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I've done something similar, but didn't like the static passwords. My guest wifi password is the current date, in YYYY-MM-DD format, it's been a great way to keep my guests (mildly) satisfied. The format changes on occasion
Is this automated or do you need to change every time Guests are expected?
I do this and it's great. Everyone enjoys scanning it and doesn't have to fiddle with the credential entry.
What kind of backwards country do you live in where people _enjoy_ scanning QR codes?
I tell guests its a long, complex password (it is, and it is on a separate VLAN where all my IoT resides, too). I then ask them to hand over their device so I can enter the password. There's a trust thing going on there, but this is deliberate as the trust goes both ways (my internet connection). If they don't trust me to fill in my password on their device (they may of course watch me do it), I wouldn't want them on…
IMO it is just easier to display it on a computer screen in a large-sized text and let them type it in themselves, e.g., the 1Password large type show option.
Seeing separate VLAN being mentioned makes me think you are also have the ability to run a temporary additional WiFi network when guests are over as well. That could just use a rotating password with a memorable word scheme to make it easier to type.
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…
Visitor: what's your wifi password? Me: it's the entire alphabet in order. Visitor: I don't want to type 20+ obnoxious letters. Me: can I interest you in a QR code?
This weekend I went to my dacha neighbor to ask a wifi password. All I had is a laptop with half-tuned Debian (do not use no smartphones). He gave me that QR and I could not read it because QR is not text. He is not a technician and I did not want to persist in my ask, so the situation ended up with no internets for me :( Please stop using human-unreadable protocols if opposite is possible.
Make sure the QR code is NOT visible from outside via the windows in your house.
I once had an idea to generate "hidden" qr codes in art and photos. Initially I wanted to take a photo of a giraffe and replace one of its spots with a QR code, and hang it in my living room for guests to scan. It turned into this (broken) website: https://www.qraffe.com/ . I don't have a lot of time right now to fix it. The pdf rendering is broken. If anyone likes this idea and wants to help with a PR, I'll be might…
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…
I agree with scenario one but also think you went too simplistic on the second scenario. Even with a simple wifi password like you suggested, you still need to specify the uppercase letters and plenty of people might have trouble spelling tortoise correctly on the first try. Nevermind the fact that my friends group tends to be about 50% passwords of the type you used and the other 50% of them use a randomly generated…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
why couldn't they just use normal URL query param escaping? Always reinventing the wheel, badly. WIFI:t=wpa&s=My%20Network&p=secret%20word would have been much better.
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.
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.