Tech Term of the Week - What is a Hotspot?

From coffee shops to train stations and airports, you may have noticed the increasing visibility of signs indicating that these places are hotspots.  No, that doesn't mean there is volcanic activity brewing beneath your local coffee shop.  A hotspot is simply an area with wireless Internet access. No one is sure just where the term hotspot started being used, but the best guess is that the Finnish cellular company, Nokia, may have been responsible for creating the term.

Hotspots can be thought of as a local area within which people can connect to the Internet wirelessly.  A hotspot is created when a wireless router is connected to the broader Internet. The router generates a Wi-Fi (wireless Internet) signal, which creates an area where other devices can receive the hotspot signal.  Any person with a computer or other Wi-Fi enabled device can then connect to the hotspot.  In other words, hotspots are areas where you can connect to the Internet without having to use cables or other physical connections.

What Do Hotspots do for Me?

Hotspots afford customers and clients an opportunity to access the Internet while doing everyday activities like studying for tests or fueling their cars.  For instance, you may have noticed men and women working on their computers while drinking a cup of coffee; they are likely connected to the Internet within a hotspot.  And this is the greatest benefit of hotspots: they provide individuals additional ability to multitask.  Instead of having to choose work or play, you can do both, completing tasks while enjoying yourself in a non-office environment.  Conversely, you can simply surf the web while doing a necessary chore. Common hotspot locations include restaurants, hotels, hospitals, airports, bookstores, grocery stores, libraries, and schools.  Some cities have even gone wireless with public wireless networks!

What is a Personal Hotspot?

An individual can use a device that contains a wireless connection, like a laptop or phone, in a hotspot.  Smartphones and mobile hotspot devices sold by cellular companies can create what are known as "personal hotspots." Using the cellular networks that these smartphones and devices use to connect to the Internet using their cellular data capability, they can use their WiFi capability to create a personal hotspot to connect nearby devices to the Internet.  Personal hotspots are especially useful for travelers and others who might want to connect multiple items to the Internet in an easy and affordable fashion. For example, if you had a laptop or tablet that only had WiFi Internet capability, you couldn't connect to the Internet unless you could connect to a WiFi hotspot.

What are Private and Paid Hotspots?

Use of Wi-Fi in a hotspot isn't always free.  While establishments are increasingly offering Wi-Fi services free of charge, others only provide it at a price.  You may have to enter credit card information as you log-on to wireless service, so be sure to confirm whether it's free or not if you want to avoid charges. Some hotspots aren't available to the public and may be locked, allowing only those individuals who have the password the ability to use the hotspot. If you have a wireless router in your home, your hotspot probably requires a password to use the Internet, which makes it a private hotspot.

Since hotspots are so widely available, using the Internet and working without a cable connection is easier all the time. So the next time you see a hotspot sign, take it as an invitation.  Open up your tablet, phone, or laptop, and enjoy.

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