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I am no expert on the assorted operational modes. Only one has an obvious security flaw but routers, as a rule, do not support enabling/disabling the various modes of There are multiple modes of operation in WPS. WPS continues to let the one-time visitor into your network.īut, a visitor with a cellphone is only part of the security problem with WPS. Change the WPA2 password every week? It still doesn't matter,
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Have a really long WPA2 password? It doesn't matter, WPS lets the visitor in anyway. The WPS password (they use a different term, but its a password) on the router label is the equivalent of a get out of jail card in Monopoly. Take a cellphone picture of the label on the bottom and they can, thereafter, get into your WiFi network. WPS Is a Bad IdeaĪ visitor to your home/office illustrates one aspect of why WPS is a bad idea The visitor only needs to turn your router upside down, Arguing on the side on incompetence, is that WPS comes from the WiFi Alliance, the same group that gave us WEP encryption. You have to wonder if the design of WPS stems from incompetence or if it was intended for spying. The three that do support WPS are the Netgear Orbi, Amped Wireless Ally and Luma. Six of the nine do not support WPS, which I take as progress considering that the devices are targeted atĬonsumers. Of 2017 describes nine different mesh router systems. A March 2017 article in PC Magazine, The Best Wi-Fi Mesh Network Systems My favorite router, the Pepwave Surf SOHO, does not support it. If your does, try to turn it off, then verify that it really is off using the software mentioned near the end of this page.Ī typical consumer router supports WPS, a typical business class router does not. It is better to use a router that does not support WPS at all. In addition, there have been multiple instances of poorly written, buggy implementations. WPS was a bad idea to being with, has a huge design flaw, comes from an unstrustworthy source and is overly complicated. The WPS protocol in consumer routers is like putting a virtual HACK ME sign on the box. Yet, back in 2007 this was deemed too hard, so WPS was introduced to make Wi-Fi access easier. Our Standard Operating Procedure isn't hard: we see an available Wi-Fi network, click on it and enter the password.
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