Difference Between Wi-Fi and Hotspot

Wi-Fi vs Hotspot
 

Difference between Wi-Fi and hotspot is an interesting topic to speak about as both Wi-Fi and hotspot play important roles in networking. Wi-Fi is a technology that is used for local area networking. The interconnection is done via radio frequency electromagnetic waves and rules under which how communication happens defined in the protocols named IEEE 802.11. A hotspot is a place that provides internet access to devices using Wi-Fi. A hotspot is created via a device known as an access point.

What is Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi, which stands for Wireless Fidelity, is a wireless communication technology used for Local Area Networks. Today laptops, smartphones, tablets, cameras and even televisions consist of Wi-Fi modules making it a widely used technology for home networking. Also, all mainstream operating systems including windows, Linux, OS X, iOS and Android have built-in support for Wi-Fi making it very easy to interconnect using Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi uses electromagnetic waves as the medium where the frequency band used is 2.4 GHz.

IEEE defines a protocol called 802.11 that provides how the exact communication takes place. Several versions as 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11n, 802.11g and 802.11ac were introduced in the order where different protocols support different speeds and ranges.

What is Hotspot?

A hotspot is a place that provides internet access using Wi-Fi. A hotspot is created using a device known as an access point. In general use, both hotspot and access point can mean the same thing. An access point is typically a device that is connected to a router or a gateway, which is connected to the internet. The access point lets various devices to connect to it using Wi-Fi and provides them internet through the router that it is connected to. In modern wireless routers, the router and the access point is integrated into one single device.

Wi-Fi hotspots are found in public places as well as private places. Today, many public places in the world such as airports, stores, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, libraries, public payphones, train stations, schools and universities have hotspots. Many provide free access to the internet while there are commercial ones as well. Hotspots can be setup at home as well by simply connecting a wireless router to the internet via ADSL or 3G. This is the most common technique used nowadays to share the internet connection at home across various devices.

Apart from hardware, nowadays software as well can create hotspots. Software such as connectify me, Virtual Router and also built-in tools in operating systems let you share internet by turning the Wi-Fi module on your laptop or mobile phone into a virtual hotspot.

What is the difference between Wi-Fi and Hotspot?

• Wi-Fi is a wireless communication technology used for Local Area Networks. It is used for interconnecting devices to do propercommunication. A hotspot is a place that provides internet to wireless devices using Wi-Fi.

• A hotspot is created using a device known as an access point . The access point is connected to a router that acts as a gateway to the internet. Wi-Fi is used between the access point and the wireless device for interconnection.

• Wi-Fi uses electromagnetic waves under radio frequency band 2.4GHz to do communication. A hotspot uses this Wi-Fi technology to interconnect devices to a single point called an access point to share internet.

• A hotspot is created by using Wi-Fi but not the other way round. Without Wi-Fi, there will be no hotspots.

• Hotspot is a place that provides internet access for wireless devices. Wi-Fi technology, on the other hand , involves protocols, specifications, hardware and drivers.

Summary:

Wi-Fi vs Hotspot

Wi-Fi is a technology that is used to interconnect devices on a LAN. It is a wireless communication technology where the medium used is radio frequency waves. A hotspot uses Wi-Fi technology to provide internet to wireless devices. So a hotspot is a place that provides internet to wireless devices by using Wi-Fi as the local area networking technology.

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