How to make a guest Wi‑Fi QR code for a cafe or restaurant

Last updated: . This is a qrstatic.app product guide by Ethen. It describes the client-side static QR generator on this site. About qrstatic · Wi‑Fi QR code generator · QR code guides · qrstatic.app homepage

Customers ask for the Wi‑Fi password. The room is loud, a character gets misheard, and a napkin with the passphrase gets thrown away. A guest Wi‑Fi QR code on a table tent or counter card lets a phone read the network name and password from the image and offer to join.

This guide matches how the qrstatic.app Wi‑Fi tool actually works. The Wi‑Fi QR code generator builds a standard WIFI: payload in the browser, draws the QR on your device, and downloads PNG or SVG. The SSID and password are not uploaded. There is no account and no monthly fee. The same fields are on the WiFi tab of the homepage generator. More write-ups live in the QR code guides.

How do I make a guest Wi‑Fi QR code for a cafe or restaurant?

Make a guest Wi‑Fi QR by encoding the guest SSID, security type, and current password in a static WIFI: image, then print that image on a table tent or counter card, using the qrstatic.app Wi‑Fi generator in your browser with no account and no monthly fee so the finished code does not expire.

What information goes into a cafe guest Wi‑Fi QR code?

A cafe guest Wi‑Fi QR stores the exact guest SSID, the router security type, and the current password inside the image, plus a hidden-network flag only if the SSID is not broadcast, so phones that understand the WIFI: payload can offer to join without a qrstatic account, a redirect, or a monthly subscription.

Keep a guest SSID separate from staff and POS Wi‑Fi so you can rotate the guest passphrase without kicking the register offline. Leave Hidden network off unless the SSID truly is not broadcast. Most cafe routers leave the name visible.

Why should a cafe print a Wi‑Fi QR instead of telling guests the password?

A printed guest Wi‑Fi QR is better than telling guests the password in a loud cafe because the phone reads the SSID and passphrase from the image, which avoids misheard characters, and one static PNG or SVG stays the same on every table until you change the router password and reprint on purpose.

How do I create the guest Wi‑Fi QR in the browser?

Create the guest code on the Wi‑Fi QR generator by entering the SSID, choosing WPA/WPA2, WEP, or no password, typing the passphrase, ticking hidden only if needed, and downloading PNG or SVG, with generation in the browser so the SSID and password are not uploaded and no qrstatic account is required.

  1. Open the Wi‑Fi QR code generator (or the WiFi tab on the homepage generator).
  2. Enter the guest SSID, choose the security type the router actually uses, enter the password, and set hidden only if needed.
  3. Generate and scan with a phone that is not already joined to that network.
  4. Download PNG for a print shop or sticker, and download SVG as the master file.
  5. Save the SVG with a one-line note: date, SSID, and who changed the router.

Treat the download like any other printed password. Do not drop the SVG in a public folder if the passphrase should stay on the premises. Rendering uses the same in-browser QR library described on About qrstatic; nothing in that step creates an account.

How large should a table-tent Wi‑Fi QR be?

Size a table-tent Wi‑Fi QR for about a 30–50 cm scan, which the qrstatic print-size guide starts at roughly 3–4 cm wide for the code square plus a clear quiet zone, while a farther counter or window sign needs a larger square and matte stock scans more reliably than glossy laminate under cafe lights.

Can one tent hold Wi‑Fi, menu, and Google review QR codes?

Yes, put Wi‑Fi, menu, and Google review on one tent as three separate static QR codes, each with a short label and its own quiet zone, so a password change means reprinting only the Wi‑Fi panel while the review URL and the menu URL stay in their own images.

What should I reprint after the guest Wi‑Fi password changes?

When the guest password changes, reprint every public Wi‑Fi QR, because a static WIFI: image keeps the old SSID, security type, and password and cannot be edited from a dashboard, so you change the router, generate a new code in the browser, download PNG or SVG, replace the cards, and file the new image with the change date.

  1. Change the guest password on the router.
  2. Regenerate the QR with the current SSID, security type, and new password.
  3. Reprint or resticker every public copy.
  4. Archive the new SVG next to the change date.

What will a guest Wi‑Fi QR code not replace on the router?

A guest Wi‑Fi QR does not create a captive portal, set bandwidth limits, or replace router security, and it will not update itself if a setup wizard renames the SSID, because it only encodes the WIFI: payload you typed—network name, security type, password, and optional hidden flag—into a PNG or SVG you download.

What should I check before I print guest Wi‑Fi cards for every table?

Before you print a card for every table, confirm the SSID spelling, the security type, a successful scan from a phone that is not already joined, and one proof on the real stock, because a static qrstatic.app guest Wi‑Fi QR has no account and no monthly fee and keeps working only while the printed credentials still match the router.

What information goes into a guest Wi‑Fi QR code?

A guest Wi‑Fi QR code stores the SSID, the security type, the password, and an optional hidden-network flag inside the image as a WIFI: string. The qrstatic generator writes WIFI:T: with WPA, WEP, or nopass, then S: for the network name and P: for the password when encryption is not nopass, and it ends the payload with ;;. Choose Hidden network only when the SSID is not broadcast; that adds H:true. The SSID must match the router exactly. Backslash, semicolon, comma, and double quote are escaped. You download PNG or SVG, and the password is not uploaded.

Do I need a qrstatic account or a monthly fee for a guest Wi‑Fi QR?

No, a guest Wi‑Fi QR from qrstatic.app does not need an account or a monthly fee, because the generator runs in your browser and the finished image is a static file. Open the Wi‑Fi QR code generator, enter the guest SSID, pick WPA/WPA2, WEP, or None, and download PNG or SVG. Default export size is 320 pixels, with options 256, 512, and 1024. Error correction defaults to M, about 15 percent, and the quiet zone defaults to 2 modules. There is no trial clock on the file, and qrstatic does not host a redirect for the code.

Does a static guest Wi‑Fi QR code expire?

A static guest Wi‑Fi QR does not expire, because the SSID, security type, and password are stored in the image itself rather than on a subscription server. The code keeps working after you close the browser tab, with no qrstatic account to renew. It stops matching the router only when you change the guest password, rename the SSID, or switch between WPA, WEP, and nopass. In that case generate a new WIFI: payload and reprint. Dynamic short-link codes are the ones that can die when a free trial ends.

What happens when we change the guest Wi‑Fi password?

Regenerate and reprint every public copy, because a static WIFI: image cannot be edited after you download it. Change the guest password on the router first, then open the Wi‑Fi QR code generator and enter the same SSID, the same security type, and the new password. Download a fresh PNG for quick prints and an SVG as the master file. Replace table tents, counter cards, and window stickers that still show the old square. Keep the new SVG with the date of the router change.

What print size should I use for a table Wi‑Fi QR?

For a table tent, start around 3–4 cm wide for the code square when guests scan from about 30–50 cm, and leave a quiet zone of white margin around the modules. That starting size comes from the qrstatic print-size guide, which uses about one-tenth of scan distance as a field rule and treats it as a proofing target, not a lab certificate. Handheld cards can start near 2–2.5 cm. A window or door sign scanned from 1–2 m starts nearer 10–15 cm. Export SVG if you will resize the same artwork, and test one print under cafe lighting.

Can guests join without installing an app?

Guests usually do not need a separate app, because current iPhone Camera and most Android Wi‑Fi settings can read a WIFI: QR and offer to join. The payload is the standard connection string, not a website login. Test with a phone that is not already connected to that SSID, on both iOS and Android if you can. Older phones may need the system Wi‑Fi scan control instead of the camera. An open network uses security None, stored as nopass, with no password in the string.

Should the QR use the staff Wi‑Fi password or a separate guest SSID?

Use a separate guest SSID, not the staff or POS password, so a rotation does not knock payment devices offline. Put only that guest network in the QR. Anyone who can photograph the card can read the password, because it is inside the WIFI: payload. A separate guest SSID keeps staff devices on the primary network. If the passphrase leaks, change it on the router and reprint; a static file has no remote kill switch. Leave Hidden network off unless the SSID truly is not broadcast.

Should I choose WPA, WPA2, WEP, or no password?

Match the router, and for almost all passworded guest networks choose WPA/WPA2, which this generator stores as T:WPA. Use WEP only if the router is still set to WEP. Use None, stored as nopass, only for an open network, and leave the password blank so the payload omits P:. A mismatch between the card and the router makes the phone try the wrong join method even when the QR scans. After any router wizard that renames the SSID, generate again and scan a phone that is offline to that network.

Can I put the Wi‑Fi QR next to a menu QR and a Google review QR?

Yes, as three separate squares with short labels such as Wi‑Fi, Menu, and Review, each with its own quiet zone. Do not merge them into one payload. The Wi‑Fi square uses a WIFI: string; the review square encodes a Google review URL; a menu square encodes the menu URL. When only the guest password changes, reprint the Wi‑Fi panel and leave the others. Layout notes are in the cafe table tent guide. The review image itself has no monthly fee because it is a static URL QR, not a vendor redirect.

Is PNG or SVG better for printing a table tent?

Download PNG for a quick sticker or print-shop file, and keep SVG as the master because it stays sharp when you resize a table tent into a window sign. The generator can render PNG widths of 256, 320, 512, or 1024 pixels, with 320 selected by default. Quiet zone choices are 1, 2, or 4 modules, default 2. Error correction is L about 7 percent, M about 15 percent (default), Q about 25 percent, or H about 30 percent. Higher correction is not a substitute for contrast and physical size. Proof-scan before you print the whole floor.

Where do I generate the guest Wi‑Fi QR and download it?

Generate the guest code on the Wi‑Fi QR generator, download PNG for the print shop and SVG as the master file, then scan one tent from a phone that is offline to that SSID, because the payload is built in your browser as a static WIFI: string with no signup and no subscription that can turn the image off.