Japan Trip (April ~ May 2016) Portable Wi-Fi

Gomo on 09/02/2016 - 10:56

Hi Guys,

Me & My wife are off to Japan in April! My mate who went last year said he purchased a WiFi Device from a company called Global Advanced Communication.

Does anyone on here have any experiences with any companies who offer a good price device? I've heard you can pickup from the airport post office when the flight lands *We are arriving at narita airport at 7pm (Tokyo Time)

If you can give us tips etc as well on anything Japan related please share :)

We opted to go for green pass on the rail network

Travel

Comments

  • Pigey on 09/02/2016 - 11:29

    Get a sim card each for about $30.
    http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/index.html

    I'd rather get a sim card and tether when necessary than be connected to a wifi hotspot all day which would drain its battery.

    I don't understand these pocket wifis. Maybe good for a big group with kids who are too cheap to buy a sim each?

    • Gomo on 10/02/2016 - 11:25

      Have you noticed that on the sim conditions it states no voice services only data? This is why I would consider it a better option to get just the pocket WiFi Device then share the connection to my iPad + Phone + Wife's devices etc, the price is around the same anyway, I just want to find a good company to be dealing with

      • Pigey on 10/02/2016 - 11:28

        Yeah it's only data. But I would rather something that is 'always on'.

        If you're travelling for the whole day, I don't think a hotspot's battery would last, unless you have an external battery pack.

        I would just tether/create a mobile hotspot to other devices when necessary.

        • Gomo on 10/02/2016 - 11:35

          Yeah most websites are saying around 12hrs of battery use off the WiFi Device, I'll have on hand a 16000mah Xiaomi pack with me during our trip so should be sweet regardless, plus I've looked at ways to minimize data usage (example, Pre-load Google Maps on my phone for offline use)

    • W0rldtraveller on 27/04/2016 - 10:12

      do they ship to australia ?

  • Shadowsfury on 09/02/2016 - 11:46

    When I went to japan 2 years ago it was quite hard to get a SIM card, it seems to be much easier now. From memory you could only get one if you had a local residential address.

    I went the pocket wifi route so that I had internet for my phone, tablet, and laptop easily and just kept its battery charged through a portable battery.

  • cvas on 09/02/2016 - 12:00

    I too am interested in this.

  • jcm2k on 09/02/2016 - 12:50

    Hi mate,

    I have personally used Global Advanced Communications pocket wifi on two occasions (About 2 weeks per occasion). I found their prices were really good for what you get, and it was actually better value for how much data I needed (obviously depends what you need). It was essential for us as two of us could connect, use maps, google translate, tripadvisor etc - Very very handy when searching for shops!

    I wasn't concerned about making calls, however had Skype for any that I needed to do. Also, as an iPhone user I used iMessage etc over the data of the pocket wifi.

    Speeds were great, very reliable and had great coverage. I will be getting one again on my next trip without hesitation.

    The guys at Global Advanced Communications had left the device for us in a store at the Narita Airport so pickup was easy, and we just chucked it in a self addressed mailing envelope and put it in a post box on the way out. no dramas at all. We also got the spare backup battery too just in case!

    As for Japan generally, you really can't go wrong. There is a great Japan travel thread on Whirlpool, and japan-guide.com is also a wealth of information. In terms of Tokyo, we found Shinjuku to be our favourite spot, and the Hotel Sunroute Plaza was a great place to stay.

    If you do anything, go to a restaurant called 'Rokkasen'. Has amazing reviews on Tripadvisor. It's around $80 per head for all you can eat for 90 minutes but you get anything off the menu and it's amazing! Booze was pretty good too!

    One other thing, just remember that your JR pass will be great for when you're travelling between the JR network only - That means if you need to use the subway etc, you usually need to buy a separate ticket which is pretty reasonably priced.

    That being said, you get to choose what day to activate your JR pass - I would suggest that you do what you want to do in Tokyo for a few days, and activate the pass on the day you leave to maximise your value (The longer trips on the trains can be pricey dependant on length but they're worth it).

    Anyway, have fun - I'm dreaming of our next trip there so very jealous!!

    • Gomo on 10/02/2016 - 11:29

      Cheers for those tips and ideas mate :) I already have a portable charger and I also checked on the quantas website if they are allowed (Carry on + in luggage) I have a Xaomi 1600Mah version so it should be plenty enough to give us some decent charge :)

      With our flight coming in at around 7pm Japan Time would a retail shop still be option in the airport? Or should I arrange for the device to be delivered to our first hotel?

      Thank you! :)

      • jcm2k on 11/02/2016 - 12:57

        Hey mate,

        No dramas! Glad to help out!

        From memory, if the shop is closed they leave it in another shop that will be open, or you can have them forward to your hotel. Like I said, I found them really trustworthy and as daunting as it is going to another country and trusting them to send it to your hotel, I would be confident in their ability to do it! Perhaps if you were worried you could ask them to ship it to your first hotel a day or two early and ask them if they have received it so you know?

        I think we arrived at 7am, but I am positive they had alternating locations for pickups and drop-offs dependant on the time of day!

        Anytime!

        • Gomo on 12/02/2016 - 09:10
          +1

          Hey so I've spoken to a company who is willing to send me the unit to my home address here in australia 3 days before departure! they said I can return it when I get back in Australia as well, so that way I will be sure I have it on hand ! pretty neat!

  • lupiter on 09/02/2016 - 13:01

    I went to Japan recently. I took my own pocket wifi but in the end went with just replacing the SIM in my phone. Got one of these: https://umobile.jp/d/lp/prepaid/eng.html picked it up at the airport (not from the vending machine) from a counter, just look at the posters behind the desk after you get near the station entrance, there's about 20 choices.

    It was the best bang for buck I could find, I never went near the 200MB/day limit. Most pocket wifi are cheaper for a week or so but start to get expensive once you go over 2 weeks. Other cheap options are cdJapan and the excitingly named wifi rental store. Stay clear of the big telcos, they cost more like $10/day.

  • lippy on 09/02/2016 - 13:50
    +1

    I went to Japan last May and hired a portable Wifi modem through http://japanwifiservice.com/en/plan.html

    Unlimited data use (prices include GST) and for the period of days in total
    1day-7days ($77)

    8days-14days ($99)

    15days-21days ($121)

    22days-28days ($143)

    over 29days ($143) plus ($5.5)/day

    You can either pick up the wifi at Japan Airport (various locations) or pick up at their Sydney office located on Pitt Street.

    • Gomo on 10/02/2016 - 11:34

      Wow that's awesome! I think I might go with these guys I checked the trading hours for the airport that I land in,

      Business Hours: 7:30am - 9:00pm

      So it will be open for sure! When you picked up your device did the staff speak any english?

      • lippy on 10/02/2016 - 12:01

        I picked up the device in their Sydney store on Pitt Street, the lady there spoke limited English but enough to get through haha.

        But in Japan, I think you'll be fine, just show them your receipt/confirmation and they will be able to help you with their limited English.

        • Gomo on 10/02/2016 - 12:08

          looks like they have a shop in brisbane, I wonder if I can pickup from there, before I leave hmm

        • lippy on 10/02/2016 - 12:10

          @Gomo:

          Oh, give them a call and see if that's possible :)

          picking it up in Aus would definitely save you some time and more convenient

  • Grillman on 10/02/2016 - 00:17

    I used Japan Wireless to rent 2 devices. http://japan-wireless.com/

    Was great, couldn't be happier and will use them again next time.

    Like you said you can pick up at the post office at the airport although if you are arriving at 7pm you might not make it to the post office by 8pm closing, in which case it might be better to have it delivered to the accommodation for the day you arrive(or whenever). Mine arrived 2 days early(although it won't become active till the date you chose service to begin). It comes with a portable charger which is great. At the end of the trip I sent them back in the prepaid envelope they supplied and chucked them into a post box on the street and all was good.

    If you are going for more than 30 days you should contact them and see if they'll give a further discount, currently it's showing 11,200yen for 30 days with a 3g device(21mb down/5.8mb up) with unlimited data, or you can go faster for more money of course.

  • hal9000 on 13/02/2016 - 18:01

    i was there last year, i bought So-net sim card for ¥3,000. comes with 1 gig of data valid for 30 days. worked pretty well. the only downside is, you can't tether it. so i had to put it on my phone. funny thing once i done that, magically i couldn't turn the shutter sound off on my phone's camera. apparently japan has a big problem with perverts taking discreet photos of girls so they have to force enable it.

    http://www.so-net.ne.jp/prepaid/en/

  • [Deactivated] on 15/02/2016 - 09:56

    having been there a few times i always use this mob http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/english/

    have never had an issue, you can pick the sim up from the airport or it can be delivered to your hotel so when you check in it's already there

  • Gomo on 26/04/2016 - 17:55
    +1

    Onto day 7 here and have already used 18gb of data according to my device :) no slowed down speeds and it's just me and my wife sharing it, some occasional Facebook and YouTube.
    Also found out how my phone was backing up to the cloud videos i had taken so have since turned that off :

    Speed test 43.5mbit down 38.4mbit up

    • keen_7 on 20/07/2016 - 17:35

      Can I ask who u went with in the end? And if all went well even using YouTube etc? Thanks @gomo

      • Gomo on 22/07/2016 - 13:47

        Sent you a pm :)

        • keen_7 on 15/08/2016 - 14:06

          thanks just got this now hehe

        • Gomo on 15/08/2016 - 14:16
          +1

          @keen_7: lol talk about delayed :p

        • rvaren on 17/02/2017 - 22:40

          Hi @Gomo, can I also ask you which company you rented the pocket wifi from for this trip? Thanks.

        • Gomo on 18/02/2017 - 07:34

          @rvaren:
          Sure ! https://japanwifiservice.com/

          I was dealing with a guy named Tomo

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join