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Wi-Fi Easy Connect

Simple, secure connection of Wi-Fi® devices

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Easy Connect™ reduces complexity and enhances the user experience of connecting devices to Wi-Fi® networks, while simultaneously incorporating the highest security standards. Configuring devices, including those without a rich user interface, is now as simple as scanning the product QR code or NFC tag to enable use on a Wi-Fi network.

Wi-Fi Easy Connect™ introduces standardized mechanisms to simplify the provisioning and configuration of Wi-Fi devices. Wi-Fi Easy Connect incorporates strong encryption through public key cryptography to ensure networks remain secure as new devices are added.​

Wi-Fi Easy Connect technology raises the bar in providing secure network access with unprecedented ease of use.

  • Provides a standardized, consistent method for onboarding devices
  • Simplifies device configuration through use of QR codes or NFC tags and user-chosen configurator, such as a smartphone or tablet, to manage network access
  • Works for any Wi-Fi Easy Connect device, including those with little or no user interface, such as smart home and IoT products
  • Improves network management through reconfiguration and support for multiple configurators
  • Uses public key cryptography for secure authentication
  • Supports provisioning for WPA2™ and WPA3™ networks
  • Enables enrollment of devices using public key identity where the identity of the device enrollment is conveyed via an out-of-band mechanism, such as NFC
  • Enables the replacement of APs without the need to re-enroll all devices to the new AP
  • Allows multiple devices to be configured prior to deployment on a Wi-Fi network using presence announcement
  • Supports enterprise provisioning, making use of WPA3-Enterprise security

Improved user experience in managing Wi-Fi networks

With Wi-Fi Easy Connect, a network owner chooses one device as the central point of configuration. Usually this device is one with a rich user interface, such as a smartphone or tablet, but could be any device capable of scanning a quick response (QR) code or NFC tag and running the protocol developed by Wi-Fi Alliance. The chosen device is considered a configurator and all other devices are enrollees. The user establishes a secure connection to an enrollee device by scanning the device-specific QR code, NFC tag, or entering a human-readable string associated with that device. This prompts the protocol to run and automatically provisions the enrollee with the credentials needed to access the network.

Wi-Fi Easy Connect brings simplicity, consistency, and flexibility to Wi-Fi network management.

  • Simple and intuitive to use; no lengthy instructions to follow for new device setup​
  • No need to remember and enter passwords into the device being provisioned​
  • Works with electronic or printed QR codes, NFC tags, or human-readable strings ​
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Frequently Asked Questions
  • Do devices using Wi-Fi Easy Connect need to be manually reconfigured when there is a change to a network?

    No. Wi-Fi Easy Connect allows for a device to systematically discover and re-engage in the configuration process with the configurator to receive updated network configuration information. This is especially useful for IoT devices with a limited user interface (UI) or where a device may be installed in a hard-to-reach location.

  • Does Wi-Fi Easy Connect support enterprise applications with higher levels of security?

    Yes, Wi-Fi Easy Connect supports enterprise provisioning using WPA3-Enterprise security, requiring EAP-TLS authentication. When using EAP-TLS, clients and servers mutually authenticate using X.509 certificates. With Wi-Fi Easy Connect, the enrollee should receive its certificate when provisioning occurs.

  • Can there be more than one configurator on a network?

    Yes, Wi-Fi Easy Connect supports multiple configurators on a network. One advantage of multiple configurators is for backup and restore of a network. If one of the configurators is not available, another can be used to configure new devices and maintain configuration of the current network.

  • Does the technology work with Wi-Fi EasyMesh, or other multiple access point Wi-Fi systems?

    Yes, Wi-Fi Easy Connect can be used to provision clients to establish secure communications with Wi-Fi EasyMesh access points.

  • What if a home or office has more than one network?

    If the home or office uses a single access point to provide more than one network, Wi-Fi Easy Connect can be used to add one or more networks on the access point. The Wi-Fi Easy Connect protocol would need to be run independently to add each network.

  • Can the same device be a configurator for more than one network?

    Yes, the configurator software can be implemented on a device to provide provisioning for more than one logical network.

  • Is there a limit to how many devices one can configure at a time using Wi-Fi Easy Connect?

    There is no limit to the number of devices a configurator may provision for a network, unless the network itself has connection limitations. Additionally, Wi-Fi Easy Connect enables bulk enrollment of Wi-Fi devices.

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