Not everyone knows that you can quickly connect your PC or laptop on Windows 10 to a Wi-Fi network without entering a password. Just by pressing one button on your router. And in this article, I will show you how to connect to wireless networks using WPS in Windows 10.
WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) is a function that was specially designed to simplify the process of connecting different clients to a Wi-Fi network. Thanks to WPS, we don't need to enter a password. It is enough to select the required wireless network on the device and activate WPS on the router. For more information about this technology, and how to connect computers with Windows 7 and mobile devices, I wrote in the article What is WPS on a Wi-Fi router? How to use the WPS function?
This connection method can be useful not only when you are too lazy to enter the password for the Wi-Fi network, but also when you have forgotten it. Or never knew the password, but you have access to the router. You can also quickly connect your computer to a Wi-Fi network somewhere as a guest. By the way, what to do when you forgot your Wi-Fi password, I also told you in this article.
The WPS function itself can be disabled in the settings of the router (more on this in the link above). But it is enabled by default. That is, everything will work unless someone specifically disabled WPS. Sometimes it is advised to disable this function when various problems appear during the process of connecting to a wireless network, or for security reasons.
WPS in Windows 10: connect to Wi-Fi without entering a password
To open a list of all available Wi-Fi networks that your computer has detected, you need to click on the wireless network icon in the notification bar (tray).
Then just click on the desired wireless network and click on the "Connect" button.
The usual password entry field will appear, and below there should be an inscription "You can also connect by pressing a button on your router." This means that the WPS function on the router is enabled. If it is disabled, then there will be no such inscription.
We go to the router, find the WPS button and click on it. There can be many nuances here, depending on the router model. For instance:
- The button is not always signed as WPS. Maybe just an icon.
- A short press may be sufficient to activate the function. In some cases, you need to keep the button pressed for 2-3 seconds. Just not longer, otherwise you can reset the router settings. Sometimes the WPS activation button also performs the Reset function.
- Most likely, the WPS indicator (in the form of a lock) on the router starts to light / blink. On ASUS, for example, the power indicator is blinking.
Photo for clarity:
In the connection window on Windows 10, the status "Receiving parameters from the router" should appear.
You need to wait a bit. The computer should connect to a Wi-Fi network.
Done! You do not need to disable anything on the router. The WPS function is automatically deactivated after a while. The indicator will stop flashing or remain on.
While I was testing this connection, for some reason my laptop on Windows 10 did not want to connect to one router (everything worked with another). The error "Windows could not get the settings automatically. Please enter the security key."
Why, I still do not understand. Yes, and did not understand. In such situations, it is easier to enter a password than to find a solution. Well, you can only restart the router and the computer.
