You can see that you can control the transmitting channel and set security for the Wi-Drive. I did my testing with WPA2 security enabled and it worked fine, but turned it off to test out the non-iPad devices. If you turn on security, you can enter a passcode and select your security setting. Very nice!
Click on Network Connections to see all available Wi-Fi networks in your location.
Selecting Update Firmware will allow you to update the firmware at some point. Currently, version 1.00.02 is the latest available firmware.
What About Being Able to Connect to the Internet?
One weakness to this wi-fi based approach is that the Wi-Drive prevents your iPad from reaching the internet. Perhaps you want to still receive emails while watching a movie? Well, Kingston has thought of a solution. Once you connect your iPad to the Wi-Drive, open the app, and then open Network Connections. Then, select a network from the list. The Wi-Drive app will reboot, and when it comes back up, your device will be connected to the Wi-Drive, which then will act as a bridge to the main internet connection, allowing you to stay connected to the internet while connected to the Wi-Drive! Very nice! Note that the bridge feature will not work if the internet connection uses a WPA Mixed environment. It needs straight WPA, WPA2, or WEP to work as a bridge. Since we still have a few devices around that won’t support WPA2, I run the router in mixed configuration. I could not get the bridge to work in my environment without changing settings for security on the router.
Compared to Competition
A competing product is the Seagate GoFlex Satellite, which also uses Wi-Fi to connect. The Seagate comes with a capacity of 500GB, but is much bigger and does not support bridging mode. The Seagate costs about USD $174 on Amazon in the US, compared to $50 for the 16GB and $90 for the 32 GB. Since the Wi-Drive is much smaller and lighter, and costs significantly less, I’d gravitate towards the Wi-Drive first.
Overall Assessment
I really liked the Wi-Drive 16GB. I can see tossing this into my briefcase the next time I travel. I don’t like the way that iTunes handles converted TV recordings from Media Center, so I don’t load them into iTunes to synch to the iPad. This solution allows me to take the content with me and not deal with iTunes, a very nice capability. And since it works on the TouchPad and the Windows 7 tablet in my house, this is worth having in the bag. If the bridging solution could be made to work with mixed environments, it would improve the product further. Overall, I give the Kingston Wi-Drive a 4/5, Recommended. Give it a try!
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