Let guests connect without spelling out the password
“What’s the Wi-Fi password?” is one of the most-asked questions in coffee shops, vacation rentals, waiting rooms and offices. The answer is usually a string of letters and numbers that has to be read out twice. A Wi-Fi QR code fixes that: your guest opens the camera, points it at the code, taps the notification and they’re online. No typing, no mix-ups between a capital O and a zero.
It works with the built-in camera on iPhone (iOS 11 and later) and on almost every current Android phone. On some older Android models, you may need to open the scanner from the Wi-Fi settings screen, where there’s usually a QR icon next to “Add network”.
Finding your network name and password
If you don’t remember them, check the sticker on your router: they’re usually listed as “Network name” or “SSID” and “Password” or “Network key”. If you changed them, your internet provider’s app (Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, Verizon and others) normally shows both. On a Windows PC you can find them under Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Hardware properties, and on a Mac in Keychain Access or, on recent macOS versions, in System Settings → Wi-Fi. Recent Android phones also show the password when you tap “Share” on the connected network.
What’s inside the code
The QR code stores a short text in a format phones understand, for example WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyNetwork;P:password123;;. T is the security type, S the network name and P the password. If the name or password contains special characters such as semicolons, colons or quotation marks, the tool escapes them automatically so the phone isn’t confused. Getting this wrong is one of the most common reasons hand-made Wi-Fi codes fail.
About the security type: choose WPA even if your router uses WPA2 or WPA3, because in this format the WPA label covers all three. WEP only makes sense on equipment more than fifteen years old, and it’s worth retiring anyway because it can be cracked in minutes.
Security: think about who will see the code
A Wi-Fi QR code is, for all practical purposes, your password in print. Anyone who can photograph it can join the network. So:
- If you run a business, set up a separate guest network on your router, apart from the one used by your point-of-sale system, computers or security cameras. Most routers and provider gateways offer this in their settings.
- Don’t post the code for your main network where it can be seen from the street.
- If you change the password, the old code stops working. Generate a new one and replace the cards.
This page never sends your password anywhere: the code is created in your browser and nothing is stored. You can check this by turning off your internet connection once the page has loaded; the tool keeps working.
A card ready to print
Besides the QR image, you can download a 4 × 6 inch card (the standard photo print size, at 300 dpi) with a title, the code and the network name. If you like, include the password as text for guests whose phones don’t have a scanner. It fits in a tabletop sign holder or a small picture frame, and you can print it at home or at any drugstore photo counter. If you change the code’s colors, keep the contrast high: the card will often be scanned in dim indoor light.