

6 min read

What is Pocket WiFi? How much does it cost for rent?

In this article, I will explain what exactly pocket wifi is by answering the most common questions.

What is Pocket WiFi?

Some people could be confused by what it's called.
  • pocket wifi
  • mobile wifi
  • portable wifi
  • mobile hotspot
  • wifi dongle
  • wifi egg
  • MiFi
All these names refer to the exact same thing. You can see what it looks like in the picture on top of this article.
Pocket wifi works just like a wifi router that you have in your home, school, or office.
The only difference is that pocket wifi is portable. It is as small as it can fit in your pocket.

How does it connect to the internet?

Pocket wifi operates with a SIM card, Subscriber Identity Module, inside it, just like your smartphone.
You connect your smartphones, tablets, and laptops to the pocket wifi device, and the SIM card inside it lets the pocket wifi device connect to the cellular networks.

How many devices can access the Internet with 1 Pocket WiFi device?

It depends on the pocket wifi router model. Most pocket wifi can handle 5 to 15 devices.
With the pocket wifi model that FoxWifi provides, you can connect up to 15 devices at the same time.
However, we would recommend you to get 1 device for every 2~4 people, depending on how heavy you and people in your group want to use the internet.
When too many devices are connecting to the pocket wifi device simultaneously and downloading/uploading data, it often gets slow and drains its battery faster.
To access the internet more comfortably, it may be better to have multiple pocket wifi devices.

How good is the coverage of the pocket wifi?

It depends on the cellular network carrier that SIM card inside the pocket wifi device is connecting.
We at FoxWifi provide pocket wifi with Softbank's network.
Softbank is one of the big three mobile carriers in Japan, NTT Docomo, Softbank, and au by KDDI.
They all cover most areas that people live and visit.

Here's a link to a detailed coverage map on Softbank's home page. (Sorry, they only provide in Japanese.)

Does Pocket WiFi have a slow Internet speed?

No. Actually it again depends on the SIM card it's using. None of the pocket wifi FoxWifi provides have a slow speed.
Pocket wifi we provide does not make you wait for loading Youtube or Netflix videos and facetime calls. What else do you need it to be faster for?

Where can I get Pocket WiFi in Japan?

In most cases, you can only rent a pocket wifi device while you are in Japan.
You can rent one at the most major airports, some major stations in Tokyo and, don't forget, online.
I'd like you to think about it. What has been cheaper to buy at the airport? In fact, pocket wifi providers at airports provide rental plans for much more expensive price. Sometimes even double the price of what FoxWifi offers.

Okay, how much does it cost?

At FoxWifi, it is roughly..
  • 4480 JPY or less for 7 days
  • 7800 JPY or less for 15 days
  • 12000 JPY or less for 30 days
When a discount is available, it can be less price, which 'or less' means.
The earlier you order before your rental start date, the cheaper you can get it for.

If you want to compare the deals from other providers, take a look at our top page. You can see the pricing table with other offers on the internet.

Is FoxWifi cheap, comparing to other pocket wifi providers?

Definitely. We have good confidence that we offer the best price.
We have a 'Best Price Promise' policy. If you find a better deal from a different provider, just contact us, and we will match the price for you.
We did research about the prices from all the other major providers, including all the hidden costs such as transaction fees, shipping fees, tax, insurance, and so on and then set our price lower than all of them. This is why we can confidently offer the 'Best Price Promise' policy.

You can see the options and comparisons on our top page, but I will put this chart here so you can see the brief comparison. Here are the options you can find at Narita airport.

narita airport mobile internet options