Tethering vs Hotspot
Tethering and Hotspot are terms that are often confused by many people, but this should not be the case if one clearly understands the difference between Tethering and Hotspot. Tethering and Hotspot are both terms related to networking. Connecting one device to another is simply called tethering. Therefore, connecting two devices together via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB can be called modem function. Connection sharing allows you to share the Internet connection from one device to another. Hotspot, on the other hand, is specific to Wi-Fi. A hotspot is a place that provides Internet access to wireless devices using a device called an access point. The access point is a special device connected to a router, but even a laptop or cell phone can be converted to an access point to create what is called a mobile access point. The mobile access point is identical to the Wi-Fi connection.
What is Tethering ??
Connecting one device to another is called tethering. For example, connecting a cell phone to a laptop using a USB cable may simply be called a modem function. Connection sharing can be done using different media such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB. Connection sharing generally allows you to share the Internet connection from one device to another. All modern mobile phone operating systems have Internet connection sharing capacity. Windows, Android and iOS have built-in functionality to allow connection via USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. When Internet connection sharing is done via Wi-Fi, it is also called a mobile hotspot.
Wi-Fi connection sharing, also known as a mobile hotspot, is the easiest and most used among the most common connection methods. It is very easy to install and the presence of Wi-Fi modules on most devices does not require any additional components.
Connection sharing via Bluetooth is a bit difficult to install and the speed is obviously lower than Wi-Fi. So nowadays, Bluetooth connection sharing is not used very much, but before Wi-Fi becomes famous , it was widely used.
Sharing via USB is very fast and the problem of energy consumption is not there because the device can be charged via USB, but few devices support this USB modem functionality. In addition, it will need special drivers or software on both sides and probably configuration.
Tethering generally uses NAT (Network Address Translation) to share the Internet. So here, only the device connected to the Internet (whose Internet connection is shared) has a public IP address. Other modem-connected devices have private IP addresses and the technique called NAT is used to identify different devices from the perspective of a single public IP address.
What is Hotspot ??
A hotspot is a place that provides Internet access via Wi-Fi. A wireless access point is created using a device called an access point. In general, the access point and the access point can mean the same thing. An access point is usually a device connected to a router or gateway, connected to the Internet. The access point allows various devices to connect via Wi-Fi and provides them with the internet via the router to which it is connected. In modern wireless routers, the router and the access point are integrated into a single device.
Wi-Fi hotspots are located in public as well as private places. Today, many public places around the world, such as airports, shops, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, libraries, public telephones, train stations, schools and universities, have hot spots. Many offer free Internet access, while there are also commercial networks. Hotspots can also be set up at home by simply connecting a wireless router to the Internet via ADSL or 3G. It is the most common technique used today to share the Internet connection at home on different devices.
In addition to hardware, software nowadays can also create hot spots. Software such as connectify me, a virtual router and tools built into operating systems allow you to share the Internet by transforming the Wi-Fi module of your laptop or mobile phone into a virtual access point. This is also known as a mobile hotspot and is the same as sharing Wi-Fi.
What is the difference between Tethering and Hotspot?
- Connection sharing means connecting one device to another using a medium such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB, mainly to share the Internet from one device to another. Hotspot is a place that provides Internet to wireless devices using a device called an access point.
- The term modem is a more general term, because the connection can be established on any medium, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB, but the hotspot is generally limited to Wi-Fi.
- Wi-Fi hotspot is also called a mobile hotspot. A mobile access point is created using software in which a device such as a mobile phone is converted to a virtual access point. So mobile hotspot is a branch of tethering.
- A hotspot, which is not a mobile hotspot, involves a special device called an access point connected to the router. Typically, connection sharing refers to the connection between devices such as phones, laptops, and computers, but not physical network devices such as access points, routers.
- A hotspot (not a mobile hotspot) can provide the Internet for many devices at once, because it is specially designed for this purpose. On the other hand, connection sharing can provide the Internet to only a few devices at a time.
