Guest WiFi using a QR code • Hacker News Board

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#181

Post by toast0 » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:14 PM UTC

jonah wrote: post #174

toast0 wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not missing out. My moto g power (2020) can sometimes manage the feature, but only sometimes. Sometimes it just won't scan with the regular camera and you've got to open a dedicated qr scanner... So you're really better off starting with the dedicated qr scanner... except I have a button on the home screen for the camera and have to dig for the dedicated app.

I have the same model - amazing phone for the price btw. - and have the same intermittent issue. But, I can switch to Lens which will always work - just not as seamlessly.

Well... I'd have preferred to get a phone that can consistently get my attention in silent mode, but otherwise, I've been pretty happy with it.

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#182

Post by slaymaker1907 » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:33 PM UTC

Has anyone gotten bluetooth connections via QR code working? I really miss the time when you could listen to a friend's music in the car just by letting them plug into the aux port.

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#183

Post by nemetroid » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:33 PM UTC

silvestrov wrote: post #100

ircop420 wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Data is expensive in QR land or your resulting QR code becomes larger in size, requiring more physical space to display. URL encoding has a lot of overhead. Also '\' escaping has preceded the existence of URLs. I'm not sure who is doing the reinventing here.

Only encoded characters take up more space and you don't have to escape: quotation mark, semicolon, comma, colon or backslash. So I think the difference is small. QR codes can contain quite a bit more information than what's needed for WIFI name and password.

At equal printed sizes, QR codes with less information are much easier/more forgiving to scan.

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#184

Post by mishftw » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:33 PM UTC

I've been doing this ever since I discovered my OnePlus 5T years ago generated a QR code to share WiFi details.

It's more of a cool factor with friends but still pretty convenient. Folks in my age group almost intuitively know how to point a camera / get the results.

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#185

Post by Schinken_ » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:39 PM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #180

Who asks for wifi in 2022? Everybody has a mobile data plan these days.

Welcome to Germany where your mobile plan is expensive and Limited.

Also: Traffic limits suck

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#186

Post by justnotworthit » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:42 PM UTC

na85 wrote: post #144

denysvitali wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that an O or a 0?

I would never write something so ambiguous.

Is that a 0 or a Ø?

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#187

Post by notatoad » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:54 PM UTC

josefresco wrote: post #69

This is super cool and would be awesome for situations where your guests are familiar with QR codes. But from my experience the process would go something like this: Visitor: What's your wifi password? Me: No password needed! We have a cool QR code you can scan that will auto-join you! Visitor: Oh cool, how do I use a QR code? Do I need an app? Me: Nope, just point your camera at it. Visitor: Like .. .take a picture…

before covid, that's completely true. since covid it's flipped the opposite - when every restaurant has a QR code instead of a printed menu, people get used to it quickly.

in the last few months, i've had visitors at events ask why we didn't have a QR code posted because they'd prefer that to typing in the name of our website.

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#188

Post by samatman » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:56 PM UTC

itake wrote: post #156

na85 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The optimal solution is thus: "What's your wifi password?" "It's written right there on the fridge"

"oh, I have to get up from my table, carry my laptop over to your fridge and attempt to type in the password without dropping anything?" (I have a horrible short term memory and struggle with short phrases)

I have solved this (and a surprising number of similar problems) by pulling out the powerful camera I carry everywhere and taking a picture of the text I would otherwise need to remember.

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#189

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 10:59 PM UTC

prmoustache wrote: post #180

Who asks for wifi in 2022? Everybody has a mobile data plan these days.

[deleted]

Re: Guest WiFi using a QR code

#190

Post by samatman » Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 11:00 PM UTC

dotBen wrote: post #67

Sure a QR code is cool, but it's pointless for getting laptops onto a network and for the most part isn't that the main usecase for needing to get onto someone's 3rd party wifi (eg at an office, airBnB, etc?). My phone has existing connectivity most of the time and it's rare that I need to connect it to wifi. Or that wifi would be preferable over my own 5G (or LTE) data connection. Not hating, this is neat, but it se…

Hadn't even occurred to me since my phone will hand any WiFi it's connected to off to my computer.