Most of you are probably familiar with this scenario: Imagine you are visiting a new coffee shop, bar or restaurant and want to use the in-house WiFi for the first time. The local staff kindly provides you with the WiFi password – a long string of random numbers and letters you will have the joy to manually type into your device. Once you identified the correct network to join from a long list of network names, that is. After what feels like minutes of searching and typing, and perhaps misspelling the password and typing it again, you are finally set up and ready to go online.
Having publicly available WiFi all around us is a great achievement of the 21st century. If only there was a less cumbersome way to connect.
Opt for open networks?
Perhaps you may think, why not get rid of WiFi passwords altogether and use open networks instead? While this seems to be an easy and tempting solution, there are two major drawbacks. First, open WiFi networks are unencrypted and therefore unprotected. Thus, your network traffic becomes easily interceptable by anyone in range, posing major security risks. Secondly, open networks are like a magnet to WiFi clients: any nearby device searching for a connection will try to join an open network. This can lead to too many WiFi clients on the same network resulting in interference, sometimes rendering networks unusable. Think of crowded airports with open WiFi networks that allow you to connect, but don’t perform at all. That is why for the sake of security and performance, open networks should be avoided.
So is there yet another way?
Scan and go
Luckily, there is! Plasma Cloud has released a new feature that can significantly speed up your connection process: WiFi QR code.
Simply scan the WiFi QR code with your WiFi device (mobile phone, tablet, laptop, etc.) using a QR scanning app of your choice. Afterwards, your device will be able to extract the encoded WiFi network name and password automatically, and join the correct network. Connecting to WiFi has never been easier.
Take control of your network with Plasma Cloud
A WiFi QR code not only allows you to effortlessly connect to WiFi, it can also help protect your network from unwanted access. To learn how to create WiFi QR codes for your Plasma Cloud network, please see this article.
If you’re new to the Plasma Cloud family, we invite you to explore our simple cloud management system for your entire network. From WiFi access points to PoE Switches, our affordable turnkey solutions are designed to meet the needs of busy professionals. We’ll get you started in no time with our smart software that’s designed to minimize setup effort. Contact us to get started.
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