Like it or not, we’ve all been in that tricky spot of needing to get online and finding ourselves with low to no data. It’s not fun, and it always seems to come right at the end of the month when your contract is about to roll over, doesn’t it?

You’re in a sticky situation – you can go over on your data and be charged for it. Maybe even you can get a slightly cheaper boost from your network. But either way, you’re paying money for something you probably only need for a few minutes, and it sucks.

But what if it didn’t have to suck?

That’s where O2 Hotspots come in. When you’re desperate, in need of data and out and about, there’s O2 Wi-Fi to help you out. And even better than that accidental little rhyme, you don’t even have to be an O2 customer to benefit.

I’m intrigued. What is an O2 Hotspot?

Pretty much what it says on the tin. It’s a Wi-Fi hotspot provided by O2, and they’re quite literally over the country. Thousands of them, there just for you – whether you’re trying to save your data or about to run out. All you have to do is connect and use O2’s data instead.

It’s available to everyone, no matter which network you’re on – the only catch is that you have to be over 18 to register because you have to be able to accept O2’s terms and conditions.

Does an O2 Hotspot have limitations?

Nope, you can use it for everything you’d normally use your data for. Browsing the web, scrolling social media, streaming and watching videos, making phone and video calls, gaming – you name it.

And since all of the above work so much better via Wi-Fi than they do over a standard 3G or 4G network connection, you’ll probably find yourself less frustrated with constant buffering.

How do I use an O2 Hotspot?

That’s an easy one. Just find an O2 Wi-Fi Hotspot here using the handy tool and sign up. You can use them on both mobiles and computers, but you go about getting online slightly differently with each.

On mobile.

  1. Switch on your Wi-Fi in your mobile settings (usually in system settings, or connection settings.)
  2. Scroll through the list of available Wi-Fi networks until you see O2 Wi-Fi and then select it.
  3. Open your favourite mobile browser, which should open to the O2 Wi-Fi homepage.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions until you get to the Welcome screen.
  5. Type in your mobile phone number and start enjoying free Wi-Fi.

On a computer.

  1. Check that you’ve switched on your Wi-Fi (usually in your settings.)
  2. Browse the list of available networks and select O2 Wi-Fi when you see it.
  3. Open up a web browser, which should automatically open to the O2 Wi-Fi web page.
  4. Follow the instructions on the screen and input your mobile number to complete your registration.

And what’s rather nice is that you don’t have to do this again – once you’ve signed up and set up, you’re done.

So, whether you're already on O2 or just think they sound like a nice network to be a part of (and their deals are pretty hot, too), that's how to use their data instead of using yours.

And if you're on the lookout for a new mobile or contract and thinking of going with O2, we can help - we've got hundreds of truly epic deals ready and waiting for you. Just take a look.