
Most are wireless routers, meaning converged devices that include a WAP, router, and often an switch in the same device.

A collection of connected Hot Spots can be referred to as a lily-pad network.Home networks generally have only one WAP to connect all the computers in a home. The concept has become common in large cities, where a combination of coffeehouses, libraries, as well as privately owned open access points, allow clients to stay more or less continuously connected to the Internet, while moving around. In this instance, the WAP functions as a gateway for clients to access the wired network.A Hot Spot is a common public application of WAPs, where wireless clients can connect to the Internet without regard for the particular networks to which they have attached for the moment.
