Weak Security WiFi on iPhone



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Posted on Sep 17, 2020 12:15 PM

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Posted on Sep 17, 2020 12:25 PM

It tells you what to do. Your router is set to use WPA and WPA2. WEP (the oldest Wi-Fi security) was broken long ago. WPA replaced it and that too is no longer secure. iOS is letting you know your router is broadcasting an easily hacked wireless security protocol, and you should turn WPA (not WPA2) off.


From your Mac or Windows computer, go into your router's web setting pages. You should be able to do this from your iPhone, too, as long as you're within Wi-Fi range of your router. Typically, you put 192.168.0.1 into the URL search field. The router should prompt you for an admin name and password. If you don't know what those are, almost all newer routers have that info on a sticker, which is on the router itself.


Once in the settings pages, go to the wireless settings. You should be able to find a drop down menu for the security options. Change it to use WPA2 only, or WPA2/WPA3 if you have that option. Save the settings (the router may tell you it has to be restarted).


One possible downside. If you have much older devices that connect to the router that don't understand any security protocol newer than WPA, they'll no longer be able to talk to the router.

241 replies

Sep 19, 2020 7:06 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Hello, I to have encountered the same issue on my iPhone and my mini iPad four, some thing that was not there until iOS 14 was installed. I called in a ticket to Apple yesterday evening who will be forwarding the issue to their engineer services. It seems that it may be a glitch on there private address prompt they incorporated under the Wi-Fi parameter. Hopefully they will look at this and see what’s going on as I noted if you reset the network settings and turn that off that message underneath your connection does not show. Once I hear back from them I will post what the findings are hopefully with the resolution.

Sep 30, 2020 2:43 AM in response to Rapmusik

Hi Rapmusik,


Please check the AP /Router firmware version , upgrade it to latest firmware if available in OEM site. Upgrade the AP/Router with OEM and follow the instructions given by OEM. Make sure take a backup before you upgrade the same.

Resetting/ turning off will not resolve this problem.

Incase if your Router / AP supports latest WiFi Access protocol Open Router/AP gateway IP through GUI interface( web) and change the SSID security mode to WPA2 (AES) or WPA3 and you will not see Weak Security warning message again.

Oct 4, 2020 5:26 PM in response to Peeksni

Well, that has been discussed extensively in the thread you posted to, but to summarize, get out the manual for your router or go to the manufacturer’s website and learn how to access the router’s control center using a browser on your computer. Then change the security setting to WPA2(AES), WPA2-PSK(AES), or WPA3. If your router doesn’t have any of these settings you need a new router.

Oct 19, 2020 1:17 AM in response to kmerschm

You have 2 separate issues. The Weak Security is a warning that your router is not configured to be secure. It is a new Check that iOS 14 makes. Your router has always had weak security; you just didn’t know about it until now. But it is just a warning; it will not prevent you from using your Wi Fi.


If you can’t connect to Wi-Fi that is a different problem. First try restarting your router by power-cycling it. If that doesn’t fix it go to Settings/Wi-Fi ant tap on the”i” next to the

network name and turn off Private Address.


Also, if your router has MAC filtering (aka Access Control) enabled you need to add your phones Wi-Fi address to the Allowed list.

Nov 1, 2020 1:06 AM in response to ursula243

iOS 14 detects automatically WiFi Router security protocol whether it is WPA2 AES or WPA, if it shows Weak Security doesn't mean that you can not access internet or not to use internet. But it says Router should have WPA2 AES for strong security protocol. All new generation Wifi Access point / Router will support strong Security protocols. You may update firmware of Access point /Router as per OEM standard specifications.

Nov 1, 2020 9:45 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Drop down options for both 2.4 and 5Ghz networks are WPA-PSK or WPA2-PSK

and encryption TKIP or AES.


And both are set to WPA2-PSK with AES.

but somehow my phone is insisting I’m using TKIP and that’s why I get the weak security message. But I’m clearly not on TKIP.


it’s a new model router (TP Link), but doesn’t have the WPA3. Guess that’s even newer.

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Weak Security WiFi on iPhone

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