What the heck is a hotspot?
The basic definition of a hotspot is a wireless local-access network (WLAN)
that's open to the public. So, what, you ask, is a WLAN? It is -- and I'll never
understand why the acronym gods didn't call it a LAWN -- nothing more than
two or more computers networked together using Wi-Fi. There are two pri-
mary types of WLANs:
Ad-hoc: Also known as peer-to-peer networks, computers in an ad-hoc
WLAN communicate with each other directly. By switching your Wi-Fi
cards to ad-hoc mode, you and a nearby neighbor can create a WLAN to
play games, for example.
Infrastructure: This is the type of WLAN all hotspots use. It's also the
most commonly used form of WLAN in home or business and is some-
times referred to as a client-server WLAN. There are two basic elements
to an infrastructure WLAN, as shown in Figure 1-1.
· Client: Any computer included in the WLAN, accessing the Internet
via the access point, is known as a client.
· Access point: An access point is a Wi-Fi transceiver that's connected
directly or by satellite to the Internet. The access point serves, or
distributes, the Internet connection to the client computers within
the network.
Hotspots are WLANs open to the public, but you typically need to provide a
password before you can open a hotspot's gateway to the Internet. You can
think of an access point like a castle that freely drops the drawbridge over
the moat, allowing entry into the gateway tunnel, but opening the gate to the
interior only after the visitor gives the proper password.
Part I: The Wonderful World of Wireless Fidelity
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