[Re-Titled by Moderator]
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.
Make sure that the setting is WPA2(AES) for both the 2.6 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The settings are separate. It could be that the 2 devices are connecting at different speeds. And also verify that it is NOT WPA/WPA2(AES).
If you aren’t already you should assign different SSIDs to the two different bands (e.g., XYZZY-2 and XYZZY-5) so you are sure which you are connecting to.
Virgin Media directed me as follows, taken from its wifi forum. This is what I did.
The settings were set for the 2 bands independently. When the iPhone sits next to the iMac, they both use 5G but give conflicting messages about weak security. The iMac does not use 2G at all; and most of the time, it does not use wifi. When I switch on wifi on the iMac, it says weak security.
Are you using a WiFi extender? If yes then that needs to be set to WPA2 also. While you are in the administration for your extender good idea to update the firmware too.
I adjusted my home PlusNet hub/router and my tplink extender and now I no longer have a weak issue 👍
Just because I was curious why people may still be seeing this message even after checking their router settings, I found out you may have to change settings twice. Here's part of my wireless settings page.
This is the one I changed to WPA2, but the iPhone and iPad still complained about security. Well, duh!, I just now clicked on the 5GHz button and that had its own security setting. It was still on WPA - WPA2. Changed that one to WPA2 and now everything is happy.
Can't recall if you've already checked this (and I'm too lazy to go back and read 😁), but look at the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands on both the router and the extender. Each bandwidth has to have its security settings changed separately. One device or the other may still have WPA as the choice on only one bandwidth.
Even when the extenders are configured correctly with wpa2 the message appears. The following statement made by Lawrence Finch is accurate: "It needs to be WPA2(AES) not WPA2(TKIP). And if your router supports both bands it must be set for each band separately. Further, if you have a mesh network or range extenders they also need to be set to WPA2(AES). And it must be pure WPA2. Not WPA/WPA2. "
How to correct issue with iOS 14 update error message weak security if you have xfinity?
Thanks to Babykat50
I also don't have WPA3 as a choice, and also set ours to "WPA2 Personal" and the security message is gone.
Once you have changed your routers security settings to WPA2 if you still get the issue then if you are using a WiFi extender change that to WPA2 & while you are in there I suggest you update the firmware too. This solution worked for me yesterday.
Raadghast
Oh boy, smh. This is embarrassing. Everyone ignore me, and my posts! I thought had already done this, but apparently I didn't. Turns out I did not create a new, random private encryption key on the WiFi extender. Just pushed the security buttons on those babies and boom, no more "Weak Security" notice on iPhone X with iOS 14.0.1. Sorry to everyone and Apple for jumping the gun! Glad I figured it out, though, and perhaps it'll help someone else.
kalen64 wrote:
This is the exact same issue I'm seeing. I get the weak security message, but confirmed my router of 2.5 years is in fact running WPA2-PSK (AES). GIven this didn't occur prior to my upgrade to 14.0, i'm guessing its a bug in IoS.
No, it is a new feature in iOS. Your router has always had weak security. Now, with iOS 14, you know that it has weak security. You need to verify and change the setting for both 2.4 Ghz and 5 GHz bands.
WPA2 Personal is not as secure. If your router does not have the ones I listed you need a new router if you want one that can’t be hacked. You can continue using the one you have by ignoring the warning. Your router has always been less secure, it’s just that now you know that it is thanks to iOS 14’s router check. If you keep using it you should look at the list of connected devices regularly in the router’s control center and make sure that you can identify all of them as your devices.
ali0423 wrote:
Will the new update that came out today fix the "weak security" issue??
There is no “weak security” issue in iOS. The weak security is in your router, which has always had weak security. You just didn’t know it until iOS 14 checked it for you. You need to either change your router’s encryption settings to WPA2(AES) or WPA3 from whatever it is now. If it is a very old router (more than 5 years old) it may not have such a setting, and should probably be replaced. Or live with having a router than can be hacked remotely. If you choose this you should disable the remote access port in the router, and periodically check the list of connected devices to verify that you recognize all of them as devices you own.
On my 6s, it still complained about weak security after I had change both bandwidths to WPA2. Only after I turned WiFi off, back on, and then shut down the phone and turned it back on did it finally stop saying I had weak security.
Trebor340 wrote:
Typical reply from Apple.
its my fault or some other faulty equipment.
They won’t accept responsibility for the issue they created.
It all worked fine before IOS 14 now it doesn’t.
please explain this!!!
I shouldn’t have to change or update any other equipment as it worked before YOUR update.
As has already been posted, but here for your review and hopefully understanding:
If you would like help resolving a Wi-Fi problem other users would be happy to work with you, or you can use the Contact Support link at the top of this page and work directly with an Apple technician. Start by describing the symptoms you are seeing and any troubleshooting you have done so far.
Weak Security WiFi on iPhone
