Wi-Fi QR Code Generator Widget

How it works

Phones read a de-facto Wi-Fi format that started in the ZXing barcode project: WIFI: followed by the security type, the network name and the password. Special characters in the name or password (backslash, semicolon, comma, colon and double quote) must be escaped with a backslash or the phone reads the wrong password, so the widget does that for you. It also checks the rules the Wi-Fi standards set: a network name of at most 32 bytes, a WPA passphrase of 8 to 63 characters (or a 64-digit hex key), and a WEP key of 5 or 13 characters or 10 or 26 hex digits.

Method

• Payload: WIFI:T:<WPA|WEP|nopass>;S:<network name>;P:<password>;H:true;;
• Escaping: \ ; , : and " are each preceded by a backslash
• P is left out for open networks; H:true is added only for hidden networks
• WPA/WPA2/WPA3 personal all use T:WPA; the phone negotiates the exact version
• Checks: SSID 1-32 bytes (UTF-8); WPA passphrase 8-63 printable ASCII characters or 64 hex digits; WEP key 5/13 characters or 10/26 hex digits

Limitations

• Enterprise (802.1X / EAP) networks with a username and certificate cannot be expressed in this format and are not supported.
• The WPA3 URI extensions - transition disable (R:), SAE-PK public keys (K:) and password identifiers (I:) - are not written; a WPA3-only network still works through T:WPA.
• Names and passwords containing \ ; , : or " are backslash-escaped, the ZXing convention phones use; a scanner that follows the WPA3 specification literally may read those characters differently, so the widget warns and you should test the code.
• It cannot confirm the password is right - a typo produces a code that fails to join.

Where publishers use it

• Hotels, guest houses and holiday rentals printing a join-the-Wi-Fi card for each room
• Cafes and co-working spaces putting a guest-network code on table tents
• Offices and clinics sharing a visitor network at reception
• Home-tech and router-setup blogs letting readers make a code for their own network

Questions

Sources

1. Barcode Contents - Wi-Fi Network config (Android) - ZXing project . the de-facto WIFI:T:;S:;P:;H:;; format and its backslash escaping of \ ; , : and " that phone cameras parse
2. WPA3 Specification v3.5, section 7 - WIFI URI - Wi-Fi Alliance . formal ABNF of the WIFI URI (T:WPA for password networks, H:true, R: transition disable); it percent-encodes ; instead of backslash-escaping, and does not define WEP

Cite or recommend this tool

If you reference this tool in an article, course or documentation, these formats are ready to copy. They are optional - nothing is added to your site unless you paste it.

A2Z Tools Wi-Fi QR Code Generator
https://a2z.tools/qrcode-generator

<a href="https://a2z.tools/qrcode-generator">A2Z Tools Wi-Fi QR Code Generator</a>

[A2Z Tools Wi-Fi QR Code Generator](https://a2z.tools/qrcode-generator)

Wi-Fi QR Code Generator by A2Z Tools - https://a2z.tools/qrcode-generator