We are cutting the cord and going wireless. From the rising prominence of wireless headsets and wireless charging, there is also an upcoming trend in portable wireless external hard drives.
Characteristics of portable wireless external hard drives
- Wireless hard drives have an internal battery to power on which will need recharging.
- They come with dedicated apps for connecting to smart devices through Wi-Fi and you can browse all of your favorite media files in no time.
- If you have any troubles with the wireless connectivity, there is the possibility to make a connection with a USB cable. You can connect these drives to computers and use them just like any other wired external drives.
What to consider before buying a portable wireless external hard drive
Passthrough: This is a technology that allows you to stay connected to your Wi-Fi network while the pairing with the hard drive has been done. Through this, your wireless hard drive can detect the local Wi-Fi network and automatically connect to it. It will also act as a bridge so, for example, if you connect your smartphone to it and then have the hard drive connected to the router, your phone gets Internet access.
Data streaming: You should be aware of the number of devices that can be wirelessly connected at once. You should also know how many of those connections can reliably support streaming.
Battery: You will need a portable wireless external hard drive with a battery capacity capable of lasting long. A good one lasts usually between four and five hours so try to aim for that value.
Card Slots: Some portable wireless external hard drives include an SD card slot built into the body of the drive. Having this slot can make accessing and/or backing up the contents of a camera card easy.
With all this background information about portable wireless hard drives known, lets now dive into the list of wireless hard drives.
Related Article: How to buy an External Hard Drive
Seagate Wireless Plus
Source: CNET
- Capacity: 1TB
- Creates its own wireless network
- Wirelessly stream your media and files to tablets, smartphones, Macs, and PCs
- Free Seagate Media app for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, and Android devices
- Up to 10-hour battery life
- Size (LxWxH): 5.00″(127mm) x 3.50″ (89mm) x .78in (19.9mm)
- Weight: 0.56lb (256g)
Lenovo ThinkPad stack
Source: Windows Central
- 1TB External Hard Drive (USB 3.0)
- 10,000mAh Power Bank with 2 x USB ports
- Wireless Router
- Bluetooth Speakers with 3.5mm jack cable port
- 76.8mm x 74mm x 136mm
Sandisk connect wireless stick
Source: PCMag
- Memory/Storage: Available capacities: 16GB, 32GB, 64 GB, 128GB, and 200GB.
- Battery Type: Built-in, non-replaceable rechargeable lithium polymer battery. Up to 4.5 hours of continuous usage
- Battery Charging over USB 2.0-powered connection
- Simultaneous wireless usage and charge with compatible USB power adapter
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
- Wireless Range: Up to 45m (150 feet) line-of-sight
- Wireless Security: WPA2
- Dimensions: 3.03” x 0.75” x 0.43” (77mm x 19mm x 11mm)
- Weight: 21.76g (0.77oz)
Western Digital my passport wireless hard drive
Source: Amazon
- Interface – Wi-Fi, SD card slot, USB 3.0
- Capacity – 4TB, 3TB, 2TB, 1TB
- Operating System – Windows/Mac
- Built with 802.11ac technology
- Equipped with an integrated SD 3.0 card reader
- With a battery that provides up to 10 hours of continuous use
Apple Time capsule
Source: Amazon
- 2 and 3TB capacities
- Easy setup for OS X and iOS
- Three Ethernet ports
- A six-element beamforming antenna array
- WPA/WPA2 Security and MAC address filtering
RAVPower FileHub Plus Wireless Travel SD Card Reader Hard Drive
Source: Amazon
- Wireless Router – bridge and extend Wi-Fi
- Share media seamlessly with multiple devices
- SD card USB reader
- RAVPower Filehub Plus App
- Upgraded chip
- Built-in 6000mAh power bank
Toshiba Canvio AeroCast 1TB Wireless Hard Drive
Source: Amazon
- Support for PC or Mac
- Compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices
- 1TB capacity
- Toshiba mobile app
- Solid battery life
- 802.11n, 802.11G, 802.11B wireless type
Western Digital My Cloud Personal Network Attached Storage Wireless Hard Drive
Source: Amazon
- Various capacities ranging from 2TB to 16TB
- Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0
- Auto Network Discovery
- Personal Cloud Storage
- Compatible with both Windows and Mac systems
- Compatible with Apple Time Machine
Asus Travelair N
Source: Asus
-
Interface: USB 3.0 x 1 (Support USB 2.0) Wi-Fi
- Color: Black
- Capacities: 1TB
- Network Standard: IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
- Operating Frequency: 2.4 GHz
- Ports: USB 3.0 x 1, SD Card Reader x 1
- Button: Reset Button, Power Button
- LED Indicator: Power x 1, Wi-Fi x 1
- System Requirements: Windows® 10, Windows® 8, Windows® 7, Mac OS X 10.6 or higher; iOS7 or higher, AndroidTM 4.0 or higher, Kindle Fire HD and HDX
- Dimensions: 140 x 90 x 25.5 mm
LaCie Fuel
Source: Amazon
- Capacity: 1TB
- Interface: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
- USB 3.0
- Battery Life: 10 hours*
- Wi-Fi Range: 150 feet (45 meters)
- Max. Connected Devices: 5 (3 for streaming HD video)
- Dimensions: 115 x 115 x 23mm / 4.5 x 4.5 x 0.9in.
- Weight: 0.3kg / 9.7oz