How to Make a WiFi QR Code for Guests
Let visitors join your network by scanning instead of typing a long password. Here is how WiFi QR codes work and how to make one safely.
What a WiFi QR code contains
A WiFi QR code encodes a small, standardised string with three key parts: the network name (SSID), the security type (usually WPA/WPA2), and the password. When a phone scans it, the operating system reads those fields and offers to connect.
Because the credentials are written into the code itself, no app or account is involved. The phone simply joins the network.
Making one
- •Choose the WiFi content type in your generator.
- •Enter the exact network name, matching capitalisation.
- •Select the security type. WPA/WPA2 for almost all modern networks.
- •Enter the password; special characters are escaped automatically.
- •Export and print, or display it on a screen near the entrance.
Keep it on a separate guest network
A printed code is a printed password. Anyone who can photograph it can join. That is fine for a guest network that is isolated from your main devices, but you should not put your primary password on a poster.
Most routers let you run a separate guest SSID in a couple of minutes. Put the QR code on that one.
Where to place it
Reception desks, hotel rooms, cafe tables and meeting rooms are the classic spots. Keep the printed code at a comfortable scanning distance and avoid laminating with a high-gloss finish that throws glare into the camera.
Privacy note
When the code is generated in your browser, your network password is never sent anywhere, it only ends up in the image you export. That is exactly the property you want for something that gates access to your network.