How to Make a WiFi QR Code for Your Home, Airbnb, or Shop (and Keep It Secure)

"What's the WiFi password?" might be the most-asked question in any café, guesthouse, or living room. Reading out a 16-character password is slow, and taping it to the fridge isn't much better. A WiFi QR code fixes this: guests point their camera at it and their phone offers to join. Here's how to make one for free, and how to do it without weakening your network's security.

How a WiFi QR code works

A WiFi QR code stores three things: the network name (SSID), the password, and the security type (usually WPA/WPA2). Modern iPhone and Android camera apps recognize the format and show a "Join network" prompt. Nothing goes through the internet. The details are inside the image itself.

That has two consequences:

• It works offline, which is useful when the guest isn't connected yet.
• Anyone who can see the code can join, just as if they'd read the password. Treat the code exactly like the password.

Step 1: Set up a guest network first

This is the most important security step, and most routers support it. A guest network gives visitors internet access but keeps them away from your own devices: laptops, printers, CCTV, smart TVs, and in a shop, your POS system.

In your router settings (often at 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1, or in your provider's app), look for "Guest network." Turn it on, give it a clear name like "Cafe-Guest," choose WPA2 or WPA3, and set a strong password. Then make the QR code for the guest network only.

Step 2: Make the code

On qrfyy (https://qrfyy.com), choose the WiFi type and enter:

• Network name: exactly as it appears, including capital letters and spaces
• Password: double-check it, since one wrong character breaks the code
• Security: WPA/WPA2 for nearly all modern routers

The preview updates as you type. Add a frame like "Scan Me" and a short label such as "Free WiFi." There's no signup and no watermark. Download SVG if you're printing a sign (it stays sharp at any size) or PNG for a quick printout or a digital guidebook.

WiFi codes are always static. The details live in the image, the code never expires, and qrfyy doesn't track scans of static codes.

Step 3: Test before you print

Scan with an iPhone and an Android phone. Ideally use phones that have never joined the network, or "forget" the network first. If either phone fails, recheck the network name and password for typos.

Tips for each setting

At home: Put a small framed card near the door or the guest room. Use the guest network so visiting kids' tablets and friends' phones stay off your main network.

Airbnb or guesthouse: Put the code in the welcome book and on a card in the room, along with the network name and password in plain text for older devices. Many hosts change the guest password between stays or every month. If you do, remember the code has to be remade and reprinted, because the old one stops working.

Shops and cafés: Put the code where people sit, not just at the counter. Laminate it, since spills ruin paper. If you only want paying customers on WiFi, put the code on receipts or table cards instead of the window.

Security checklist

1. Use a guest network, never your main one.
2. Use WPA2 or WPA3. Avoid open networks and old WEP security.
3. Use a strong password. The QR code saves guests from typing it, so it can be long.
4. Change the password periodically, especially for rentals and shops, then reprint the code.
5. Don't post the code publicly online. Anyone who sees it can join.
6. Change your router's admin password. The default admin login is a bigger risk than guests are.
7. Keep the router's firmware updated.

A small upgrade that guests notice

A WiFi QR code takes about two minutes to make and saves the same conversation dozens of times a week. Set up the guest network, make the code, test it, and print it where people actually need it.