What is hot spot? - Definition from Whatis.com

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hot spot

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hot spot

For users of portable computers equipped for wireless, a hot spot (or hotspot) is a wireless LAN (local area network) node that provides Internet connection and virtual private network (VPN) access from a given location. For example, a business traveller with a laptop equipped for Wi-Fi can look up a local hot spot, contact it, and get connected through its network to reach the Internet and their own company remotely with a secure connection. Increasingly, public places, such as airports, hotels, and coffee shops are providing free wireless access for customers.

The Wi-Fi Alliance provides a list of hot spots through its Wi-Fi Zone program. A number of companies such as Sprint and Cometa plan to provide a nationwide network of hot spots.

Related glossary terms: MIMO (multiple input, multiple output), service set identifier (SSID), SMS spam (cell phone spam or short messaging service spam), forward error correction (FEC), IR wireless (infrared wireless), American Radio Relay League (ARRL), solar fade (sun interference), MISO (multiple input, single output), 802.11m, no-swipe credit card

This was last updated in March 2003

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