We’ve all been in that situation where you get to a friend’s house, coffee shop or hotel and need to fiddle about getting the Wi-Fi password and entering it into your handset. A clever new app called InstaWifi (currently in Beta testing), solves this problem, and solves it well.
Using InstaWifi, you can easily create a QR code that has the details of your wireless network saved within it. When you scan the QR code, the details are automatically entered into your Wi-Fi settings and a connection is created, almost instantly. Similarly, the app can be used to program the details into an NFC tag. If the app detects that your handset does not have NFC, it will only display the option to create a QR code, as seen in the left screen shot below taken with the Galaxy Note. If it does have NFC, it gives you the option to use either method, as shown in the right screen shot below taken with the SGS3.
Using InstaWifi, it really is simple to program the QR codes and NFC tags. When scanning either, the connection is created incredibly quickly – faster, in-fact, than turning Wi-Fi on manually and waiting for it to connect. With the QR code method, you will need to tap the screen to tell it to create the connection, but this is still quicker than turning a router upside down to find a network key and entering it yourself. The NFC method connects the handset as soon as your phone is placed next to the tag. Check out both methods in action in developer Jesse Chen’s video below.
While the app is in beta testing at the moment, Jesse expects to release it publicly within the next 2-3 weeks. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s available to download.
Hat tip to our friends at Free Your Android for posting the beta opening initially.
About Chris Ward