Wi-Fi QR Code Generator

How a Wi-Fi QR code works

The code encodes three things: your network name (SSID), the password, and the security type your router uses. A phone camera reads all three and offers to join the network, so nobody has to find the right SSID in a list or type a long password by hand.

Nothing about the code contacts QRSpike when it is scanned. The credentials live inside the symbol itself, which means it keeps working with no internet connection on the scanner's side and it will still work years from now.

Where it earns its keep

• Cafés, bars and waiting rooms. A card on the table beats reciting a password over a noisy room.
• Holiday rentals and guest rooms. Guests get online without messaging you at 11pm.
• Offices with a guest network. Visitors connect without anyone reading the password aloud in reception.
• Trade show booths. One printed card handles every visitor who asks.

Getting it right

The SSID has to match exactly, capitals included. "CafeGuest" and "cafeguest" are different networks as far as the phone is concerned.

Pick the security type your router actually uses. Most modern networks are WPA2. If you choose the wrong one the phone will try to connect and fail, which looks like a broken code. Choose "No password" only for genuinely open networks.

Test before you print. Scan the downloaded image with a phone that is not already on the network — a phone that has joined before will connect whether or not the code is correct.

Treat the printed code like the password. Anyone who can see it can join. For a guest network that is the whole idea; for your main network, think about where it is displayed.