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Demystifying the Wireless Hard Drive

As we advance in technology, a major trend is gathering momentum; we need more and more storage space. We are taking more photos, and “selfies” on our smartphones and tablets. We are recording more juicy clips of our pets or toddlers to share on the internet and space is running out on our hand-held devices. With the improved video and camera quality, a mere high definition video is taking up many times as much memory as ever before. Therefore, many devices with low memory (current technology considered) are having trouble keeping up. This has prompted many people to subscribe to cloud services, back up their additional files in their computers which they may not find convenient carrying around, or even worse; deleting cute photos and videos with great sentimental value. Engineers have invented a clever way to circumvent this sticky situation.

Introducing the Wireless External Hard Drive

You may have encountered an External Hard Drive of, say, 1 or 2 TB that you connect to your PC or Mac using a cable. The concept of an External storage device is not new. However, as we shift our focus from desktop to Hand-Held devices, it is impossible to work with an external memory drive that needs a USB port to connect to, since mobile hand held devices do not have USB ports. Some people go through the hassle of buying some adapters or download some apps to connect to this cabled external hard drive. An obvious downside to this is that the smart device’s battery will drain pretty fast and all the convenience is rather short-lived.

However, if you dig deeper into your pocket, you can acquire the next-gen storage mode; the wireless external storage drive that has storage space as high as 2TB. With this drive, you can have added storage that is accessible without the need for a cable or web access. The hard drive creates a Wi-Fi Hotspot from which all enabled devices, from smartphones to tablets, PCs to Macs can access an extra pool of storage. You can also access the drive via Bluetooth, just like a funny bluetooth speaker. The extra space shows up in your explorer or finder on your PC and Mac respectively. It appears on your tablet or smartphone on a window with a wizard to take you through the process of accessing and sending or streaming files. You can set a password so that only the authorized devices can gain access to the drive. They have a battery to provide the constant power on the move. The battery life is sensibly sufficient with some drives giving as much as 7 hours while constantly streaming files. That is enough time for you to enjoy the convenience while on the move before you have to recharge when you are next in the office or at home.

Some wireless hard drives come with a solid state backup, a slot for the SD memory card and therefore offer great speeds and more stability than the conventional hard drives. Some can as much as being a storage device, act as a smartphone charger. Multi-user access is a plus by some of the makes which offers convenience although there are limits to the number of users at a go. Some manufacturers have made pocket-size drives even though they compromise on some features. Wireless hard drives are easy to use with rather straightforward application and plug and play capability.

From category: Buyer's Guide

Why acquiring the External Hard Drive has been long overdue

If you are a professional photographer, you know that capturing the perfect snapshot is as spontaneous as it gets. If you are having a road trip, you will most likely capture a decent number of photos and videos for sentimental value. You don’t want to be held back by lack of storage space because you can easily transfer some photos and videos onto the drive. This leaves you enough space to capture that award winning photo in the spur of a moment. It is therefore convenient for the traveler who holds portability with great regard. You just put it in your backpack and you are good to go, moreover, the drive is not heavy.

Besides wireless access, a decent wireless hard drive can be connected to the computer via a cable with greater transfer speeds. It is convenient whichever way you like it. If you have a fast USB port, this can be a great buy because you can transfer large files at great speeds with a cable. If you can’t find your cable or a friend borrowed it, you can still access your files without a hiccup, albeit, at a lower transfer rate.

Some wireless drives have the media-streaming feature. This allows all devices, including smart TVs, media streamers like Roku, Airplay and Chromecast, which can access the drive to stream movies, videos and music. Once you are configured to the drive’s network, you can binge-watch your favorite series on a Friday night with your fiancé as your roommate streams from the adjoining room! This is possible because some Wireless drives allow multi-user access, which is of course sanctioned by the use of a password.

Demerits of the Wireless Hard Drive

We have established that it is a portable storage space that you can access easily on your mobile phone or tablet. What if you do not have a backpack on the move and you still want the extra space? If you only have your pocket to carry the phone, some of the hard drives are a bit bulky. It is not entirely portable in such circumstances and other options should be considered. A cloud service is better suited for extreme portability or a higher capacity memory card.

A wireless hard drive is an external hard drive. It is significantly expensive because of the extra technology adopted to create the wireless access possibility.  If you are low on cash, it is arguably more prudent to steer clear of this Drive, and seek cheaper alternatives. You may miss out on a couple of fantastic features, but if low on budget, you can merely postpone your acquisition.

In the absence of a high speed connection cable, transfer rates can be frustratingly slow. If you are transferring sizeable files and the wired option is not available, you may be better suited to find a quicker alternative.

Conclusion

Technology has changed our lives in ways our fore fathers couldn’t ever fathom in their wildest imaginations. There is an overall clamor and a leaning on towards all things wireless. From wireless chargers, wireless mouse, wireless headphones to wireless keyboards, there is a strong feeling that the wireless world is beckoning. In addition, so many softwares have been launched like QuickBooks Payroll, for which you can find here a QuickBooks Payroll Support Number.

The great need for additional storage on the go, for hand-held devices especially, prompted the invention of a wireless hard drive. As I don’t like wire, and if you are like me then you can buy a wireless hard drive. I am an Autocad designer, and data is very important for me. As I said, I hate wire that’s why last month I bought a wireless hard drive and a laptop for AutoCAD 3d modeling. I am using MSI Laptop and Seagate wireless plus portable wireless hard drive.

The wireless hard drive has numerous advantages with a few downsides but the future looks bright. You can imagine that somebody somewhere is working tirelessly to improve the quality of connection or reduce the size of the drive while still staying within sight of a competitive price. It happened before with transistors replacing bulky tubes in electronics and a safe bet would tell you this field is no exception. Things are only going to get better in the brave new world of wireless hard drives. You don’t want to be left out.

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