JFDI Blog

Tag: Wi-Fi

  • How to make a Wi-Fi QR code

    To make a Wi-Fi QR code, enter your network name, password and security type into a QR code maker that has a Wi-Fi option, then print the code. In the JFDI QR code maker, choose Wi-Fi, fill in the three boxes and download. Guests point their phone’s camera at it and tap to join. iPhones running iOS 11 or later and Android phones running Android 10 or later can join straight from the camera app.

    Make a Wi-Fi QR code

    Step by step

    1. Open the QR code maker and choose Wi-Fi.
    2. Network name: type it exactly as it appears in your phone’s Wi-Fi list. It’s case sensitive, so Cafe_Guest and cafe_guest are different networks.
    3. Password: type it exactly, including capitals, spaces and symbols.
    4. Security: WPA / WPA2 / WPA3 for almost every modern router. Choose WEP only for very old equipment, or None for an open network.
    5. Hidden network: tick this if your network doesn’t broadcast its name.
    6. Add a caption such as “Scan to join our Wi-Fi”, so people know what the code is for.
    7. Download a PNG to print at home, or SVG or PDF for a print shop. Test it with two different phones before laminating.

    Special characters in the name or password, such as ;, : or ", are handled for you; the QR format needs them escaped, which trips up some generators.

    What’s inside the code

    A Wi-Fi QR code is a short line of text in a standard format that phones understand:

    WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe_Guest;P:coffee-and-cake;;

    T is the security type, S the network name and P the password. When a phone reads it, it offers to join that network with that password.

    Security: the password is readable

    Anyone who scans the code can see the password, and any QR reader app will display it as text. So:

    • Use a guest network. Most routers can run a separate guest network that has internet access but can’t see your computers, printers or smart devices. Put the guest network in the code, never your main one.
    • Only display it where you’d show the password anyway, such as inside your café, office reception or holiday let.
    • Change the guest password from time to time, and print a new code when you do.

    The JFDI QR code maker builds the code in your browser, so your Wi-Fi password is never sent to us or anyone else. That isn’t true of every generator: some send what you type to a server to make the image.

    Printing tips

    • Size: a Wi-Fi code holds a little more than a short link, so print it at least 3 cm wide. At a distance, a good rule is that the code should be at least a tenth of the scanning distance; see how small a QR code can be printed.
    • Contrast: dark code on a white or light background.
    • Leave the margin clear: don’t let text or a frame run into the blank border.
    • Put the network name and password underneath in text too, for laptops and older phones.

    Troubleshooting

    The phone sees the code but won’t connect

    Check the network name and password character by character, including capitals and spaces, and that the security type matches your router (almost always WPA). If you changed the password, the old code no longer works.

    Older phones don’t react

    Phones older than iOS 11 or Android 10 may need a QR scanner app. Print the network name and password under the code for them.

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