WiFi QR Code Generator

How a WiFi QR code works

When someone points their camera at the code, the phone reads the network name, the security type and the password, then offers to join. They tap once. Nothing is transmitted to us and nothing is installed — the credentials are encoded in the pattern itself, which is also why the code keeps working with no internet connection and no account behind it.

Fill in the network name exactly as it appears in your router’s settings, including capitals. CafeGuest and cafeguest are different networks to a phone, and a mismatch is the most common reason a freshly printed code does nothing.

Pick the right security type

Choose WPA/WPA2/WPA3 for almost every modern network — the single WPA option covers all three, and a WPA3 network does not need a different setting. Choose WEP only for genuinely old hardware. Choose Open for a network with no password at all, which hides the password field entirely.

Tick hidden network only if your router does not broadcast its name. Phones need that hint to find a hidden network, but setting it on a normal network can stop the connection working — it is worth checking rather than guessing.

The mistake worth avoiding

Do not encode your main network password. Anyone who photographs the code has your password, and unlike a card on a wall a photograph travels. Most routers can run a separate guest network in a couple of clicks; put the code on that one. The guest network also keeps visitors off the same segment as your printer, till system and anything else you would rather they could not reach.

Sizing it for a table

A QR code needs roughly a tenth of its scanning distance in width. Someone seated reads a table tent from about 30cm, so a code around 3cm wide is comfortable — go to 4cm if the tent sits at the far end of a long table. Leave clear white space around all four sides; a code printed hard against a border or a coloured edge often fails to register at all.