How to offer guest wifi access with a changing network key?

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dwilson

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#223202 19-Sep-2017 06:11

I have a couple of hobbies that lead to various groups of people gathering at my house on a regular basis. Our groups have had many people come and go over the years, some people only come for 2-3 weeks.

The problem I've always had is ensuring that with a lot of people using my wifi on and off over the years I want to make sure I update the network keys regularly. I enable and disable the guest network before and after each session. Until now I have been changing my guest wifi network keys on a weekly basis and re-printing the QR codes (2.4GHz and 5GHz) each week. The printed codes I can then pin on my wall and people can scan and join as they walk in the door.

I am getting sick of printing out QR codes and using oodles of paper though.

So I thought, what if I update QR codes each week, save them digitally and then dump them into a public folder. I could have a single static link that would display the network QR. I could then single print the website URL QR and have that permanently on the wall. They walk in the door and scan the same QR code but it displays a new image each week.

The problem is, the person can scan the QR code off the wall, be directed to a QR image ... and then what? They can't scan it because it's on their phone.

How do I make it easy for them to join my guest network?

sbiddle

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#1868320 19-Sep-2017 07:13

The best way is to buy better hardware such as a Mikrotik and run a captive portal. That way you can just run an open network and have a guest login that you can change the password as needed and tell people.

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dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#1868324 19-Sep-2017 07:18

sbiddle:

The best way is to buy better hardware such as a Mikrotik and run a captive portal. That way you can just run an open network and have a guest login that you can change the password as needed and tell people.

It's the 'telling people' bit I am interested in. I am hoping for a solution that doesn't involve anyone typing anything at all. I am hoping for a scan, connect, done. Nice and simple for a range of people, from grandma's through to 6 year olds.

Example network pass: There'sashadowjustbehindme,ShroudingeverystepItake,Makingeverypromiseempty,Pointingeveryfingeratme.WaitinglikeastalkingbutlerWhouponthefingerrests.Murdernowthepathof"mustwe"Justbecausethesonhascome.

ANglEAUT

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#1868353 19-Sep-2017 08:11

Add them as contacts to your Microsoft account, then you can share the Wi-Fi connection with them.

PS This is now a deprecated feature

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

ANglEAUT

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#1868357 19-Sep-2017 08:19

On a serious note, instead of printing out the QR code, display the image itself on a spare tablet or older phone.

No hosting it in the public cloud
Easy enough to open a new image on the device
Portable to move around
No more paper
...
Profit?

Alternatively, simply use an open network. It's a separate "guest" network and you enable / disable it for each gathering. As you disable it afterwards, there is less of a security risk in having an open network. If you are concerned, grab a wi-fi scanner app from the Play store and test your signal while in the neighbours yard. If you can detect it, decrease the power.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#1868358 19-Sep-2017 08:20

IcI:

Add them as contacts to your Microsoft account, then you can share the Wi-Fi connection with them.

PS This is now a deprecated feature

I think you're viewing my hobby groups as gamers, geeks and professionals. I have plenty of those people in my life, however my hobby groups tend towards, alcoholics, yard workers, knitters and small children. A whole bunch of people that need a couple simple steps to get internet. My current solution works flawlessly, I am hoping to make it so I don't have to keep printing out new posters for the wall however.

Is there no easy way to turn a wifi password on a website (picture, text or link) that can be "imported" into the wifi settings of a device with a click/tap etc?

dwilson

162 posts

Master Geek

#1868364 19-Sep-2017 08:37

IcI:

On a serious note, instead of printing out the QR code, display the image itself on a spare tablet or older phone.

No hosting it in the public cloud
Easy enough to open a new image on the device
Portable to move around
No more paper
...
Profit?

Alternatively, simply use an open network. It's a separate "guest" network and you enable / disable it for each gathering. As you disable it afterwards, there is less of a security risk in having an open network. If you are concerned, grab a wi-fi scanner app from the Play store and test your signal while in the neighbours yard. If you can detect it, decrease the power.

Oh, I hadn't thought of a spare device that people scan off. I think this is the answer for me.

BarTender

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#1868472 19-Sep-2017 11:39

QRDroid or something similar to http://blog.qr4.nl/QR-Code-WiFi.aspx will let you create a QR code for WiFi.

There is also some javascript so you can do it all within browser which I have used many times for various things: http://www.xanxys.net/totp/

Aredwood

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#1870233 21-Sep-2017 13:10

Run an open network on 5GHz only, as signal strength falls rapidly with distance on 5GHz. Especially if you can put your wifi AP in the room that you use for meetings. As 5GHz will also give better performance on close range.

Then you will only have to worry about setting up the occasional ridiculously old device that doesn't support 5GHz. (Still have a password on your 2.4GHz network)