My Cloud app, Performance, Pricing, and Conclusion
The My Cloud app is largely unchanged from the version launched with the original My Passport Wireless. We detailed most of those features here, but there are some changes worth noting:
Naturally the app was updated to support the new device.
All connected media can be accessed from the app – you can browse all files on attached SD cards as well as smartphones connected to the USB 2.0 port.
Importing of media from SD cards / USB-connected phones can be manually initiated from the app. There is also a hardware button to accomplish this on the top left corner of the device.
Here is the screen showing the list of connected devices (as well as the primary storage itself). Note the progress bar on the phone, showing the current status of an active import.
Performance
I observed the following performance from the My Passport Wireless Pro:
- SD Import: 60 MB/s (card was rated at 90 MB/s)
- USB 2.0 Import: 20 MB/s (from an iPhone 6S Plus)
- WiFi: 19.2 MB/s (5 feet from AC router)
- USB 3.0 directly connected: 110 MB/s (HDD speed – will slow towards end of disk)
To evaluate battery life, I started with a full charge, performed a full factory reset (on battery), installed plex server, did some test media streaming, imported ~200Gb of media from multiple SD cards and an iPhone, had both 2.4 and 5 GHz WiFi links in use simultaneously for several hours (using internet pass-through), and was able to charge an iPhone 6S Plus from 15% to 98% before the Wireless Pro finally exhausted its battery pack. That's plenty of juice given my rather drastic experiment.
Using the included 2.4A charger, 50% charge took about an hour, with full charge attained at the three-hour mark.
Pricing
- 2TB: $230
- 3TB: $250
3TB appears to be only $20 more, making that choice a no-brainer. Warranty is 2-year limited.
Conclusion
The Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro is an impressive little device. It can vacuum up photos and videos from your SD cards and phones while on the go and even charge mobile devices while doing so. You can then access that media over the built-in WiFi, which doubles as an access point when you're within range of another router. Performance was good overall, and the 24 Watt-hour battery turned out to be a nice addition, providing enough juice to allow mobile use of its Plex Media Server. For those who need more than 2TB, a 3TB capacity is available – again impressive given the size of this device. All said and done, I found the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro to be a worthy successor to the original My Passport Wireless. It's certainly going to be a staple in my travel backpack from now on!
I hope they have fixed some
I hope they have fixed some complaints of photographers. There was no way of finding out if the sd card inserted was copied completly without going through app. Also that sd reader was connected with usb 2.0, so I hope its now connected via usb 3.0 instead.
As mentioned in the review,
As mentioned in the review, SD imports now use the battery status indicator as a percent copied indicator (in 25% increments), and the SD reader goes ~60-70 MB/s (>USB 2.0 speed).
Thanks for info, though that
Thanks for info, though that reader kind of slow. 60MBps means that its not even utilising Uhs-I speeds to max. With Uhs-II cards available it would have been really time saver. Although it seems like WD certainly has listned to feedback and take. step in right direction. 18650 batteries also mean they are easier to replace once orignal set goes bad.
Gotta say that might be the
Gotta say that might be the most uninspired packaging I have seen so far this year.
Does this drive have the
Does this drive have the ability to connect to a wifi enabled camera directly and back up images as they are being shot – so that they are written both to the SD card and the drive simultaneously?
Unfortunately, no, but that
Unfortunately, no, but that is a very power-inefficient method of shooting (for both the camera and the destination device).
So you are SOL if you use a
So you are SOL if you use a camera that uses CF, like most higher end DSLR’s. Stopped reading as soon as I saw this limit. I’m not sure why they’d make a idea that appeals for photographers so limited in use.
Because the vast majority of
Because the vast majority of cameras actually sold are SDHC/SDXC cameras. CF-based cameras account for a tiny amount of cameras sold today, let alone the myriad of other devices that use MicroSD that are then compatible with a simple adapter (read: mobile phones).
Something interesting to add,
Something interesting to add, you can SSH to the drive, so that gives you flexibility to modify stuff.
It seems like WD certainly
It seems like WD certainly has listned to feedback and take. 60MBps means that its not even utilising Uhs-I speeds to max. With Uhs-II cards available it would have been really time saver.
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