3/22/2016 2 Comments Dear SPRINT and T-MOBILE users,Apparently your phone will have unlimited data and text while you're in Japan! You might not even need a Japanese SIM card or wifi device if you have one of these networks. I only know that T-mobile offers this because my friend who studied abroad in Japan last year was able to use her phone the whole time and she said it worked great! As for Sprint users (like me) I went to Sprint before I left the country and told the guy that I would be studying abroad. He did something on his computer and then said that my phone was ready for Japan and that I would have unlimited data and text. I asked him if my phone would be okay for at least five months like this and then the guys said "just use it until it stops working", which worried me a lot. So I bought a pocket wifi just to be safe. When I got off the plane and went through customs, I took my phone out to see if I could connect to the airport's wifi (I wanted to double check the hotel address because I was shipping my luggage there). When I pulled out my phone, at first it said "no service" in the top left corner where it usually says "Sprint". Then after a couple minutes it said "SoftBank 3G". Yaayyy. Even though it's not 4G LTE, at least my phone is connected and I was able to look up my hotel, post to Snapchat, and contact people on LINE. I received the texts pictured below as soon as my phone connected to SoftBank's network. And I clicked the link about international roaming to find out more. Data is free but the speed is just slower. It's fine for me, and a great backup for my pocket wifi in case of emergencies. I was using my phone's data on the Shinkansen from Nagoya to Tokyo and the service was spotty. But I anticipated this because we were moving so fast and there isn't coverage in every corner of Japan. When I got to my hotel, the service was fine but when I used my phone this morning, it said "No Service" again for a couple of minutes. I think that this option isn't 100% reliable but it's still nice to have. I was able to make calls on LINE and I could hear everything crystal clear. I used it for Instagram, YouTube and Facebook and it worked great. Unfortunately, when I used it for Google Maps to help guide me to my hotel, it took a really long time to load. I found the hotel without its help lol. Dear AT&T Users:
So I used to have AT&T before I downgraded to Sprint but when it comes to international data use, Sprint has a better deal. My mom is still with AT&T, which is why I have the following information. When she turned on her phone after we arrived, she received similar text messages except hers said that talk is $2.50/min, text is $0.50/text, sending picture or video is $1.30, and data is $2.05/MB. It then offered a "passsport" for $30 in order to get unlimited text, talk reduced to $1.00/min and 120MB of data with $0.25/MB for overage costs.
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3/17/2016 0 Comments My Wifi SituationAfter doing research about getting a Japanese SIM card or a pocket Wifi device, I've decided to go with the pocket Wifi. For more info about these two options, see my past blog post... I just thought the pocket Wifi would be a better fit for me. The downside is that I have to carry it around with me everywhere, but it's pretty small so I'm okay with that. If family/friends visit me, they will be able to connect to my Wifi (up to 10 devices), I have unlimited data, and I'll be able to connect my ipad and laptop rather than just having service on my phone. Also, most of the SIM card companies only offer data (no talk or text) so it's pretty much the same thing. Below is my experience with submitting my order.
UPDATE: I checked into the hotel last night and my wifi package was there waiting for me! Below is a picture of the package it came in. I was very happy by this because I actually ended up procrastinating and didn't order the pocket wifi until yesterday...haha. So far this company has been very time efficient and has communicated with me via email to keep me informed on the whereabouts of my package. I kind of regret ordering the extra battery because I don't think I will need it. I already have a portable charger/battery thing with me so I probably could just use that to charge it if I need to. The wifi device itself is smaller than my phone. It's also really easy to use. My laptop is connected to it right now and it works great. I'm happy lol.
2/23/2016 0 Comments SIM Card? Pocket Wifi? Oh My!I think that the most common approach to communication and using our phones abroad as exchange students is the foreign SIM card approach. It's very convenient because you can use the phone you already have. I've also been doing some research on Pocket Wifi, which is basically a device that you carry with you to have Wifi wherever you go. Below I'm going to show you guys some examples from different companies I found or was recommended by other people. I'm going to be weighing pros and cons about the different options before making my final decision. 1. Getting a Japanese SIM Card B-mobile is a company that provides VISITOR SIM Cards. This company was recommended to me by a friend who is currently using their services. Below is a summary of what B-mobile provides. Visit their FAQ page and Product Details for more info.
For myself, I would prefer to rent something more long-term so I don't have to deal with extending it multiple times throughout my stay. This option is actually a great fit for someone who is just visiting Japan for a couple of weeks. If anyone comes to visit you while you're abroad you can tell them about this company! I would probably opt in to have the SIM Card shipped to the airport so I can pick it up as soon as I land. I'm not concerned about the lack of voice communication because I will be using Line (which uses data). CD Japan is another company that provides SIM Card rental. This company works with Docomo (a Japanese phone company). Most of the services offered are very similar to B-mobile but the main difference is that with CD Japan, you have more options as to how long you are able to rent the SIM Card. Below is a summary of what they provide and I pulled their chart that shows you the different types of SIM Cards and what phones they are compatible with. As a side note, this company also provides pocket wifi rentals.
2. Getting a Pocket Wifi Device Wifi Rental Store is the first company that I found that offers pocket Wifi devices for rent. Their website is very straight to the point, which I like and it compares prices between three different devices they offer for different reasons. Below is a summary of things I thought are useful to know. Right off the bat, you can see it's a lot more expensive to go with a rental Wifi for 6 months than a SIM Card from CD Japan for 6 months. This option has a lot of additional costs (mostly provided for your convenience though).
**Insurance is optional Of course, there are other companies that offer similar services that you might want to check out. You can also go directly to Y!mobile or SoftBank rather than through these other companies. It all depends on what works best for you in the end. Now that I'm thinking about it, a SIM Card does seem like the best way to go. But what I do like about the pocket WiFi is that I can connect my other devices (laptop/iPad) to the Wifi as well. I was concerned about not having Wifi in my dorm room and just surviving off of plugging in my laptop to the ethernet lol...there wouldn't really be any point to bringing my iPad on this trip. Another option is that after getting the SIM Card, you could consider arranging to set your phone up as a hotspot.
I hope this information helps you decide what to do with your phone situation. Researching and writing everything out to compare definitely helped me lol. |
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