QR Codes
Wi-Fi QR codes: let guests join your network with one scan
How a Wi-Fi QR code works, how to make one safely, which settings to choose, and what to do when guests cannot connect.
By Lumara Links Team
4 min read
Reading out a long Wi-Fi password, letter by letter, is a small daily annoyance in homes, offices, cafés and holiday rentals. A Wi-Fi QR code replaces it: guests point their phone camera at the code and join the network without typing anything.
How a Wi-Fi QR code works
A Wi-Fi QR code contains three things in a standard format: the network name, the security type and the password. When a phone camera reads it, the phone offers to join that network. Recent iPhones and Android phones can do this from the built-in camera app, without installing anything.
Nothing in the code connects to the internet by itself. It is simply a convenient way of handing over the network details.
How to make one
- Open the Wi-Fi QR code generator.
- Enter the network name exactly as it appears on your devices. It is case-sensitive, so “CafeGuest” and “cafeguest” are different networks.
- Choose the security type. WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 networks all use the WPA option. Choose “No password” only for open networks.
- Enter the password, and tick “This network is hidden” only if your network does not broadcast its name.
- Scan the preview with your own phone to check it joins, then download the PNG or SVG.
The code is created in your browser, so the password is not sent to our server.
Share Wi-Fi safely
- Anyone who can see the code can join the network, so treat it like the password itself.
- In a café, office or rental, put guests on a separate guest network rather than the one your own computers and devices use.
- When you change the password, make a new code and replace the old one everywhere it is displayed.
- Never photograph the code for social media if it is for a private network.
If guests cannot connect
- Check the network name and password for typing mistakes, including capital letters and spaces.
- Make sure the security type matches the router's settings.
- Move closer to the router. The code may be read correctly while the signal is too weak to join.
- Some older phones need a QR scanning app for Wi-Fi codes. Keep the password written somewhere as a fallback.
For a printed sign, follow the size and contrast advice in our QR code printing guide. Restaurants can combine it with a QR code menu on the same table card.
Try it yourself
Generate a QR code