A Wi-Fi hotspot is basically a place where you can get online using a public wireless network. Businesses and organizations set these up for people to use in places like cafes, hotels, and airports.
A lot of hotspots encrypt your connection with WEP or WPA, but some don’t. That means you and your data are vulnerable to malicious third parties. Regardless of whether a hotspot is password-protected or not, it’s a good idea to use a WiFi VPN so all traffic is encrypted.
A mobile hotspot can also be set up on a smartphone using its Wi-Fi chip. The phone uses a 3G or 4G connection to give you internet through its Wi-Fi chip.