How to Watch the 2012 London Olympics Online (Legally)

Later today, the Olympics are kicking off in London on NBC and its partner stations. However, if you don't have cable or a television with some good reception—or if you'd rather just follow the events on-the-go or at your desk—you're not out of luck.

Photo by Locog

Watch a Live Stream of the Olympics

The best and easiest way to follow the games is to, well... watch them.

If you're a Comcast/Xfinity broadband subscriber, you're in a good spot, as you'll have access to streaming channels of every single event in HD. Simply log in to your XfinityTV account and enjoy both live and archived streams of all the games.

Don't have Xfinity access?

The NBC Olympics site has their own dedicated streams. But to access it you must already have a cable, telecom or satellite subscription that includes CNBC and MSNBC (they pretty much all do). Then, if you haven't already, acquire a username and password from your TV provider using info on your billing statement.

In either case, you'll have access to every game to watch live or via archived footage at your convenience. If for whatever reason you don't have access to either of these options, there are certainly less savory resources you can turn to. They are far too many (and unreliable sources) to list them here. But feel free to run a Google search for live streams as they try and stay one step ahead of the International Olympics Committee.

Watch the Olympics on Your Mobile Devices

If you're a fan on the go, NBC has provided a free app that lets you receive live updates on news, results, medal counts, as well as photos and videos of the events. The app is available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and Android phones and tablets.

And again, if you're a cable, satellite or Telco TV subscriber, the NBC Live Extra app gives you access to live video streams and full replays for all 302 events.

If you don't have time to sit down and watch a video, there's also an Olympics mobile site which provides live updates for all of the sports.

For the truly dedicated fans, there's also a number of free third-party apps to make your Olympics experience even more enjoyable. ESPN Olympics Guide provides rules and visual examples of all the games, while Medals 2012 breaks down the numbers with medal tracking by country, schedules, and push notifications for events that aren't airing live.

Follow the Olympics on Twitter

For anyone who can't be bothered with pictures and video, the London Olympics are providing each sporting event with its own Twitter account. Find a list of all of them here, and keep up with your favorite teams and athletes from your browser, phone, or any other Twitter enabled device.