How To Connect To A WiFi Network Using WPS On Android

Connecting to a WiFi network usually involves selecting the network from a list of available networks, and entering the password for it. This is how it works on phones, tablets, and desktops. There are devices that do not fall under these categories but need to connect to a WiFi network nonetheless. For those devices, there’s something called WPS i.e. WiFi Protected Setup. WPS is mainly for devices that cannot enter a password but you can also use WPS on Android to connect to a WiFi network.

WPS On Android

At the time of writing, the current version of Android is Android 7 which has support for WPS. There are rumors that it may be removed in the next version of Android i.e., Android 8.

Open the Settings app and tap Network and Internet. On the Network and Internet screen, tap WiFi. On the WiFi screen, you will see a Wi-Fi preferences option. Tap it. The Wi-Fi preferences screen has two WPS options; WPS Push button, and WPS Pin entry.

If your router has a WPS button, you will need to tap the WPS Push button option. Tap the WPS button on your router, and then tap this option on your Android phone to connect to the network.

If you router doesn’t have a WPS button, and the feature is enabled via a PIN, you need to tap the WPS Pin Entry option.

Normally, you have to tap the WPS button on your router first however, once you tap the WPS option on your Android phone, it gives you a small window of time to tap the button on your router in order to establish the connection.

When you tap the WPS Pin Entry option, Android will give you an eight digit PIN. This PIN needs to be added to your router’s control/admin panel. This means you will need access to a device, preferably a desktop, that’s already connected to the WiFi network so that you can enter the PIN. Like the WPS button option, you have a small amount of time in which you must enter the PIN in your router’s admin panel.

It goes without saying that if you have to use a PIN to connect to a WiFi network, then it’s better to just use the network SSID and password method to connect. The WPS button is faster and more convenient but the PIN method definitely isn’t.

We should mention that WPS isn’t considered safe so if you don’t use it to connect devices, it is best to disable it on your router.