What the code holds
A Wi-Fi QR code encodes a short URI: the network name, the security type, the password, and a flag for hidden networks. Phone cameras recognise the format and offer to join. No app and no internet connection is involved, because the whole record sits inside the symbol.
Four steps
- Enter the network name Copy it exactly, including capital letters, spaces, and punctuation. A network called Cafe WiFi is not the same as cafe wifi.
- Pick the security type WPA or WPA2 Personal covers almost every current network, WPA3 Personal included on most devices. WEP is for old hardware. Open means no password.
- Type the password Nothing is sent anywhere. The generator assembles the record in a local worker and shows it to you before drawing the symbol.
- Download and print Take the SVG for anything printed. It stays sharp at any size, from a table card to a poster.
For a hidden network, set the hidden flag. Without it, a phone looks for a broadcasting network with that name, finds nothing, and gives up.
Use the guest network
Most routers offer a separate guest network. Put visitors on that one and print its code, not the code for the network your laptop, your NAS, and your cameras sit on.
A guest network usually isolates clients from each other and from the rest of your LAN, so a stranger's phone cannot browse your shared folders or reach a printer's admin page. It also gives you a password you can change without re-pairing every device in the house.
- Print the guest code, keep the main one private The two networks have different passwords. Only one belongs on a wall.
- Change the guest password on a schedule A cafe that rotates it quarterly reprints one card. A cafe that never rotates it has handed the password to everyone who ever sat down.
- Do not post the code online A photo of the card on social media is the password published. Any decoder reads it back out of the picture.
Printing it so it actually scans
Keep the symbol at least 2 cm on each side for a table card and larger for anything read from a distance. A rough rule for posters: the code should be about a tenth of the scanning distance, so a code read from 2 m wants roughly 20 cm.
Leave the quiet zone, the blank margin around the symbol, clear. Designers delete it constantly and it breaks scanning. Keep dark modules on a light background rather than the reverse, and avoid printing on a curved or glossy surface that throws glare into the camera.
Error correction adds redundant data that can survive some damage. It does not license you to put a logo over the middle, and it never rescues a code printed too small.
What you accept when you print it
The password is readable by anyone with a camera and ten seconds. A code taped in a shop window is a password taped in a shop window, visible from the street and photographable through the glass.
That is fine for a guest network with a rotating password. It is a bad idea for the network your work laptop uses. The convenience is real, and so is the exposure, and the guest network is what separates them. Before you scan someone else's Wi-Fi code, read whether QR codes are safe to scan.
Wi-Fi QR code FAQ
How do I create a Wi-Fi QR code?
Choose the Wi-Fi payload type, enter the network name exactly, pick the security type, and type the password. The generator builds a WIFI URI, shows you the exact record, and unlocks the download after it decodes the finished image and matches it against what you reviewed.
Does the code contain my password?
Yes, in plain text. Anyone who scans the printed square reads the password, and anyone who photographs it keeps it. Treat the printed code as you would treat the password written on a card.
Which security type should I choose?
WPA or WPA2 Personal for a normal home or office network, which covers WPA3 Personal on most devices. WEP only for old hardware that still uses it. Open only for a network with no password.
Why does my Wi-Fi QR code not connect?
The network name must match exactly, including capital letters and spaces. A hidden network needs the hidden flag set. A wrong security type also fails, and some devices refuse a network whose band they cannot use.
Is my password uploaded when I generate the code?
No. The record is assembled and the symbol drawn inside your browser by a local worker. Nothing reaches a Vaultaire server, and no copy of the code is stored anywhere.
Does the code expire?
No. It holds the network record directly, so it keeps working until you change the password or rename the network. There is no service behind it to lapse.