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Wi-Fi QR Code Generator

Wi-Fi QR code that auto-connects on iPhone and Android

Type the SSID, the password and the encryption. The generator builds a `WIFI:` payload that iOS Camera and Android both parse as a join-network handoff. Export PNG for the screen or SVG for the laminated card at the cafe counter.

Scan to join Wi-Fi

What to encode

Style

Frame

  • Files never leave your device
  • Runs in your browser
  • Free, no signup

How it works

  1. 1

    Type the network details

    SSID, password, encryption (WPA/WPA2/WPA3/open) and whether the network is hidden.

  2. 2

    Check the encoded payload

    We surface the exact `WIFI:T:...;S:...;P:...;H:...;;` string so you can verify before printing.

  3. 3

    Download PNG or SVG

    PNG for table cards, SVG for posters. Both auto-join when guests open their camera.

What this Wi-Fi QR generator does

WPA, WPA2, WPA3 and open

Every encryption mode current iOS and Android parse. WPA3 is encoded as WPA for compatibility; your router still negotiates WPA3.

Hidden SSID supported

Tick the hidden flag and the QR adds `H:true`, so phones probe for the network before trying to join.

Special characters escaped

SSIDs with `;`, `,`, `:` or `\` are escaped automatically. Without this, the QR truncates at the first reserved character.

Where this helps

Cafe

Cafe table cards

4 cm sticker on each table. Guests scan and join without typing the password.

Hotel

Hotel welcome packs

QR plus printed password as fallback. The QR is the fast path for modern phones.

Short-let

Airbnb hosts

Print once, frame it. Saves the chat thread that always asks 'what's the Wi-Fi'.

Events

Conference Wi-Fi

Poster at registration. Hundreds of guests get online without queueing at the help desk.

Office

Co-working spaces

Member network QR at the kitchen, guest network QR at reception. Two separate SSIDs.

Home

Home Wi-Fi for visitors

Print a card for the guest Wi-Fi. Saves repeating the password every time someone visits.

Tips that help

  • 1

    Run a guest SSID for QR display

    Anyone with a phone can read the password from the printed QR. Keep your main network off the print.

  • 2

    Print at 4 cm or larger for tabletop

    The 10:1 distance rule says 4 cm scans reliably from 40 cm. Smaller QRs need closer phones and better light.

  • 3

    Use matte stock for prints

    Glossy laminate reflects the room light into the camera. Matte cards scan reliably under café spotlights.

  • 4

    Rotate the password

    Reprint the QR each time you rotate the guest password. Old prints stop working but cannot leak the new one.

What a Wi-Fi QR code actually encodes

The Wi-Fi QR scheme came out of ZXing and was adopted as the de-facto standard by iOS and Android. The string is plain text. Your phone's camera parses it, fills in the join-network dialog, and connects. Nothing leaves your device; the QR is just a structured handoff.

The WIFI: payload format

Every Wi-Fi QR encodes a string starting with `WIFI:` followed by four named fields separated by semicolons. `T:` is the encryption type, `S:` the SSID, `P:` the password, `H:` whether the network is hidden, then a closing `;;`.

Wi-Fi QR code that auto-connects on iPhone and Android

A complete example: `WIFI:T:WPA2;S:Cafe-Guest;P:beanburger;H:false;;`. The order of fields is flexible but the prefix and trailing `;;` are required by the ZXing parser that iOS Camera and Android use.

Special characters in SSID or password (`;`, `,`, `:`, `\`) get a backslash prefix. Without escaping the QR would truncate at the first reserved character and the scan would silently fail.

WPA vs WPA2 vs WPA3 vs none

WPA2 is the safe default. It is what most home and small-business routers run. WPA covers older networks. WPA3 is newer; the QR scheme has no dedicated tag for it, so we encode it as `T:WPA` because that is what current scanners parse. The router still negotiates WPA3 once the phone joins.

Open networks use `T:nopass` and omit `P:`. iOS will join silently; Android shows an 'unsecured network' confirmation before connecting.

WEP is in the spec but you should not use it. WEP keys are broken in seconds with off-the-shelf tools. If you have a WEP router on your network, upgrade it before printing the QR.

Where to place the printed QR

Cafes and restaurants: a 4×4 cm sticker on every table, plus one larger one at the counter. The 10:1 rule says a 4 cm QR scans cleanly from 40 cm, about arm's-length sitting at a table.

Read more

Hotels and Airbnb: a 6×6 cm card in the welcome pack, alongside the SSID and password printed in plain text for older phones. The QR is the fast path; the text is the fallback.

Offices and event spaces: A4 poster behind reception, at 10–12 cm QR size for desk scanning, and small table cards at each meeting room. Rotate the guest password monthly and reprint the QR.

Why scans sometimes fail

Wrong encryption type. The router is on WPA2 but the QR was generated as WEP. The phone tries WEP, gets rejected, gives up.

Unescaped special characters in the SSID. `Cafe; Wifi` truncates to `Cafe`. Use the payload readout above the preview to verify the encoded string matches the network's actual SSID.

Camera focus on a glossy laminate. Print on matte stock if you can. For high-traffic spots, increase the QR size from 4 to 5 cm so the camera can lock focus from further away.

Frequently asked questions

Honest answers to what people ask before using this tool.

Yes. iOS Camera (iOS 11 and later) and Android (8.0 and later) both join the encoded network from the camera scan with a single tap. Older Android phones may need a third-party scanner. The payload format we use is the ZXing `WIFI:T:...;S:...;P:...;H:...;;` scheme, which is what both platforms parse.

WPA, WPA2, WPA3 and open (no password). We encode WPA3 as `T:WPA` because that is what current iOS and Android scanners parse; the AP keeps using WPA3, the QR just labels it WPA. WEP is supported for legacy routers but you should retire those. WEP is broken.

If your SSID is not broadcast, tick 'Hidden network' and the QR adds `H:true` to the payload. Scanners then prompt the phone to probe for the SSID before joining. Without this flag a hidden network will not connect.

Yes. The ZXing spec reserves `;`, `,`, `:` and `\` as control characters, so we escape them with a leading backslash. Without escaping the QR would truncate at the first `;` and the scan would fail. Verify by reading the payload readout above the preview.

Yes. Export SVG for print. Vector keeps the QR sharp at any sticker size. Keep the print at least 3 cm on a side for tabletop scanning (10:1 distance rule against ~30 cm reach). Add a small `Scan to connect` line under it.

It is as safe as showing the password on a card. Anyone in physical range can scan and join, so it is fine for guest networks but not for your main home or office network. Run a separate guest SSID with a rotating password for QR display.

Yes, when the error correction level is H (30%). Adding a logo flips ECL to H automatically so the centre cutout fits inside the reconstruction headroom. Keep the logo under 25% of the QR for the most reliable scans across phone cameras with varying focus quality.

Two common reasons. The encryption picker is set to the wrong type (WPA2 network labelled as WEP, for example), or the SSID has unescaped special characters. Both show up in the payload readout. Match the network's actual encryption and the SSID exactly.

Not from a simple QR. Enterprise auth needs a username, certificate and EAP method that does not fit the ZXing scheme. For office Wi-Fi, point the QR at a captive-portal URL with your IT onboarding instructions instead.

Yes. Anyone with a scanner sees the encoded payload, including the password. That is fine for the guest network in a coffee shop, not fine for your home main SSID. Print a card for guests; treat the QR like a paper password.

Further reading

Independent references if you want to go deeper on the formats and tradeoffs.

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