Implementing seamless device onboarding and network joining has become a priority for Android since the release of Android 10, which introduced support for the Wi-Fi Easy Connect protocol, also known as the Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP). This protocol, developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance (WFA), offers a more secure and user-friendly alternative to the deprecated Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). By leveraging modern encryption and out-of-band configuration methods, Wi-Fi Easy Connect simplifies connecting devices—especially headless or embedded ones—to Wi-Fi networks without the need to manually enter passwords.
Wi-Fi Easy Connect facilitates a variety of connection scenarios, including onboarding new devices to a network and allowing devices to join without prior knowledge of passwords. The process involves bootstrapping and authentication through URIs, which can be obtained via QR code scans, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or Near Field Communication (NFC). This approach ensures a secure exchange of credentials over encrypted channels, using existing access points and public action frames to maintain compatibility.
Currently, Android 10 supports Wi-Fi Easy Connect exclusively in initiator mode, which acts as the device configuring or joining a network. The two main modes supported are:
- Initiator-Configurator: Sending network credentials to a new device by scanning its QR code.
- Initiator-Enrollee: Joining a network by scanning the network’s QR code.
Android 10 supports the pre-shared key (PSK) protocol for WPA2 networks and the SAE protocol for WPA3, enhancing security during device onboarding. However, it’s important to note that Wi-Fi Easy Connect is only available in client mode, with SoftAP mode (access point mode) not supported. This means devices act as clients rather than access points during the process.
Implementation Details
To integrate Wi-Fi Easy Connect, developers need to implement the supplicant interface provided in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). This involves working with specific hardware interfaces, such as:
- `hardware/interfaces/wifi/supplicant/1.2/` or later for HIDL-based implementations.
- `hardware/interfaces/wifi/supplicant/aidl/` for AIDL-based support.
Supporting DPP also requires updates at the Linux kernel level, including patches for `cfg80211`, `nl80211`, and `wpa_supplicant`, alongside Wi-Fi drivers and firmware that support DPP functionalities.
Android provides public APIs to facilitate app integration, such as `WifiManager#isEasyConnectSupported`, which allows apps to query device support for Easy Connect, and intent-based methods like `startActivityForResult(ACTION_PROCESS_WIFI_EASY_CONNECT_URI)` to incorporate Wi-Fi onboarding flows seamlessly. For more advanced configuration, enabling Wi-Fi Easy Connect in the framework involves including the `CONFIG_DPP=y` option in the `android.config` file for `wpa_supplicant`.
Testing your implementation is crucial for ensuring reliable operation. You can run unit tests like `DppManagerTest` to verify capability flags, or use the VTS testing suite such as `VtsHalWifiSupplicantV1_2TargetTest` for interfaces supporting HAL v1.2, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the protocol’s functionality.
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