What Is WPS on a Router?
WI-FI PROTECTED SETUP • WPS BUTTON • PUSH-BUTTON VS PIN
WPS stands for Wi-Fi Protected Setup.
It is a feature designed to make it easier to connect a compatible device to a protected Wi-Fi network without manually typing the normal Wi-Fi password. On home routers, WPS is most commonly associated with a physical WPS button, although the standard also includes PIN-based enrolment.
WPS does not make your broadband faster, increase Wi-Fi range or create a separate network. It is simply a way of authorising and configuring a compatible device so it can join your existing Wi-Fi.
What does WPS mean?
WPS is short for Wi-Fi Protected Setup. The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced the certification programme in 2007 to make it easier for home users to connect devices to security-protected Wi-Fi networks.
Before features such as WPS, adding a device normally meant finding the correct network name and manually entering the Wi-Fi security key. That was straightforward on a computer with a keyboard, but far less convenient on printers, cameras, televisions and other devices with small screens or no keyboard at all.
WPS helps a compatible device obtain the settings needed to join an existing Wi-Fi network.
WPS is not Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7. It is an enrolment feature used alongside Wi-Fi.
Using WPS does not change the speed, range or frequency band of the wireless connection.
What does the WPS button on a router do?
On a router that supports push-button WPS, the physical button starts a temporary enrolment window. During that short period, the router can accept a connection from a compatible WPS device without the user manually entering the ordinary Wi-Fi password.
The button may literally say WPS, or it may use a pairing-style symbol. On some routers it shares a physical button with another function, such as Wi-Fi on/off or reset, so the exact behaviour of a long press can differ between models.
The WPS button is not the router’s reset button. Some manufacturers combine functions on one physical control, but WPS itself is an enrolment feature. Always check the markings or manual for your exact router before holding any button down.
When WPS is active, many routers flash a WPS or Wi-Fi indicator to show that the temporary connection window is open. The precise light pattern and duration are manufacturer-specific.
How does WPS work?
At a high level, WPS allows a router or wireless access point to enrol a compatible client device and provide the network information it needs. The user proves that the new device is authorised through an approved WPS method rather than manually typing the normal Wi-Fi key.
Physical confirmation
The router opens a short enrolment window after WPS is activated. A compatible device taking part in the same process can then be added to the network.
Numeric enrolment code
Some WPS implementations use a numeric PIN associated with the router or client device. This is distinct from your ordinary Wi-Fi password.
The original Wi-Fi Alliance programme supported push-button and PIN methods, and later certification work also added NFC-based enrolment. In everyday home-router use, however, the WPS button and WPS PIN are the two terms people are most likely to encounter.
This article deliberately stops at how the technology works. The actual button sequence, router menus and device steps belong in our separate How to Set Up WPS guide.
Is WPS the same as your Wi-Fi password?
No. Your Wi-Fi password and WPS serve different purposes.
| Feature | What it is | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi password | The network’s normal security credential | Lets authorised devices authenticate to your protected wireless network. |
| WPS push button | A temporary enrolment mechanism | Lets a compatible device be authorised without the user manually typing the Wi-Fi password. |
| WPS PIN | A WPS enrolment code | Provides another way for compatible WPS devices to complete enrolment. |
Using WPS does not normally mean that your router has created a new Wi-Fi password. The purpose is to pass or establish the necessary network configuration for the device being added.
Is WPS secure?
WPS has an important security distinction: the PIN method has a well-known brute-force weakness. NETGEAR’s current security guidance says the WPS PIN connection method is susceptible to brute-force attacks and recommends disabling the router-PIN function where it is not needed.
That weakness does not mean that pressing a WPS button instantly makes a network insecure. Push-button configuration uses a short physical-authorisation window and does not rely on repeatedly guessing the router’s WPS PIN.
The main historical WPS security concern is the PIN method. If your router lets you disable WPS PIN separately, that removes the attack path associated with repeated PIN guessing. If you never use WPS at all, disabling the feature can reduce unnecessary attack surface.
Google also deprecated and disabled the old WPS feature in Android’s Wi-Fi framework from Android 9, explicitly citing security issues. That is one reason WPS is less visible on modern phones than it once was.
For an ordinary home network, the safer default is still to use a strong Wi-Fi password with current security such as WPA2 or WPA3, and treat WPS as an optional convenience feature rather than something the network depends on.
Do all routers and devices support WPS?
No. WPS is an optional feature, and support varies by router, access point and client device.
Routers and extenders
Many home routers, mesh systems and Wi-Fi extenders have supported WPS, but some newer products omit it or restrict which WPS methods are available.
Printers and accessories
WPS remains common on some printers and other devices that have limited controls. Apple, for example, still documents WPS as one possible way a compatible printer can be connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Modern smartphones are a different story. Android’s platform-level WPS feature was deprecated and disabled from Android 9, while iPhones normally join Wi-Fi through the network-selection and password-sharing tools in iOS rather than exposing a WPS button in Wi-Fi settings.
If a device has no WPS option, that does not mean anything is wrong with the router. It usually means the device is designed to join Wi-Fi using another method.
When was WPS introduced?
The Wi-Fi Alliance launched its Wi-Fi Protected Setup certification programme in 2007. The goal was to make protected Wi-Fi easier to configure for consumers, particularly as Wi-Fi started appearing in more products that did not have a normal computer keyboard or full configuration screen.
By 2014, the Wi-Fi Alliance said more than 10,000 devices had been certified for Wi-Fi Protected Setup since the programme began. The standard had expanded beyond its original push-button and PIN approaches to include NFC-based setup as well.
WPS is therefore a product of an earlier stage of home Wi-Fi, when simplifying secure configuration was a major usability problem. It remains present on plenty of routers and accessories, but modern operating systems increasingly offer other onboarding and password-sharing methods.
Do you need WPS on a router?
No. A home Wi-Fi network can work perfectly normally with WPS disabled. WPS is an optional convenience feature rather than a requirement for Wi-Fi itself.
It can still be useful when a compatible device is awkward to configure manually, particularly certain printers, extenders and older accessories. If you do not own anything that needs WPS, there is little reason to rely on it.
A compatible device is awkward to configure
WPS can simplify enrolment on hardware with limited controls or no convenient keyboard.
Your devices already support easier modern methods
Entering or sharing the normal Wi-Fi password is often clearer, more universal and easier to manage.
If you decide that WPS is useful on your network, push-button configuration avoids the specific brute-force weakness associated with a static router WPS PIN. The exact security controls available depend on the router.
WPS is simply a shortcut for adding compatible devices to protected Wi-Fi. The button starts a temporary enrolment process; it does not boost speed or signal. Push-button WPS can still be useful, but the older PIN method has a known security weakness and is best disabled when it is not needed.
WPS FAQs
What does WPS stand for?
WPS stands for Wi-Fi Protected Setup. It is designed to make it easier to add compatible devices to a protected Wi-Fi network without manually typing the normal Wi-Fi password.
What does the WPS button on a router do?
It temporarily starts the router’s push-button WPS enrolment process. During that short window, a compatible device can be authorised to join the existing Wi-Fi network.
Is WPS the same as a Wi-Fi password?
No. WPS is a connection and enrolment mechanism. Your Wi-Fi password remains the normal network credential; WPS lets a compatible device receive the necessary configuration without you manually entering that password.
Is WPS safe?
The WPS PIN method has a known brute-force weakness, so disabling router-PIN WPS when it is not required is sensible. Push-button WPS avoids that particular PIN weakness but should still only be used on a network and router you control.
Does WPS make Wi-Fi faster?
No. WPS only changes how a compatible device is authorised to join the network. It does not improve broadband speed, Wi-Fi range, signal strength or the maximum wireless data rate.
Do all phones and devices support WPS?
No. Support varies. Android deprecated and disabled the old WPS framework feature from Android 9 because of security issues, while many printers and other Wi-Fi accessories still support WPS.
Sources and further reading
- Wi-Fi Alliance: Wi-Fi Protected Setup certification update — programme history, WPS methods and its purpose.
- NETGEAR: WPS PIN brute-force protection — explains the known PIN-method security weakness.
- Android Open Source Project: Android 9 release notes — records WPS deprecation and disabling due to security issues.
- Apple Support: connect an AirPrint printer to Wi-Fi — documents WPS as an option for compatible printers.
- TP-Link UK: Wi-Fi Protected Setup — current router documentation showing push-button and PIN WPS methods.