If you’re wondering how best to stay connected while you’re staying Japan, a pocket wifi might be the solution. It is easier to set up than Prepaid SIM cards, especially useful if you are traveling in a group or have multiple devices.
It’s better to find out how much internet speed you need, before ordering a pocket wifi or Prepaid SIM Card.
This table shows how many Mbps you need for using internet with your phones and laptops.
| Activities | Required(Mbps) |
|---|---|
| Video(Low) | 1.5 |
| Video(Standard) | 3 |
| Vide(HD 1080p) | 5 |
| Video(Ultra HD 4K) | 10 |
| Streaming Music | 2 |
| Playing Games | 3 – 5 |
| Video Calls(Standard) | 0.5 |
| Video Calls(HD) | 1.5 |
| Email/Browsing | 0.2 – 2 |
*”Mbps” stands for megabits per second—not to be confused with megabytes per second (MBps), which measures file sizes or amounts of data transferred.
YouTube internet speed requirements
Mobile Devices
| Activities | Required(Mbps) |
|---|---|
| SD(Standard Definition) | 0.5 |
| HD(High Definition) | 7 |
TVs or Comptuters
| Activities | Required(Mbps) |
|---|---|
| SD(Standard Definition) | 3 |
| HD(High Definition) | 5 |
| Ultra HD/4K | 25 |
Netflix internet speed requirements
| Activities | Required(Mbps) |
|---|---|
| SD(Standard Definition) | 3 |
| HD(High Definition) | 5 |
| Ultra HD | 25 |
Amazon Video internet speed requirements
| Activities | Required(Mbps) |
|---|---|
| SD(Standard Definition) | 0.9 |
| HD(High Definition) | 3.5 |
Hulu internet speed requirements
| Activities | Required(Mbps) |
|---|---|
| SD(Standard Definition) | 1.5 |
| HD(High Definition) | 3 |
| Hulu with Live TV | 8 |
If you want to have comfortable data communication during your stay in Japan, please rent a pocket WIFI not prepaid SIM cards.
The speed of a prepaid SIM card may be slow depending on the time of day and time of year you use it.
speeds are frequently slow, especially during lunchtime.
Pocket Wi-Fi also maintains very stable communication speeds compared to Prepaid SIM cards, although speeds may decrease depending on congestion.
Since the use of Prepaid SIM cards is for a fixed period of time, if there is a sudden increase in the number of users or data traffic capacity, the speed quality may be poor due to the difficulty in adjusting the bandwidth for the Prepaid SIM card. The SIM used in Pocket WIFI increases the bandwidth to match the line being contracted, so the quality of communication is less likely to deteriorate than with a Prepaid SIM card.
LightPocket pocket WiFi which keeps the speed of more than 20 Mbps for using internet without experiencing lags.
Short-term Unlimited Pocket WiFi Rental
I am Japanese and my nickname is Momo.
I have been working in the mobile telecommunications industry for about 7 years and am familiar with Japanese telecommunications services. Although my English is not very good, I would like to provide useful telecommunication-related information to those who stay in Japan as accurately as possible.
