Question 1

How long should a WiFi password be?

Accepted Answer

WPA2/WPA3 supports passphrases from 8 to 63 ASCII characters. The minimum 8 is too short — a 4-way handshake captured off the air can be brute-forced in days for 8-char passwords. The sweet spot is 20+ random characters or 6+ EFF Diceware words. Many routers use the WPA passphrase as input to PBKDF2-SHA1 with 4096 iterations to derive the actual encryption key — this slows down brute-force somewhat, but a modern GPU still tries ~500K attempts per second against captured handshakes. Use 20+ characters and you're effectively safe.

Question 2

Why no symbols by default?

Accepted Answer

Many older devices (smart TVs, IoT thermostats, network printers) have buggy onboard keyboards that mangle symbols. Some don't accept symbols at all. Sticking to uppercase + lowercase + numbers gives 62 chars per position — combined with length, that's enough entropy. A 20-char alphanumeric password has 119 bits of entropy, which is beyond brute-force reach. Symbols add maybe 5 bits per character extra; another 1 length unit gives the same gain without the compatibility headache.

Question 3

What's the WiFi QR code format?

Accepted Answer

iOS 11+ and Android 10+ natively scan QR codes encoded as 'WIFI:T:WPA;S:;P:;;' — the camera app shows a popup that joins the network in one tap. The 'T:' is the auth type (WPA, WEP, or 'nopass'), 'S:' is the SSID, 'P:' is the password, hidden networks add 'H:true;'. Special characters in the SSID or password (semicolon, comma, colon, double-quote, backslash) must be backslash-escaped.

Question 4

Is WPA2 still safe in 2026?

Accepted Answer

WPA2-PSK with a strong (20+ char) password remains practically secure against passive attacks. The 2017 KRACK attack against the 4-way handshake has been patched in every modern device. WPA3 (2018) adds forward secrecy via SAE (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals), protecting against captured-handshake brute-force entirely — even a weak WPA3 password can't be brute-forced offline. If your router supports WPA3-Personal, enable it. Most consumer routers from 2020+ support WPA2/WPA3-Transition mode (both work simultaneously).

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