I upgraded the house’s Wi-Fi security protocol from WPA2 to WPA3. There are several types of security or encryption protocols for Wifi, from WEP to the latest and greatest, WPA3.
I was watching a social media post, and it pointed out that WPA2, ratified in 2004, is kind of old and should be upgraded. So one weekend, I flipped the switch. Handphones did not require any manual intervention. On a Windows machine, I have to re-enter the password. So far, so good, until I tried to print and realised Internet of Things (IOT) devices Wi-Fi capabilities are another matter.
- HP OfficeJet Pro 8020 didn’t like WPA3, and I had to downgrade to dual-mode WPA/WPA2 before it could connect to the network.
- Xiaomi Robot Vacuum X20 – I have to reset the network settings to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
- LG TV – I did not check for operations with WPA3, to connect to the Wi-Fi network again, I have to re-enter the password.
TL;DR
Test each device’s capabilities by using a mobile phone (unit test) before making the change on the router (‘go live’).