ICYMI: You can share your Wi-Fi without divulging potentially sensitive passwords

We’re living in a world where we need connectivity, so much so that if we’re not on Wi-Fi at times we feel a little lost. So, it’s pretty common to allow your family and friends (if you’re generous) onto your Wi-Fi when they visit your place.

However, in our security-conscious times, this leaves a bit of a dilemma; how do you allow users to connect?

• Do you tell them your password?
• Do you text them your password?
• Do you enter it into their phone for them?

If you’re like me and have a long, complex password you probably don’t want to transmit it in plain text to someone, you don’t want other people storing that password and frankly… it’s pain to type in but there is a solution for Android users.

You can very quickly and easily share access to your Wi-Fi through a QR code that Android will generate for you – Let’s take a quick look at that.

The process is actually really simple, what you need to do is:

• • Load settings
  • Open connections
  • Go to your Wi-Fi connection
  • Find your Wi-Fi connection and select the gear icon
  • Find the share option: it may be labelled “share” or QR button
  • Let your friend or family member scan the code to access your Wi-Fi

While this isn’t a massive issue for many users, it’s a simple solution to a regular issue faced.

There are other ways to do it too; for example, if your router supports WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) you can add new devices to your network with either a push-button or a PIN code. Neither of these require disclosure of your password (in plain text, as a QR code, or at all) to anyone else. However, not all routers / phones / tablets / computers support WPS, so your mileage may vary.

An alternative is to have a guest network that your visitors can use which has a different password you don’t care about, but which is also segregated so people with it can’t access any of your gear (just your precious Internets).

Have you got any useful tips for other Android users that you can share?