How to Make a Wi-Fi QR Code for Restaurant Tables: WPA, WEP, Hidden Networks (2026)

29. juuli 2026, kell 13:30Tabres Team

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Ask any waiter what guests want most after the menu. It isn't the dessert list. It's the Wi-Fi password — usually shouted across two tables, spelled out twice, and still typed in wrong.

Short answer: a Wi-Fi QR code fixes that in one scan. It's a normal QR code holding one short line of text: WIFI:T:WPA;S:YourNetwork;P:YourPassword;H:false;;. Put your network name after S:, your password after P:, and set the type to WPA for almost every modern router, WEP only for very old ones, and nopass for an open network. Add H:true only if your network is hidden. Print it at 2 x 2 inches or bigger, stick it on the table, and guests connect without typing anything. It's free, it takes about three minutes, and the code never expires.

One rule before you start. Never build a QR code for the network your card terminal sits on. I'll come back to that, because it's the mistake that actually costs money.

What happens when a guest scans it

The guest points their camera at the code. A little banner appears — "Join Wi-Fi Network?" — they tap it, and they're online. No keyboard, no asking, no spelling out "double L, capital B".

It works because the QR code isn't a link. It's plain text in a format phones already understand. Your network name and password are written straight into the black-and-white pattern.

That means two things worth knowing:

It works offline. No server, no account, no subscription. Unlike a dodgy menu QR code that stops working when a free trial ends, this one can't be switched off by anyone.
The password is readable. Anyone who photographs your table tent has your Wi-Fi password forever. That's fine for a guest network. It's a disaster for your main one.

Which phones support it? iPhones running iOS 11 or newer handle it in the normal Camera app. Android 10 and newer do too. Android 9 and older need Google Lens or a free scanner app — rare in 2026, but you'll still meet one or two a week.

First: build a guest network, not a shortcut into your business

This is the part most guides skip, and it's the important one.

Your point of sale, your card terminal, your office laptop, your camera system — they all live on your main network. If you print that password on 40 table tents, you've handed every stranger who walks past a door into your business.

Do this instead, in your router settings:

Turn on the guest network. Almost every router made in the last decade has one. It's a separate network with its own name and password, walled off from everything else.
Give it an obvious name. Bella Cafe Guest beats TP-Link_4F2A. Guests trust names they recognise, and it stops them joining the pizza place next door by accident.
Switch on client isolation (some routers call it AP isolation or guest isolation). This stops guests seeing each other's phones — and yours.
Cap the speed if you can. One person downloading a film shouldn't slow down your card payments.
Only make the QR code for that guest network. Never the main one.

Ten minutes of router settings, and the worst thing a leaked password can do is give someone free internet.

The Wi-Fi QR code format, explained in plain English

Every Wi-Fi QR code holds the same line of text. Here it is with the parts named:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:Bella Cafe Guest;P:FlatWhite2026;H:false;;

Part	What it means	What to put
`T:`	Security type	`WPA`, `WEP`, or `nopass`
`S:`	Network name (SSID)	Exactly as it appears, capitals included
`P:`	Password	Leave empty for an open network
`H:`	Hidden network	`true` or `false`
`;;`	The end	Two semicolons, always

A few things trip people up here:

The name is case-sensitive. Bella Cafe Guest and bella cafe guest are two different networks to a phone.
Spaces are fine in both the name and the password. You don't need to do anything special.
The order doesn't matter, but the semicolons do. Every part ends with one, and the whole thing ends with two.

You don't have to type this by hand. Any free Wi-Fi QR code generator builds it from a simple form. But knowing the format means you can spot a broken code in two seconds instead of reprinting 40 table tents.

WPA, WPA2, WPA3 — which one do you pick?

Short version: choose WPA. For nearly every restaurant, that's the whole answer.

T:WPA acts as a catch-all. Phones treat it as "password-protected network" and work out the rest with your router. It covers WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 without you touching anything.

Where it gets messy is WPA3. Some generators write T:SAE for WPA3 networks, because SAE is the technical name for how WPA3 checks passwords. It's correct on paper. In practice, plenty of phones don't recognise it and the scan does nothing.

So:

Router on WPA2, or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode? Use WPA. This is most restaurants.
Router on WPA3 only, and the code refuses to connect? Try SAE instead. Test it on a real phone before printing.
Not sure which one you're on? Check the wireless security setting in your router admin page. If it says anything with WPA in it, use WPA.

Honestly, if a generator asks you to choose between WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 in a dropdown, they all produce the same T:WPA behind the scenes. It's a friendlier menu, not a different code.

WEP: it works, but you have a bigger problem

If your router is still running WEP, the QR code is the least of your worries.

WEP is security from 1999. It can be cracked in a few minutes with free software. It was officially retired years ago, and most new phones now warn guests that the network is unsafe — which is not the message you want under your logo.

The format supports it: WIFI:T:WEP;S:OldCafe;P:1234567890;H:false;;. It'll scan fine.

But the real fix is a new router. A decent business one costs less than a weekend's worth of coffee, runs WPA3, and gives you a proper guest network. If you're already looking at your restaurant tech costs, this is one of the cheapest upgrades on the list.

Open networks and that annoying login page

Running Wi-Fi with no password at all? Use nopass and leave the password empty:

WIFI:T:nopass;S:Bella Cafe Guest;P:;H:false;;

Now the honest warning about captive portals — those splash pages that make guests accept terms or enter an email before the internet works.

A Wi-Fi QR code can join the network. It cannot click through the login page. The guest still has to wait for the browser to pop up and tap "Accept". If it doesn't pop up on its own, they have to open a browser and go to any website to trigger it.

So if you use a captive portal for marketing, put one line under the QR code: Scan, then tap Accept when the page opens. That single sentence saves your staff a dozen questions a night.

Also worth knowing: if you collect emails through that portal, you're collecting personal data, and privacy rules apply. Some countries also have rules about keeping guest Wi-Fi records. Two minutes with a local accountant or lawyer is cheaper than finding out the hard way.

Hidden networks: the one flag people forget

Some venues hide their network so it doesn't show in the Wi-Fi list. It's not real security — anyone with the right tool can still see it — but it does cut down on neighbours trying to join.

If your network is hidden, you must add H:true:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:BellaBackOffice;P:LongPassword99;H:true;;

Miss that flag and the scan fails silently. The phone looks for a network it can see, finds nothing, and gives up. No error, no clue. This is behind a lot of "the QR code doesn't work" complaints.

The other direction is fine — H:false on a normal visible network, or leaving H: out entirely. Both work.

That said, for a guest network, don't hide it. Hidden networks connect slower and confuse people who'd rather just tap the name.

Five characters that quietly break your code

This is the sneakiest problem in the whole job. Five characters have a special meaning in the Wi-Fi format:

backslash · semicolon · comma · colon · double quote

If any of them appear in your network name or password, they need a backslash in front of them. Otherwise the phone reads your password early and stops.

Password Coffee;Time must be written Coffee\;Time
Password Bella"s Bar must be written Bella\"s Bar
Network Bella,s Cafe must be written Bella\,s Cafe

There's one more oddity. If your network name is nothing but letters A-F and numbers — something like ABCD1234 — some phones read it as a code rather than a name. Wrap it in double quotes: S:"ABCD1234".

The easy way round all of this: pick a guest password with only letters and numbers. No symbols, no punctuation. Something like FlatWhite2026 or TableFive99. It's easier to escape nothing than to debug a backslash.

How to actually make one, three ways

1. From an Android phone (30 seconds, free). Settings → Wi-Fi → tap your guest network → Share. A QR code appears on screen. Screenshot it. Done. Note that this one is for sharing, not printing — it's low resolution and often too small for a table tent.

2. From a free Wi-Fi QR code generator (3 minutes). Type the network name, password, and security type into the form. Download a PNG. Look for one that's genuinely free with no watermark and no account — the same rules that apply to any free QR code generator.

3. From your menu platform. If you already run a digital menu, check whether it makes Wi-Fi codes too. In Tabres, the QR Code Studio does three types — Menu, Text, and Wi-Fi — with SSID, password, security type, and a hidden-network switch. You can drop your logo in the middle, match your brand colours, add a "SCAN ME" frame, and export at print sizes up to billboard scale. One place for the menu code and the Wi-Fi code, which is handy at reprint time.

Whichever route you pick, the code itself is identical. What changes is how good it looks on the table.

Printing it so people actually scan it

A technically perfect QR code is useless if it's the size of a stamp and hiding behind the salt.

Size: 2 x 2 inches minimum (about 5 x 5 cm). The rule of thumb is 1 inch of code for every 10 inches of scanning distance. A seated guest is about 20 inches away, so 2 inches is your floor. Bigger is better on a wall or a window.
Keep the white border. That empty margin around the code isn't decoration. Scanners need it to find the edges. Roughly four squares' worth on every side.
Dark code on a light background. Never the other way round. Inverted codes fail on a lot of phones, no matter how good they look on your brand board.
Matte, not gloss. Glossy lamination throws light back at the camera. In evening restaurant lighting, that's the difference between one scan and three attempts.
Add words. "Scan for free Wi-Fi" under the code makes a real difference — a code with a clear instruction gets far more scans than a naked square. Add the network name in small print too, for anyone who'd rather type.
One code, one job. Don't try to merge your menu and your Wi-Fi into one square. It isn't possible in this format anyway. Print two, label both clearly, and give them room to breathe.

Where to put them: the table tent, obviously. But also the back of the bill, the window (people check for Wi-Fi before they sit down), the counter, and the toilet door. That last one sounds like a joke. It isn't — it's where people look at their phones with nothing else to do.

Test it before you print 200 of them

Five minutes now, or an evening of "it doesn't work" later. Your choice.

Test on an iPhone and an Android. They parse it slightly differently. One passing isn't proof.
Turn mobile data off first. A phone on 5G will connect to anything and look fine. You want to know the Wi-Fi actually joined.
Make the phone forget the network first. Otherwise it reconnects out of memory and you've tested nothing.
Test from a chair, at your normal evening lighting. Not at your desk with the lights on.
Print one, scan it, then print the rest. Print quality changes everything. What's crisp on screen can blur on cheap card.

Why it doesn't scan — quick troubleshooting

Run through this list in order. It's almost always one of the first four.

Password has a typo. Usually a capital letter, a trailing space, or a curly quote copied from Word. Retype it by hand.
Network name doesn't match exactly. Capitals, spaces, and hyphens all count.
Wrong security type. Password network marked as nopass, or open network marked as WPA.
Hidden network missing H:true. Silent failure, no error message.
Special character not escaped. See the five characters above.
Code too small, or glare on the laminate.
Old Android phone. Android 9 and below need Google Lens.
MAC filtering is on in your router. It blocks new devices no matter what the QR code says.
You changed the password and forgot the table tents. Happens more than anyone admits.

The reprint problem nobody warns you about

Here's the trade-off with Wi-Fi QR codes. The password lives inside the pattern. Change the password, and every printed code in the building is dead.

Security advice says rotate your Wi-Fi password every three months. Table tents say please don't. So here's how real restaurants handle it:

Keep guest and main passwords completely separate. Rotate the main one as often as you like. It doesn't touch a single printed code.
Pick a guest password you'll keep for a year. Long, boring, letters and numbers only. Change it on a schedule you set, not in a panic.
Save the source file. Keep the PNG and the exact text somewhere you'll find it — not on the laptop of the manager who left in March.
Design for swapping. Table tents with a slide-in card beat printed-on-both-sides cardboard. Reprinting becomes ten minutes, not a new order.
Change it immediately if it leaks properly — a staff member leaves on bad terms, or the code ends up in a Google review photo with a complaint attached.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a Wi-Fi QR code for free? Use any free Wi-Fi QR code generator, or share the network from an Android phone's Wi-Fi settings. You enter the network name, the password, and the security type — usually WPA — then download the image. It costs nothing and there's no account needed.

What is the correct Wi-Fi QR code format? WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:Password;H:false;; — T is the security type, S is the network name, P is the password, H marks a hidden network, and the whole line ends in two semicolons.

Should I choose WPA, WPA2, or WPA3? Write WPA in the code. Phones treat it as a catch-all for WPA, WPA2, and WPA3, and it works with the widest range of devices. Only use SAE if you're on a WPA3-only router and WPA genuinely fails.

Do Wi-Fi QR codes work on iPhone? Yes. iOS 11 and newer read them straight from the Camera app. Point, tap the banner, connect. Android 10 and newer do the same.

Can I make a Wi-Fi QR code for a hidden network? Yes — add H:true to the code. Without that flag the phone won't find the network and the scan fails with no error at all.

Is it safe to put a Wi-Fi QR code on my tables? Only for a guest network. Anyone who photographs the code has the password permanently. Never make a code for the network running your point of sale or card terminal.

Do I have to reprint everything when I change the password? Yes, for that network. The password is stored inside the pattern, so a new password means a new code. Keep your guest password separate from your main one so routine changes don't cost you a print run.

Can one QR code do the Wi-Fi and the menu? No. They're different formats. Print two codes side by side with clear labels — here's how to create a QR code menu for free if you haven't set the menu one up yet.

Does a Wi-Fi QR code expire? Never. It holds text, not a link, so there's no server to switch off and no subscription to lapse. It stops working only when you change the password or the network name.

Free Wi-Fi is one of the quiet reasons people pick one cafe over another. They'll sit longer, order a second coffee, and post a photo while they're at it — all things that help on a slow Tuesday afternoon.

But only if getting online takes one tap instead of a conversation. Build a guest network, keep the password simple, print the code at a decent size, and test it on two phones before the print run. Half an hour of setup, and nobody ever spells out a password across a dining room again.