Ever since Apple enabled third-party apps to access files that weren’t stored inside iOS devices, developers have released external storage options for iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches — most of them portable and/or wireless. Two years ago, Western Digital released the 1- to 3-Terabyte My Book Live as a wall-tethered wireless hard drive, and Kingston debuted the fully portable, 16-64GB flash-based Wi-Drive; more recently, G-Technology offered G-Connect as a 500-Gigabyte semi-portable alternative in the middle. Seagate now has an option that competes directly against all of these products with Wireless Plus ($200), which blends the compact size of G-Connect with the battery-powered operability of Wi-Drive and the no-compromises storage capacity of My Book Live. It is, in one word, impressive.
- Seagate Backup Plus Hub for Mac 8TB External Hard Drive Desktop HDD – USB 3.0, 2 USB Ports, for Computer Desktop Workstation PC Laptop Mac, 2 Months Adobe CC Photography (STEM8000400).
- The Seagate Media app gives you access to all the photos, videos, music, and documents stored on your compatible Seagate storage devices. With the option to navigate with classic file/folder view, thumbnails or a range of filters, it’s easy to find exactly what you are looking for in your media library.
- Seagate Backup Plus Portable for Mac offers just that with 4TB of huge capacity. The perfect compliment to personal aesthetic, this portable external hard drive features a minimalist metal enclosure and easy USB 3.0 connectivity.
Currently available in a 1-Terabyte capacity—as much storage as the hard disks inside current iMacs—Wireless Plus is roughly the same size as G-Connect: at 3.5” wide, 5” deep and 0.7” tall, it’s actually a bit smaller in two dimensions and less than 0.1” wider. Seagate achieves this feat with a smart trick; while G-Technology built an Ethernet port and micro-USB connector directly into G-Connect, Seagate ends Wireless Plus’s back with a black plastic cap that pops open to reveal a wide proprietary connector. Included in the package is a USB adapter that attaches to the connector, extending the unit’s depth by just under 1/2” while adding a USB 3.0 port. A USB 3.0 cable is in the box, as are a separate “power only” cable and wall adapter that can be connected to Wireless Plus when you’re not using USB or the integrated rechargeable battery. The goal is to let users keep the USB components near a computer, relying fully upon wireless connectivity and only occasional wall power while away. Even if this isn’t the way you plan to use the device, the ability to go cable-free in two different ways is appreciated.
The Seagate Media app gives you access to all the photos, videos, music, and documents stored on your compatible Seagate storage devices. Quickly and easily browse your media library with classic file/folder view, thumbnails or a range of filters. Access your media library stored on a Seagate Wireless device, no Internet needed. Access content stored on your Seagate Personal Cloud.
Wireless Plus isn’t just small; it’s also quite handsome. While Seagate uses an all-plastic enclosure, it took a different route from the classic Apple-style bright white plastic, which is fairly scuffable. Wireless Plus has a brushed gunmetal-finished top with matte black plastic everywhere else, a color combination midway between Apple’s 2012-vintage “slate and black” devices and 2013’s “Space Gray” versions. Wireless and power indicator lights are found on the top, kitty corner from a Seagate logo, while a power button is located on the left side, directly across from a power input port on the right. Four small rubberized feet keep the unit still on a flat surface.
As suggested above, Wireless Plus is most noteworthy because it combines its rivals’ best features into a single product. It can establish its own Wi-Fi network using 802.11b/g/n, or join an existing network if you prefer. Additionally, the 10-hour rechargeable battery makes Wireless Plus completely mobile, freeing you from the need to worry about the wall adapter during typical day-to-day use; you can just plug it in to recharge at night when needed. It can also be used as a fully wired device, with formatting options for PC/Mac or pure Mac use, and a free Mac NTFS reader if you want the drive to be PC-readable. While Macally offers something similar to Wireless Plus in the $180, 750GB version of its WIFIHDD, it promises less than half the wireless battery life; the extended run time alone is a major benefit of Seagate’s package.
From an app perspective, Wireless Plus is similar to its rivals, though Seagate clearly has invested quite a bit of time and effort on its software and firmware. In our experience, iOS 7 made initial setup of the drive a little tricky, as we were forced to update the firmware twice, first to 2.1 and then 2.2, a process that was too complex by typical accessory standards. But once that 15-minute process was complete, everything else became simple. Adding photos, audio files, and videos to Wireless Plus was as easy as plugging it into a computer’s USB port, then dragging and dropping files onto the drive; this can also be done wirelessly if you don’t mind waiting longer for transfers to finish. Seagate’s iOS app automatically locates the drive’s videos, photos, music, and documents—plus recently added files—to bring them all within one-tap access. It also provides nice thumbnails after it’s had a chance to cache them, and offers a regular file/folder-browsing interface, complete with simple integrated audio, video, and photo players.
In our testing, standard JPEG photos and MP3/AAC music played without any major issues regardless of Wireless Plus’s network settings, but much larger files—particularly videos—were a different story. Seagate accurately warns that the unit’s streaming performance is compromised when on an existing network, and enables you to switch back to Wireless Plus’s integrated network with incredible ease; you just navigate to the iOS device’s Wi-Fi menu and choose the Seagate Wireless network, which persists even after the drive has been added to another network.
Streaming was quick and painless through a direct wireless connection, but quite delayed by buffering on a shared network, just as Seagate’s in-app warning suggested. Even modestly-sized home videos took a long while to buffer and occasionally stopped in the middle, but on a direct wireless connection, they started playing almost instantly and ran smoothly. While the app doesn’t support RAW photos—no surprise—Seagate has come up with a smart automatic workaround to play FairPlay-protected video content. Click on a protected M4V video and the app automatically opens a specially-created Safari web link to play it. As a result, you can toss all of your iTunes-purchased videos onto Wireless Plus and start watching them from your iOS device, a great feature that few other external storage devices implement with such ease. Using the app, you can also copy files directly from Wireless Plus to your device on an as-needed basis for faster access, and transfer files from your device to Wireless Plus to free up storage.
Overall, Seagate’s Wireless Plus is the best external storage solution we’ve yet tested for iOS devices, and worthy of our rare high recommendation. It’s not just the fact that it checks all the right boxes—Wi-Fi support, great storage capacity, a long-lasting rechargeable battery, compact form factor, and fast USB 3.0 transfers from a computer—but rather that there is so much that can be done with such an accessory when all the right pieces are in place. More than any alternative we’ve tested, this is a wireless storage solution that can be quickly loaded from a computer with tons of content, pulled off and used wirelessly, then recharged or reloaded intermittently. Until a flash-based alternative can come close to it in capacity, Wireless Plus is likely to be in heavy use here, and we would enthusiastically recommend it to any user who won’t be daunted by the initial firmware update process. After years of waiting, we’re thrilled to finally see this concept done right.
Our Rating
Highly Recommended
Company and Price
Company: Seagate Technology
Website:www.seagate.com
Model:Wireless Plus
Price: $200
Compatible: All iOS 4.3 and Higher Devices
Seagate Wireless Plus
Editor Rating: Excellent (4.0)
US Street Price$200.00
Pros
Caches media lists. Responds faster than previous iterations. USM connector. Large capaicty wireless storage for iOS devices, Kindle Fire, and Android. Passes Internet through. Works with some smart TVs and DLNA devices. Can use drag and drop or Media Sync app. Works with browsers in laptops and desktops.Cons
Easily misplaced USM port cover. Some videos play in browser, some in the Seagate Media app.Bottom Line
Think of the Seagate Wireless Plus wireless media hard drive as a streaming photo, video, and music library for your family's phones, tablets, and laptops.
Carrying your entire media library just became a bit easier with the Seagate Wireless Plus ($199.99) drive. It's a 1TB hard drive with a built-in battery, media server, and Wi-Fi router, so you can share videos, photos, and music on the road. Instead of having to rely on streaming over potentially expensive 3G/4G Internet, you can stream video and music files to your smartphones, tablets, and laptops anywhere, even if there isn't any Internet access at all. It's a controllable alternative to hotel in-room movies, as well as a way to keep the kids entertained on a multi-hour journey in the car. It irons out many drawbacks on previous wireless drives, and gains our first Editor's Choice award for wireless media drives.
Design and Features
The Wireless Plus follows the design ID of theSeagate Backup Plus , which means the drive itself is a grey slab of plastic measuring about 0.78 by 3.5 by 5 inches (HWD). It's a bit larger than the Backup Plus, in order to accommodate the radio for the built-in Wi-Fi, battery, and for an auxiliary charging port. The drive comes formatted for NTFS (Windows native), but you can download a NTFS read utility for Macs from Seagate's website or use the installer included on the drive. The drive comes with a USM adapter for USB 3.0, so you can connect the drive directly to your laptop or desktop for quick transfers. USM is Seagate's proprietary connector that uses a recessed SATA port. If you have older USM connectors from drives like the older Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage (500GB) ($199.99), you can connect the Wireless Plus to FireWire 800, eSATA, or Thunderbolt ports.
The Wireless Plus follows the design ID of the
Since the drive uses a 2.5-inch laptop-style mechanism, the Wireless Plus can be placed easily in a pocket or zippered pouch in your commute bag . The drive comes with a cover to protect the USM connector when it's not in use. The cover snaps into place after you remove the USB 3.0 adapter. It would have been nice to have the port cover built in, since it's easy to lose a small piece of flat plastic, but it's one of the only minor nits we can find with this drive.
The Wireless Plus comes as a single 1TB model, which is double that of the older GoFlex Satellite. This will let you carry several hundred HD movies or thousands of MP3s, AAC, photos, and other files with you everywhere. This is useful if you have a 64GB device like an iPad, but it's even more useful if you have a family with basic devices like that 8GB iPhone 3GS that you gave to your son after your contract ran out. The Wireless Plus can serve up to three HD video streams smoothly, but can service even more users if some are streaming music or SD videos. It would be a great companion for your family on a train ride, plane ride, or multi-state road trip.
The Wireless Plus can route the Internet by connecting to a Wi-Fi hotspot. Basically, the Wireless Plus is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, and your tablets, phones, and laptops are connected to the Wireless Plus, which is acting as a router. You'll manage the Internet connection through the Seagate media app on your phone or tablet. When your devices are connected via the Wireless Plus, all of your Internet apps (browser, Facebook, Spotify, etc.) should work fine. The one thing that won't work in this situation is your tablet or phone's internal cellular modem, unless the Wireless Plus is connected to the cell phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot. If you have an iPhone or other phones on one of the older non-hotspot data plans, you'll have to disconnect from the Wireless Plus and its library to surf the Internet. Thus, the best-case scenario for travel is to have the Wireless Plus connected to a 3G/4G hotspot like a MiFi, and your family's laptops and devices connected to the Wireless Plus.
The Wireless Plus has its own built-in Wi-Fi router, which is set as an open connection by default. You can setup WPA security on the router, so you won't have to worry about strangers sharing your personal files. You can search for and find the Seagate Media app in the iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Apps for Android stores, which gives Android tablets and phones, iOS devices, and Kindle Fire tablets simple access to the media on your Wireless Plus drive. Media files are presented in folder format (like on the first version of the GoFlex Satellite and Seagate Media app), but the Seagate Media app automatically catalogs and lists all the video, music, and readable documents in separate tabs as well. This makes it easy to find the movie you want to watch, instead of trying to dig through poorly marked folders. The current version of the Seagate Media app catalogs the media files on your drive and caches info like album art, so you don't constantly have to wait for the drive to show you its offerings. Populating the drive with media is as easy as dragging and dropping files on the drive, but if you want a little more automatic service, Seagate's Media Sync program on Mac or Windows will search for and copy media files to the Wireless Plus (or older GoFlex Satellite) drive. The Media Sync app can manage several drives, with different setting for each drive. You can set the sync to only copy iPad-compatible files, for example.
Seagate Wireless Plus App For Mac Windows 10
The Seagate Media app is the optimal tool for using the Wireless Plus, but you can view and manage the files on the drive using a web browser on your laptop or desktop. Just connect to the Wireless Plus' network and you can browse the files and enjoy the media on the drive as well. The clients aren't limited to computing devices: the Wireless Plus is compatible with DLNA devices like HDTVs, game consoles, and AV receivers. Seagate also claims future compatibility with Samsung smart TVs via an app, as long as they are on the same wireless network. Note that on the iPad and iPhone, iTunes videos will play in the Safari browser. This is due to the iTunes DRM, which requires an Apple app for playback. Non-DRM files play back in the Seagate Media app directly.
Speaking of networks, the Seagate Media app also allows you to use the Internet with the Wireless Plus. Though you are technically connected to the Wireless Plus, if you have a Wi-Fi network available (like at home or using a 3G/4G hotspot on the road) you can connect to that hotspot and continue to use the Internet for browsing in other apps. This is a marked contrast to other wireless drives like the Kingston Wi-Drive ($129.99), which has no Internet pass through abilities, or the G-Technology G-Connect (500GB) ($199.99 list), which is wireless but requires a wired Ethernet connection for the Internet.
Performance
The Wireless Plus is a battery saving drive, so it's not designed for performance. It took most of the day for us to transfer a 400GB iTunes library to the drive over USB 2.0. When we tested the Wireless Plus on USB 3.0 with PCMark, it returned respectable scores at PCMark 05 (6,640 points) and PCMark 7 (1531 points). We also got a quick 16 second time on our drag and drop test with our 1.22 GB test folder. Seagate claims a battery life of 10 hours serving a single user with SD video, but your battery life will vary depending on the files and number of users.
The Wireless Plus is a battery saving drive, so it's not designed for performance. It took most of the day for us to transfer a 400GB iTunes library to the drive over USB 2.0. When we tested the Wireless Plus on USB 3.0 with PCMark, it returned respectable scores at PCMark 05 (6,640 points) and PCMark 7 (1531 points). We also got a quick 16 second time on our drag and drop test with our 1.22 GB test folder. Seagate claims a battery life of 10 hours serving a single user with SD video, but your battery life will vary depending on the files and number of users.
The Seagate Wireless Plus is a good way to carry all of your media files with you without having to schlep a laptop with you. Its 1TB capacity could theoretically hold all your movies, music, PDFs, and photos with you at all times. It's a boon for the frequent commuter or road tripper, especially those with families that travel together with their electronic devices. It'll let you ignore the on demand menu at the hotel or save you if little Jimmy wants to watch the entire 5th season of Spongebob on a trans-continental flight, again. For all these reasons, the Seagate Wireless Plus is our first Editor's Choice for wireless media drives, and comes highly recommended.
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