Your Router’s WPA Button – How To Use it
Prior to the introduction of the WPA button (often called WPS or Wi-Fi Protected Setup) there were several steps that had to be completed to ensure that your wireless device correctly connected to you home router.
While not difficult, if you knew how, unfortunately, most home users are unaware of where the button is located and how simple it is to use. Before the advent of WPA, home users wanting to add their printer or similar device had to locate their Service Set Identifier, commonly referred to as the (SSID). Normally located on a printed label on the router, it will look similar to the list of SSIDs shown below.
- You would select the correct SSID from the list of available networks which were easy to see on a PC, Tablet or Phone. It was much harder on devices without a screen.
- Once located, you would enter your network key (Wi-Fi password) and you were good to go. The biggest problem was knowing which SSID is yours. As displayed in the list above, many of the names are similar and finding yours was not always straightforward.
- Thankfully, the days are gone when with older devices or some types of network setups, users had to manually configure everything like the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, and DNS servers.
The Advent of WPA
WPA was introduced in 2003 to enhance wireless security without requiring new hardware. Even though it has been around for some time, some home users are unaware of how to use or even find the WPA button. Fortunately, it is very easy to use and find.
How To Use WPA
Today, most devices connect directly to your router by simply pressing the WPA button on the Router (most commonly “blue” and must say WPS). Press the button on a wireless device or on some printers using the WPS method in the touch screen.
The two devices will pair similarly to Bluetooth devices and automatically connect. That is all there is to it. The image below shows an example for a Canon Printer, but most of today’s printers will have a very similar method. 
Summary
It does not get any easier than this to connect wireless devices but first you must know it exists. When trying to connect to wireless devices, you may come across the term WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy). Routers may offer three wireless connection formats WEP, WPA and WPA2. You usually don’t have to think about it if there is a WPA button. The router will select the best WPA available.
- WPA uses 256-bit key while WEP uses 64-bit or 128-bit keys
- WPA offers improved authentication techniques
- WEP is outdated and insecure
—
One of moderators mentioned the vulnerability of WPS which indeed does exist. In most routers if the more secure WPA2 and WPA3 are available encryption that is what would use when pushing the WPS button. However, as John pointed out it is probably better to be sure and disable the WPS. Each router is slightly different, but the steps are similar to the processes mentioned in the article. Connect to the router. Log In. Then navigate to WPS setting probably in the Wi-Fi setting or Advanced Settings of your router. Select the option to disable WPS using the provided toggle switch or a dropdown menu Be sure to save your changes. It is best to restart your router.
I got in a recent tussle with T-Mobil over their 5G Wi-Fi box. It has NO WPA button, they feel it is a safety risk. I find exactly the opposite, it that it requires human intervention to press it. I have never heard of any way to bypass that.
It may be because of the fact that their button would only use WPA. In my comment above this I mentioned that most WPA buttons will use the more secure WPA2 or WPA3 if present. It is secure to use the WPS button to make the connection it is then recommended that you disable WPA in your router. Especially if it uses the more insecure WPA pin method in. There is no way to bypass it, perhaps they use this method to force you to use the more secure methods. In my opinion I agree with you that the need for a human to push the button would seem to make it secure but only if doing so made the router use WPS2 or 3. Use the steps above to connect your devices and disable WPA while you are at it.