Wireless intrusion prevention is a set of controls that detects, alerts on, and in some cases blocks hostile activity on Wi-Fi and other radio networks. It is often called WIPS, or wireless intrusion prevention system, when implemented as a dedicated platform.
These controls matter because wireless attacks happen outside the physical network perimeter. Common targets include rogue access points, evil twin hotspots, unauthorized clients, spoofed management frames, and deauthentication attacks. A WIPS can monitor the air for suspicious signals, compare them with known approved devices, and respond by isolating, disabling, or containing threats. In defense, it helps teams keep visibility into shadow Wi-Fi gear, policy violations, and attempts to bypass segmentation or authentication controls.