Definition: Wi-Fi Protected Setup

An enhancement to certified Wi-Fi products that makes it easy to add new devices to a secure Wi-Fi network. Introduced by the Wi-Fi Alliance in 2007 and initially called "Wi-Fi Simple Config," Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) automatically transfers the Wi-Fi network name (SSID) and password from the access point (base station) to the Wi-Fi client device. There are three ways to set up a new device, as follows.

Type, Push or Move
The first method is to enter the personal identification number (PIN) assigned to the client device into the access point.

The second way is to push a physical button on the access point, which for a brief period of time synchronizes with any client device in the vicinity that has been activated to receive WPS data.

The third way uses near field communication (NFC) to simply move the client device close to the access point (see NFC).

An earlier fourth method used a USB drive to transfer data from the client to the AP. See Windows Connect Now, wireless router and access point.

Push the Button

The push button configuration (PBC) method was used on this WPS-enabled Blu-ray player to connect to the home Wi-Fi network automatically. After connecting, the player was able to receive Netflix movies from the Internet.