These are something that I do not often use; but when you need an internet connection ffor yourself, or even for someone else, then you can turn your phone (or iPad) into an live wi-fi connection if you have one. If you are traveling and only have wi-fi on your tablet, but have a hotspot on the phone, then you can pretty much connect anywhere that you have a phone signal. Another service that Xfinity (Comcast) provides is called Xfinity Wi-fi, and it comes along with the regular internet service. What they have done is to turn wi-fi connections that are for places like apartment complexes or fast food restaurants, and other businesses into kind of a public hotspot. Anytime that you are in range of one of these hotspots, you can connect to it, even without having your own personal hotspot. They have an app so you can see if you are close to a hotspot. Once you log into Xfinity Wi-fi, then you can pick it up anywhere and it shows in your list of nearby servers.
That is interesting, I have Comcast so that means I can use any hotspot I am near if I have that app to get online. I am thinking about getting a broadband to take with me so that I can get online when I am in a clients home, this app may help out alot until I get the mobil broadband.
We were grandfathered into a Verizon plan that gives us (true) unlimited data so my wife and I have been using our phones as our Internet connection for years now. Since we lived in northern Maine during the spring, summer and fall, moving home to Millinocket in the winter, with several trips back and forth in between, we previously needed an Internet account in both places. Our Wi-Fi has eliminated that need, plus we no longer have to worry about whether a hotel or timeshare has Internet access, and we can use it in restaurants, etc. We run two, and sometimes as many as four, computers and two Roku accounts off of our hotspots, and it's faster than our cable account and as fast as the Comcast account that we had. The only problem is that, a few times a day, we have to reboot the phone for some reason and, since my wife switched her Android phone for an iPhone, she can no longer be online and on the phone at the same time, which was an unintended consequence. My Android phone allows me to do that.
If you look at the trends, it probably won't be long before you can get free WiFi in almost any populated area. I think Google is up to something in this arena and maybe others. Knowing Google they'll probably just use it to drive traffic to their search engine and advertisements. I'm not sure of the status of Google WiFi. I do know they have beta tested it in NYC.
@Pat Baker , you don't have to have the app to use the connection. It just helps a lot because it shows all of the Xfinity wi-fi hotspots that are near where you are at. All you have to do is go to the settings where you can see your own wi-fi connection on your laptop or tablet, and it will also show you any other connections that are close to you. If Xfinity has one close enough to connect it will show up on the list. Choose that, and it will try to connect you, and then takes you to your Comcast account, and you sign in to the account. (this stops non-comcast people from logging in to a free connection) Once you have signed in to comcast, it will connect you to the free wi-fi. After that, anytime you are close to one, it will show on the list, and you can just connnect without having to log in to your comcast account. If you don't have a connection close to your home, try going near a fast food place or an apartment complex, and once you find a connection, you can log in and set it up. However, if you can get the app (and I think comcast advertises it on their webpage somewhere), then you can easily look and see where the closest free connections are located.