eConnect Japan trustworthy?

Hello,

I'm going to Japan in a couple of weeks and would like to rent a 3G SIM card for my Nexus 4 (Android) which supports 3G UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz bands).

I found eConnect Japan's website and they offer a pretty affordable rate for the 1 GB/30 days SIM card ((http://www.econnectjapan.com/products-page/sim/microsim)). Has anyone here used their service before? Are they reliable?

Thanks for your help!

I know many people who have used econnectjapan with no major issues.

I'd personally prefer to rent a pocket wifi while in Japan, but the econnectjapan SIM cards are a cheaper (slower) option assuming your phone is compatible. Just note the limits on speeds/bandwidth.

Enjoy your trip!

I used econnect micro-sim with my iPhone 4S and IPad 3 last year. worked perfectly in Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto. No phone activation required, instructions provided in English and you just have to key in the network settings. Email support response is very prompt too. You do not have to return the sim card after use, unlike b-mobile.

The only thing is - they still do not have a nano sim version for iPhone 5 yet.

Thanks guys, I went ahead and ordered the 3G microSIM card for my Nexus 4.

Let me know how it works for you. I used econnect for my iPad last year in Nagoya. It worked great. Thinking about using it for nexus 4 this year so I am interested in your experience.

@A, their 3G SIM card worked fine with my Nexus 4, as long as you set up the APN correctly (it comes with instructions though so no worries).

One thing that was odd: location didn't work unless I turned on the GPS. I guess it's because this is data only and no GSM bands are actually used. But with the GPS on, Google Maps worked like a charm!

For your information, after 3 weeks of use (quite a lot of Maps), my usage was around 900 Mb when I left.

Just about to order the econnect 3g sim for my iphone 4s (unlocked)

Can anyone tell me:
- Is it possible to share your internet connection (using the standard iphone wifi sharing)?
- Do they really block port 25 for outgoing SMTP?

Thx in advance

I got a eConnect SIM-card on my last trip, but didn't manage to get it working on my no-name Android phone. Instructions were clear, and their helpdesk responded quickly on emails with some good suggestions, but somehow I couldn't connect to the Docomo-network at all. I was offered a Pocket-Wifi at a reduced price, but considering the remaining duration of my trip, that wasn't of much use.

So while in the end it didn't work, I can't blame eConnect, they where rather helpful. So for next time, I might consider the Pocket-Wifi, seems like a more reliable solution.

may I know what Andriod phone you are using ?

I have used them twice in the past 2 years and both times no problem with the prepaid sim and my own personal mifi unit. Shared with 3 other devices and coverage all over Japan. Package was waiting for me in the morning at my hotel. But if you email them about how much data you have already used it takes them about 3 days to get back to you with your usage.

@new lotus, I have a "Wolfgang", basically some rebranded Chinese phone. Obviously not on the compatibility list of eConnect, something I was aware of. But since I already knew it functions perfectly in Japan with my own sim card, I nevertheless thought it was worth a gamble.

just came back from Japan and we used eConnect.

Portable wifi was waiting for us at the hotel in Kyoto. Connected to it as soon as we got to the room. Got online no problem, but we couldn't make calls over the wifi.

Our phones kept turning on airplane mode by itself. We assumed it was our phones until we connected to the hotel's wifi and we could call no problem. Same thing happened at our second hotel in Tokyo.

Besides that, we connected and used GPS and looked up things, uploaded photos, etc no problem. Wifi's battery did die pretty quickly though. They gave us a second portable battery, and that wasn't much help. Luckily we had our own and we were good to go.

We both use Samsung Galaxy S3.

purchased 3GB to be used over 30 days. I was only in Japan for 7 days, so was hoping to get enough data. In first day used 600mb, and they dropped me to dial-up like speed and said, that my speed would hopefully be back to normal after 3 days, which is an equivalent of 3 days of no connection. No phone support. No "pay more and use now" option (even though I cannot understand why I have to pay more, when I purchased 3GB of data). Can't do my work. Email support guy told me to wait for 3 days :-). Do not recommend eConnect to anyone.

Most carriers have a fair use policy that will throttle you if you use too much data in a short period of time. 600mb in one day will easily exceed the limit on most plans, so if you need more you should go with services that don't throttle, like so-net. The tradeoff is that they are a little more expensive.

eConnect is a "standard speed" 3G SIM for about 4700 yen for 3GB of data, 28 days.

The So-net SIM is high speed LTE (4G) SIM, 5000 yen for 3GB for 60 days, and rechargeable.

Much better value in my opinion. You can use it all up quicker than 60 days, so I think it probably doesn't throttle down when it hits a daily limit, because the they can make more money if you have to recharge it sooner. After it's used up or you hits 60 days, it costs about 2800yen for 1GB.

I've used eConnect a few times back then but this was with me restricting to only checking Map and Hyperdia and turning data plan off after checking.

This trip, I just let data plan on, though there was no downloading of any sort (that is no youtube or streaming etc), I was around 1.1-1.2 GB on 15 days use, and just as of today, they decided to drop the speed to 0, well maybe not entirely 0 but it is slower than 14.4 dial up or worse speed. I send them e-mail and they just reply it's policy etc etc.

Now, here's the funny thing, if you purchase 3GB plan for a month, but you can only use 120mb per day, is the company saying that tourists should stay in Japan for 25 days to use up that 3GB? Anyway, they reply me with policy of other company or whatever, but here is the thing, I'm paying you E-connect not other company.

To be fair here is my impression of E-connect
- Delivery is fast and punctual
- Reply is prompt
- Be very careful with usage as you might be cut off from connection when you are out of town, lost and without any connection to check where you are going.
- You will never really get back what you pay for
- 120MB might be a lot in the OLD days, but now, a couple updates or sites with pictures will eat up the quota.

I should really drop by Yodobashi to check their dataplan sim, since I will be needing another option for my next visit.

I should really drop by Yodobashi to check their dataplan sim, since I will be needing another option for my next visit.

Be sure to read the fine print as most prepaid data plans have a daily limit, and it may be even less than 120mb. For example, the Yodobashi branded sims operate on the b-mobile and have a 360mb/3 day limit on most plans. But that is how they keep these plans cheap. If you need more you'll just have to pay for a slightly more expensive plan or consider a pocket wifi instead. Those typically have more generous data usage limits (e.g. 1 gb/3 days).

http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/xsim/faq.html#service01

Btw, 120mb per day is generally sufficient for mobile surfing if used judiciously. Obviously you should be mindful of what you phone is doing so you don't waste it needlessly, and simple precautions such as turning off automatic updates and background services like icloud should be a given. Just wait to do that kind of stuff once you're on hotel wifi.

Yea, but in all honesty, 120mb is not really a lot even by casual browsing, given that the site nowadays can really eat into the bandwidth if you are not careful. As mentioned, I was not really doing much apart from checking places out and maps when I got hit by the 0kbps connection.

And, luckily this was when I was in Tokyo and I am familiar with the surroundings (hence I was checking places to shop etcetc). Imagine if tourists get hit by this 0kbps when they are out of town and unable to check anything on net.

In general, eConnect is ok, but first timer tourist should be really careful with the usage.

As mentioned, the key is to be judicious when you are on a limited plan.

FYI, Most online estimation tools pin the average webpage at around 0.5-2.5mb. Although more detailed studies have it way toward the low end, even a conservative estimate means that with 120mb you can look at some 50-100 pages (including google maps) when out and about. Granted that's not a whole lot of web surfing, but should be plenty for the average person, especially since most people do most of their planning and research ahead rather than on the fly.

But every user is different, and it sounds like you may be better served by an uncapped plan like so-net for example. They cost a little more, but heavy users like you will benefit from not having to deal with throttling.

this topic is really helpful thank you all

regarding this i need from your experience the best network for 20 days which is i think 14 and recharge or 30 days with more GB.

really afraid from the drop in data or technical problems from network providers, there is many options can be chosen but this need experience as i mentioned above.
so if there is any competitor to eConnect please add.
arriving at Hinda airport and if there is something you advice me to look for in arrivals terminal.
i hate to return the sim and pay deposit for it but i will say yes if the network option is strong and stable .

thank you