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Pocket Wifi Rental in Japan


travelbug615
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We will rent a pocket wifi for use on a 10 day precruise self tour of Kyoto and Toyko. I am wondering whether we should keep the Pocket wifi for an additional 19 days as we cruise around Japan and Korea.

Has anyone taken a rental pocket wifi in Japan to use as they cruise Japan?

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Where do you plan to rent your pocket MiFi/WiFi hotspot from ? What kind of data plan & frequency coverage does it have ?

 

Whether the portable device is unlocked or not, it typically used a sim card and Japan's fast data network is usually on 1500 and 2100 Mhz (some 1800 Mhz) and most US devices do not have this band. Odds are that you will have to pre-arrange the rental for pickup in Japan & return it there for releasing the deposit hold - not sure if they have locations near the ports but check with the providers.

 

As for South Korea, they have strict regulations for visitors & you typically MUST rent & pickup at ICN (int'l airport) on arrival - 2 major carriers with 1 being 24/7 at the staff counter downstairs and then drop it off on departure (option for in-town drop-off is possible if you can get around, not recommended - IMO) Hence, I don't believe a "roaming" MiFi/WiFi portable device is going to work and/or it is going to be every expensive ... locally at the airport, it's less than $10 USD a day for unlimited data for at many as 5 devices sharing. Plus, SK's data network use 800/1800 and 2100 Mhz (not 1500 Mhz) so the rental devices might be incompatible.

 

If you have T-Mobile USA and are on one of qualifying No. America Simple Choice plans, you will have unlimited (but, slow) 2.5G/Edge speed data services & unlimited texting, which is good enough for free WiFi calling on compatible devices like those newer iPhones & Nexus devices by Google (also, some Samsung's, I believe) + inexpensive calls back to the US. Calls within the region aren't expensive, however, check & confirm with the carrier by calling 611.

 

The other alternative that we love is Fi Network by Google (different topic/subject) mainly on Andriods but the data only Sim do work on iOS devices, we personally used it recently on our Bermuda cruises.

 

None of these options, however, I am afraid & hate to say, being 95% certain, will NOT work on cruise ships as that's via satellite relayed data ... wait till you are at the ports and/or look into the pricer ship WiFi data plans & options (as I use to say, make for good use of those "generous" OBC) ;)

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Where do you plan to rent your pocket MiFi/WiFi hotspot from ? What kind of data plan & frequency coverage does it have ?

 

Whether the portable device is unlocked or not, it typically used a sim card and Japan's fast data network is usually on 1500 and 2100 Mhz (some 1800 Mhz) and most US devices do not have this band. Odds are that you will have to pre-arrange the rental for pickup in Japan & return it there for releasing the deposit hold - not sure if they have locations near the ports but check with the providers.

 

As for South Korea, they have strict regulations for visitors & you typically MUST rent & pickup at ICN (int'l airport) on arrival - 2 major carriers with 1 being 24/7 at the staff counter downstairs and then drop it off on departure (option for in-town drop-off is possible if you can get around, not recommended - IMO) Hence, I don't believe a "roaming" MiFi/WiFi portable device is going to work and/or it is going to be every expensive ... locally at the airport, it's less than $10 USD a day for unlimited data for at many as 5 devices sharing. Plus, SK's data network use 800/1800 and 2100 Mhz (not 1500 Mhz) so the rental devices might be incompatible.

 

If you have T-Mobile USA and are on one of qualifying No. America Simple Choice plans, you will have unlimited (but, slow) 2.5G/Edge speed data services & unlimited texting, which is good enough for free WiFi calling on compatible devices like those newer iPhones & Nexus devices by Google (also, some Samsung's, I believe) + inexpensive calls back to the US. Calls within the region aren't expensive, however, check & confirm with the carrier by calling 611.

 

The other alternative that we love is Fi Network by Google (different topic/subject) mainly on Andriods but the data only Sim do work on iOS devices, we personally used it recently on our Bermuda cruises.

 

None of these options, however, I am afraid & hate to say, being 95% certain, will NOT work on cruise ships as that's via satellite relayed data ... wait till you are at the ports and/or look into the pricer ship WiFi data plans & options (as I use to say, make for good use of those "generous" OBC) ;)

 

 

I am looking at Global Advanced Communications They have 4 different Pocket Wifi options to rent. I would pick up the device at the Osaka (KIX) airport (you can order online and have it waiting for you). The device would be returned by putting it in the mail at a Japanese Post Office.

 

One of us will have an unlocked Iphone 6 that will be on the T mobile simple choice plan - this phone is the one we will use for touring information, maps etc. One of us will have a Iphone 6S that is locked on a Sprint plan and we will keep this phone in airplane mode, turning on the wifi only to check emails.

 

I know the pocket wifi won't work aboard ship. I figured it wouldn't work in South Korea either.

 

We hate to have to find place in port to get wifi and take time away from touring. I figure if we have a pocket wifi, we can use down minutes while we are touring do what communication we need. We will be gone for 6 weeks on this trip. We still have a kid in college and some business dealings that will need to be checked on continually.

 

I don't see anything on the website of Global Advanced Communications about which band their pocket wifi is on.

 

Thanks for your response.

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I belong to an airline Facebook sight and recently an employee, I'm guessing FA or Pilot was advocating for the pocket wifi. Will I be able to sync my Verizon I-phone 6 plus and get wifi to my phone?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Todd

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TB615 - Here's another vendor & their prices are more competitve (partnering with NTT Docomo, well establish JPN telecom provider) - can be picked up at airport's Post Office (with positive ID, I supposed) or they will ship to your hotel ahead of arrival, ready for use. You can rent their MiFi devices (looks similar if not identical to GAC) to use/share among yourself on the go, or, if you have a spare device (we alway travel with 1 or 2 extra unlocked devices, both iOS and Androids & pop the sims in to use) - just get a prepaid data Sim to use in each country & not have to worry about returning it. http://japan-wireless.com/rentalsteps.html

 

I looked at the reviews, feedback & comments on CC's partner/parent site - Trip * and they are/should be fine for your purposes. Besides, you do have T-Mobile backup (more on that later) On speed, 75 Mbps speed even on a shared basis is far above what all 5 or 6 mobile devices will need to work effectively, it will save you a little money & wasted/unused bandwidth. Actually, 20 Mbps is more than sufficient - we're in Bermuda last month & our Fi Network runs just fine on 3G/HSPA speed (below 1 Mbps - faster than ship's WiFi inTERnet) for all the basic & typical email/web surfing ... short of streaming videos & alike. It's your choice.

 

One of my backup global phone is an unlocked VZW iPhone 5S and it has built-in MiFi/hotspot features and I put Google's Fi Network data only Sim in to serve as a hotspot, easy & simple with a simple APN setting changed - instructions given by Google's 24/7 worldwide customer care team.

 

We're in Seoul, SK last Fall for a week after visiting Taiwan - stayed at a Novatel Hotel in a downtown location with 110+ Mbps WiFi speed, even ICN airport was providing us with 75+ Mbps free WiFi speed (we flew Korean Air & inside the club lounge, it was even faster with their WiFi, except we didn't have the hardware to take advantage of their 5G speed, LOL)

 

Depending on your airline carriers & flight partners, check to see if they have any special promotion and partner discounts, i.e. those of Korean Air, as it can save you money - since prepaid Sim & MiFi rental is the best way to go, very inexpensive & fast, at $6 or $7 USD a day for unlimited usage from the east to the "left" coast, bottom to top/38th parallel. Amazing speed so choose something like the 75 Mbps plan is more than enough. South Korea (SK) Telecom has a staff 24/7 airport counter on the int'l arrival level, just outside luggage area after you clear border control & custom. If you can't find it, multi-lingual staff at the 24/7 customer service info center will direct you & hand out maps, guides, tips and even write out the names of the hotel for you to show to the taxi/van drivers, etc. - it's a top 10 airport for many reasons. There's another telecom vendor at the airport with more limited late night hours, and their prices are a little higher. http://www.skroaming.com/main.asp

 

Reserved it ahead, get email confirmation & pickup on arrival - follow simple instructions to use & you are set. Drop it off at the airport as you depart on your outbound flight (there's option for returning it @ city locations) and your deposit will be released & all charges finalized - very easy.

 

With T-Mobile, you will get free & unlimited 2.5G/Edge speed data services but it will feel slow, comparable to those on cruise ships - but, for our nieces that traveled with us - they found it adequate as standalone on their iPhones, not shared as a MiFi/hotspot. There is the option to upgrade/pay for faster speed - the option & cost is presented to you with the carrier's "Welcome to So. Korea" message on your iPhone/smartphone when you turn it ON after landing. There is a toll-free overseas number to call in for help and to troubleshoot if there are problems with usage, our nieces did put a call in & it was quicly answered & the matters resolved, something about their accounts wan't properly provisioned for - although they did call in & make the arrangement just in case.

 

A backup/another option to keep in mind, if someone in the group is Android proficient as a user and already familiar with T-Mobile & Sprint services, consider getting a new line to share with a new mobile number - no contracts & ETF, etc. pay month to month - $20 for unlimited voice calling/domestic & int'l SMS or texting, and $10 for 1 GB of fast 4G/LTE data and same pricing of $10 for international data at 3G/HSPA speed (not 4G/LTE) - good at 130 countries including Japan & Korea, and probably most of the ports on your cruise later on - and, you can order extra/additional data only Sims to share the same pool of data with no surcharges. It's good for iPhones & iPads as data only devices. https://fi.google.com/about/network/

 

Last but not least, on the "locked" iPhone 6 on Sprint's network, you might want to check to see if it can be used with any Sims oversea ... I don't believed it's locked for that, only blocked for domestic usage on other networks like AT&T or T-Mobile. More reasons we won't buy devices from the carriers - rather pay full retail or buy FRU/pre-owned ones in mint conditions within warranty, and not be "cuffed" with all sorts of restrictions. VZW devices are most definitely not locked for oversea usage on any nano Sim, just put "Big Red's" sim away safely (we call forward our domestic mobile #'s to Skype/Hangouts so that we can better manage it & do WiFi and VoIP calls, etc.)

 

And, be sure to buy/bring along a good & reliable USB-power standalone battery source (why rent a "used" one) as you could be on the go for 10+ hours without a place to get the devices recharged.

Edited by mking8288
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... FA or Pilot was advocating for the pocket wifi. Will I be able to sync my Verizon I-phone 6 plus and get wifi to my phone ...
Todd -

Short & quick answer, yes - you CAN - at home and overseas/Canada/Mexico & most int'l locations when your MiFi/WiFi device get a signal & services - it re-broadcast the data signal over WiFi for use/sharing, typically for up to 3 to 5 devices, as long as the bandwidth is sufficient.

 

Just don't try to do that on a cruise ship as I'm sure you know that, right :eek:

 

If you never done this before, try it out and get comfortable using it while still at home, before you travel with one. Do the research & carefully select your pocket MiFi ... the ones sold by VZW in their stores aren't necessary the best ones, read the specs about bands/coverage & look at where you will likely be using it for a good match.

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I just came back from 16 day cruise around Japan on Diamond Princess. In all of the Japan ports there was free WIFI available at the dock. In some ports they even had a tent with chairs for the passengers and crew to use. The WIFI was reasonably fast for sending e-mail with photos.

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Great to hear, are you going to write a trip review? Are you able to give us any info on what you did at each port?

Do you get the feeling I am just a little bit excited about going to Japan and as I am an over planner anxious to get all the info I can on ports.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Great to hear, are you going to write a trip review? Are you able to give us any info on what you did at each port?

Do you get the feeling I am just a little bit excited about going to Japan and as I am an over planner anxious to get all the info I can on ports.

 

I did write a trip report and it is now posted on this site.

 

I loved Japan, the people, food and culture. I did all Princess excursions except for Hakodate and Otaru which I did on my own. I tried to pick different excursions to experience different areas of Japan. One of my favorities was the rope suspension bridge at Oboki gorge from Kochi. It was a fun adventure plus we got to see a lot of Japan countryside and had a beautiful drive through the mountains.

It is a great cruise. Enjoy !!!

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  • 1 year later...
I did write a trip report and it is now posted on this site.

 

Hi Eva,

 

I would be interested in reading your trip report, but had no luck finding it. Would you mind sharing the direct link to it?

 

Thanks,

 

Alex

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Many of the crew working on ships sailing around Japan have problems with telephones that do not work or do not work well in Japan.

They either buy or rent portable WIFI hot spots to make it easier and cheaper.

Most of the time, a ship sailing around Japan is close enough to land for the hot spots to make a good connection.

Docomo is the Japanese telephone company with the biggest and fastest network.

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Most of the time, a ship sailing around Japan is close enough to land for the hot spots to make a good connection.

 

Thank you! I was curious about that. This means that we effectively don't need to be on the ship's satellite connection and can instead rely ("most of the time") on the land coverage reaching out far enough that the pocket wifi still usable on-board (i.e. as if we were on land).

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Thank you! I was curious about that. This means that we effectively don't need to be on the ship's satellite connection and can instead rely ("most of the time") on the land coverage reaching out far enough that the pocket wifi still usable on-board (i.e. as if we were on land).

 

That is correct.

Additionally there are some very archaic Japanese communications laws that do not allow foreign cruise ships sailing in Japanese waters to use their standard "C-band" communications, which includes satellite telephone and internet connections. Until a few years ago, this meant that you could not access the internet or make a satellite call through the ship's system while in Japanese waters.

 

Then the techies came up with the "K-band" for satellite connections. For some reason, this one is perfectly legal for foreign ships to use for communication in Japanese waters. Newer ships, and some ships that sail often in Japan, installed the expensive antennas required for this new communications band.

 

The Diamond Princess, which often sails in Japan, has K-Band, allowing you to access the internet through the ship's system in Japanese waters. Most HAL ships, on the other hand, do not have the K-band antenna. When they sail in Japanese waters, there is no internet and no telephone access available through the ship.

 

If you sail HAL in Japan, and need to stay in touch, it is especially important to get a pocket WIFI or hot spot.

If you sail any ship in Japan, and need to stay in touch, the pocket WIFI will get a good connection most of the time and save you lots of money.

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Even for some of us that travel with a global smartphone/iPhone for worldwide use - worst if from the North America - is that Softbank, the other big 3 besides NTT Docomo is that our device's radio (transceivers) do not have some of the exclusive 4G & LTE bands for use in Japan ... B11 L, B21 U, B28, and CDMA's BC0 and BC6

 

For example, I use an iPhone SE w. integrated battery case that function well almost everywhere as a MiFi hotspot/router, except it doesn't work well in Japan ... would need to trade up or use an iPhone 7 or 8 (and higher) specifically tuned for Japan. That explained the reasons for even the crew's smartphones to not work, without getting too technical.

 

For major cities and towns, odds are better with carriers using multiple bands for users to connect ... but not necessary true in other less heavily traveled area. When it works, could be just voice calling & SMS/texting, and not necessary full data connectivity.

 

Another case in point, South Korea has their 5G network for a while now but even their free 4G/LTE network in hotels and ICN airport are blazing fast, clocked in excess of 75 Mbps to 120 Mbps, free for guests & visitors - as fast as our Fios at home, that was 3 years ago ...

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