A hotspot is the term used to mean an area in which Wi-Fi users can connect to the Internet. For the most part, you should expect to pay for access via a hotspot, just as you pay for Internet access via an Internet service provider (ISP), such as a cable or telephone company at home. (On the other hand, many business conventions provide Wi-Fi access as a courtesy to attendees, and it is not unheard of to find courtesy Wi-Fi access in such places as hotel lobbies.)
You may know in advance where to find Wi-Fi access on your travels. I've mentioned hotels and conventions already, because these are likely places to find Wi-Fi access. You can certainly inquire ahead of time.
If you don't have advance information about the location of Wi-Fi hotspots, you can also just turn your laptop on and wander about from location to location like a digital Ulysses looking for wireless access.
Of course, you have to be able to access the Internet directories from a location where you have Internet access.
There are three approaches to take when making your search for a place to surf:

• You can use the search tools provided by an organization whose branches host Wi-Fi hotspots, such as the Starbucks chain.
• If you've signed up with a Wi-Fi provider, you can search the directory of hotspots maintained by your service provider.
• You can search one of the many cross-provider Wi-Fi hotspot directories available on the Web.

I'll show how all three approaches might work using a test example. I live midway up in the hills in Berkeley, California. Let's suppose that I want to sip latte at a coffee shop, and need to keep on checking my email while I do.Searching a Chain

If you know the name of the organization or chain of stores that you would like to use as a wireless destination ("I want to surf at Starbucks," or "I want to browse at Borders"), you can go directly to the Web site of the organization to find a wireless location. The first approach, since I know that Starbucks coffee shops have Wi-Fi hotspots and I like Starbucks coffee just fine, is to find a Starbucks near me that is Wi-Fi enabled.

Understanding Home and SOHO Networks

If you are used to working on a single computer, the idea of setting up a network may seem daunting. Perhaps at work you do plug into the corporate network, but maintaining and configuring this network isn't your problem. Instead, it is handled by a staff of highly professional overachievers. At least, that's what the folks from corporate information technology (IT) would have you believe.
Relax! There's nothing particularly dark, deep, or mysterious about the concepts involved in setting up a small home or office network.
I'd like to step back for a moment or two and forget about Wi-Fi and wireless connectivity. This will give me the chance to explain networks to you generally. As you'll see, networks are really simple. There are no really tough concepts involved. By explaining the concepts, and showing you the relevant vocabulary, I can help make sure that you'll make the right purchasing decisions (and never be snowed by a salesperson's jargon!).
There is no real difference between wired and wireless networks except that in the former information is sent and received using the wire connections and in the latter radio transmissions are used.

What's It Going to Cost?

It's really dangerous mentioning dollars-and-cents figures in a article for several reasons. The cost of computer-related devices is constantly changing, mostly going down over time as specific technologies become more mainstream. It's a safe bet that it will cost less to create a Wi-Fi network by the time you read this article than it cost as I was writing it.
It is also true that there are many different possible network configurations, as I've explained earlier in this article. Your network is unlikely to be my network. The cost of setting up your Wi-Fi network will largely depend on how many devices you need to equip with Wi-Fi.
That said, although it's still more expensive than setting up a small wired network, the bottom line is that it is relatively cheap to set up a Wi-Fi network, or add Wi-Fi to your existing network.
Here's the ballpark as of today:

• You can get good wireless Wi-Fi cards for laptops for less than $60 U.S. each.
• Adding Wi-Fi to a desktop computer should cost even less than adding it to a laptop.
• Buying a new device with Wi-Fi capabilities should add very little to the incremental cost of the device (perhaps $20–$30).
• There's a great variety in the cost of access points, starting at below $100 and going up to more than $1,000. The primary distinction is the range of Wi-Fi broadcasts. Most likely you can get a perfectly reasonable Wi-Fi access point for a good bit less than $100. By way of comparison, the incredibly nifty and easy-to-install Apple Airport Extreme (802.11g) sells for about $250.
• You can get a good Wi-Fi router for slightly less than $100

The Absolute Minimum

Here are the key points to remember from this article:

• Networks sound complicated, but they are really simple to understand when you realize they are made up of small building blocks that are all more or less the same.
• You can create entirely Wi-Fi wireless networks, or add Wi-Fi wireless capabilities to an existing network.
• In most cases, you'll want your Wi-Fi network nodes to connect to ordinary DSL or cable modem Internet access.
• It's inexpensive to put together a Wi-Fi network, or to add Wi-Fi capabilities to an existing network.