Internet Service Providers - Tokyo

[spyder]

Hi all. I am moving into a new place in a few weeks, and I want to get the internet connection organsied before I do. There is a phone jack there, but I need to know a few things as I am sure Japan and Australia differ.

Do I have to call the telco and get them to "ADSL Enable" the line? If so, how long does this take.

I have also heard that you can make lines "Internet and Phone" or "Internet Only" if you want it to be cheaper. (I don't need a land line).

Lastly, can anyone recommend some good ISPs who have fast, reliable and cheap broadband Internet. I have checked some prices, and they same alot cheaperthan back home.

There is also no langauage barrier problem, so don't take this into account.

Thanks alot, and sorry for the long post.

-Scott

[Socratesabroad]

Do I have to call the telco and get them to "ADSL Enable" the line? If so, how long does this take.

No, the phone co. doesn't need to be called - unless they're your provider - but there's also no guarantee your apt's current setup will work.
I had ADSL service ordered for a regular, relatively modern apt in Tokyo but couldn't connect. I requested by phone the company send out a service guy]
I have also heard that you can make lines "Internet and Phone" or "Internet Only" if you want it to be cheaper. (I don't need a land line).
[/quote]

You can select one or the other, provided your provider offers that setup. NTT Flets does this, but it also appears that the monthly charge for ADSL-only service is 3000 yen more than ADSL+phone service, which funnily enough roughly equals the 3000 yen monthly charge you'd normally pay for a regular phone line.

[FG Lurker]

but it also appears that the monthly charge for ADSL-only service is 3000 yen more than ADSL+phone service, which funnily enough roughly equals the 3000 yen monthly charge you'd normally pay for a regular phone line.

It's actually 1500 to 1600 yen more to get FLETS ADSL without a phone:

http://flets-w.com/adsl/ryoukin/index.html

You can get ADSL through 3rd parties that is even cheaper. Performance may vary though, and I've never tried them. Hikari is the same, there are several different providers that are cheaper than NTT.

[IkemenTommy]

Along the same topic, I was wondering the same.
I was a long time Jcom cable user but the speed blew chunks and not really economical either. I finally decide to cut the line this month because I spend more time outside with my WLAN.

I am really interested in the VOIP phone that YahooBB and Hikari Flets are offering. I looked at the Hikari fees and the cost doesnt really justify what its worth and Yahoo seemed to be a better choice. What are you guys' experience?

[spyder]

Thanks for the help!

Can anyone recommend some good ISP's? I am looking at YahooBB atm....

[FG Lurker]

Thanks for the help!

Can anyone recommend some good ISP's? I am looking at YahooBB atm....

I have never used Yahoo as my own provider, but the few times I have worked on machines connected via YahooBB I have been very underwhelmed by the performance. YMMV of course, and things may have improved.

I use JENS Spinnet (formally AT&T Japan) at home, and OCN at work. I have also used ODN a lot and been satisfied. All of these are over FLETS though.

[spyder]

Thanks for the help!

Can anyone recommend some good ISP's? I am looking at YahooBB atm....

I have never used Yahoo as my own provider, but the few times I have worked on machines connected via YahooBB I have been very underwhelmed by the performance. YMMV of course, and things may have improved.

I use JENS Spinnet (formally AT&T Japan) at home, and OCN at work. I have also used ODN a lot and been satisfied. All of these are over FLETS though.

Thanks mate. What is the best way about going to organise it? My mate told me to just goto any phone shop, like sakuraya or yamada, but in the past I have found these people don't really specialise in areas. I would rather know what I need to pay, when I need to pay it and the processes.

Thanks again for all the help!

[FG Lurker]

Thanks for the help!

Can anyone recommend some good ISP's? I am looking at YahooBB atm....

I have never used Yahoo as my own provider, but the few times I have worked on machines connected via YahooBB I have been very underwhelmed by the performance. YMMV of course, and things may have improved.

I use JENS Spinnet (formally AT&T Japan) at home, and OCN at work. I have also used ODN a lot and been satisfied. All of these are over FLETS though.

Thanks mate. What is the best way about going to organise it? My mate told me to just goto any phone shop, like sakuraya or yamada, but in the past I have found these people don't really specialise in areas. I would rather know what I need to pay, when I need to pay it and the processes.

Thanks again for all the help!

You can sign up for FLETS at any major electronic shop -- Bic Camera, Yodobashi, Sofmap... They will all have counters with people happy to take down your details. If you are in Japan you can use NTT's English freedial number, but getting through can be a challenge. 0120-364-463. I have no idea if it works from overseas, but I doubt it.

For providers you can often sign up from their home page, or call a number listed there. SpinNet has an English site and phone signup/support as do some other companies. I am not sure how most providers take payment these days but SpinNet does it by credit card.

[Taro Toporific]

Hi all. I am moving into a new place in a few weeks, and I want to get the internet connection organsied before I do.

Nope, you do not want to get it organized beforehand.

What you want to do is leach WiFi off your neighbors while you ask around about what EXACTLY are the ADSL conditions are compared to the alternatives of fiber, cable, as well as test-beds for TEPCO electic fiber, and giga-WiFi.

If your building as cable TV/Internet that is cheaper as a package since most gaijin need to also get BBC, CNN, etc. as well as Internet. However, you must first check with your neighbors how good the cable connection is. Some buildings are dogshit terrible, others are fine. Hell, some buildings like my new place offer 100M fiber/cable TV/IP-phone/security as part of the condo association fees.

[spyder]

Hi all. I am moving into a new place in a few weeks, and I want to get the internet connection organsied before I do.

Nope, you do not want to get it organized beforehand.

What you want to do is leach WiFi off your neighbors while you ask around about what EXACTLY are the ADSL conditions are compared to the alternatives of fiber, cable, as well as test-beds for TEPCO electic fiber, and giga-WiFi.

If your building as cable TV/Internet that is cheaper as a package since most gaijin need to also get BBC, CNN, etc. as well as Internet. However, you must first check with your neighbors how good the cable connection is. Some buildings are dogshit terrible, others are fine. Hell, some buildings like my new place offer 100M fiber/cable TV/IP-phone/security as part of the condo association fees.

Hmmm interesting. What additional hardware do I need to do the leeching? I know that the owners of the building have either cable or ADSL and it seems very good speed and reliablity wise. I will check with them the specifics though. I am not interested in getting English TV at all, just the internet.

[Caustic Saint]

If you can get fiber, get it!

I've got Tepco's Hikari fiber at my new place, with the service provided by DTI. You can use other providers than DTI on the fiber, and I'd suggest doing just that.

DTI didn't mail my PPPoE info out until the day before Tepco was coming to hook up the fiber, and it didn't arrive until a week later. (I had to reschedule the delivery of the info for a time I'd be at home since - for some retarded reason - I had to sign for the letter containing my ID and password.)

But now that it's hooked up, it's awesome. You won't believe the speed you can get off the connection.

[spyder]

[quote="Caustic Saint"]If you can get fiber, get it!

I've got Tepco's Hikari fiber at my new place, with the service provided by DTI. You can use other providers than DTI on the fiber, and I'd suggest doing just that.

DTI didn't mail my PPPoE info out until the day before Tepco was coming to hook up the fiber, and it didn't arrive until a week later. (I had to reschedule the delivery of the info for a time I'd be at home since - for some retarded reason - I had to sign for the letter containing my ID and password.)

But now that it's hooked up, it's awesome. You won't believe the speed you can get off the connection. ]

Sounds good. What happens in terms of contracts with ISPs. If I decided to cancel the service etc. And what hardware is needed to "borrow" internet from neighbours while I am sorting this stuff out?

Cheers.

[Taro Toporific]

[ What additional hardware do I need to do the leeching? I know that the owners of the building have either cable or ADSL and it seems very good speed and reliablity wise. I will check with them the specifics though. I am not interested in getting English TV at all, just the internet.

If the building has cable you will be paying for basic cable TV and cable Internet whether you want it or not as part of your fees. If the building has fiber Internet that is even better.

I strongly recommend to get some kind of WiFi card for your computer and get it working before you leave so you'll have Internet from the first day you move into your new concrete cage in Tokyo.

WiFi cards are cheap---less than 5,000yen here (I've seen rebate deals in the States making the price less than $30). In urban Japan, there are plenty of open WiFi connections (because all of YahooBB wireless routers are set to the "open" by default). With a wireless card and positioning to get a strong signal, you can use your neighbors open WiFi while you sort out whether you building's Internet is good enough or you want to up grade to a 100Mb fiber connection. Hell whenever my provider goes down maintance, I just switch over WiFi/ It's a great backup even though sometimes I have to move over to window to get a stronger signal.

[Caustic Saint]

My new place is in a bit of a wifi void. I could kinda/sorta get a signal from one place in my apartment, but it was very iffy. If I went outside near the front entrance I could pick it up just fine. (And it was kinda cozy since there's a really nice abandoned couch near the mailboxes. )

Thankfully my building already had the Tepco fiber run to it, so I only had to wait 3 weeks for a hookup instead of the common 10.

[spyder]

Thanks alot for all the help - it is very much appreciated. What will I look for when I goto Yamada or Sakuraya? a WiFi card, or what is the actual name of it? I had a quick look at Sakuraya on the way to work today, but like everything electrical here, there are 1001 options for everything!!

[Caustic Saint]

Wifi adapters come in several different flavors. You're most likely to find USB models and ones designed for PC Card slots (or CardBus or whatever it's being called these days).

Most every one out there will support 802.11b, but make sure you pick up one tht supports 802.11g as well. "g" is the faster standard, and is what most every access point is running these days, but it's good to have "b" support as well, just in case you wind up with a neighbor who's got an older access point.

[Captain Japan]

[ What additional hardware do I need to do the leeching? I know that the owners of the building have either cable or ADSL and it seems very good speed and reliablity wise. I will check with them the specifics though. I am not interested in getting English TV at all, just the internet.

If the building has cable you will be paying for basic cable TV and cable Internet whether you want it or not as part of your fees. If the building has fiber Internet that is even better.

That's not exactly true. Itscom http://www.itscom.net/index.html offers separate cable TV and Internet packages. I had both for a while. But dumped the cable TV because it wasn't worth it and then dumped the Internet when I found an open connection in my new building.