WiFi QR Codes for Cafes and Restaurants: A Setup Guide

Every cafe owner knows the routine. A guest sits down, opens their laptop, asks for the WiFi password, types it wrong twice, asks again. Multiply that by a hundred guests a day and you have spent an hour on something a sticker could have solved.

A WiFi QR code is that sticker. Scan it once, the phone joins the network automatically, no typing involved. Here is how to do it properly so it stays secure and actually works on every device.

First, set up a guest network

This is the part most guides skip and it is the most important step. Do not put your guest QR code on your main business network. Your main network connects your point of sale, security cameras, kitchen display systems, and back office computer. One compromised guest device on that network can reach all of it.

Almost every modern router supports a separate guest network. To enable it:

1. Log into your router admin panel. Usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 in a browser.
2. Find the section called Guest Network, Guest WiFi, or Wireless Settings.
3. Enable the guest network and give it a friendly name like CafeGuest or VenueWiFi.
4. Set a strong password (12 or more characters, mix of letters and numbers). You will never type it again, so length is free.
5. Make sure Allow guests to access local network is turned off. Guests should only get internet access, not your devices.

Generate the QR code

Open QRDone, pick the WiFi tab, and fill in three fields:

• Network name (SSID) exactly as it appears on phones. Capitalisation matters.
• Password exactly as you set it. One character wrong and nothing connects.
• Encryption type. Pick WPA/WPA2 unless your router is older than ten years. Almost no modern network uses WEP and WPA3 is backwards compatible with WPA2 here.

Hit a preset (Sticker works well for cafe vibes), drop your logo if you want, and download as PNG.

What the code actually contains

A WiFi QR code is just a short text string in a specific format, something like WIFI:S:CafeGuest;T:WPA;P:beanjuice2026;;. The phone reads that, recognises the prefix, and prompts the user to join. It works on iPhone (iOS 11+) and almost every Android out of the box, no app needed.

Where to print and place it

Two placements drive over 90% of scans in cafes:

• Table tents. One small triangle of cardstock per table with the code on both sides. Guests scan the moment they open a laptop.
• Counter sticker near the till. Catches takeaway guests who only stay for ten minutes.

Skip placing it on the front door. Hands are full, and people are not yet thinking about WiFi. Skip the bathroom too. People are not pulling out their phones to scan a code in the bathroom.

Print size

For a table tent at sitting height, 4 cm by 4 cm is plenty. For a counter sticker scanned from standing height (around 70 cm away), bump it up to 7 cm. Always leave at least a 5 mm white margin around the code or scans get flaky.

Rotate the password every few months

One downside of a static WiFi QR code is that anyone who scanned it once has the password forever. If you want to keep your guest network tidy, change the password quarterly and reprint the codes. It is a five minute job and it stops former guests from using your network from the carpark for the next decade.

Bonus: combine it with a menu QR code

Most cafes that put up a WiFi code also want a menu code on the same table. You can either print both side by side, or use a Multi-Action QR (one code, two buttons: Connect to WiFi and View Menu). The Multi-Action option keeps the table cleaner and only needs one sticker to maintain.

Make your WiFi QR code now

Open QRDone, pick the WiFi tab, fill in your guest network details, pick a preset, and download. Print it on a 5 cm sticker, slap it on every table, and never read out a WiFi password again.