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Share your WiFi without saying the password out loud
"What's your WiFi?"
Four words. And then the dance begins. You shuffle over to the router squinting at a sticker that says something like IronThrone_2.4G, read out a password mixing capital i's with lowercase L's ("no wait, that's a one, not an l"), the guest types it wrong twice, and by the third try everyone's given up and using their mobile data.
There's a better way, and you've seen it in cafes: a little square code by the counter. Scan it, phone asks "join this network?", one tap, done. No spelling anything out loud. No password ever spoken.
Here's the nice part — that square is nothing special. You can make one yourself in about thirty seconds, free, and stick it wherever your guests will see it.
What's actually inside a WiFi QR code
A WiFi QR code is just a piece of text with a very specific format. It looks like this:
WIFI:T:WPA;S:IronThrone_2.4G;P:MyPassword123;;
That's it. Three letters worth knowing:
- S is the network name (SSID) — which WiFi it points at
- P is the password, sitting right there in plain text
- T is the security type (WPA for almost every home router these days)
When your phone's camera scans it, the phone reads that string, recognizes the WIFI: prefix, and offers to connect. Android does this straight from the camera. iPhones have handled it natively since iOS 11.
One thing worth being honest about, because it surprises people: anyone who scans the code can see the password. The QR doesn't hide it — it just saves the typing. Android usually shows the password right on the join prompt. So a WiFi QR is a convenience, not a lock. More on when that matters below.
Making one (the short version)
Grab the QR Code Generator here on tool80.com and:
- Pick WiFi as the content type.
- Type your network name and password exactly as they appear on the router — capitals, spaces and all. This is the one spot where a typo bites: wrong password, code still scans fine, phone just fails to connect. Very confusing to debug later.
- Set security to WPA/WPA2 unless your network is genuinely open (it shouldn't be).
- Download as PNG for printing, or SVG if you want it crisp at any size on a poster.
The whole thing runs in your browser — the password you type never gets uploaded anywhere. It's turned into an image on your own device, and we don't keep a copy. (The site does use basic anonymous analytics to check pages work; details in the privacy policy.)
Where to stick the thing
Some places this earns its keep:
- Home. Print it, frame it, put it on the coffee table. Guests stop asking. Small gift to your future self.
- Shop, cafe, salon. Counter or table tent. Customers settle in, order another round, stop crowding the till.
- Guest room / Airbnb. Tape it inside a cupboard door or on the welcome card. Fewer midnight "the WiFi's not working" messages — and half of those turn out to be a mistyped password anyway.
- Office meeting room. Visitors join without borrowing someone's laptop to type on.
Practical printing tips from people who've botched this: don't print it smaller than about 2×2 cm, keep it matte (glossy paper glares under lights and the camera struggles), and do one test scan from a meter away before you print twenty of them.
When you should NOT use a WiFi QR code
Some honest limits, because a code on a wall isn't right for every network:
- Your main home network, if you're cautious. The password is readable by anyone who scans. If you'd rather guests not see it, set up a separate guest network (most routers can do this in a few clicks) and make the QR for that. Guests get internet; your smart doorbell stays off their reach.
- Office networks with shared drives and printers. Same logic — guests don't need to see the key that unlocks your internal file server.
- Anything you can't physically watch. A code on an outdoor wall can be scanned by a passerby at 11pm. Again: guest network solves it.
And rotate the code if a password ever changes — the QR is frozen text, it won't update itself.
Quick answers
Does the guest need a special app?
No. Phone camera, point, tap. That's the whole trick.
Can I make one code cover two networks (2.4G and 5G)?
One code, one network, I'm afraid. If your router merges both bands under one name, you're fine. If they're separate names, make two codes — or just point guests at the 2.4G one, which reaches further anyway.
Can I change the password without reprinting?
No — change the password, the code dies. Make a new one; it takes thirty seconds.
Is a WiFi QR code safe to use in a public place?
For a guest network, yes, and that's the right pairing. Just don't put your main network's key on the wall of a train station.
That's the whole idea: a sticker that ends the password-spelling dance forever. Make yours here — it's free, it runs on your device, and no, we never see your WiFi password.