How does a hotspot work? Easily explained

You will find the option for a HotSpot on numerous mobile devices, such as smartphones, and on computers. We'll show you how it works and what exactly is behind it.

HotSpot: what is it?

• A HotSpot is a WLAN access that is accessible to everyone. HotSpots can be found in many areas and are often free of charge.
• In the meantime, more and more cafes, restaurants, hotels, libraries, train stations and entire cities are offering their own HotSpots. This means that customers and visitors can surf the Internet free of charge via WLAN without consuming their own data volume.
• The operator decides whether the HotSpot is chargeable. Cafes and restaurants generally offer free Internet access. There are more and more public hotspots in many cities. However, registration and a small fee are often required here.

This is how a WiFi hotspot works

• In addition to public hotspots, there are also private hotspots. You can create these yourself using your computer, Android smartphone or iPhone.
• If you use the mobile data network on your iPhone, for example, and open a HotSpot, a new WLAN network will be visible to other devices. This is broadcast via WLAN or Bluetooth and can be secured with a password.
• If you want to share your Internet access with other people, you only have to give out the password. If another device has dialed into your HotSpot and is surfing the Internet, for example, all data traffic is routed via your smartphone.

In the next practical tip, we will show you what a mobile hotspot is.