Networking 'Hot Spots'??

Hi guys!
ok now i did a fourm search and was unable to find answers to my questions.
ok now i just wanted to know what were network 'hotspots'? what is it? is it free public internet? where can i connect to it? is there a charge? what locations have it?

 

Here we go...

A hotspot is any area where you can access the internet through a wireless connection. Does that mean it's gonna be free and public? Not necessarily.

For example, you've got this Starbcuks offering wireless internet for their clients. Technically, that's already a hotspot. But can anyone use their network? Not really. If you want to connect, you always need a user and a password. And the only way to get those could be buying something, maybe. So, not so public and not so free, really.

On the other hand, you've got this campus where every student has his user and password free of charge, simply because they are students. Well, this time, it's free... but it isn't really public either. If you are not a student, you cannot connect to the network, right?

There are some free and public hotspots all over the world. But they're not that common. There are many, many more restricted ones. Airports are usually full hotspots. I know some restaurants are starting to offer wifi as a complimentary service, totally free of charge. But most of the time you'll have to pay something for the access. Maybe just a coffe at a Starbucks, maybe some fee per time connected, as in an internet cafe.

Cheers.

 

thank you for your help dihan!
youve cleared up alot of things