Now, there are hotspots operated by individuals, community hotspots, and hotspots operated by companies(Sometimes for Pay). Paid Hotspots are popular at coffeehouses, airports, some hotels, and other places. Community hotspots are operated by nonprofit organizations, although occasionally by municipalities. NYCWireless, a New York City group responsible for free wireless in places like Bryant Park, is a good example of this. And individual hotspots are those unaffiliated ones.

Sometimes, individuals do not realize they are running a hotspot. They have simply not enabled any security on their wireless router and thus are giving their internet away to the neighborhood.

In a future post, we will be discussing ways to secure your wireless network. Stay Tuned.