Most places feature Wi-Fi, but sometimes you’ll end up in a hotel room or other space that only has ethernet, and that’s where hotspots come in handy.
If you’ve heard of Wi-Fi hotspots before, chances are you’re most familiar with using a smartphone as one. These spontaneous internet setups can be a huge help when you find yourself in need of an internet connection for your laptop when there isn’t one — or at least not one you have access to — available. They may not be very necessary if you have a decent wireless internet connection at home, but they can come in handy when you find yourself in internet-deficient territory.
The entire point of a Wi-Fi hotspot is to open up your cellular data connection to other devices. It allows you to control when the connection is active and who can connect, but any online activity will count towards your data plan’s limits if you have one. Keep that in mind if you have to upload or download a lot of data, because extending beyond your plan’s limits could result in slower performance or additional fees being tacked onto your cellular bill at the end of the month.
Turning your MacBook into a Wi-Fi hotspot isn’t exactly the same as using a phone. Since MacBooks don’t currently offer cellular connections, the only way for you to connect them to the internet (and by extension, offer that internet to other devices) is to already have an internet connection available. Seems counter-intuitive, right? But there are some situations where setting up a MacBook Wi-Fi hotspot could be useful.
