emma69

I'm considering this type of service for my trip - I will likely have two cell phones, a tablet and a laptop, so think this makes the most sense? Anyone else used this company / type of service and has pros / cons? Carrying the device is not an issue as I will always have my purse with me.

RTW1

I've used them recently... perfect service and not that expensive. They deliver to your hotel a day before you arrive and at the end of your rental term you drop it in a prepaid envelop and you are done. Great to use with multiple devices and if you get the faster version the battery it will last the whole day.

The only slightly negative was that far south on Kyushu it was hard to get a decent signal on the train due to all the tunnels :-).

And some of the hotels had spotty wifi in some of the public spaces, great for that too.

beep88

You can do the same thing with just a SIM card. Your smart phone can act as a WiFi hotspot for your other equipment.

Pro of WiFi hotspot: unlimited data, fastest speeds available

Cons: price, coverage (depends on whether it's emobile or NTT or softbank), additional equipment

RTW1

You forgot about one of the major downsides of using your phone as a hotspot.... very rapid depletion of your battery, and not so good with multiple connections. Wifi hotspots tend to do substantially better.

And if you look at the prices Globaladvanced charges an hotspot is (substantially) cheaper than renting a Sim card. And another small advantage is, no user setting are needed. That's sometimes a pain using your own phone with a rented SIM card, not to mention that you will be unavailable on your regular phone number (a major pain for some, a blessing for others...).

So yes, there are more options. But a Wifi hotspot is very flexible.

emma69

Thanks for the input - sounds like the wifi option will work for me, especially as my main phone's battery life is shocking (iphone). I also don't think my iphone is unlocked (although not a big deal to have that done) so simple from that perspective as well.

beep88

It's very clear that if you want unlimited data, you want WiFi hotspot. (first pro I mentioned for WiFi )

If you have an android phone, you want hotspot (battery performance).

If you can't figure out your phone, or it's locked, use a hot spot.

If you are cheap (like me), use a SIM. 4000 yen for 15 days. (or 30 days if you know how)

TrojanHorse

Let me start by saying I feel like a certified idiot after reading this thread since I have no idea what most of you guys are talking about.

My Situation:
I will have myself and two teens; therefore two iPhone 5 & one iPhone 4, we will have my laptop, and likely my iPad mini and my son's 1st generation iPad

Now I am counting on the hotel for wifi access.. however I would like at least my phone to have phone call capability including int'l to the U.S.

I went to Verizon (my carrier) to ask what to do and they suggested buying a SIM card in Japan. However I don't know what kind and how much to buy.

then the wifi hotspot sounded like something that would really do us wonders.


When you say you used it for directions, schedules etc, how did you do this, I mean on what device were you using to check this information? I am guessing our phones/iPad's could connect to this right?

I really like the pick up drop off features.

Looking at the pricing features on the link provided, when it says for 75Mbps and Day 14 7650, does that mean that the cost is 7650 Yen for the 2 weeks plus the cost of the rental device at 990 Y per day for days 1-5 then 300 Y per day for the remaining days rented? Are there any other costs that I'll be hit with that I am not expecting other than maybe the extra battery at 150 Y per day? What about insurance? taxes? activation fees etc?

I am one who knows notta about my iPhone so that should tell you something.

My question on the SIM card, how does that work? What do you get for your 4000 Y?

beep88

With teenagers in tow sharing the internet, and you being not familiar with configuring the iPhone, stick with a pocket WiFi.


The 4000 yen SIM card, it's very slow, data only, and not really usable for voice calls.

With pocket WiFi, which is super fast, and unlimited data, the teens can surf. You can also make voice calls using Skype (or other similar VoIP apps). You need to buy some credit from Skype (13 USD I think?) and make calls to any land line, at a per minute rate that's compatible to cheap LD calls.

RTW1

That's the all-in rate for a 2 week rental period, including delivery and return. No additional charges.
Go for the MiFi, so much easier to setup and easy to use with multiple devices.

No need to go for the extra battery, the new version works for at least 8hrs when fully charged. And I assume you will doing other things during the day as well :-).

tripmaster

Extra phone battery or external battery pack was still SUPER useful.

I wouldnt vacation without one again.

SeraSera

I know there is a kind of prepaid SIM card which is available for foreigners. It is very cheap and fast.
U-mobile LTE prepaid data SIM.
i) 1.5 GB plan 15days 2,980 yen
ii) 3.0 GB plan 30days 3,980 yen
100Mbps daily limited. No activation need. Just set APN.
Maybe you can have a try.
http://japan-sim.net
https://prepaidsim.stores.jp/#!/
There are also some other plans.
http://rental.cdjapan.co.jp/
https://www.sakuramobile.jp/

Hope this helps.

Stephan54

Deleted

lhermansjah

I saw there's an offer Wifi Pocket for 5 days for $42 and also SIM Card 15 days for $36. One thing problem is, if put SIM card then you can't use your phone to call any where...example to call back to California. I talked with my provider, Verizon, they said they can unlocked my Galaxy S3 for using the SIM Card.
Which is better, using Wifi Pocket for 5 days and the data only 100 MB or use SIM Card with consequencies can't called back to California?.

linglingfool

You can't use your own number to call home with another SIM in your phone, but you could use a voice-over-IP product like Skype instead as long as you don't mind a different number showing up when you call.

lhermansjah

I notice that so the best bet is rent Wifi pocket for 5 days $36/ $40....