In the following guide, you can learn how to disable WPS on AT&T router on all the major hardware manufacturers.
If you are a customer of AT&T internet, you will receive a router from the telecommunications network.
This router could be from a selection of providers because AT&T partners with various manufacturers.
Furthermore, you are free to replace the AT&T router with your own from another brand.
Whatever you choose to do, you may want to disable WPS on your AT&T connected router.
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is available on most modern routers and is a robust tool that makes it easier to connect to a secure wireless connection from a device.
However, WPS does have some downsides, such as exposing the Wi-Fi network to security risks.
Sometimes disabling WPS is advisable, especially if you do not expect any new devices to connect to your AT&T network.
In the article below, we explain how to fully disable WPS on your AT&T router, whether you have a router supplied by the company or have installed your own.
Why is WPS Important?
While WPS is an excellent tool for instantly connecting devices to your Wi-Fi network, it is also a security risk.
There is an eight-digit PIN number that is used for WPS connection that serves as the password.
While that may seem like a good security step, the PIN is actually relatively easy to hack.
Let’s be clear, it would take a human a long time to breach the eight-digit PIN.
However, for special software designed to crack such codes, it is relatively easy.
Importantly, the PIN is the only layer of security over the WPS feature.
That is why we advise you to turn off WPS on your AT&T router when you do not have any more devices to connects.
What if Someone Uses My Wi-Fi?
It is a major risk and security breach if someone accesses your Wi-Fi connection without your knowledge.
With this access, a threat actor could:
- Slow down your network.
- View all browsing and other traffic.
- Initiate a wider attack on your PC.
- Download illegal content.
- Make changes to the router (provided the login details are default).
How to Disable Use of WPS on AT&T Router?
We will start with the router that is supplied by AT&T.
All internet customers with the company have access to a dedicated app that helps them manage their Wi-Fi and other features.
On this app, locate the Home Network tab and then choose the Wi-Fi option.
Select the Advanced Options and find the Wi-Fi Protected Setup option. In the following dropdown menu, choose “off” and save the changes.
Steps in short for AT&T Router:
- Go to Home Network
- Choose WiFi Option
- Select Advanced Options
- Tap on WiFi Protected Setup
- Turn WPS Off and save changes
Read Next: Best Tips to avoid AT&T Upgrade Fees!
How to Disable WPS on AT&T router (Different Router Manufacturers)
If you have your own router connected to your AT&T network, there are steps you can take to turn off WPS.
While the process is similar across router manufacturers, there are some important differences to note.
Below we cover the steps for some of the most popular router brands on the market:
Apple Airport
If you have Apple’s Airport device, there is no WPS available, so you don’t need to worry about disabling anything.
ASUS
On ASUS routers, head to your web browser and enter 192.168.1.1 in the URL address bar.
You now need to input the username and password into the available field. For both, the word “admin” is the default password and username.
Under the sections, Advanced Settings, choose the Wireless option. Enter the WPS tab and switch the “Enable WPS” toggle to off.
Belkin
Open your preferred web browser and enter 192.168.2.1 into the URL address bar. You can also type http://router.
Located the Login section at the top right corner of the screen and enter the login form.
In this section, the default is to leave the password blank and then select Submit.
When you are logged in, navigate to the Wi-Fi Protected Setup section and head to the Wireless menu option.
In the drop-down menu, choose the option “Disabled”. Click “Apply Changes” to end the process.
Cisco Systems
As with other methods, you begin by heading to a web browser and entering the router IP address in the URL address bar.
It is important to remember Cisco hardware has different IP addresses and router login details depending on the model.
To find the relevant information, check the sticker on your router or the instruction paperwork.
Once you are in the router backend, move to the Wireless section and head to Wi-Fi Protected Setup in the following menu.
Under the section for WPS, select the “Off” option and Save the option.
D-Link
For your D-Link router, type 192.168.1.1 into the URL address bar on your web browser.
In the login form, use the word “admin” as the username and leave the password field empty.
Navigate to the Setup section and uncheck the box next to Enable in Wi-Fi Protected Setup. Select Save to complete the process.
Netgear
You can log in to Netgear routers in a web browser by visiting the Netgear Router login area.
On the Login form, type “admin” for the username and “password” for the password defaults.
Under the Advanced Setup tab, select Wireless Settings and then move to the WPS Settings option.
In this section, you’ll find a check box for Disable Router’s Pin… check this box and click Apply.
Trendnet
When in a web browser, input 192.168.10.1 in the URL address bar to open the router back end for Trendnet devices.
You can log in to the router through the sign-in form using “admin” for the username and “admin” for the password.
There is a Wireless menu where there is an option to manage WPS settings.
In the drop-down menu, choose the Disable option and then Apply your changes.
ZyXEL
The address you need to put in your browser for ZyXEL routers is 192.168.0.1.
You can log in to the router backend using the default sign-in details of “admin” for the username and “1234” for the password.
Under the Wireless Setup menu, choose WPS and click the blue button to disable the WPS feature.
Tp-Link
If you own a tp-link router that you are connecting to an AT&T Wi-Fi network, you can disable WPS easily.
There are different options to log in depending on which router you have.
In the URL address bar of a web browser, enter Go to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.10.1 depending on your router model (you can find details on the device). Alternatively, you can use the TP-Link website.
To log in, you can use “admin” for the username and “password” for the default password.
Select the Interface Setup option and then the Wireless submenu.
Under the ‘Broadcast SSID‘ option, you can see the ‘Use WPS‘ option. Select No in this area.
Understanding WPS
Now you know exactly how to disable WPS on any AT&T router you are using, does that mean you should always be disabling WPS?
I’ll leave that decision to you but understanding what WPS is and how it works may help you decide.
WPS is available via a button on a router and a setting on a device.
When these buttons are pressed, the device will connect to the router automatically.
It is basically an efficient way to join a Wi-Fi network without needing to get technical.
Conclusion
Now you know how to disable WPS on AT&T router, you can avoid one of biggest surface level security risks on your Wi-Fi connection.
If you ever need to turn on WPS again to connect devices, you can reverse the process above.
However, we recommend keeping WPS off during most times to keep your network as safe as possible.
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.