Wi-Fi QR code for guests
A card on the counter, and your visitor is online without typing a twenty-character password. The code carries the WIFI schema, which both iPhone and Android read in the camera with no extra app.
Create the Wi-Fi codeNetwork name and password stay in your browser
Editorial teamLast reviewed: 29 October 2026Editorial standards
Short answer
A Wi-Fi QR code carries the network name and the password in plain text. Use the router's guest network rather than the main one, print it at least 3 cm across for a table, and expect to reprint after any password change, because a static code cannot be edited.
A Wi-Fi QR code is not encrypted. The password sits in plain text inside the pattern, in one line: network name, password, encryption type. Anyone who photographs the code can read it later, at home, without being in the network. So the question worth thinking about is not the colour of the code but which password you are handing out.
On almost every home router the right answer is the guest network: a separate SSID with its own password, and, on most routers, client isolation so guests cannot see the other devices in the house.
Use the guest network, not the main one
Routers from every major brand have a guest network: separate name, separate password, and usually a switch to isolate guests from the rest of the LAN. Turn it on first, then put those credentials into the code.
This also makes rotating simple. When you change the guest password, only the guest code has to be reprinted. Your own devices keep working untouched.
- Separate SSID and password for guests
- Avoid spaces and accents in the network name
- Add a time limit if the network only needs to exist for an evening
The WPA3 catch
The WIFI schema predates WPA3. Its encryption field accepts WPA, WEP or the open-network case, and there is no value for WPA3.
In practice this rarely bites, because routers running WPA2 and WPA3 mixed will negotiate WPA2 and the code works. A router set to pure WPA3 may refuse the connection even though the password is right. If that happens, either set the guest network to WPA2 or connect manually once and check whether the code is needed at all.
One code or two for dual band
Most routers broadcast 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under one name with one password. Then one code covers both, because the payload is identical. The device, not the code, chooses the band.
If your bands have different names, each needs its own code. For guests that is usually pointless: 2.4 GHz travels through walls better and is the safer choice for a phone in the next room.
Print size and placement
Wi-Fi codes are read at arm length, so 2.5 to 3 cm is enough on a card or a table tent. Laminate or matte paper matters more than size: a glossy code under a lamp reflects and fails.
Do not put a Wi-Fi code in a window that faces the street. The quiet zone around the pattern is four modules, and a code butted against a frame loses it.
Size
| Read from | Edge length | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 30 cm | 3 cm | Card on a counter, table tent |
| 1 m | 10 cm | Sign in a hallway, guest room |
| 3 m | 30 cm | Door sign, shop window |
| 5 m | 50 cm | Poster, exhibition stand |
Questions
Does the same code work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, both use the same WIFI standard. From iOS 11 the camera reads it in the viewfinder, and Android has QR detection in the camera app or in the Wi-Fi settings. No extra app is required.
Can I edit the code after printing when the password changes?
No. A static code stores the content in the pattern itself, so a password change means a new code and a new print. That is the trade for having no service in the middle that could be switched off.
Does it work with a hidden network?
Yes, the hidden flag is part of the schema. The network name has to be exact, though, because the device cannot scan for it. A typo only shows up when the connection attempt fails.
Why does the phone not connect even though the code is right?
Usually because the router is set to pure WPA3, which the schema cannot express, or because MAC filtering is on and blocks the device regardless of the password.