How to Create a Guest Wi-Fi QR Code

Introduction

Dictating a Wi-Fi password to a visitor is slow and error-prone, and a note with the password on the wall of a meeting room is no better. A QR code solves both problems: the guest points the camera of a smartphone at the code and the phone offers to join the network. This article shows how to make such a code with QR Code Generator, and how to print it or keep it on a SharePoint page.

Before you start

Ask your network administrator for three things:

• the exact name of the network (SSID), including the letter case;
• the password;
• the type of protection — WPA, WPA2 or WPA3, the outdated WEP, or an open network without a password — and whether the network hides its name.

Step 1. Open the Wi-Fi tab

Open the page with the QR Code Generator web part and select the Wi-Fi tab. If the tab is not visible, click the … (more) button at the end of the row of tabs.

Step 2. Enter the network settings

1. In the Network field, type the name of the network exactly as it is broadcast.
2. Select the Hidden check box if the network does not broadcast its name. Otherwise leave it cleared.
3. In the Password field, type the password.
4. In Encryption, select WPA for a network protected with WPA, WPA2 or WPA3, WEP for an old WEP network, or None for an open network. With None the Password field is disabled.

The preview on the right shows the code as soon as the required fields are filled in.

Step 3. Make the code easy to scan

A Wi-Fi code is usually scanned from a sheet on a wall or a table, by different phones and in different light. Two settings help:

• Expand Colors and set an opaque light Background Color. By default the background is transparent, which is fine on a white sheet but not on a colored one.
• Keep Error Correction at Quartile or raise it to High, so that a creased or stained printout still works.

The design options are described in KB10265. Customizing the QR Code Design: Shape, Colors, Gradient and Corners.

Step 4. Test the code

Point the camera of a smartphone at the preview. The phone should show a prompt to join the network; accept it and make sure that the connection is established. Repeat the test with a second phone of another make, if you can.

If the phone does not connect, check the network name character by character, then the password and the Encryption option.

Step 5. Print or publish the code

To print the code, click Download and choose PNG or, for large formats, SVG. Place the image on a sheet together with the name of the network, so that guests know what they are scanning. See KB10268. Downloading and Copying a QR Code: PNG, JPEG, SVG and WebP.

To keep the code on a SharePoint page, for example on the page of a meeting room or of the reception desk, set up the code while the page is in edit mode and republish the page. Every visitor of the page sees the code at once. See KB10269. Publishing a Preconfigured QR Code on a SharePoint Page.

When the password changes

The code contains the password itself, so an old code stops working when the password is changed. Create the code again with the new password, republish the page and replace every printed copy.

Summary

Select the Wi-Fi tab, enter Network, Password and Encryption, test the code with a phone and then print it or publish it on a page. Use the code for guest networks only and renew it together with the password.