I had to shout out my password
When we have family over, many times they may need an Internet connection, due to poor reception of their phone. I’ve always felt a little uneasy when I had to shout out my Wi-Fi password during a family gathering. Or if it’s just a friend or acquaintance dropping in needing access. Not that I don’t trust them, but security is the best policy. I also with the methods below, change the Wi-Fi password often. Lately, I have been tinkering (as always) with QR Codes and NFC. I have two methods that friends can use to access the Wi-Fi if needed. QR Code and NFC (near field communications).
QR Codes are more rugged
What are QR Codes? (Quick Response)
A simple QR code app can be downloaded by anyone with a smartphone. Some apps are dual use, and scan bar code and QR codes. Some phone cameras come with the ability to scan them built in. QR Codes are more rugged and error resistant than bar codes. They can be read even with some damage, depending on their size.
You can print your own QR Codes, large or very small (using smart phone apps or free online QR Code generators). Then you can tape, glue, glue it to thin magnet material, or just lick the back (NOT recommended) and stick it to a location of your choice in your home. This is a QR Code for my blog I generated. My phone can read it from 4 feet away. It takes you to my blog when you scan it with your phone. If you have an android phone, try QR & Barcode Reader.
NFC (Near field Communications)
Some users don’t know it’s even on their phone. It is off by default and has to be turned on by the owner. NFC can be used to transfer files from one person to another by touching the backs of two phones together. NFC is limited to very close range, sometimes as little as millimeters. NFC is used when (if) you use payment by your phone, by touching the credit card machines at check out.
I have one on my desk
NFC Tags, come in various shapes, colors, sizes, material. What ever they are made of there is a small chip and antenna inside the material. The chip can be programmed, erased, and reprogrammed thousands of times. You can use them for information, text, URL, etc. I have one on my desk, I programmed it, so when I lay the phone on it, the settings for volume, brightness are set for my office environment. The type of tag, defines the amount of data storage they can hold. Some NFC tags sold on Amazon here.
A company sent me a sample of 5 rectangular, self-adhesive NFC tags. I use one to allow visitors, access to our Guest Wi-Fi. Touching it with their phone, brings up a screen asking if they would like to connect to the “Guest Wi-Fi”. This way, my password for the Guest Wi-Fi is not given out. This gives you an idea of the size of the sample I received. I also have a small QR Code if they rather use a code scanner.
If you have questions, or just curious, feel free to ask. Comments always welcome.
Your grasp of such technology always amazes me, Ron. We have a plastic card with ‘wi-fi password’ printed on it. 🙂
Mind you, it is a very unusual password, generated by the supplier of our broadband. I guarantee nobody would ever think it up!
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. I love to tinker. I appreciate the comment this evening.
I used to love to tinker.
When I retired QR codes had been around for a while but were only just being used widely. I even generated a couple but can’t for the life of me remember what they were – probably our resource centre website for a student leaflet. Since then I’ve rather ignored them. I downloaded a QR code reader to my phone but it wasn’t very successful and I’ve never bothered to reinstall. NFC’s just for my credit card (and I still forget about it and use the PIN).
I think ‘never bothered’ covers my response to a lot of things since I retired, but I am beginning to feel out of touch, so perhaps I should take some time to catch up.
Time, of course, is the big issue since I’ve been writing. There’s never enough for housework, certainly none for weeding, and even my puzzles and reading are getting side-lined.
Until I need to use the technology, that is. Self-publishing our writing group anthology last year was a learning curve, but we did it! So maybe there’s hope for me yet.
I know your feeling Cathy. I get too many projects going at once. I have fun playing with teh QR and NFC. Congratulations on the anthology!
I appreciate that you can educate me about things I have never even heard of. Hope you are feeling more like yourself lately.