Does a Pocket Wifi work aboard a cruise ship cruising around Japan?

Hello,

We are doing a Japan cruise starting and finishing in Yokahoma (Tokyo) this April 2018. We would like to have internet connection but hate to pay the high price for internet aboard the cruise ship. Has anyone had any experience with a pocket wifi (which I will rented and picked up in Tokyo), during their Japan cruise to get internet onboard the ship while cruising? If so please tell me what company you rented the pocket wifi from. We are Canadians. Thank you in advance.

In doing some research, it seems that the device runs off of cell towers. If that it true it will not work on the ship.

You will need celluar connection for the pocket WiFi to work. You won't have that at sea.

Some ships do have cell towers that work while at sea, but the last time I checked this out, none of the MiFi devices included cell data while at sea.

The only use you'd have for such a device onboard would be the shared router aspect - i.e. buy one internet package onboard, connect the portable router rather than a phone, computer etc. then everyone hooks up to the router and shares the connection. If you have low bandwidth requirements these work well within one cabin, but the metal walls play hob with signals even for neighbours nextdoor.

Plus, it would be cheaper to just buy a portable router than rent one with a cell data package when you cannot use that data (my very handy HooToo cost me under $20 on Amazon - even has a USB slot so you can stream your own media) and has been very reliable - models constantly change so I'd check up-to-date reviews as to which is the best deal right now. It's been even handier on land trips - several hotels that charge by the device to connect would have charged us a fortune to hook up 2 tablets, work laptop & phone all separately!

The only use you'd have for such a device onboard would be the shared router aspect - i.e. buy one internet package onboard, connect the portable router rather than a phone, computer etc. then everyone hooks up to the router and shares the connection. If you have low bandwidth requirements these work well within one cabin, but the metal walls play hob with signals even for neighbours nextdoor.

 

Plus, it would be cheaper to just buy a portable router than rent one with a cell data package when you cannot use that data (my very handy HooToo cost me under $20 on Amazon - even has a USB slot so you can stream your own media) and has been very reliable - models constantly change so I'd check up-to-date reviews as to which is the best deal right now. It's been even handier on land trips - several hotels that charge by the device to connect would have charged us a fortune to hook up 2 tablets, work laptop & phone all separately!

OP is trying to rent one of the mentioned devices to save money on ship's Internet package. The device in question doesn't allow that, so OP should just plan on buying ship's Internet. What they do with it after buying, as far as splitting, is a different question.

Now that everyone has GUESSED what the answer might be, let me tell you how it actually works in real life.

My ship sails around Japan several months every year.

I and many of my crew buy or rent pocket WIFI devices to allow us to have inexpensive internet access most (not ALL) of the time we are sailing in Japanese waters.

Yes, it is true that these devices connect with shore-based cell towers. The signal coverage is "line of sight".

Most ships sailing around Japan rarely sail far enough away from land to lose that coverage.

Every voyage on sea days, we see our Japanese guests with their mobile telephones on the outside decks, connecting to shore towers, chatting with friends.

You can do it as well. Just ensure that your pocket WIFI and your mobile telephones are connected with shore towers rather than the ship's system.

Now that everyone has GUESSED what the answer might be, let me tell you how it actually works in real life.

 

My ship sails around Japan several months every year.

I and many of my crew buy or rent pocket WIFI devices to allow us to have inexpensive internet access most (not ALL) of the time we are sailing in Japanese waters.

 

Yes, it is true that these devices connect with shore-based cell towers. The signal coverage is "line of sight".

Most ships sailing around Japan rarely sail far enough away from land to lose that coverage.

Every voyage on sea days, we see our Japanese guests with their mobile telephones on the outside decks, connecting to shore towers, chatting with friends.

 

 

You can do it as well. Just ensure that your pocket WIFI and your mobile telephones are connected with shore towers rather than the ship's system.

Thank you everyone for replying to my question and especially BruceMuzz. I think I will rent a pocket wifi and even if we don't have access to the internet all the time, hopefully we would have it most of the time on board the cruise. If anyone has any other helpful tips please reply.:)

Hi explanning, how was your cruise around Japan in April? Did you rent a pocket wifi? How did it turn out? We are thinking of renting one in Aug for our cruise.

Hi Kiyotaka,

We had a really great time cruising around Japan! The pocket wifi worked in every port and when we were close to shore, except in Busan, South Korea (that was expected) and the 2 days we were in Kobe. This was near the start of our cruise and I thought is was because of the mountains obstructing the signals. However at out next port it still did not work but it work fine again after I turned the pocket wifi off and started it again. Prior to that day I honestly didn't even know that the gadget could be turned off! We were glad we had the pocket wifi because it helped us with navigating in the ports since we were the DIY types. Didn't have any other problem connecting for the remaining cruise and our remaining stay in Japan post cruise.

Have fun on your cruise in August!

I'm getting a rental in November from Japan Wireless and was told it should work while in port in Japan, including Okinawa. On a one way Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Okinawa, ending in Keelung Taiwan. Also was told that I could send back unit by provided return envelop from Okinawa, by dropping in postal box. Don't get the provided extra lithium battery, which cannot be sent by air, which may cause problems when returning since Okinawa is an island. I didn't want to take a chance of that happening. I have my own battery for phones and tablets, but units battery usually last minimum 6 hours, from previous experiences. Also contracted for the day after we leave Okinawa since the contract expires at 12:00 PM the day of contract, so I'd have just half a day of use if I contracted to end while in Okinawa. Expect unit not to work while at sea but a perk if it does when in proximity of land. Will see.

Thank god for this topic! We're going to Japan (first cruise!) in November and the whole Wi-Fi situation was something we hadn't thought about until we realised how expensive/slow the internet is on board. We're in Tokyo for a few days either side, and plan to do some exploring on our own in port so this is ideal if it works pretty much wherever we are. Plus navigating the trains to the first port eek...

It was definitely worth getting the pocket wifi especially for our week after the cruise as it helped us navigate our way around both the public transport system, google map while sightseeing and general info like tripadvisor reviews.

Also during the cruise itself we had access to wifi while close to port and in port so we save time by not having to use the free wifi that is usually available in each port at the cruise terminal. 

Have a great cruise in November everyone!

If one of these devices will work, so will an international plan with data for your phone.

Yes likely very true. We opted to rent the pocket wifi because there were several of us travelling together and we all wanted to use our own tablets and phones to check own emails and do internet searching. The pocket wifi enabled us to do that all at the same time as long as we were in close vincinity to the pocket wifi and I think overall it save us money compared to data plans from home. If travelling as an individual or couple you could use an international data plan.

On 1/14/2019 at 10:57 AM, explanning said:

It was definitely worth getting the pocket wifi especially for our week after the cruise as it helped us navigate our way around both the public transport system, google map while sightseeing and general info like tripadvisor reviews.

Also during the cruise itself we had access to wifi while close to port and in port so we save time by not having to use the free wifi that is usually available in each port at the cruise terminal. 

Have a great cruise in November everyone!

Hi, I am considering this option for our Japan cruise and my concern is charging the router on board because of the different voltages.  Did you need a specialized voltage converter or can it be charged through your laptop USB port?

Yes you can, but most likely the wifi rental would provide a portable battery charger backup, so you'll need two usb ports available to charge device and battery. Suggest a multi plug outlet adapter(at least 3 outlets configured not block the other outlet, since outlets are a premium) and a multi usb  outlet adapter ( at least 4 outlets for phones , etc.) I use a Belkin travel w/surge protection plug adapter and an Anker foldable 4 usb outlet adapter.

20 minutes ago, lumpyi said:

Yes you can, but most likely the wifi rental would provide a portable battery charger backup, so you'll need two usb ports available to charge device and battery. Suggest a multi plug outlet adapter(at least 3 outlets configured not block the other outlet, since outlets are a premium) and a multi usb  outlet adapter ( at least 4 outlets for phones , etc.) I use a Belkin travel w/surge protection plug adapter and an Anker foldable 4 usb outlet adapter.

Thank you for your quick advice.  It is very helpful.

7 hours ago, cat616 said:

Hi, I am considering this option for our Japan cruise and my concern is charging the router on board because of the different voltages.  Did you need a specialized voltage converter or can it be charged through your laptop USB port?

Most of these devices charge off a USB connector.

And MOST, but check, USB power cubes are fine with 110 volts or 220 volts (and 100 volts for Japan).

31 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Most of these devices charge off a USB connector.

 

And MOST, but check, USB power cubes are fine with 110 volts or 220 volts (and 100 volts for Japan).

Thanks.

On 5/19/2018 at 10:47 AM, explanning said:

Hi Kiyotaka,

We had a really great time cruising around Japan! The pocket wifi worked in every port and when we were close to shore, except in Busan, South Korea (that was expected) and the 2 days we were in Kobe. This was near the start of our cruise and I thought is was because of the mountains obstructing the signals. However at out next port it still did not work but it work fine again after I turned the pocket wifi off and started it again. Prior to that day I honestly didn't even know that the gadget could be turned off! We were glad we had the pocket wifi because it helped us with navigating in the ports since we were the DIY types. Didn't have any other problem connecting for the remaining cruise and our remaining stay in Japan post cruise.

Have fun on your cruise in August!

Hi there. Sounds like we're going on the same itinerary which includes Busan and 2 days in Kobe.  Do you know of the reason why it did not work in Kobe?  Do you think if you would have restarted the device sooner, it would have worked in Kobe?  Thanks!

The pocket wifi worked everywhere including Kobe and when we were not in port. Busan is not in Japan so it did not work there.  It was worth a lot more than we paid to rent it.

I cannot wait for North America to catch up and start using this technology.

7 hours ago, TheCruiseMeisterGeneral said:

Hi there. Sounds like we're going on the same itinerary which includes Busan and 2 days in Kobe.  Do you know of the reason why it did not work in Kobe?  Do you think if you would have restarted the device sooner, it would have worked in Kobe?  Thanks!

Hello! In reply, yes I believed it would have worked in Kobe had we known to restart the device sooner. Initially we thought there were interference with the surrounding mountains. Have a wonderful time!