In this world, only three things are certain: death, taxes, and the fact that houseguests will eventually ask for your Wi-Fi password. What’s also certain is that, regardless of how simple your password is, you’ll inevitably be bombarded with questions after you recite it. “All lowercase? Any spaces? How do you spell colonel? Why are you so obsessed with KFC?”
Well if you’re sick of going through the same song and dance, and want a more slick and secure way to let your houseguests access your network, we’ve got a simple DIY solution for you: NFC drink coasters that grant guests access with just a tap.
NFC is one of the coolest technologies ever. Short for Near-Field Communication, it’s essentially a method of wireless data transfer that detects devices in close proximity, and then enables them to communicate without the need for an internet or Bluetooth connection. On top of that, NFC tags don’t need batteries to work. They can store small amounts of information passively, so you won’t ever need to recharge your coasters.
Better yet, despite how awesome and techy these coasters are, they’re also incredibly simple to build. You can easily make a whole set of them in under an hour, with minimal materials and expertise. Before you get started though, it’s worth noting that you’ll need an NFC-capable smartphone running Android 5.0 or later in order to execute the steps below. There are ways to achieve the same result with an iPhone, but they are vastly more complex. Sorry iPhone users!
It’s also worth noting that if you already have coasters you like, you can skip the whole “make your own out of concrete” part of this tutorial and upgrade the ones you’ve got. Just snag some NFC stickers, put ’em on the bottom of your coasters, and follow steps 6 and 7 of this guide.
How to make coasters that connect guests to your Wi-Fi with a single tap [Digital Trends]