
Show HN: The Wifi Block – Let your guests connect to WiFi with just a tap - jgaudette
https://thewifiblock.com
======
Rotten194
Cool product! I wouldn't worry about the HN naysayers too much (very "just use
rsync to a VPS"-esque vibe here). I think you should clarify on your site that
the app is only required for setting up the block, and that your guests won't
need it -- I knew that from using the NFC wifi feature before, but not
everyone does, and right now centering the app makes it seem like everyone
will need it. You could also maybe make a business-centric landing page? I
think this would go over GREAT with coffee shops etc. Especially if you have
the option to get a logo image engraved instead of just text. Not sure how
possible that is with your current setup, though -- I know laser cutters can
do an image, but it needs to be SVG or another vector format I think? Maybe
you could use the Inkscape auto-vectorizer to do that conversion for raster
images, though (it's usable from a script IIRC).

Cool business! Good luck!

~~~
jgaudette
Thank you so much for the kind words and support! These are all great points
that you brought up! We'll be adding a new feature shortly that will allow
companies to upload logos and we will (albeit manually like you mentioned)
convert them to vectors.

I can't thank you enough for the positive/constructive feedback. It's really
hard creating something new and staying positive with all the naysayers!

------
obilgic
Instead of explaining the tech and how it works, the site is just asking me to
pick one of the wood species...

~~~
0-_-0
They don't want you to know it can be done with a $1 NFC sticker

~~~
bb88
Is it still $1? I thought the price had dropped by now.

------
nirav72
I bought a pack of dozen NFC stickers for $5. Slapped them underneath drink
coasters. They work well.

~~~
bb88
Yeah, and if you didn't want to do a coaster, you could easily make your own,
or put it behind a picture in a frame.

------
ikornaselur
So it's a $40 piece of wood with a NFC sticker in it? Feels like it would be
cheaper to just print out a QR code and get people to point their camera at it
to connect. Could even order a super cheap NFC sticker and stick it to the
back of the QR code.

~~~
jgaudette
Hi there! At a basic level yes you are absolutely right. The wood however has
to be rough cut, assembled with the NFC tag, precision cut, routed multiple
times, sanded, laser engraved, and then have multiple coats of acrylic sealant
applied to it. Not bad for only $40?

We hope that others will find a custom designed Wifi Block sitting on their
shelf a lot more appealing than a printed QR code with a sticker on it, but
only time will tell!

~~~
ikornaselur
I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a quality product that you provide
(I'm assuming you're affiliated with this). I just don't remember the last
time I had to give anyone access to my WiFi (everyone's just on mobile these
days), and when it has been required it's usually for laptops (which couldn't
use this.. Nor a QR code for that matter)

Maybe other people would find better use for this, but for the past years I've
just set my WiFi password to something I remember and in the rare cases people
want to connect, I just tell them the password.

The WiFi block looks nice though!

~~~
jgaudette
Thanks!!!

The most cases we find that the average people run into issues with mobile is
in bad connection areas or when staying at one place for a while (staying over
with friends or family, or at a party, etc).

A big use case as well is airbnb's and home rentals. One of the first things
that you want when entering a rental is free wifi!

Thanks again for the feedback!

~~~
macNchz
Yeah I'd love if airbnbs had these. I tend to rent places in mountainy areas
with bad cell service. It feels like 90% of the time we arrive bleary-eyed
from a long drive, needing to look up a place to get dinner, only to find the
welcome packet which has a handwritten password like
"FJ#)@Jkfsf2JBbnNVnIOfQPOWre230F(&J%^". Minor annoyance, but a bother all the
same. I always type it out in the Notes app first to make it easier to fix
typos.

~~~
prepend
I’ve rented many an Airbnb where that long password is scratched out and it
looks like a previous guest has written in “torpedo” or something much easier
to type.

I guess the upside of default router passwords is that it allows friendly
“hackers” to help.

~~~
ta17711771
Friendly hackers should know better than to leave a trivially crackable
passphrase for an easily captured network.

~~~
prepend
It’s a cabin in the woods with free WiFi. The risk of someone cracking that is
lower than the risk of someone breaking in and reading the password on the
fridge.

~~~
ta17711771
Missed that, good call!

------
8fingerlouie
It it's anything like the Wifi Porter
([https://tenonedesign.com/porter](https://tenonedesign.com/porter)) i
purchased a few years ago, then it's a somewhat decorative way of getting
guests online.

I have a couple of them, one for guests, one for the kids network, and they're
in use almost daily. Still need a couple for my vacation house, so maybe this
will fit :)

------
whb07
Interesting! You’re using NFC to pass over the WiFi keys etc? How is it that
you’re negotiating and getting the NFC to trigger the WiFi password input?

------
dingaling
A very confusing choice of name, I assumed at first reading that it was
'block' as in the verb, to prevent guests from connecting to WiFi.

------
m-p-3
I did my own cheaply-made "WiFi Block" for my guest network with an old CD
jewel case, a printed piece of paper with a WiFi symbol, the SSID name and a
QR code specially formatted to create a connection, as well as a small NFC
sticker under that piece of paper programmed with the same information.

So far it works well, and makes a nice conversation piece with new guests :)

------
searchableguy
Tapping phone seems awkward. You can just scan a barcode and most phones have
support for that whereas NFC doesn't seem as widely supported?

------
floatinglotus
What does “widely supported” actually mean? What an odd thing to write on a
tech product page.

~~~
jgaudette
Thank you for the feedback! Widely supported is clarified more on the footer
of that section, and also in the FAQ. We'll take a look at making it more
explicit though, I appreciate you bringing it to our attention. While being a
technology product, our main customer focus is not to technical people, and
therefore need to strike a balance between too heavy technical terms and
details and getting our value proposition across.

iPhone's from iPhone 7 and up are supported in setting up the Wifi block, and
iPhone X's and above support the guest functionality of tapping to connect to
Wifi.

Most Android devices created from 2018 and after are supported. A good way to
know if your device would be supported or not is whether or not you use
Android or Apple pay.

Thanks again for taking a look and your feedback!

------
aaron695
This is very cool.

Combining tech, with oldie wood, with I assume tech to cut it.

Need more of this in the world.

I hope it does well for you.

~~~
abraae
Wood's cool factor is underrated.

I worked with a salesman in Sweden. We sold very expensive mainframe software.
One of his things was, when someone signed up, to present them their copies of
the contracts in a beautiful slimline rosewood briefcase that the customer got
to keep. So beautiful it made your eyes water to look at it.

Of course he brought one to meetings so the customer could form a longing for
it. It seemed like he may have buffed it with furniture wax as well, perhaps
there was an olfactory element at work too.

Without doubt this object of desire moved the needle significantly in getting
people over the line on a sale, they wanted the wooden briefcase so badly. He
was extremely successful.

------
NavinF
> device must have nfc capability and be connected to the desired wifi for
> programming

How does that work? Does the user have to open the Wifi settings page on their
phone, tap on the correct SSID, and then tap their phone on this NFC device?

------
greatjack613
I am more curious about the technical aspect.

I could not find any android documentation on building wifi nfc tags that are
automatically connected to by the system.

Can someone explain how this is working? Hidden apis? A NFC spec, or something
else?

~~~
parliament32
[https://developer.android.com/reference/android/provider/Set...](https://developer.android.com/reference/android/provider/Settings#ACTION_PROCESS_WIFI_EASY_CONNECT_URI)

[https://source.android.com/devices/tech/connect/wifi-easy-
co...](https://source.android.com/devices/tech/connect/wifi-easy-connect)

------
gryn
Why not just use the WPS WiFi button ? most internet routers have it nowadays.

~~~
jgaudette
Absolutely an option! Unfortunately for a lot of people the router is hidden
away. For those renting their house on airbnb or similar, the last thing you
want your guest to have to do is hunt for the router. We hope having a
customized Wifi block next to your entrance would make the experience awesome!

------
rexreed
Pardon my ignorance but how would this work if you're trying to connect your
laptop or a non-phone device (Chromebook, Kindle tablet, etc.).

Is this for only connecting NFC-enabled smartphones?

------
anotheryou
Should definitely also engrave the name + password or at least a QR-code.

I had an NFC sticker in my kitchen and for many it didn't work. QR worked much
better.

~~~
ta17711771
I take it you don't roll passwords very often.

------
stephenr
This is for largely android Users right?

If you’re at my house but not in my or my wife’s contacts (and thus it can’t
request access to our wifi automatically) I doubt I want you to have wifi
access anyway.

~~~
snazz
It’s mostly for retail businesses that would otherwise write Wi-Fi passwords
on signs.

------
fillskills
Reaching out about a bulk purchase

