Wifi* represents a series of technological protocols for the wireless communication between computers(and other devices) on a network.

A wifi hotspot is a location (cafe, hotel, restaurant, town square, library, port) that allows you to connect to the web wirelessly, using either a laptop, a palmtop (PDA), a portable game console or a wi-fi enabled mobile phone.

There are hotspots that are offered free of charge (free-wifi), and others which are not. The steady growth of free wireless internet access points is an ongoing phenomenon across the world. In many European and American cities, one need only travel a few blocks from home, at most, to find a free 'hotspot'. 

Similarly, in the last few years, free wireless internet access has made significant progress in Greece as well.  Such initiatives are constantly on a rise both in the private and public spheres, as more and more businesses and public institutions are acknowledging the benefits in providing such a service.

*The term is derived from, and is a registered trademark of, WiFi Alliance, a non-profit organisation which provides the certification for the products that comply with these protocols (details at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11 ).