1. A wireless communication device (WCD), comprising:
a WI-FI transceiver configured to exchange wireless communications using a WI-FI communication protocol;
an alternative wireless transceiver configured to exchange wireless communications using a BLUETOOTH communication protocol;
and

a processing system coupled to the WI-FI transceiver and the alternative wireless transceiver, with the processing system
configured to:

transmit keep-alive messages to a wireless hotspot at intervals using the alternative wireless transceiver;
determine WI-FI connectivity to the wireless hotspot based on wireless hotspot responses to the keep-alive messages, and when
WI-FI connectivity to the wireless hotspot is to be initiated in the WCD, then generate a WI-FI communication readiness indication
in the WCD when a wireless hotspot response is received to a most-recently transmitted keep-alive message;

generate the WI-FI communication readiness indication even when the WI-FI transceiver has not completed the setup of WI-FI
communications with the wireless hotspot and exchange communications with the wireless hotspot by emulating WI-FI communications
using the alternative wireless transceiver.