What Is WPA3? How to Set Up More Secure Wi-Fi on Your Router

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WPA3, the current generation of Wi-Fi security, offers a host of features to keep your data safe—both at home and on public networks. The Wi-Fi Alliance announced this new security protocol in 2018, with WPA3 support becoming mandatory for all routers carrying the Wi-Fi Certified label since July 2020. It's a big step forward for wireless security, especially for laptop and smartphone users. Here's everything you need to know about WPA3.

What Is WPA?

WPA stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access, and it's a series of security protocols designed to safeguard your Wi-Fi traffic. When you connect to a Wi-Fi network and type in a password, WPA governs the "handshake" that takes place between your device and the router, and the encryption that protects your data.

If you haven't updated your router in a few years, your home network likely uses WPA2, the previous version of this protocol. WPA2 dates back to 2004, and while it greatly improved upon its predecessors—WEP and WPA— WPA3 steps it up even more.

What's New in WPA3?

WPA3 comes in multiple connection types to meet the usage and security needs of different people. These include WPA3-Personal for personal home networks, WPA3-Enterprise (and an optional 192-bit mode) for enterprise businesses, and Wi-Fi Enhanced Open for public Wi-Fi connections. It enhances Wi-Fi in the following ways:

• Passwords are much harder to crack. With WPA2, an attacker can capture some data from your Wi-Fi stream, take it home, and run it through a dictionary-based attack to try and guess your password. WPA3, on the other hand, requires attackers to interact with your Wi-Fi for every password guess, making it much harder and time-consuming to crack. This is especially useful if you're using a weak password on your network (though you really shouldn't, given how easy it is to create (and remember) a strong password.

• Your old data is safer. Even if an attacker does figure out your password, they won't be able to do as much with it as they could before. WPA3 supports "forward secrecy," which means that if an attacker captures any encrypted data from your machine, and then later learns your password, they won't be able to decrypt that old data. They'll only be able to decrypt newly captured data, giving you time to change the password and protect your data.

• Wi-Fi Easy Connect makes smart home devices easier to set up. If you've ever tried to set up a smart home device on your network—particularly one that doesn't have a screen—you know how annoying it can be. First, you have to connect your phone to a separate network broadcast by the device, then select the Wi-Fi from a list, and so on. With WPA3's Wi-Fi Easy Connect, you can connect a device by scanning a QR code. (WPA2 included a similar feature called Wi-Fi Protected Setup, but it had a number of security vulnerabilities.)

• Public Wi-Fi networks are more secure. Wi-Fi standards have been horribly insecure for open Wi-Fi networks (like the one at your local coffee shop). If a network doesn't require a password, it's passing on much of your data unencrypted, which means attackers sitting inside the store could sniff out personal information. With WPA3's Wi-Fi Certified Enhanced Open certification, open networks are encrypted, making them much safer to use.

• Enhanced enterprise protection. While most everyday users won't need to deal with WPA3 Enterprise Mode, it does offer stronger encryption for enterprise Wi-Fi setups. There is also an optional 192-bit mode that uses minimum-strength security protocols and cryptographic tools for even greater protection of sensitive data.

Which Routers Support WPA3?

If it comes with a Wi-Fi Certified label and was released after July 2020, it supports the new standard. It can be hard to know which models stand out from the rest, but if you're shopping for a Wi-Fi 6 router, these are some of our top-rated WPA3-supported models:

PCMag-Recommended Wi-Fi 6 Routers With WPA3 Support

Looking for a Wi-Fi mesh system instead? Consider these top picks:

PCMag-Recommended Mesh Wi-Fi Systems With WPA3 Support

While some older routers may have received software updates to support WPA3, you'll probably want a new router anyway for the speed and signal improvements Wi-Fi 6 (and 6E) provides.

How to Enable WPA3 on Your Router

WPA3 was created with ease of use in mind, so there are no additional steps to take in order to enable it on your network—connecting to a WPA3-secured network is exactly like connecting to any other password-protected Wi-Fi network. You'll just need to make sure your home router supports it and that the security protocol has been set to WPA3.

The exact steps to enable WPA3 will depend on your router's manufacturer. In most cases, you need to access your Wi-Fi router's settings by entering its IP address—usually 192.168.1.1, but not always—in your browser's address bar. (Here's how to find your IP address.)

Once you see a sign-in window, enter the router's username and password, then find a section called Wi-Fi or Wireless. Here, you should be able to change your Wi-Fi password. Look for an entry called Security or Security Options, which is where you can set the protocol the router uses. If it's not already set to the most secure option, change it to WPA3.

When you apply the changes, your router may warn that connected devices will momentarily lose wireless access. For this reason, you may want to only switch to WPA3 when no other tasks are being performed over the network.

Will My Devices Work With WPA3?

Keep in mind that in order to use WPA3, your laptop, smartphone, and other devices must also be compatible with the security protocol. According to Microsoft, Windows 11 and Windows 10 (Version 2004) both support Wi-Fi 6 and WPA3. Many of Apple's devices also support the protocol, starting with the iPhone 7, 5th gen iPad, Apple Watch Series 3, Apple TV 4K, and its late 2013 Mac computers. Android 10 introduced support for WPA3 in 2019.

For smart home devices that connect to your network, check with the manufacturer to see if individual equipment supports the security protocol. The Wi-Fi Alliance will also still support WPA2 for the foreseeable future.