Imation Pro WX Wireless USB Hard Drive
For a few months now Storage Switzerland has been putting the Imation Pro WX Wireless USB Hard Drive through its paces. First off this is not a WiFi attached hard drive or NAS. It is an external USB hard drive that instead of attaching via a USB cable attaches wirelessly. Its a product that fits well not only for the home user wanting to reduce the cables scattered across the desk but also the office worker wanting to do the same.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Second, Wireless USB does not have the range of WiFi. The typical range of Wireless USB is about 30 feet but your home or office layout will effect actual range. Walls for example will cause an issue. If you go out of range you will get the typical message that a device has been removed. However when you come back into range the device should automatically reconnect.
For the sacrifice of range there is a gain in performance when compared to typical WiFi transfers. The WX is rated at 15MBs per second and in our tests we were able to consistently reach 12MBs per second. WiFi comparison is substantially slower. This can be a critical performance loss, especially when doing large file transfer operations like backup or transferring video files.
The other advantage of Wireless USB is that it is extremely secure. The disk's receiver will only work with one USB transmitter. This makes it almost impossible for someone to hack into your drive from a wireless connection.
One day Wireless USB will be as ubiquitous on laptops and desktops as bluetooth is today. For now though there is a USB dongle that plugs into your laptop. With the driver loaded it automatically finds the hard drive and then it is ready to start working. Setup was extremely easy on both Windows and Macintosh platforms.
One thing that we have come to expect from our reviews of Imation products is that they always complete the package. The Pro WX is no different. All the cables and dongle were included. There was even an extension to the dongle that allowed for mounting at different angles to increase reception.
Most importantly the Pro WX came with backup applications for both Windows and Macintosh. We were especially impressed with the Macintosh application Memo. The product essentially provides real time backup of files as they change.
Storage Switzerland's Take
The Imation Pro WX is a winner. Its ideal for discerning consumers and office workers that want to reduce cable clutter but maintain high performance. During the three month trial the drive was used continuously and we never had issues with any of the components.
Briefing Report
George Crump, Senior Analyst
Imation is not a Storage Switzerland client, although they did provide the unit to us to test.
