The SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive provides an easy way to wirelessly store and stream your favorite high-definition movies, videos, and music on up to 8 tablet and smartphone connections–including 5 different HD movies simultaneously.
This pocket-sized device is designed for convenience and portability, allowing you to enjoy the freedom without Internet connections, cables or connectors; plus, up to 8 continuous streaming hours on a single charge.
The Wireless Media Drive is the perfect companion for road warriors or parents who need to keep their kids' movies and videos ready to go.
The added SDHC /SDXC slot allows you to store or share more of your content or high-quality photos for instant viewing from your camera's memory card. 1GB=1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage less.
Based on streaming 720p content at 2mbps to one device; actual life and performance may vary depending upon usage and settings;
battery not replaceable.
HD (1280x720) video support may vary based on host device, file attributes and other factors.
SD Card sold separately.
See system requirements.
Share multimedia files across iPad, iPhone, Kindle or Android via Wi-Fi with SanDisk free app or web browser
Stream HD videos up to 5 devices simultaneously; max 8 connections when accessing other data
64G built in Flash storage, streaming up to 8 hours on a single charge
Expandable SDHC/SDXC memory card slot for instant viewing of your camera's card & extra storage
An instant on the go storage in pocket-sized & stylish design
Optional Wi-Fi password protection for your personal data security
Compatible with iOS 5.0 or later, Android 2.3 or later via SanDisk free app, or Wi-Fi-enabled devices with a web browser
USB 2.0 port for connection to your computer or charger;
AC adapter and cable included
The SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive is an ultra-portable storage device that features up to 64GB of capacity and is engineered to enable consumers to share and stream HD movies, music and pictures intuitively using a tablet or smartphone.
Users can download free iOS, Android or Kindle Fire apps to access their multimedia collection.
The Connect Wireless Media drive includes embedded memory in either 32GB or 64GB capacities, and it also includes an SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot to instantly share digital camera photos or expand the device's native capacity.
As with others in the space, the Connect Wireless Media Drive creates its own network, meaning no Internet is required.
Further, with the Media Drive's super-portability and wireless range of up to 150 feet, users can access their media most places in their home.
The device does feature USB 2.0 connectivity, so transfer rates will be limited. However, most users will be accessing content wirelessly anyhow
As we mentioned in our recent review of the SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive's sibling, the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive, the SanDisk devices enter a market that is developing quickly and has a range of offerings.
On one end of the spectrum, there are portable wireless drives with capacities up to 1TB, and on the other end are devices such as the Media Drive that fit consumer requirements for ultra-portability and reduced cost.
The Media Drive is smaller than a Post-it note, and yet it delivers the same functionality that large-capacity, wireless hard drives offer.
It can simultaneously connect to up to 8 devices like the Flash Drive, and it can stream HD video to as many as 5 devices (2 more than the Flash Drive). Additionally, while the Flash Drive offers up to 4 hours of continuous streaming on a single charge, the Media Drive delivers double the battery life at up to 8 hours.
Design and Build
The SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive is composed of black plastic on the top and bottom, and it features silver metal that wraps around the front, back and sides.
The device ships in an ultra-portable, slim cube design. It weighs only 2.5 ounces, and, as noted before, is smaller than a Post-it note in length and width.
The Media Drive features SanDisk branding on the top, as well as a button which powers on the device.
The right side of the Media drive features an SD/SDHC/SDXC slot to instantly share digital camera photos or expand the native capacity.
There are three LED indicators on the front of the Media Drive to inform users about the device's operation.
The left-most is the Internet LED which indicates that the drive is optionally connected to the Internet Wi-Fi network.
The next light shows that the Media Drive is broadcasting its wireless signal.
The third light indicates battery activity.
Green means sufficient battery for usage, red is less than 10% life left, and a blinking light means that the device is charging.
The power button serves three functions: pressing and holding it for 2 seconds turns the device off and on, for 10 seconds restores the default admin and Wi-Fi passwords, and for 25 seconds performs a hard restart.
Usability
Starting out, the SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive needs to be charged, which shouldn't take longer than three hours.
SanDisk does caution that it may be more than three hours if charging via USB, however uses can just plug in the device with the included USB AC adapter.
From here, users download the app and login as the admin by using the default password "admin" that SanDisk provides. We used our Media Drive primarily on an iPad, so we installed the iOS app, turned on the device, and then connected to the device's wireless network.
We found it strange that Media Drive and its sibling which is quite similar, the Wireless Flash Drive, use different apps. It would be nice to have a unified app that could be used across devices.
Within the app, it is really simple to upload and download content, and it's also extremely easy to stream movies and music.
Users can also choose to upload to the Media Drive or an installed SD card.
SanDisk Connect Wireless Media Drive Review:
1-The new device is the latest to join the long list of battery-operated Wi-Fi storage devices and is the first from SanDisk, a major maker of flash-based storage devices.
It comes with up to 64GB of built-in flash memory. However, users can expand its capacity to up to 192GB -- possibly even more in near future -- thanks to its built-in standard SD card slot.
The card slot also means that you can quickly view or share photos and video shot by a digital camera, on or with up to eight Wi-Fi devices at a time.
The new device worked well in my testing as a mobile media-streaming and backup server, but as a USB-connected portable drive it was very slow.
However it still makes a great accessory for tablet or smartphone owners or photographers who want to carry some extra content on the go and be able to back up, preview, and share content as well as hot-spot Internet while traveling.
For alternatives that offer better performance, and much larger storage space, check out those on this list.
2-Compact and versatile
The Media Drive is a tiny square box that's only 2.6 inches wide and 0.52 inch tall.
And it's quite amazing what it has packed inside: a battery that offers about 8 hours of usage, up to 64GB of built-in storage space, and a 802.11n Wi-Fi network.
Best of all, it comes with a built-in SD card slot, which means you can add more storage to it.
Since SD cards now offer up to 128GB, you can pack an impressive amount of data into this tiny device.
The addition of an SD card slot means more than just storage expansion.
You now can quickly share or preview movies or photos taken with a digital camera on a screen larger than that of the camera itself, while saving the camera's battery.
I tried it with my Nikon D5100 and this worked out very well.
3-Well-designed mobile app that's Internet-sharing-ready
Like other Wi-Fi storage devices, the Media Drive is designed to be controlled by a mobile app.
It comes with a free SanDisk Media Drive app that is available for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire devices.
This app worked very well in my testing.
It automatically organized content into four categories, Videos, Photos, Music, and Files, regardless of the location you copy the file to, be it the Media Drive's internal storage or the connected SD card.
The drive scans for new media files in real time; this process took a very short time in my trials.
For example, just about a second after I had inserted an SD card, movies and photos stored on the card had already appeared in the respective category.
Alternatively, you can access the drive's storage via folders and subfolders.
You can swipe through a photo album or folder quite conveniently.
You can also play a file or an album automatically, or add the file to the mobile device to play back later.
When viewing a photo, you also have options to share it via social media or e-mail.
All of these options are tightly integrated.
With music, background playing is supported, meaning the music will stay on when you close the app to open another app.
This is a great feature if you want to listen to music and check your e-mail at the same time.
Specifications:
Drive type: Flash-based external USB storage device with built-in internal Wi-Fi access point and battery
Available capacities Memory/Storage: 32GB or 64GB, plus one SD card
Max concurrent Wi-Fi clients supported: 8 (only 5 for HD video streaming)
Mobile streaming format supported: Video: MP4, MOV (iOS only), M4V (iOS only) | Audio: MP3, M4A (iOS only) | Image: JPG, PNG | Documents: DOC, XLS, PPT, PDF
Apps included: SanDisk Media Drive for iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire, and Android-based devices
OSes supported: iOS 5.1 or later (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch), Android (2.2.3 or later), Kindle Fire, Microsoft Windows XP or later, Mac OS 10.6 or later
Battery: Built-in, 3.7V/1500mAh Li-polymer with up to 8 hours of continuous use
Charging: Over USB 2.0-power connection (500mA) - up to 3 hours for a full charge; USB wall-plug charger included
Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz)
Range: Up to 45m (150 feet) line of sight
Wireless Security: WEP 128-bit, WPA2
Maximum File Size: More than 16GB (exFAT)
Dimensions: 2.6" x 2.6" x 0.54" (66.01mm x 66.01mm x 13.8mm)
Weight: 2.5oz (70.8g)
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