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. Wi-Fi Easy Connect™ introduces standardized mechanisms to simplify the provisioning and configuration of Wi-Fi devices. Provisioning and configuring devices, including those without a rich user interface, is now as simple as scanning the product quick response (QR) code, NFC tag, or downloading device information from the cloud to enable zero touch connection to a Wi-Fi network.

Wi-Fi Easy Connect supports the highest level of WPA3™ security and 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, NFC tags, or downloaded device information from the cloud and user-chosen configurator, such as a smartphone or tablet, to manage network access
  • Near zero touch connection through the use of QR codes; true zero touch connection by downloading device information from the cloud
  • 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
  • Maintains device connections to the network even if there are changes to the network, such as a new SSID
  • Enables the replacement of APs without the need to re-enroll all devices to the new AP
  • Allows multiple devices to be simultaneously 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 QR code, NFC tag, or downloading device information from the cloud 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 downloading information from the cloud 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 downloaded device information from the cloud
  • Near zero touch provisioning and configuration through the use of QR codes
  • Zero touch provisioning and configuration via downloading device information from the cloud

Video

  • Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Easy Connect: simple, secure connections

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can a device be connected to a network with minimum user intervention?

A device can be seamlessly added to the network with near zero touch or true zero touch methods. Near zero touch provisioning and configuration can be done using a QR code. True zero touch provisioning and configuration can be done by downloading device information into the configurator from the cloud. The user simply powers up the device and it is automatically connected to the network.

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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