How to Determine if a Wi-Fi Network is WEP or WPA on iOS

To determine if a Wi-Fi network is using WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) or WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security on an iOS device, follow these steps:

Connect to the Network

First, ensure your iOS device is connected to the Wi-Fi network you want to check. This is your starting point for finding out the security type of the network.

Open Settings

Open the Settings app on your iOS device. This is the central management hub for all settings and features on your device.

Select Wi-Fi

Tap on Wi-Fi to see the list of available networks. From here, you can choose the network to which your device is connected.

Network Information

Select the network that you are currently connected to. Next, tap on the i icon (info icon) next to the network name. This will provide you with detailed information about the network, including the security type.

Check Security Type

Within the network details, look for the Security section. Here, the security protocol in use, such as WEP, WPA, WPA2, or WPA3, will be listed. If the network is using WEP, it will explicitly state 'WEP' in this section.

Note: In some cases, you might not see this information. This can be due to the iOS version you are using, or the specific router configuration of the network. Since not all devices display this information, it might not be available for every network.

Additional Clues from the Password

In some cases, you can get a strong hint from the password. If the password is exactly 16 characters and consists only of numbers (0-9) and letters (A-F), it is almost certainly a WEP password. On the other hand, most modern routers use WPA2 with AES encryption, and WPA is becoming increasingly rare.

Third-Party Apps for Network Analysis

If you cannot determine the security type through the iOS settings, you can use third-party apps designed for network analysis. There are numerous apps available on the App Store, such as:

These apps provide detailed information about network security and can help you determine whether a network is using WEP or WPA. These tools can also be useful for more in-depth network diagnostics.

While iOS natively does not allow you to see network security types, these third-party apps can provide the information you need.