What is a wireless phone hot spot

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

What is a wireless phone hot spot and how do you use one

When the question is asked, what is a wireless phone hot spot, it is apparent that there is quite a bit of mystery where none need exist. In order to really understand what it is, we need to call it the more well recognized term. In this day and age, almost everyone has heard of a WiFi Hot Spot and there really isn’t a difference in the two terms. There are actually a couple of different kind of wireless phone hot spots thanks in large part to the explosion in the popularity of WiFi Internet.

The most popular and well known WiFi Hot Spots are those that are set up in coffee shops and stores that offer free Wireless LANs (Local Area Networks). These WiFi hot spots are usually password free and and joinable by anyone who is in the area of the network. These wireless networks are generally set so that the transmission of the network doesn’t extend much beyond the walls of the shop or restaurant.

More and more businesses are starting to adopt WiFi hot spots not only because it is easier for the business to access the internet that way but because it reels in customers.

McDonald’s and Starbucks are just two businesses that are well known as being wireless HotSpots but hospitals and retail stores have increasingly added their own Wireless HotSpots in order to make it easier for visitors to use the internet and to lure customers into their stores.

Phones Providing Their Own Mobile HotSpots

There are actually two completely different answers to the question, “what is a wireless phone hot spot?” The first answer is detailed above: a wireless network that a phone can connect to through a WiFi adapter.

Almost all smart phones that are produced today have the ability to connect to their own 3G or 4G network as well as to a WiFi connection. There are a couple of different reasons why the newer phones are allowed to do this. The main reason is that a phone like Apple’s iPhone needs to download some rather large applications. A wireless Internet network comes in handy in those instances. Connecting to the internet can also better run applications like Pandora and Slacker Radio than a 3G network can.

The other kind of cellular phone HotSpot is one that can now be created using a mobile phone. Several different phone makers have started to see the benefit of equipping the phone with the ability to create it’s own wireless network. Otherwise known as WiFi Tethering, some wireless phones can actually connect to their 3G or 4G network and generate a fully functioning WiFi network that other devices can connect to. These particular networks can host the same laptops and tablets that regular WiFi networks can. This comes in especially handy when you are somewhere that a WiFi connection is not usually available.

While some people love to “rough it” when they go camping, others like to have all the comforts of home. Most Android OS phones have the ability to give you a wireless Internet connection wherever you have a cellular connection.

Of course, these mobile phone internet connections are only as strong as the wireless connection that feeds them. That means that you probably won’t be able to stream Netflix on your laptop in you are out camping, but surfing the web and checking your email is certainly doable. This can also come in handy if you are simply somewhere in the city where you need a quick internet connection. In a cab and needing to email your project ahead to the office? The wireless phone hot spot will allow you to connect your tablet or laptop quickly and easily.

Most cellular providers do ch