Industrial operators can automate IoT onboarding across Wi-Fi networks through a joint specification from the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) and FIDO Alliance. The framework pairs the WBA’s federated OpenRoaming architecture with FIDO Device Onboard protocols.
Field technicians can spend hours manually configuring individual MAC addresses, Wi-Fi protected access keys, and administrative credentials across factory floors. This workflow eliminates that manual setup entirely. Devices authenticate at initial power-on, complete cryptographic handshakes, and migrate directly to designated enterprise segments with zero manual intervention.
Tiago Rodrigues, President and CEO of the WBA, said: “This work marks an important step, extending OpenRoaming further into IoT and edge device use cases. By combining OpenRoaming’s secure, interoperable connectivity with FIDO Device Onboard, we have shown how devices can establish a trusted first connection, begin automated onboarding and then transition to their designated operational network.
“It demonstrates the value of collaboration across the Wi-Fi, identity, manufacturing, and IoT ecosystems, while providing a standards-based foundation for further interoperability testing, product development and real-world trials that can help reduce deployment overhead and strengthen device security at scale.”
