Can my cell phone work with pocket Wi-Fi?

Hello,

I am going to Japan in September (flying into Osaka Kansai Airport) and was a little confused about the use of cell phones (because I keep being told by co-workers to get a SIM card). My plan was to rent a pocket Wi-fi and only use my phone for things such as Google maps, Facebook, etc and no phone calls and probably no texting. Will my phone from Canada work with the pocket Wi-Fi or will I need to rent a cell phone or SIM card?

Thanks!

If you only need data (i.e. no calling, just internet and text), then a rental pocket wifi will be sufficient, and you won't need to rent a sim card. I'd recommend globaladvancedcommunications, econnect, or pupuru.

Will your cell phone work? Depends on your carrier - do they provide international roaming?

I have roaming, but try avoiding phone calls because they tend to be expensive, but not to the extent I've bothered with a local rental. Most of the time I use pocket wifi (when out and about) as it only costs a few dollars a day, and have my phone/tablet/computer connected to it for data.

Will your cell phone work? Depends on your carrier - do they provide international roaming?

Keep in mind that this is a non-issue if you only intend to use it with a pocket wifi.

I agree the pocket wifi is the best solution, and most have more than sufficient amount of data for daily surfing and even on Skype. Plus they work in most parts of the country except in the most remote of locations.

Roaming wouldn't be a good idea depending on your carrier. Where I am from, roaming can cost lots of money and headaches.

As a fellow Canadian who has used his Bell iPhone in Japan several times with a pocket wifi device, I can tell you that yes, your phone will work fine for Google maps, Facebook, etc with a pocket wifi device.

As for texting...it depends on the app. For iPhones, using Messenger works fine if the person you are "texting" is also using Messenger because of the way it routes the data.

The only suggestion I would make to avoid being gouged by your Canadian carrier is to put your phone in airplane mode and then turn on wifi separately. iPhones can do this, I don't know if Android phones can. This will prevent your phone from attempting to connect to a Japanese carrier as well any data will be sure to flow through wifi rather than attempt to go out over cellular.

Yes, your phone will work with WiFi. The things that rely on local cellular network (phone calls and SMS messaging) will not work. iMessage and all other apps, like Google Maps, Facebook, etc., will work fine. GPS will work too, as that has been a HUGE lifesaver when exploring Japan and figuring out where I am and the direction I need to go.

I always get a 3G/4G pocket wifi unit and use texting apps (like Line) and calling apps (like MagicJack) that let me text and call if needed. Hope that helps!