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Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/2 09:29
Hi everyone,

I am looking at hiring a pocket wifi for our 3 week trip to Japan and am currently debating what size to get. We will mainly be using internet for google maps, to look up attractions or restaurant reviews and to skype/call our family at home.

The cheapest option is a 21Mbps with unlimited data. How accurate is the 21Mbps maximum? There will only be two of us, and from what I understand 5Mbps is more than enough to stream video, so I would assume that we would only need at most 10 - 15Mbps for most of our activities even when both using it. Is this a safe assumption to make?

I am aware that the 21Mbps unit has a shorter battery lift, but as we have a power bank that shouldn't be an issue. Are there any other limitations I haven't considered? Is signal relatively good in most places?

The other option is we could get a 75Mbps one with a 10gb data allowance for a bit more money. Are there any reasons we should get this over the 21Mbps one given our circumstances? Or are there any limitations to this one?

I look forward to your advice.

Regards, Alex

by Alex (guest)  

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/2 22:54
efficiency may differ depending on the company and the contract.
thus, no one can answer your question without information.
by ken (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/2 23:39
Knowing the internet service provider (such as NTT Docomo or SoftBank or Wimax) may help in this regard
by mfedley rate this post as useful

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/3 08:26
Thanks for your replies so far.

I am looking at renting through Global Advanced Communications.

The 21Mbps device is an emobile Pocket Wifi that uses 3G, whilst the 75Mbps device is an emobile Pocket Wifi LTE that is a LTE/4G/3G hybrid.

Unfortunately I can't find on their page what service provider they go through, however I believe they are one of the larger rental companies, so perhaps someone else knows?

I have read somewhere that their 10GB data limit on the standard 75Mbps device is a cumulative total for the month, so if someone else has used it all up before you then you are stuck with the slower speed. As our rental period is about 5 days at the end of September and then a couple of weeks in October, is this something I should be concerned about if we do go with that one?

Regards, Alex
by Alex (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/3 09:39
I've rented both units from them in the past. At first, it was the slower one and lately I got the faster one. I don't think the price difference is all that great, so I go with the faster one. I only had one instance where it deliberately slowed me down, but I had been streaming many shows I missed during my month in Japan: all the Real Time with Bill Maher and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (US comedy/political shows). I waited about 2 hours and it was back to regular speed.

GAC uses NTT Docomo as far as I know.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/3 10:42
Hi John,

Thanks so much for your reply. Was there a noticeable difference in speed between the two units then?

Thanks, Alex
by Alex (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/3 11:11
I did notice the 75 one seemed to load the pages quicker, yes. As far as coverage, i had the same problems with both when I reached the Sanriku Coast (within the tsunami disaster area). Some areas around Minamisanriku didn't have great coverage. Other than that and the shinkansen around tunnels and sometimes the machine had problems trying to get a signal from one tower to another at 200mph, other than that, they worked very well. I uploaded to FB and IG daily and had no issues. I didn't D/L anything.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Pocket wifi: 21Mbps or 75Mbps? 2015/9/3 12:19
there are limitations : 1 G in 3 days and 10 G in a month.
someone says another limitation, 366 M in a day.
by ken (guest) rate this post as useful

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