Guest WiFi QR codes: share your network the easy way

Reading a 20-character WiFi password aloud is a small, daily friction in cafés, holiday lets, salons and homes. A WiFi QR code removes it: the guest scans, taps “Join”, and they’re on. Here’s how to make one that works and where to put it.

How a WiFi QR code works

The code encodes your network details in a standard string the phone recognises as join instructions:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:password;;

Here T is the security type (usually WPA, covering WPA2/WPA3), S is the network name (SSID) and P is the password. When scanned, iPhone and Android both recognise the format and offer to join the network directly — no browser, no typing. Generate it on our WiFi QR code page and the string is assembled correctly for you.

Get the details exactly right

WiFi codes are unforgiving about accuracy — a wrong character means the join silently fails. Check:

• SSID spelling and case. Network names are case-sensitive. “CafeGuest” and “cafeguest” are different networks.
• Security type. Pick WPA/WPA2 for virtually all modern routers. Choosing WEP for a WPA2 network produces a code that scans but won’t connect — a classic, baffling failure.
• Special characters. Semicolons, colons, commas, backslashes and quotes in a password have special meaning in the WiFi string and must be escaped. A good generator does this automatically; a hand-built string often breaks here. Our troubleshooting guide covers this exact pitfall.

Hidden networks and separate guest networks

If your network is hidden (not broadcasting its name), the code needs a flag marking it as hidden, or the phone won’t find it after scanning. More useful for most venues: set up a separate guest network on your router and make the QR code for that. It keeps visitors off your main network and your connected devices, and you can give the guest network a simpler password without weakening your primary one.

Keep your data private

Your WiFi password is sensitive. Some online generators send whatever you type to a server to build the image — meaning your password passes through, and may be logged on, someone else’s machine. Our generator builds the code entirely in your browser: the password is never transmitted to us, never stored, never logged. For credentials, that’s the difference that matters. See our security guide for the wider picture.

Where to display it

• Cafés and restaurants: on table talkers or a wall card near seating, at 4–5cm, matt finish to avoid glare.
• Holiday lets and Airbnbs: framed in the welcome area or kitchen. Guests find it instantly and you stop fielding password messages.
• Salons, waiting rooms, offices: reception or wall-mounted, sized for the distance people will scan from.
• Home: a small framed code by the door or on the fridge spares you reciting the password to every visitor.

Size it by the distance rule: a card scanned from arm’s length needs only 2.5–4cm; a wall-mounted code scanned from across a room needs to be bigger.

Keep it static

Use a static code. As long as your password doesn’t change, the code works forever with no subscription. Change the password and you regenerate the code — a ten-second job, free. There’s no reason to make guest WiFi depend on a paid redirect that could expire.