Wireless hotspots are getting more popular these days, but not everyone knows what they are and how they work.
Wireless hotspots are basically wireless access points, usually in public locations, that offer internet access to all mobile devices, such as your smartphones, laptops, or tablets, when you are away from home or away from the office.
Typical venues where you can find access to Wi-Fi hotspots include cafes, airports, libraries, and hotels.
Hotspots are useful as they make it possible for people to get online wherever they may be as long as Wi-Fi is accessible, but they come with their fair share of security concerns.
How to Find a Hotspot?
When you are in the range of wireless networks, you may get notified by your wireless-equipped laptop and other devices, such as tablets and smartphones.
If you do not get a notification that there is an available wireless network in your area when there is one, all you need to do is go to the network settings to search area hotspots.
You will find hotspots in many public places. For instance:
- When you go to a Starbucks or one of the many standard coffee shops, your smartphone should notify you of the Wi-Fi hotspot in the area. Each store usually has a home screen for its hotspot. You’ll be connected once you accept the set terms of the hotspot agreement.
- Restaurants with a hotspot might post the information at the entrance or on a table tent card. You may need to request the hotspot’s password to access the service.
- When you check in to a hotel, you must ask the desk clerk for the Wi-Fi password or the sign-in process. The service may come as complimentary, or you may be required to pay a daily fee to use it.
- Most airports have free hotspots and have the login procedure displayed throughout the terminals. Shopping malls also offer hotspots and may post login information around the mall.
- Many bookstores also have hotspots only for their customers.
- Libraries and other public buildings usually have free Wi-Fi hotspots.
A fast internet search for open hotspots in your town or city you plan to visit soon will show you a list of locations with internet access.
Although most public hotspots are free, some might require you to pay a specific fee or subscription.
Connect to a Hotspot
When a person connects to a hotspot to use the internet, the person’s web browser will display a web page that will identify the open hotspot and list the terms of use.
When the network of a Wi-Fi hotspot is hidden or encrypted, you will need to obtain the security key and the name of the network (SSID) information from the hotspot service provider to locate and correctly establish the network connection.
When there is a password requirement, get the password, enter it, and agree to the terms of use.
These terms usually require you to be a decent, law-abiding internet citizen.
You will need to accept or initiate a connection to the desired hotspot’s wireless network, which will be identified in the network name.
You Need to Take Security Precautions When Making You Use of a Hotspot
It is good to use an open hotspot, but the problem with public hotspots is that they are open to the general public. You could be sharing a single connection with any person at any time.
A hotspot is not your home or your office password-protected Wi-Fi router. It is easier for hackers to hack into a public hotspot than to hack a private access point.
Below are some precautions that you can take before you sign in to a hotspot:
- Understand how your mobile device or laptop shares files and tightens the privileges. For instance, Mac laptops use AirDrop. Depending on your device’s settings, a hacker could easily send a file to your Mac with AirDrop without your knowledge.
- Make sure to turn off file sharing specifically for public access folders on your phones, laptops, and other devices.
- Have anti-virus protection installed for your Android phone, iPad, or any other smart device that you use with a public hotspot. You must also activate the firewall on your device to stop the transmission of malware from an infected device that might be connected to the hotspot.
- Have a VPN Installed on your device. When you have a virtual private network, it encrypts all your web traffic so that even if you get hacked, your data remains impossible to read.
- Turn off automatic connections to nearby networks.
Turn Off Automatic Network Connections
Some mobile phones and laptops will automatically connect to an open hotspot when it is an inaccessible range, but this is not a good idea for security reasons, especially when the hotspot doesn’t have password protection.
In most cases, people can prevent this with a menu setting. The location varies according to the device.
About Mobile Hotspots
When you find yourself in a location where there is no hotspot and you have to be online, your smartphone will be able to serve as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.
If your device has this capability, you can connect to the internet by using the cellular signal on your smartphone and share that connection with your PC.
Using a mobile hotspot might not precisely be smart as it drains a phone battery quite faster than normal, and the hotspot may make use of a significant portion of your set data limit.
Depending on the cellular network available, “3G, 4G, or LTE,” the connection speed may not be as fast as the home connection you are used to (with any except LTE), but when it is the only available internet connection, it may be worth it.
If you don’t want to drain your smartphone battery, buy a stand-alone device that provides mobile hotspots.
These devices require cellular connections and contracts. Also, the device must be able to access a cellular signal. You can grab one at Amazon.com
If there is no cell coverage, look for a hotspot at a coffee shop or shopping mall.
