How to make a Wi-Fi QR code for guests

Spelling out a Wi-Fi password over and over gets old fast. A Wi-Fi QR code lets guests, customers or visitors join your network with one scan, with no typing and no typos.

How a Wi-Fi QR code works

A Wi-Fi QR code contains your network details in a standard format that phone cameras understand:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:yourpassword;;

• T is the security type (WPA covers WPA, WPA2 and most WPA3 networks; nopass is for open networks).
• S is the network name (SSID).
• P is the password.

When someone scans it, their phone offers to join the network. They tap once and they're online.

Which phones support it

• iPhone: iOS 11 and later, from the built-in Camera app.
• Android: Android 10 and later, from the built-in camera or Google Lens. Older Android phones can use a QR scanner app.

That covers almost every phone in use today.

Make one

1. Choose Wi-Fi as the code type.
2. Enter the network name exactly as it appears, including capitals and spaces.
3. Enter the password and choose the security type (WPA/WPA2 for almost all modern routers).
4. Add a frame that says "Scan for Wi-Fi", then download and print it.

Keep your network safe

• Use a guest network. Most routers let you create a separate guest network that can reach the internet but not your tills, printers or office computers. Put that one in the QR code, never your main network.
• Change the guest password from time to time, especially if the code is visible from outside.
• Don't display it where it doesn't need to be. A code on the table is fine; a code in the window lets anyone on the street join.

Changing the password later

Wi-Fi details are read by the phone's camera directly, so they work best as a fixed code. Plan to update the printed code whenever you change the guest password.

If you'd rather not reprint, point a dynamic code to a simple page showing the network name and current password instead. Guests then copy the password in a couple of taps, and you can change it whenever you like.

Where to put it

• Table tents and counter stands in cafés and restaurants.
• Bedside cards or the welcome book in holiday lets and hotels.
• Meeting rooms and reception desks.
• Event badges and lanyards.

Keep it at least 3–4 cm wide, with a clear margin, and test it on an iPhone and an Android phone before printing.

Create a Wi-Fi QR code