If you don’t use WPS, it’s probably a good idea to disable it on your router.
Since most desktops and phones can use WPS, anyone who is within range of your network can connect to it when you enable it and you wouldn’t know. When you enable WPS, any device that is in range can connect to it. A physical button protects you from this particular threat but if you’re using a PIN to enable it, your network isn’t safe.
It can be enabled with a PIN which is 8 digits long and easy to crack with a brute force attack. WPS doesn’t always require you to press a physical button on your router to enable it. In some cases, you might have to hold the button down for a while, or press it a few times in quick succession.
Normally, they might pair the On/Off functionality with WPS in which case you ought to refer to your router’s manual or online help page to see how you can enable WPS. Other routers may use a single button for multiple purposes including enabling WPS. It’s normally marked as such or indicated on the box. Recent models of routers from the more popular manufacturers of the device have a dedicated WPS button. This means your phone and your smart thermostat can both use WPS to connect to your router. WPS is basically enabled on the router, and the connection that’s established from the device can be established either by pressing the WPS button on the device or by selecting the network from an input panel on the device. Almost all modern devices support WPS and can connect through it. WPS is an easy way for IoT devices to connect to a router but this method isn’t exclusive to IoT devices. In such cases, you have to either enable WPS through a PIN on your router’s admin panel. This is because while most, if not all, routers can support WPS, not all of them have a dedicated button for it. WPS isn’t always initiated via a button on the router. This two way authentication will establish the connection. Press that button right after you press the WPS button on your router. If the device you’re trying to connect to doesn’t have an input panel/screen of any sort, it ought to have a WPS button of its own. This tells the router to actively look for new devices. When you initiate a connection, you need to press the WPS button on your router. In order to accomplish this, WPS uses device and network discoverability on two devices one on the router, and one on the device itself. The objective is to allow the connection but to make sure no unauthorized devices can connect to the network. WPS is a way of connecting devices that do not have a proper input panel to your home router. In order to allow these devices to connect to a router, WPS WiFI Protected Setup is used. Now, there are devices, IoT ones specifically, that need to connect to the internet but have neither a screen nor an input panel.
Specifically, both these types of devices can select a network, enter a name for said network if needed, and give the password for it. Both these devices have a screen and a proper input panel that allows them to communicate with the router. When routers first became mainstream, only phones and desktops were connecting to them. The nature of devices that connect to the internet has changed.