to wireless devices. If your a hacker is able to access your router, he or she will then have unrestricted access to all your connected devices. Therefore, many cybersecurity experts recommend disabling WPS.
If you’re setting up a wireless network at your home, you can probably use with WPS without any ill effect. For your business’s workplace, on the other hand, it could jepordize the security of your connected devices. Other people will have access to the router. Therefore, they may be able to access the connected devices. Instead of using WPS, consider setting up your business’s wireless network manually. Doing so is more time-consuming, but it will strengthen the security of your business’s wireless network and all its connected devices.
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