<s>
A	O
hotspot	B-Application
is	O
a	O
physical	O
location	O
where	O
people	O
can	O
obtain	O
Internet	O
access	O
,	O
typically	O
using	O
Wi-Fi	O
technology	O
,	O
via	O
a	O
wireless	B-Architecture
local-area	I-Architecture
network	I-Architecture
(	O
WLAN	B-Architecture
)	O
using	O
a	O
router	B-Protocol
connected	O
to	O
an	O
Internet	O
service	O
provider	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Public	O
hotspots	B-Application
may	O
be	O
created	O
by	O
a	O
business	O
for	O
use	O
by	O
customers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
coffee	O
shops	O
or	O
hotels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Public	O
hotspots	B-Application
are	O
typically	O
created	O
from	O
wireless	B-Device
access	I-Device
points	I-Device
configured	O
to	O
provide	O
Internet	O
access	O
,	O
controlled	O
to	O
some	O
degree	O
by	O
the	O
venue	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
simplest	O
form	O
,	O
venues	O
that	O
have	O
broadband	O
Internet	O
access	O
can	O
create	O
public	O
wireless	O
access	O
by	O
configuring	O
an	O
access	B-Device
point	I-Device
(	O
AP	O
)	O
,	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
a	O
router	B-Protocol
to	O
connect	O
the	O
AP	O
to	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
single	O
wireless	O
router	B-Protocol
combining	O
these	O
functions	O
may	O
suffice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
private	O
hotspot	B-Application
,	O
often	O
called	O
tethering	O
,	O
may	O
be	O
configured	O
on	O
a	O
smartphone	O
or	O
tablet	O
that	O
has	O
a	O
network	O
data	O
plan	O
,	O
to	O
allow	O
Internet	O
access	O
to	O
other	O
devices	O
via	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
pairing	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
through	O
the	O
RNDIS	B-Library
protocol	O
over	O
USB	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
even	O
when	O
both	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
device	O
and	O
the	O
device[s]	O
accessing	O
it	O
are	O
connected	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
Wi-Fi	O
network	O
but	O
one	O
which	O
does	O
not	O
provide	O
Internet	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
a	O
Bluetooth	B-Protocol
or	O
USB	B-Protocol
OTG	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
a	O
mobile	O
device	O
to	O
provide	O
Internet	O
access	O
via	O
Wi-Fi	O
instead	O
of	O
a	O
mobile	O
network	O
,	O
to	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
itself	O
has	O
neither	O
Wi-Fi	O
nor	O
mobile	O
network	O
capability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
public	O
can	O
use	O
a	O
laptop	B-Device
or	O
other	O
suitable	O
portable	O
device	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
connection	I-General_Concept
(	O
usually	O
Wi-Fi	O
)	O
provided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
the	O
estimated	O
150	O
million	O
laptops	B-Device
,	O
14	O
million	O
PDAs	B-Application
,	O
and	O
other	O
emerging	O
Wi-Fi	O
devices	O
sold	O
per	O
year	O
for	O
the	O
last	O
few	O
years	O
,	O
most	O
include	O
the	O
Wi-Fi	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iPass	O
2014	O
interactive	O
map	O
,	O
that	O
shows	O
data	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
analysts	O
Maravedis	O
Rethink	O
,	O
shows	O
that	O
in	O
December	O
2014	O
there	O
are	O
46,000,000	O
hotspots	B-Application
worldwide	O
and	O
more	O
than	O
22,000,000	O
roamable	O
hotspots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
than	O
10,900	O
hotspots	B-Application
are	O
on	O
trains	O
,	O
planes	O
and	O
airports	O
(	O
Wi-Fi	O
in	O
motion	O
)	O
and	O
more	O
than	O
8,500,000	O
are	O
"	O
branded	O
"	O
hotspots	B-Application
(	O
retail	O
,	O
cafés	O
,	O
hotels	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
region	O
with	O
the	O
largest	O
number	O
of	O
public	O
hotspots	B-Application
is	O
Europe	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Asia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Libraries	O
throughout	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
are	O
implementing	O
hotspot	B-Application
lending	O
programs	O
to	O
extend	O
access	O
to	O
online	O
library	O
services	O
to	O
users	O
at	O
home	O
who	O
cannot	O
afford	O
in-home	O
Internet	O
access	O
or	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
Internet	O
infrastructure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wi-Fi	O
positioning	O
is	O
a	O
method	O
for	O
geolocation	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
positions	O
of	O
nearby	O
hotspots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Security	O
is	O
a	O
serious	O
concern	O
in	O
connection	O
with	O
public	O
and	O
private	O
hotspots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
the	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
connection	I-General_Concept
between	O
the	O
client	O
and	O
the	O
access	B-Device
point	I-Device
,	O
which	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
encrypted	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
the	O
connection	O
cannot	O
be	O
eavesdropped	O
or	O
attacked	O
by	O
a	O
man-in-the-middle	O
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Second	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WLAN	B-Architecture
encryption	O
ends	O
at	O
the	O
interface	O
,	O
then	O
travels	O
its	O
network	O
stack	O
unencrypted	O
and	O
then	O
,	O
third	O
,	O
travels	O
over	O
the	O
wired	O
connection	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
BRAS	O
of	O
the	O
ISP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
upon	O
the	O
setup	O
of	O
a	O
public	O
hotspot	B-Application
,	O
the	O
provider	O
of	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
has	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
metadata	O
and	O
content	O
accessed	O
by	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
safest	O
method	O
when	O
accessing	O
the	O
Internet	O
over	O
a	O
hotspot	B-Application
,	O
with	O
unknown	O
security	O
measures	O
,	O
is	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
of	O
strong	O
end-to-end	O
encryption	O
are	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
and	O
SSH	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
hotspots	B-Application
authenticate	O
users	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
this	O
does	O
not	O
prevent	O
users	O
from	O
viewing	O
network	O
traffic	O
using	O
packet	B-Protocol
sniffers	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
conflicts	O
with	O
enterprise	O
configurations	O
that	O
have	O
solutions	O
specific	O
to	O
their	O
internal	O
WLAN	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Opportunistic	B-Application
Wireless	I-Application
Encryption	I-Application
(	O
OWE	B-Application
)	O
standard	O
provides	O
encrypted	O
communication	O
in	O
open	B-Application
Wi-Fi	I-Application
networks	O
,	O
alongside	O
the	O
WPA3	O
standard	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
not	O
yet	O
widely	O
implemented	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
York	O
City	O
introduced	O
a	O
Wi-Fi	B-Application
hotspot	I-Application
kiosk	O
called	O
LinkNYC	O
with	O
the	O
intentions	O
of	O
providing	O
modern	O
technology	O
for	O
the	O
masses	O
as	O
a	O
replacement	O
to	O
a	O
payphone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Public	O
hotspots	B-Application
are	O
often	O
found	O
at	O
airports	O
,	O
bookstores	O
,	O
coffee	O
shops	O
,	O
department	O
stores	O
,	O
fuel	O
stations	O
,	O
hotels	O
,	O
hospitals	O
,	O
libraries	O
,	O
public	O
pay	O
phones	O
,	O
restaurants	O
,	O
RV	O
parks	O
and	O
campgrounds	O
,	O
supermarkets	O
,	O
train	O
stations	O
,	O
and	O
other	O
public	O
places	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
many	O
schools	O
and	O
universities	O
have	O
wireless	B-General_Concept
networks	I-General_Concept
on	O
their	O
campuses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
statista.com,	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
2022	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
approximately	O
550	O
million	O
free	O
Wi-Fi	B-Application
hotspots	I-Application
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	O
hotspots	B-Application
operate	O
in	O
two	O
ways	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
an	O
open	O
public	O
network	O
is	O
the	O
easiest	O
way	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
free	O
hotspot	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
that	O
is	O
needed	O
is	O
a	O
Wi-Fi	O
router	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
when	O
users	O
of	O
private	O
wireless	O
routers	B-Protocol
turn	O
off	O
their	O
authentication	O
requirements	O
,	O
opening	O
their	O
connection	O
,	O
intentionally	O
or	O
not	O
,	O
they	O
permit	O
piggybacking	B-General_Concept
(	O
sharing	O
)	O
by	O
anyone	O
in	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Closed	O
public	O
networks	O
use	O
a	O
HotSpot	B-Application
Management	O
System	O
to	O
control	O
access	O
to	O
hotspots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
software	O
runs	O
on	O
the	O
router	B-Protocol
itself	O
or	O
an	O
external	O
computer	O
allowing	O
operators	O
to	O
authorize	O
only	O
specific	O
users	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Providers	O
of	O
such	O
hotspots	B-Application
often	O
associate	O
the	O
free	O
access	O
with	O
a	O
menu	O
,	O
membership	O
,	O
or	O
purchase	O
limit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
commercial	O
hotspot	B-Application
may	O
feature	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
services	O
provide	O
payment	O
services	O
to	O
hotspot	B-Application
providers	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
monthly	O
fee	O
or	O
commission	O
from	O
the	O
end-user	O
income	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Amazingports	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
set	O
up	O
hotspots	B-Application
that	O
intend	O
to	O
offer	O
both	O
fee-based	O
and	O
free	O
internet	O
access	O
,	O
and	O
ZoneCD	O
is	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
that	O
provides	O
payment	O
services	O
for	O
hotspot	B-Application
providers	O
who	O
wish	O
to	O
deploy	O
their	O
own	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Roaming	O
services	O
are	O
expanding	O
among	O
major	O
hotspot	B-Application
service	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
roaming	O
service	O
the	O
users	O
of	O
a	O
commercial	O
provider	O
can	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
other	O
providers	O
 '	O
hotspots	B-Application
,	O
either	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
or	O
for	O
extra	O
fees	O
,	O
which	O
users	O
will	O
usually	O
be	O
charged	O
on	O
an	O
access-per-minute	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
Wi-Fi	O
adapters	O
built	O
into	O
or	O
easily	O
added	O
to	O
consumer	O
computers	O
and	O
mobile	O
devices	O
include	O
the	O
functionality	O
to	O
operate	O
as	O
private	O
or	O
mobile	O
hotspots	B-Application
,	O
sometimes	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
"	O
mi-fi	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
private	O
hotspot	B-Application
to	O
enable	O
other	O
personal	O
devices	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
WAN	O
(	O
usually	O
but	O
not	O
always	O
the	O
Internet	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
bridging	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
known	O
as	O
tethering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Manufacturers	O
and	O
firmware	B-Application
creators	O
can	O
enable	O
this	O
functionality	O
in	O
Wi-Fi	O
devices	O
on	O
many	O
Wi-Fi	O
devices	O
,	O
depending	O
upon	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
most	O
modern	O
consumer	O
operating	O
systems	O
,	O
including	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
Apple	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
10.6	O
and	O
later	O
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
include	O
features	O
to	O
support	O
this	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
wireless	O
chipset	O
manufacturers	O
such	O
as	O
Atheros	O
,	O
Broadcom	O
,	O
Intel	O
and	O
others	O
,	O
may	O
add	O
the	O
capability	O
for	O
certain	O
Wi-Fi	O
NICs	B-Protocol
,	O
usually	O
used	O
in	O
a	O
client	O
role	O
,	O
to	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
hotspot	B-Application
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Third-party	O
software	O
vendors	O
offer	O
applications	O
to	O
allow	O
users	O
to	O
operate	O
their	O
own	O
hotspot	B-Application
,	O
whether	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
Internet	O
when	O
on	O
the	O
go	O
,	O
share	O
an	O
existing	O
connection	O
,	O
or	O
extend	O
the	O
range	O
of	O
another	O
hotspot	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hotspot	B-Application
2.0	O
,	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
HS2	O
and	O
Wi-Fi	O
Certified	O
Passpoint	O
,	O
is	O
an	O
approach	O
to	O
public	O
access	O
Wi-Fi	O
by	O
the	O
Wi-Fi	O
Alliance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
is	O
for	O
mobile	O
devices	O
to	O
automatically	O
join	O
a	O
Wi-Fi	O
subscriber	O
service	O
whenever	O
the	O
user	O
enters	O
a	O
Hotspot	B-Application
2.0	O
area	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
provide	O
better	O
bandwidth	O
and	O
services-on-demand	O
to	O
end-users	O
and	O
relieve	O
carrier	O
infrastructure	O
of	O
some	O
traffic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hotspot	B-Application
2.0	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
IEEE	O
802.11u	O
standard	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
protocols	O
published	O
in	O
2011	O
to	O
enable	O
cellular-like	O
roaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
device	O
supports	O
802.11u	O
and	O
is	O
subscribed	O
to	O
a	O
Hotspot	B-Application
2.0	O
service	O
it	O
will	O
automatically	O
connect	O
and	O
roam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Operating_System
10	I-Operating_System
devices	O
have	O
full	O
support	O
for	O
network	O
discovery	O
and	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Depending	O
upon	O
the	O
set	O
up	O
of	O
a	O
public	O
hotspot	B-Application
,	O
the	O
provider	O
of	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
has	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
metadata	O
and	O
content	O
accessed	O
by	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
,	O
and	O
may	O
have	O
legal	O
obligations	O
related	O
to	O
privacy	O
requirements	O
and	O
liability	O
for	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
hotspot	B-Application
for	O
unlawful	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concerns	O
may	O
also	O
relate	O
to	O
child	O
safety	O
,	O
and	O
social	O
issues	O
such	O
as	O
exposure	O
to	O
objectionable	O
content	O
,	O
protection	O
against	O
cyberbullying	O
and	O
illegal	O
behaviours	O
,	O
and	O
prevention	O
of	O
perpetration	O
of	O
such	O
behaviors	O
by	O
hotspot	B-Application
users	O
themselves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Data	O
Retention	O
Directive	O
which	O
required	O
hotspot	B-Application
owners	O
to	O
retain	O
key	O
user	O
statistics	O
for	O
12	O
months	O
was	O
annulled	O
by	O
the	O
Court	O
of	O
Justice	O
of	O
the	O
European	O
Union	O
in	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Directive	O
on	O
Privacy	O
and	O
Electronic	O
Communications	O
was	O
replaced	O
in	O
2018	O
by	O
the	O
General	O
Data	O
Protection	O
Regulation	O
,	O
which	O
imposes	O
restrictions	O
on	O
data	O
collection	O
by	O
hotspot	B-Application
operators	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	O
Protection	O
Act	O
1998	O
:	O
The	O
hotspot	B-Application
owner	O
must	O
retain	O
individual	O
's	O
information	O
within	O
the	O
confines	O
of	O
the	O
law	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Public	O
access	O
wireless	B-Architecture
local	I-Architecture
area	I-Architecture
networks	I-Architecture
(	O
LANs	B-General_Concept
)	O
were	O
first	O
proposed	O
by	O
Henrik	O
Sjoden	O
at	O
the	O
NetWorld+Interop	O
conference	O
in	O
The	O
Moscone	O
Center	O
in	O
San	O
Francisco	O
in	O
August	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sjoden	O
did	O
not	O
use	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
hotspot	B-Application
"	O
but	O
referred	O
to	O
publicly	O
accessible	O
wireless	B-Architecture
LANs	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
commercial	O
venture	O
to	O
attempt	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
public	O
local	O
area	O
access	O
network	O
was	O
a	O
firm	O
founded	O
in	O
Richardson	O
,	O
Texas	O
known	O
as	O
PLANCOM	O
(	O
Public	O
Local	B-General_Concept
Area	I-General_Concept
Network	I-General_Concept
Communications	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
was	O
sold	O
to	O
Deutsche	O
Telecom	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
who	O
then	O
converted	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
firm	O
into	O
"	O
T-Mobile	O
Hotspot	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
then	O
that	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
hotspot	B-Application
"	O
entered	O
the	O
popular	O
vernacular	O
as	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
a	O
location	O
where	O
a	O
publicly	O
accessible	O
wireless	B-Architecture
LAN	I-Architecture
is	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ABI	O
Research	O
reported	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
4.9	O
million	O
global	O
Wi-Fi	B-Application
hotspots	I-Application
in	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2016	O
the	O
Wireless	O
Broadband	O
Alliance	O
predicted	O
a	O
steady	O
annual	O
increase	O
from	O
5.2m	O
public	O
hotspots	B-Application
in	O
2012	O
to	O
10.5m	O
in	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
