You might have heard of WPS, or seen the WPS button on your router when establishing your home Wi-Fi network, but what exactly does this feature do?
WPS stands for Wi-Fi Protected Setup, and in essence it is a security feature which is aimed at making secure home Wi-Fi networks easier to establish. WPS was introduced and developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance in an attempt to simplify Wi-Fi security and establish a global standard for doing so that could be used by all manufacturers.
One of the advantages of WPS is that it allows you to push a button or enter a personal identification number to connect, rather than manually entering a network name (known as SSID) and password. Many routers work with WPS enabled by default, and the button to activate it is often located either on the device itself or on the utility screen.
Whilst there are several advantages to WPS that make it easier to use when connecting to your home Wi-Fi network, there are critics who say that it is not secure enough. Although WPS is meant to be secure for daily use, there are features which could make it susceptible to a ‘brute force’ hacking attack. Users who want a more secure home network may want to disable this feature when they use their Wi-Fi.
