WiFi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) is the latest iteration of security protocols for Wireless Networks. WPA3 includes a more robust authentication method named Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE). SAE replaces the existing pre-shared key to minimize security risks even when using weak passwords.
As part of the WiFi 6E specification, WPA3 is a prerequisite for using the 6 GHz band. If you have…
- Nodes capable of supporting WiFi 6E (Plume SuperPods with WiFi 6E)
- Client devices that can connect using the 6 GHz band
…and you want to start using WiFi 6E, it is necessary to switch the encryption to WPA3.
WPA3 and Multiple passwords
WPA3 doesn’t support multiple passwords (Multi-PSK). If you want to upgrade the network to WPA3 and you are using multiple passwords (multiple devices with different access types, or guest devices), then we will show you how to create two networks, one for your main devices, on WPA3, and a second one for guests. We recommend that you keep the existing name and password for the WPA3 network and connect as many devices as possible to that main network. Limit usage of the secondary network to guest access and devices that need only limited access to the network. Guest devices will have to be reconnected as the network name will change.
More about multiple passwords is written here: How do I set up Multi-PSK?
Will my devices have to reconnect to the new network that I am creating?
Devices memorize the Network Name (which we call SSID) and password. If the network name changes, you will have to input the new name and password into each of the devices that were connecting to that network.
If you want to upgrade the network to WPA3 and you are not using the multiple password feature we mentioned above, you can keep the same SSID and password, and your devices will automatically connect since you haven’t changed either the name or the password.
- Transitioning to WPA3 can be done during the process of adding SuperPods with WiFi 6E to your existing network:
- The option to transition to WPA3 is also available in the Adapt settings if you have already added SuperPods with WiFi 6E to your network:
Client device compatibility
Like anything new, some very old devices might have trouble discovering a WPA3 network. If one of your devices can’t find the WPA3 network, you had just configured, or you cannot get it to connect to it, just enable a second network in WPA2 to bring these devices onboard.
By having two networks, you can ensure that all of the devices that can connect to the WPA3 network will be better protected against attacks while ensuring compatibility with other devices.
WPA3 support on other Plume pods
Currently only the SuperPod with WiFi 6 and SuperPod with WiFi 6E support WPA3. The original SuperPod, PowerPod, or Pod will only be able to broadcast the WPA2 SSID.