Pocket WIFI questions-Japan

[Poconolady]

I understand how a pocket Wifi device can be a great help on land. My question is—does a pocket device work on the ship on a cruise that stays relatively close to shore, such as the Celebrity Japan Explorer cruise? If so, does it work all over the ship, such as in the staterooms or only in open areas such as on deck?

I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has used one on a ship.

Thanks!

 

 

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[loeb]

See post #12 by BruceMuzz

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2369866&highlight=wifi+in+Japan

 

We are on a Diamond Princess cruise in a couple of weeks and decided to rent the pocket wifi so that when we are in port and hopefully it will work while at sea for part of the time when we are close to shore.. Therefore, we are not purchasing wifi from the ship.

 

Do a search using "wifi in Japan" on this forum and you will find more comments / discussion of wifi in Japan.

[mking8288]

In theory, you can "pickup" a cellular signal up to 20 miles from the nearest shore tower with no interference and/or other overriding signal, depending on the LTE/4G/3G bands in use - it's seldom possible while we're cruising elsewhere to pickup anything useful beyond 5 to 10 miles, with drops & fading. As you come into coastal ports, I wouldn't bother unless we are about 3 to 4 miles from shore, signals reflected & bounced from (hopefully) multiple towers - and, you need to be on the balcony and/or side of the ship closest to land - simple logics. Reverse is true as well and given Japan's busy sea lanes and marine traffic, large vessels including cruise ships aren't going to really "hug" the coast just outside the 12 miles int'l water ... Oceanview with the device at the window on the proper "side" facing land is "possible" but forget about "Inside" cabins.

 

Looking at X's Explorer route, it looked like they will be sailing, easily - just my guess - 25 plus nautical miles from shore. Next to impractical, if not impossible to pickup a working cellular signal - given the RF "power" of a typical smartphone. (Probably cannot do it with a portable 2 meter handheld on VHF)

 

Keep in mind, cellular antennas are typically optimized toward land, roads & land in general - they are directed or beaming those RF signals into the big ocean.

 

Depending on what you planned usage are - I recommend tweaking your device settings to 3G and 2G only, if possible, if that's available ... read the user's guide and/or ask for help at the support counter if renting in Japan.