diff --git a/tools/qrcode_reader.py b/tools/qrcode_reader.py
index 798b1d1..152f3ba 100755
--- a/tools/qrcode_reader.py
+++ b/tools/qrcode_reader.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def convert_obj(obj):
         elif obj_l in ['false', 'off', 'no']:
             return False
         elif obj == '%NOW%':
-            return datetime.datetime.utcnow()
+            return str(datetime.datetime.utcnow())
     return obj