A couple of months ago, WD announced their first wireless external hard drive that can expand storage for all devices – the WD My Passport Wireless. The WD My Passport Wireless is basically like the company’s typical My Passport external hard drive, except that now it’s wireless. The new WD My Passport Wireless is basically an easy to use WiFi enabled storage drive that allows consumers to save, access and share stored content wirelessly with any smartphone, tablet, computer or other device. For the frequent business traveler to the family on a road trip or creative professional working in the field, the WD My Passport Wireless drive is a simple way to connect all computing and mobile devices to content without any wires or Internet connection. Additionally, when users need to transfer large amounts of data, the My Passport Wireless drive provides the option of using a high speed USB 3.0 connection. Check out the rest of its features, specifications, prices and where to buy below.
WD My Passport Wireless Features
My Passport Wireless Highlighted Features:
- 1TB / 2TB Capacity
- Wirelessly Share Files w/up to 8 Devices
- Stream Media to Connected Devices
- Internet Sharing/Wi-Fi Hub
- Backup & Transfer from your SD Card
- Rechargeable Battery
- Network Security
- WD My Cloud Mobile App
- iOS & Android OS Compatible
- Windows & Mac Compatible
According to Jim Welsh, executive vice president, WD Content Solutions Business and worldwide sales.: “As we celebrate its 10th anniversary, the success of WD’s My Passport® line of portable hard drives is unprecedented,” “Our new My Passport Wireless drive continues the evolution, resolving a common problem for today’s mobile consumer; too many devices with limited storage and no way to offload their content and free up space on-the-go. Now, consumers will have one drive to easily store content from all their devices and enjoy that content anywhere they go.”
The WD My Passport Wireless drive broadcasts its own wireless network that allows up to eight devices to connect at the same time and access any content stored on the drive. Available in 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB models, users now have the ability to store and access up to hundreds of hours of movies and music, as well photos and other digital files, from their smartphones and tablets that are typically limited by minimal storage capacity.
The portable wireless drive features Wireless N with MIMO technology for enhanced wireless performance so that users can access and transfer files quickly, as well as stream up to four HD videos simultaneously. The built-in rechargeable battery provides up to six hours of continuous streaming and up to 20 hours of standby power making the drive a perfect travel companion.
With the WD My Passport Wireless drive users have anywhere, anytime access to their favorite digital content by using WD’s award winning WD My Cloud® mobile app for iOS® or Android™ mobile devices. The WD My Cloud mobile app easily connects to a My Passport Wireless drive for simple product setup, and once setup the mobile app provides intuitive navigation, sharing and playback of the drive’s content. The WD My Cloud app also helps unify all of a users’ content under a single app and user interface, by allowing access to content on the My Passport Wireless drive, the WD My Cloud family of personal cloud storage, and on major public cloud services such as Dropbox™, OneDrive™ and Google Drive™ from just one app.
In additional to mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, the portable wireless storage drive is an ideal companion for cameras with its integrated SD card slot. Whether shooting large commercial photography and video production or just taking photos and videos of the family while on vacation, the My Passport Wireless drive will never let you miss a moment because your memory cards are full. The built-in SD card slot lets users copy their content from the SD card to the My Passport Wireless drive to make room for more memorable moments. Additionally, with integrated FTP, the drive connects to compatible wireless cameras so that users can automatically transfer photos from their cameras to the drive as they are taking them.
WD My Passport Wireless Specifications
| Disk Capacity | 1TB / 2 TB |
| Operating System | Windows 8, 7, Vista, XP, and Mac OS X |
| Interfaces | 1x USB 3.0 (client mode) 1x SD card slot Built-in wireless-N with MIMO |
| Data Transfer Rate | USB 3.0 up to 5 Gb/s USB 2.0 up to 480 Mb/s SD 2.0 up to 25 MB/s 2x2 Wireless-N |
| Cache (Buffer) | 256 MB |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Drive Bays | 1 |
| Processor | TI AM3352 |
| Battery | Yes |
| AC Input Voltage (AC Adapter) | 90 - 260 V AC |
| AC Input Frequency | 47 - 63 Hz |
| Operating Temperature | 32 to 95°F / 0 to 35°C |
| Non-Operating Temperature | -4 to 140°F / -20 to 60°C |
| NRCAN Compliant | Yes |
| RoHS Compliant | Yes |
| Dimensions | 5.00 x 3.39 x 1.17" / 12.70 x 8.61 x 2.97 cm |
| Weight | 0.77 lb / 0.35 kg |
Price and Availability
In the US the WD My Passport Wireless external hard drive is now available. As of todate, it currently has a retail price of $163.99 for the 1TB, and $219.00 for the 2TB. B&H is currently offering 4% reward for both capacities. The box includes a USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, WD My Cloud Mobile App, WD Quickview and WD is offering a limited 2-year warranty.
The My Passport Wireless is also available at select retailers and distributed by EA Global Supply Chain Solutions, Inc. and Iontech, Inc. in the Philippines. MSRP is Php 7,590 for 500 GB, Php 9,590 for 1 TB and Php 11,990 for 2 TB. The WD My Cloud mobile app currently is available for download for free from the App Store™ and Google Play™.
WD My Passport Wireless in Action
Here’s a video from CNet demonstrating the capability of the WD My Passport Wireless:
