Which problem is it?
| What you see | Where it fails |
|---|---|
| No banner or pop-up appears at all | Scanning |
| “Join network?” appears, then “Unable to join” or it keeps spinning | Joining |
| The phone shows the Wi-Fi symbol, but pages don't load | Internet |
The camera doesn't react
- Glare. Glossy lamination and frame glass reflect lights into the camera. Tilt the sign, or use matte lamination.
- Too small or too far. As a rough guide, scan from no more than about ten times the code's width. A 4 cm code reads from about 40 cm.
- Poor contrast. Codes need dark squares on a light background. Faded ink, low toner, or a code recoloured to a pale brand colour all fail.
- The edge is crowded. The blank margin around the code (the quiet zone) is part of it. Frames, mats and stickers that cover it break scanning.
- The phone isn't looking for codes. On iPhone, check Settings → Camera → Scan QR Codes. On Samsung, turn on Scan QR codes in the Camera's settings. Older phones may need a scanner app.
- A long password makes a denser code. Denser codes need to be printed larger. Our generator warns when the squares get small.
It scans but won't join
This is the most common failure, and it almost always means the details in the code don't exactly match the router. Read the code with our scanner to see exactly what it contains, and compare.
- The password is slightly wrong. Capitals, spaces at the start or end, and look-alikes (0 and O, 1 and l, I and l) all count. The password may also have been changed since the sign was printed.
- The network name differs. Many routers run separate names for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz (“Home” and “Home-5G”). The sign must name the one guests should use.
- The security type doesn't match. Choose WPA2/WPA3 Personal for almost all networks. “WPA3 only” suits routers set to WPA3 exclusively, and older phones may not join those. Many new phones refuse WEP entirely.
- A hidden network. If your router doesn't broadcast its name, tick “Hidden network” so the code says so. Even then some phones struggle; adding the network by hand is the fallback.
- Special characters. Codes escape
\ ; , : "in names and passwords, and our generator does this for you. A few older Android versions misread a backslash at the very end of a password. See the format guide. - An old saved copy. If the phone joined this network before with a different password, it may retry the saved one. Forget the network in Wi-Fi settings, then scan again.
- The router is refusing new devices. MAC address filtering, a device limit, or a full address pool can all reject a guest even with the right password.
- Enterprise networks. Networks where each person signs in with their own account can't be joined from a code.
It joins, but no internet
If the phone shows it's connected, the QR code has done its job. The problem is beyond the code:
- A sign-in page. Hotels, cafés and venues often show a page to accept terms. If it doesn't open by itself, open a browser and try any website.
- The internet connection or router. Check another device on the same network. Restarting the router fixes many outages.
- Guest network settings. Some guest modes have time limits, bandwidth caps or schedules that switch them off.
Testing a sign properly
- Use our on-screen scan check: it confirms the sign decodes to exactly what you typed. It can't test your router.
- Print one copy and scan the paper, not the screen.
- Test with a phone that has never joined the network, or forget the network first.
- If you can, try one iPhone and one Android phone.