A Traveler's Lifeline: Ninja Wi-Fi

Whether you're a businessman, a tourist or a self titled adventurist, Japan is probably high up on the list for places you'd like to visit. Traveling can be made so much easier with the power of the Internet. So how do you go about gaining access to this vital tool? Read on with this perfect guide for you.

Overview

We all know that Internet has become an crucial part of most people’s lives. You only need to be left half an hour without Internet to realise just how much you actually rely on it. The need for this vital service can increase exponentially when you’re traveling and exploring the globe. You’ll want to share your adventures and travel antics with your friends and family through social media or your personal blog. When fully utilised, the Internet turns into an effective tool to research where you’re going, gather ideas of what to do, what the place may look like, local hidden treasures, and most importantly provide a detailed map of the world.

Maps, or the Internet?

You could say that it’s easier to get a map specifically for where you’re going. Whilst true, it’s not necessarily as reliable, detailed or handy as the Internet. A printed Map will usually only give you a certain amount of detail, or be focused on a few of the more touristy points in the area.

By all means grab a map where you can, I still do! There are often free maps of the immediate area you visit from tourist desks and information points. The handiness of the Internet and online maps is the huge amount of detail it goes into as you zoom closer. Not only do the usual points of interest come into view, but also the more local and uneasily spotted wonders become visible.

Online maps are a truly wonderful and interactive way to explore most areas. GPS built into most phones, combined with the use of Internet allows you to find your almost exact location. This becomes very handy when lost. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve wandered off and needed directions back to civilisation!

Get lost and make your own adventure.

Dangerous costs

Internet abroad can be expensive. I mean really, really expensive! But this is only if done incorrectly.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to have your mobile phone set to ‘data roaming’ whilst abroad. I’ve made the leap from England to Tokyo, and prices from my provider are about £3 per MB of data. A stupidly expensive amount! If I were to use my average 1GB of data in a month, I’d have a total bill of £3072. Boy would I have a surprise when I received my next phone bill.

Here's how to avoid this:

1. Turn any device to Airplane Mode
2. Turn Wi-Fi back on; this allows you to use the Wi-Fi without the risk of using roaming signal and data.

Hotspots & free Wi-Fi

So you land in Japan. You’ll first find there’s an astronomical amount of Wi-Fi points you’ll pick up. Most will be private and locked, but there’ll be a few you can connect to and use if you sign up with an email and stay in that spot.

These hotspots were a lifesaver my first day here. I was able to load up a map, plan out my route, save the directions and set off. If I felt unsure and thought I might be getting lost, I’d just need to stop once more, connect to a different hotspot, check, then move again.

Although useful, this isn’t a viable long-term solution. The constant need to re-register at each hotspot can be a real pain. Solution?

Ninja Wi-Fi's portable router

Ninja Wi-Fi is a tiny little router that uses an LTE signal to provide you with your own personal hotspot with 4G Internet. Measuring at about 3x2 inches, you can turn the little beast on and put it in your bag or pocket. Voila, a walking Internet hotspot that’s always connected, secure and, fast.

The thing I like about Ninja Wi-Fi is that, being your own hotspot, the Internet stays super fast. I no longer have to register and share Internet with everyone else in Starbucks. I can enjoy my coffee knowing that I’m secure from anyone being able to steal my data on the same network!

Ninja put to the test

I’ve put Ninja Wi-Fi through a few tests such as reliability with multiple connections, length of the built in battery, and speeds of the connection (including when used underground on the subway at high speeds; 350m high in the Tokyo Skytree; and out in the middle of nowhere.

The results I came back with:

• Using up to three connections worked very well, all staying connected with a steady speed whilst being used at the same time.
• The battery life is amazing. I’d be using my router for about 8-10 hours a day, and would get almost 3 days out of it before needing to charge it again.
• Speeds obviously varied at different times and areas, but I've managed to get a download speed of 40MB/s when on the move. In the right conditions you can see top speeds of 75MB/s.
• The lowest speed I had was around 10mb/s. This was underground whilst moving high speeds on the subway. Pretty impressive.

How to get Ninja Wi-Fi

Ninja Wi-Fi has made my traveling a lot easier, and it will for you too!

• It works out to be significantly cheaper than using roaming data, or renting a phone in Japan
• You’ll pay a flat rate for each day you want to use it
• There’s no handling fee
• You get a huge daily allowance of 300 MB. Three times more than most over providers (if you were to rent a data sim card)

Getting your own Ninja Wi-Fi router is very easy:

1. Reserve your router online, 24/7
2. Pick your router up from the airport when you land, or have it delivered to where you’ll be staying
3. Start using the Internet straight away, and enjoy!
4. Return the device when you’re. Either at the airport or use the postal slip provided

Check out all the details and reserve for your trip, here!

Utilise the power of Wi-Fi to your traveling advantages. Whether you’re reading the articles on Japan Travel for inspiration, or simply getting lost and using the maps to find reality again; Ninja Wi-Fi has always got your back.