Kingston Wi-Drive is just like any external hard drive. It’s portable. It allows you to backup photos, videos, music, and files. Most importantly, you can take it anywhere for storing and accessing files whenever needed. But unlike a traditional storage device, Kingston Wi-Drive allows wireless storage of files. You can also use it to access files directly from your iPhone, iPad, or Android.
Design
Kingston Wi-Drive has about the same size and weight of an iPod Touch. Its form makes it easy to place on a table or any flat surface. Made of glossy plastic it shouldn’t break when it falls but we don’t suggest you drop it since that’ll likely ruin internal hardware – maybe not at first but eventually and only if you keep doing it. You might be surprised to find a microUSB port on the top edge since it’s supposedly a wireless storage device. Truth of the matter is, you can also use Kingston Wi-Drive as a wired storage device for backing up files in your computer. The USB port also doubles as a charger since the device needs battery to sustain wireless transfers.
Hardware and features
Wireless storage and file access are the two main features of Kingston Wi-Drive. WiFi-enabled devices can copy or transfer all sorts of files directly to it through a shared wireless network. With the help of a dedicated app for Android and iOS devices, the same files can be accessed wherever via a wireless internet connection or mobile data. The dedicated app works seamlessly. It allows you to stream videos, photos, and all other content stored in Kingston Wi-Drive. Settings like the Wi-Drive’s device name, name visibility, WiFi channel, and network bridge connection can also be changed through the application. The Wi-Drive app is available as a free download at the App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore.
It is worth noting that while you can store almost any file in it, playback and viewing in mobile devices is limited to a few. File formats supported for viewing and playback include MP3 and WAV (audio), m4V and mp4 (video), jpg and tif (image), and pdf documents. According to Kingston, up to three devices can be connected to Wi-Drive but this isn’t a hard-wired limitation. Connecting more than three devices simultaneously is possible but this will affect transfer speeds. Kingston Wi-Drive also doubles as a traditional storage device. You can connect it to a PC for transferring files. File transfer via mini-USB is sluggish though compared to full-sized USB 2.0 hard drives.
Kingston Wi-Drive has an 802.11 g/n network interface. Configurations of Kingston Wi-Drive include 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models. It has a rechargeable battery so you can take it anywhere with you. On continuous use it can last up to four hours when fully charged.
Compatibility and system requirements
| Operating system | WiFi-enabled devices | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 Windows Vista (SP1, SP2) Windows XP (SP3) Mac OS version 10.5 and higher Linix version 2.6 and higher |
iPad, iPad 2, the new iPad iPhone 3G (iOS 4.2.1 and higher) iPhone 3GS/4/4S iPod Touch Kindle Fire Android version 2.2 and higher Browser-based systems |
Verdict
Kingston Wi-Drive is a practical way of expanding the limited storage of your mobile devices. It enables you to store and access files wirelessly or through a wired connection. Copy entire movies, music collections, and galleries from PC to Wi-Drive and access them wirelessly from there. Unlike cloud storage where you have to pay monthly fees, the device is a one-time deal and should last you several years of use.
