Our mobile phone cameras are getting better every day, and the photos and videos they capture are swelling in size. While that’s great news, those big images and videos are hogging memory real fast, making storage a real pain for a lot of smartphone users. This white little thing here, namely the Sandisk Connect Wireless Stick tries to offer a wireless solution to the problem. Let’s see if this little device can be of some relief for those suffering with a condition called, lack of memory.
For those who want to watch our video review of the Sandisk Connect Wireless Stick, here you go – (Do subscribe to our Youtube channel, like and share our videos)
The Sandisk Wireless Stick is essentially a USB dongle with its own standalone wi-fi network. It allows a two-way transfer of files and can also stream multimedia to as many as three devices at the same time.
This is how it works. If you have, say for an example an Android OR iOS cellphone, you download the Sandisk Connect app from the Playstore or App store. Connect the phone to the drive’s wi-fi network through the app. By default there are no passwords but you can very well set one, and change the name of the network as well. Once done, you’ll be able to access, make, or delete folders within the drive using the app.
We received a maximum data transfer rate of about 3 mbps with phone in close proximity to the drive. It works very smoothly with a single or even twin devices connected and placed closely. However, with three devices paired for video streaming, we did witness some lag and frozen frames at times.
The app also allows you to transfer other data which may include documents or files of any other type. You can create and rename directories in the drive according your requirements. You can also have your camera roll auto backed up through the settings menu, though we couldn’t quite make the feature work properly. We think this app can probably do with ironing out some minor glitches it has.
The power button is on the side with an indicator light up front which changes colours or its frequency of blinking to denote charging, wi-fi on, low battery warning or firmware update. You can also reset the device by pressing the power button for fifteen seconds
The Connect Wireless Stick is available in 16, 32, 64, 128 and 200 GigaBytes of storage –the one we have here is the monstrous 200gig unit. The price for these devices ranges from USD 23 or INR 1700 to USD 97 or INR 7,000.
The Android and iOS apps for the drive allow you to establish an exclusive connection, or have a dual connection to the drive AND the internet. For devices with a USB port, just plug the stick in for connection. For platforms which don’t have an USB port you can connect the device to the drive’s wireless network, and then go to sandisk.com/myconnect/ from a web browser to access your files.
The battery life on the Connect Wireless Stick is up to 4.5 hours, though it drops substantially with more than one device connected. The wireless functionally shuts off when you plug the device into your computer’s USB port. However, connecting it to a USB power source doesn’t kill the connection. So you can extend the battery life with a power bank on road trips or long flights. The device takes about two hours to charge fully.
The SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick is an innovative, hassle free way to solve the storage issues which are common with mobile devices. More so with the ones which don’t offer expandability through an external card. It can also double up as your normal USB drive if you so wish. It’s more expensive than a non wi-fi drive, but its definitely more functional and more convenient.
On the downside, it’s an extra device which needs to be charged and carried. However, if that’s not a bother for you, this thing here can solve your storage issues in a very convenient way.