What should I put on an Airbnb Wi-Fi sign?

The network name exactly as it appears in a phone's Wi-Fi list, the password character-for-character with case shown clearly, and nothing else competing for attention. If you have several networks, say which one guests should use. A short note on where the router is helps when the connection drops.

Can guests connect to Wi-Fi with a QR code?

Many modern phones can join a network from a Wi-Fi QR code scanned with the camera, and it saves typing a long password. Support varies by device, operating system and network type, so always print the network name and password alongside the code as a fallback rather than relying on the scan alone.

Is NFC better than a QR code for Airbnb?

They solve slightly different problems. A QR code works on essentially any phone with a camera and can be printed anywhere; an NFC tap is faster and feels more deliberate because there is no camera to line up. Most properties benefit from having both available, which is why hosts often use a plaque that supports a tap and a scan.

Where should I place the Wi-Fi sign?

Where guests first sit down or unpack: the kitchen counter, the entry table, the desk, or beside the bed. Avoid the inside of a drawer or the back of a door. A second copy in the main bedroom is worth it in properties where guests spread out.

What happens when I change the Wi-Fi password?

Every place the old password exists becomes wrong at once — the printed sign, the pre-arrival message template, the QR code and the guidebook. That is the strongest argument for keeping the authoritative copy in one page you can edit, with the physical items pointing at that page rather than repeating the password.

Host guide · Wi-Fi

Airbnb Wi-Fi Sign & Guest Instructions: The Easiest Ways to Share Wi-Fi

You can share Wi-Fi with a printed sign, a message, a QR code, a digital guidebook or an NFC tap. The best method is whichever is visible when the guest wants it, easy for you to update, and does not send them hunting back through a message thread.

Compare the methods See the TapStay plaque

Printed sign · Message · QR code · Guest Portal · NFC

Guest Wi-Fi

Network: Mercer-Loft-5G
Password: seaside-lantern-42

Or tap the plaque with your phone to open the stay page — Wi-Fi is at the top.

Quick answer

What is the best way to share Wi-Fi with guests?

Keep one authoritative copy of the network and password that you can edit in seconds.
Put a visible pointer to it where guests sit down — a card, a QR code or a plaque they can tap.
Send it before arrival too, so guests are connected before they think to ask.
Print the network name and password alongside any QR code, because scan support varies by device.

Methods

Five ways to give guests the Wi-Fi — and what each costs you

Printed sign or card

A framed card on the counter with the network name and password.

Instantly visible
Works with no phone skills
No connectivity needed
Goes wrong the moment the password changes
Easy to move, spill on, or lose

Pre-arrival message

Sent in the booking thread before or on arrival day.

Arrives before the guest does
Costs nothing to set up
Scrolls away within a day
Guests message you again on day three

Wi-Fi QR code

A printed code that encodes the network credentials for the camera to read.

No typing a long password
Cheap to print and place
Device and network support varies
Regenerating and reprinting after a password change

Digital guidebook or guest portal

The details live on a mobile page guests open by link, scan or tap.

One edit updates everyone
Sits alongside every other answer
Copyable password
Guests need a way to reach the page in the first place

NFC plaque

A physical plaque in the property; a phone tap opens the guest page.

Fastest route from question to answer
Feels part of the property
Nothing to type
Requires an NFC-capable phone
Needs a QR or link fallback

At a glance

Method comparison

Comparison of Wi-Fi sharing methods for short-term rentals
Method	Visible in property	Easy to update	Works offline	Any phone
Printed sign	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Message	Partial	Partial	No	Yes
QR code	Yes	No	Partial	Partial
Guest portal	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
NFC plaque	Yes	Yes	No	Partial

For a longer treatment of the access methods themselves, see NFC vs QR code vs direct link.

Sample wording

What to write on the sign

Wi-Fi instructions

WI-FI

Network: [Mercer-Loft-5G]
Password: [seaside-lantern-42]

Case matters. If you see two networks, use the one ending 5G —
it's faster in the living room.

Router is in [the hallway cupboard] if you ever need to restart it.

Practical tips

Six things that quietly prevent Wi-Fi messages

Name the network unambiguously

Rename the SSID to something tied to the property. “TP-Link_A4F2” beside three neighbouring networks is a guaranteed message.

Kill the second SSID confusion

If you broadcast 2.4GHz and 5GHz separately, say which one to use and why. Otherwise guests pick the weaker one and blame the property.

Make the password readable

Avoid characters that look alike in print, show case clearly, and never handwrite it. Word-based passwords beat random strings for guests typing on a phone.

Say where the router is

One line saves a call when the connection drops on a Sunday evening.

Update every copy at once

After a password change, the sign, the message template, the QR code and the guidebook all have to agree. Fewer copies means fewer ways to be wrong.

Do not hide it

Wi-Fi is the first thing most guests look for. It should be one of the first things they see, not something they earn.

Tap to connect

How the TapStay plaque handles the Wi-Fi question

The plaque sits in the property. A guest taps it with their phone — or scans the QR code, or follows the link you sent — and the Guest Portal opens with the Wi-Fi network and password at the top, ready to copy. Because the plaque points at the page rather than printing the password, changing the password is one edit in your dashboard, not a trip to the printer.

Tap

An NFC tap opens the stay page with no app and no typing.

About the plaque

Or scan / link

A QR code and a direct link cover every phone and every moment before arrival.

See the Guest Portal

See it live

Open a real guest portal and find the Wi-Fi the way a guest would.

Open the demo

Wi-Fi is one entry in a much longer list — the Digital Guidebook covers the rest, and the resources hub has the other host guides.

FAQ