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Why We Are Here => Hardware & Technology => Topic started by: rcjordan on June 04, 2013, 01:22:09 PM

Title: Seagate wireless drive
Post by: rcjordan on June 04, 2013, 01:22:09 PM
Interesting. North American sales only, though?

http://www.seagate.com/files/www-content/product-content/goflex-fam/wireless-plus/en-us/docs/wireless-plus-data-sheet-ds1771-1-1212-amer.pdf
Title: Re: Seagate wireless drive
Post by: ergophobe on June 04, 2013, 04:14:30 PM
The problem I have with drives like this (I've seen similar from WD sold as routers with a TB of storage) is that your router will last until the next major technology change. Your hard drive will possibly fail or possibly fill. So now you throw away a drive and a router when you replace it.

Since so many routers come with a USB port designed to run a HD and connect it to the network, you can buy a cheap drive and have the same benefit. Your NAS depends only on your own network, not the internet, but it can also be switched out for very cheap.

I realize that this drive has the added convenience of travelling with you - if it has a power source of course. So it's not going to "stay in my bag" as they say and do anything there unless I take it out and plug it in. So I wouldn't get much advantage from the wireless aspect. If I have to plug it in, then I might as well plug it in to my USB port.  The only way I get around plugging it in, is if I leave it plugged in in my house, at which point I might as well leave it plugged into my router.

Now I could leave it plugged into an adapter in my car, but since my laptop is never on in my car, it won't back up there either.

So I just can't see an intelligent use case for that thing in my life.

Now if it were a super-efficient SSD drive that ran for weeks at a time on battery alone and I truly could leave it in my computer bag and mirror my laptop dirve to it in real time, I might buy one!