How to create a Wi-Fi QR Code, with a printable sign

A Wi-Fi QR Code lets guests join your network by scanning it with their phone: no password to dictate, to read from a slip of paper or to type in with one wrong letter. It is useful in a bar, a B&B, an office, a shop, or at home when friends come over.

This guide explains how to create it, how to choose the right settings, what to write on the sign you print and how to avoid the most common problems.

What you need

• The exact name of the network (SSID), upper and lower case included.
• The password, written exactly as you would type it on a phone.
• The type of protection: almost always WPA (which covers WPA2 and WPA3). You can find it in the router settings.
• Whether the network is hidden (it does not appear in the list of available networks).

How to create the Wi-Fi QR Code, step by step

1. Open the Wi-Fi QR Code generator.
2. Enter the network name and the password. Check every character: a mistake here means a code that connects nobody.
3. Choose the protection (WPA for almost every network; “none” only if the network is open) and, if needed, tick the option for a hidden network.
4. Customize the colors or add your logo if you like, keeping the code dark on a light background: with low contrast phones struggle to read it.
5. Download the file. For printing choose SVG or a high-resolution PNG.
6. Test it before printing: scan it with an iPhone and with an Android phone and check that it really connects.

How guests use it

Guests open the camera and point it at the code: a “Join network…” prompt appears and with one tap they are in. On iPhone it works from the built-in camera; on most recent Android phones too. No app is needed. It does not work on a computer: there the password has to be typed in.

The sign to print

The code alone is not enough: a good sign says what to do and has a backup for anyone who cannot scan it. A version that works, to adapt to your venue:

• Title: “Guest Wi-Fi”.
• Instruction: “Open your camera and scan the code to connect”.
• Backup, in small print: “Network: NetworkName · Password: …”.
• The code, large, in the middle, with a white margin all around it.

Size and position: at least 4 × 4 cm on tables, larger (8 cm or more) on a poster or hanging sign. Put it where people stop: at reception, at the counter, on the table, on the bedside table in a room. Laminate the sheet with a matte finish, because glare on glossy paper makes scanning harder.

Security: two things to know

• The password is inside the code. The guest does not see or type it, but anyone who decodes the QR Code can read it. That is why it is best to create a separate guest network apart from your main one: almost all routers offer it.
• If you change the password, the printed code stops working. The Wi-Fi QR Code is by its nature static: everything it needs is written in the pattern. After a password change you must create a new one and replace the sheets. Keep that in mind before printing a hundred signs.

The most common mistakes

• Network name written differently from the real one (upper and lower case, trailing spaces, “l” and “I”).
• Wrong protection: if the network is WPA and you choose “none”, the phone will not connect.
• A hidden network without ticking the matching option.
• A code that is too small, low in contrast or covered by glare.
• Not having tested it with a phone other than your own.

What if you also want the menu?

In bars and restaurants the Wi-Fi and the menu are often on the same table. Unlike the Wi-Fi one, the menu QR Code is dynamic: you can change dishes and prices without reprinting. To learn how, see the guide How to create a QR Code menu for your restaurant.