A mobile Wi-Fi hotspot gives you Internet access when away from home.
Wi-Fi is a narrow range of radio frequencies. Radio frequencies provide us with many of our daily conveniences, including radio, television and microwave ovens. Mobile Internet connectivity is perhaps the latest trend in radio communications, embodied by the 3G hotspots that are trumpeted by the major cell phone manufacturers, but 3G is a hardware standard, whereas Wi-Fi is a wireless connection to the Internet.
Hotspot Defined
A hotspot is an access point that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network (LAN) through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider. Hotspots typically use Wi-Fi technology. 3G and 4G cell phones may use Wi-Fi, but 3G and 4G denote hardware advances rather than radio communication speed. 3G cell phones, however, can use a combination of third generation cell phone technology and wireless Internet functionality.
Wi-Fi Hotspots
The individual Wi-Fi hotspot is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.
According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, "Wi-Fi networks operate in the 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands, with some products that contain both bands (dual band)." Wi-Fi signals have a range of 300 feet. The 2.4 GHz transmission speeds are rated as B, G or N, representing data transmission rates of 11, 54 and 450 megabytes per second (Mbps), respectively. Wi-Fi hotspots are found in fast food outlets, airports, public libraries and other locations throughout the U.S. Individual transmitter hotspots are also offered by the major cell phone retailers. These allow, after login verification, a specified number of computers or other Wi-Fi enabled devices to share an Internet gateway.
3G Hotspots
3G is shorthand for "third generation" mobile telecommunications, a newer, faster transmission standard of mobile devices. A new generation of cellular standards has been developed approximately every 10 years since 1G systems were first offered for sale in 1983 with the introduction of the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X. Nicknamed "the Brick" due to its size, it retailed for $3,995. 3G hotspots use vast refinements of this technology to accelerate the speed and size of wireless communications downloads and uploads.
Smart Phones and Hotspots
Smart phones combine cell service with higher frequency Wi-Fi connections.
Various brands of smart phones bundle their own hotspot capability into the phone's features. Just like the separate Wi-Fi hotspot hardware, these phones allow a specified number of verified laptops, desktop computers and smart phones to share an Internet connection. Verification consists of a login and password that the smart phone's hotspot recognizes.
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