WD My Passport Wireless Pro Hard Drive & Plex Server Review (2TB / 3TB)
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
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VIDEO INDEX:
00:30 - Hardware overview
01:30 - SD card and transfer speeds
04:45 - Web based control panel and configuration
05:37 - Security concerns and lack of username / password
09:25 - Media serving options
10:50 - Disk speeds on wireless AC and direct connection
11:43 - Plex server and performance / transcoding
15:21 - My Cloud mobile app
17:53 - Conclusion and final thoughts
The drive is an improvement over their prior version, with a new industrial design and larger battery. The device doubles as a backup charging battery for mobile phones.
It very easily copies (or moves) SD card when inserted including the ability to do incremental backups.
WD also included a Plex server on the device although it's not well suited for transcoding. See more about Plex here:
• Plex 101 - What is Ple...
My biggest concern relates to security: there's no username or password securing the file share. So when it's on a local network everyone on that network can access the drive without any authentication. That's a big problem.
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#Plex #Plex@!
Crew cut circa 1967. Background PC circa 1997. Wifi drive circa 2017. Mind BLOWN!
It's all about being timeless :)
For the thumbnails to work, you must connect it to your home wireless network, update metadata of the plex library and you're good to go!
I love the Buran in the background, what an incredible achievement and so often overlooked
Lost me right at the beginning when you mentioned that wireless and direct USB connection are mutually exclusive. Oh well. Thanks for another thorough review, saving me research time.
Rubbish device keeps missing photos when importing from SD cards. Also has problems with charging stuck at 5%.
I'm still on the fence. I'd be all in if the USB port was 3.x.
Hey Lon,
I see this Hard Drive is great for someone who is into photography, but would you recommend this for someone who wants to use it to stream there music to there iTunes?
Lon, I have this device for my Plex on the road server. You have to connect to WiFi for the initial setup of all movie thumbnails and movie data. Great Post
Hey Lon,
Great overview of the pro. I had the previous model which was great. However I really wish they would make a SSD version of this for a more stable transfer on the go type of wireless hard drive. Would be more expensive but would mean you can just chuck it in your backpack and let the transfer happen on its own without having to worry about moving parts or corrupt data.
Also pictures are not to bad but transferring video was a pain sometimes as it took a lot longer than just plugging it into my laptop. It's still a very useful device though for any person is super handy to have in your bag of tricks.
Im not to sure if you have found a contact yet for WD but I have a contact here in Australia which Im sure they can point you to the right person for your region? Let me know @ritchieplunkett (twitter)
It is able to replace HDD to SDD. There is default 2.5 HDD inside.
Has this been verified? That could be very beneficial.
Yes. It has been verified. But you need to copy HDD to SDD with Acronis True Image to transfer firmware of Linux OS. So you can't just replace HDD, you must transfer firmware and file system too.
Wait... if Plex works on any hard drive, why would anyone even need this?
i have to say.. i bought a few of the storage solutions you made a video on and it was the best buy i had! thank you!!
what about overall lifetime battery ? If the battery plays up do you looose all your information? Also is there an update to this video as it is now a few years old?
hi there! ty for the review! im left with one question i would wish to make sure before i get this: can use wireless plus cord powered not using the akku? i know u said i cant usb3 to use it as hdd plus wireless, but can i keep it attached at the usb charger just for keeping the charge while using it wireless? tyvm, all the best wishes! i plan to use it stationary always ON plus wireless.
Hi Lon,
Im looking at getting the 3TB version and using it as a plex server in my 4wd. do you think that it will be suitable or will the mechanical drive to fragile with the jostling about? Will be connecting up to 4 tablets at a time to it, interested to know your thoughts on it.
Cheers from Australia.
Also, do you ship down here?
Hiya Lon! Got 2 questions if you don't mind.
Is this device friendly with TimeMachine?
If you leave it connected to be always "charging" itself using the wall plug, can you still use the wireless capabilities?
6 months later. - Bought one.This originally looked like such a good idea, but in my instance, not so much. I save the RAW files from my Olympus OMD’s SD card to the WDMPWP. They show up on my 12.9 iPad Pro through the WD app. The files are labeled “.ORF”. Can’t figure how to import to the iPad My Photos. The icon will not highlight when the file is selected. BUT, I can import the same exact file through a dongle to the iPad directly from the SD card which pretty much defeats the purpose of the WDMPWP for me as far as I can tell. It sure would be nice if I have overlooked something.
Always the best review about hardware
Hi Lon! Thanks so much for your awesome reviews! Loving your channel - just subscribed! :-) I was just wondering; I'm looking into getting either the WD My Passport Wireless or the WD My Passport Wireless Pro. Will probably mainly just be using the SD Slot to backup photos as I shoot them. Ive watched your review on both and can't decide between them, I was wondering what you would recommend out of the two? Ive found a Wireless (not pro) for half the price of the new pro so am tempted by this but Ive seen a few bad reviews. Your help would be hugely appreciated! Thanks so much and keep up the great work! Many thanks, Matt.
WOW! Thank you so much for your incredibly prompt response, that really is greatly appreciated. And thank you very much indeed for the info, that certainly brings me some clarity. I think I'll probably go with the 1st gen and give it a try. Thanks again so very much!! :-)
Can you use the NTFS file system without losing functionality? Apparently yes, so you can format as NTFS for your PC and restrict user access per folder or file.
Hey Lon what up!? Very pleased with your channel its great!!! Found lots of help, specially with netwroking! Just wondering if you'll review the new WD my cloud pro pr2100/4100? Theyre supposed to be very good for Plex 1080p video transcoding (hardware transcoding supported) red plex forums and no one reviewed yet! Just asking anyways... Awesome work keep it going!!!
I'm climbing Kilimanjaro in a couple of weeks and want to get this. I'm just wondering if I store all of my 4K footage on it and then clear my SD card to continue filming. When I re-upload will it wipe the previous clips on it as it will be filed under the same name MOV1.mp4 and so forth?
Can you access files on this drive from an ipad using a regular file browser rather than the WD app?
Also, on security, are you saying that if you allow wifi passthrough, then the connection between the drive and the device is unsecured?
The file times on an SD import are 6 hours earlier when you use the built in SD card reader on the unit. There doesn't seem to be a fix for it either. I might just return this as I want local time time stamps on my files
#Bus speeds on the motherboard are another factor that determine bandwidth, speed as well as read and write speeds on the device, love raw .mkv files you can never go wrong
I love this guy. I wish my teachers were like this
Hey Lon,
So can this be considered a type of NAS, wireless NAS? Can I access through file explorer as NAS like deviceID\\xxxxx\files?
Would you suggest this as the best one in the market or with more money you would go for another one?
Lon - I really appreciate the time you take to review products; keep up the great work. Question - I have a My Passport Wireless Pro and can't seem to access the drive when I am not at home - the message I get is Drive Offline. I believe this device is supposed to be accessed from anywhere, but just not having any success. The device is wirelessly connected to my router that is connected to the internet and using the WD Cloud app. Any suggestions, reading material, etc ?? Thanks again!!
I am not sure if this one works offsite. If it does it's likely something to do with your router settings. Easiest (unfortunately lease secure) way is to make sure UPNP is enabled on your router.
An awesome review, is it possible to connect it to a smart tv in order to play movies directly from it and in the same time to be connected to the home network so I can access it with my PC and maybe download directly to it ??
Thanks
How is its performance, battery life, sd card transfer speed, etc compared to the old version (non-pro), is it worth to upgrade from the older version?
This or the Kingston mobilelite Pro? Which app is more flexible (can send or open files through other apps on phone). Thanks
Hey Lon!
I have a quick question revolving around wireless hard drives and local hard drives alike. I own a Buffalo DriveStation DDR 3 TB hard drive (model HD-GD3.0U3), and I was wondering if there were any method of essentially turning this "dumb" hard drive into a wireless one? What products or services could I use? I'm no expert, but to me, it seems feasible that something like this could be done with the proper hardware, and if you would be so kind, if there is a commercial product that can do this and well, could you point me in the right direction?
Thanks!
+Stuffyou100 Oh okay. Thanks for the advice!
would a card reader work through the usb to offload as well? I still have gear that uses compact flash.
Is not required laptop? Can i transfer directly to hard drove?
I would like to know if this capable of backing two cameras without rewriting over numbering system? I have a canon 80D and my Husband has a canon 70D. If our camera's file systems are doing continuous numbering, Is there a way to differentiate the cards?
when you use that as bridge router, does it connect on 5G ifi or only 2.4G wifi on a modem ?
Any idea what hard drives don't need computer to watch personal collection of DVD's with plex? Thanks for any help thanks for awesome video!!!! I would think only ones with built in WiFi? I am gonna hook it up to my router directly if that helps.
Thank you for the review. I have tried over and over again to unload information I have on a USB drive and it won’t recognize my USB flash drive at all. It seems great for SSD cards but not for USB flash drives. I was also hoping to transfer information from my iPhone via WiFi to the passport but that doesn’t seem to work either. I’ve only been trying to use it for the past day so perhaps I’m doing something wrong. Another issue I have is that I downloaded to app, can see some sample photos and videos that are already on the hard drive but can’t seem to delete them. It appears you need to use a computer to really get this thing going instead of just using the WD My Cloud app. Needless to say, any help would be appreciated.
Thank for made this video, I would like to know its will work for streaming .mkv 1080p file on iPad ?
Hi Lon, can I wirelessly transfer video files from my android device to the movies folder on this device? Great video
The difference between this one and the SSD? Why does the SSD version only offer less storage 250 GB.
Vs 2/3 TB
Hi Lon...
Is it possible to connect it to a TV or Wii, and then use my computer to dump media files, so I can watch later on?
I only need to use one device at a time.
But my question is, will it connect to the HDD via wifi wile its connected to the TV ?
If not, do you know any device that does this?
Thanks and Congratulations for the this Top channel .
HOW DO YOU ACCESS THE HARDDRIVE FROM OUTSIDE THE NETWORK AND HOW DO YOU SHARE FILES WITH OTHER PEOPLE OUTSIDE YOUR NETWORK
what are the differences between this one and the earlier one you did a review on with the orange rubber bumper? i am shopping between the two :P
Orange one is solid state
How long does it take to upload/download a 1GB file from iOS to the drive or drive to iOS When connected to the Drive's wifi. ?
I'm surprised no one talks about the wifi transfer speed/time for large files.
Planning to buy this. This info would be helpful.
Thanks.
It’s probably best not to let the drive delete your files off the SD card anyway. I’ve always reformatted the card in my camera after I had offloaded the contents.
is it easy to change battery or it is all soldered in a way you can throw it away in 4 years?
is it possible to copy files first from a pc, then connect this to an ipad? I am looking for a device that will allow me to transfer movie files, that i can then watch via wifi on my ipad pro.
hi Lon, nice review as usual! could you please check this drive USB 3.0 mode support UASP mode? I was hoping swapping the internal HDD to SSD.
i will be travelling soon without a computer. Can this hard drive wirelessly transfer photos from a Canon G7x mark II without using any Computer?
can transfers video from my phone to drive wireless and after used hard drive with cable to tv watch the videos ?
is it possible to connect storage devices like pen drives and external hard disks to the usb 2.0 port ?
Cani download pictures from my iPhone directly to the hard disk without using the laptop?
Can I use this as regular HDD via USB 2 or 3 without battery power?
Hi Lon
I have two questions for you (or anyone else)
1) Will the WD My Passport Wireless Pro accept multiple files having the same file name but with differing capture dates? (My camera always defaults to a starting file name of C0001 after a card format)
2) Without a PC or laptop (but with an iPhone or iPad) is it possible to transfer files from the WD My Passport Wireless Pro to a usb external hard drive to provide a duplicate of the stored files?
Many thanks
Martin
This was super helpful man thanks so much for putting it together.
how long to transfer 64GB card to the hardisk without using computer/laptop
Can you use it on a iPad to move videos and pictures from and to the iPad
I agree with password to protect the HD from other veiwers
Could you attach this to an existing network and use the Plex functionality ?
How does the Iphone backup work? Can it back up Iphone with USB?
wow, now that was a great, informative and succinct review
hello
i have a windows laptop and andriod phone, my wife have iphone and mac. if i bay the my passport pro can we use it together and at the same time ? thanks
I can not find my WD Passport Pro wireless. I can connect it wirelessly, but I can not find it any where on my PC. What am I not doing?
Can I use this to import from my CF cards, I assume using a USB CF Card Reader, I use Canon RAW, will it copy that type of file also ? I dont need it to read, I really want a in the field back solution for my cameras.
Yes it should work with a CF card reader via USB but I haven't tested it.
Hi Lon,
thanks for the tutoral video. I purchased my My Passort Wireless few months back from Amazon but unfortunately, it came with a Security that i don't know. How can I used it wirelessly without entercountering this security code problem?
There should be a sticker with the Wifi password on the device itself or included in the box.
Thanks, it is great help to me since I just bought this device. It save me lots of time of researching those setting all about. Thanks again and appreciate this good toturial
Does 3rd party apps can work to stream videos? For example mx player or vlc player
i have ples on my pc.. i would love to dump all my movie and pic files on to this new device..... then dump my pc can i access plex on the wd device or do i still need to use my pc.
Can we encrypt the disk and still access it over Wifi?
I'd like to wirelessly load videos onto this from my computer upstairs and play them through my downstairs TV via a direct USB connection (rather than streaming). I'm guessing this would be possible as long as I unplug the USB cable when loading content over wireless?
I really need to do the same, did you try it ?
No, I ended up buying a NAS and connected it directly to the TV via ethernet.
how to connect with windows 10 bcoz when i us like external drive it not connect so pls help me
Great video, everything I was looking to learn about the hard drive, I bought it and I am happy
Thanks for this excellent review Lon ! :-)
what picture formats ? does it send/ receive pdf ?
Good evening, first let me say good info, second can I up grade the harddrive meaning, putting a larger size harddrive?
I don't believe it's designed for a user replaceable hard disk.
Hi Lon,
I have this device and I have comments that maybe you can help me.
1. Running Plex when the device is not connected to the internet (just connected to my ipad) most of the movies are barely playing, lots of buffering, but when I'm playing the same movie through their WD app on my ipad its ok with no buffering.
2. when playing Plex while the device is connected to the internet and to my ipad there is no buffering, why is that?
thanks, and hope you can help me
Sounds like Plex is trying to transcode the video, check your plex app to see if it's set to convert the video to a different resolution.
Where do I find it in the settings?
I give up. My Wireless Pro lets me click "Configure" under Plex, then sends me to the Plex web page, then says it can't find the My Wireless Pro server.
Does anyone know of a software on Windows that you can use to back up files from one drive to another but have it be smart enough to do an incremental transfer each time?
Hey Lon can you review the Asus VivoPC any version will do. I saw that you previously reviewed the asus chromebox. Hope you can review that mini pc 😊😊
Will this work for Mac and for PC? Where I can use on both?
Do anyone know if WD my passport wireless pro is the only one compatible with Plex? or are they previous models compatible also? regards
Can someone please tell me if its possible to transfer videos/fotos from
the disc to an iPad air2 !AND! vice versa? in order to keep editing
videos on the go from my ipad I need to transfer material into the wifi
hard disc to make space to edit more on my travel. Is that possible via
the app? Thanks for the feedback
Its Good to see the shop owner from Men In Black who can grow his head back is doing good and getting away from a life of crime
Funny why do the all tablet brands just make a connection for external harddrives via cable instead unstable wireless devices
different folders for different devices/people???
Does it have a guest mode to share movies with people but not personal files?
you could share it in plex like that. Just add the user name of the friend on your plex and then share that server.
Is the card reader UHS-I or UHS-II?
How is this compared with the non pro version? Thanks!
You can see my non-pro review here: ua-cam.com/video/_N-JgCbroAM/v-deo.html
I've seen it already. But what's the difference besides larger battery?
Check out WD.com for specifications in the product manual PDF files. There it says that the Pro has an SD-card import up to 60 MB/s while the non-Pro is limited to 25 MB/s. The Pro also has a basic indication of the remaining battery life by 4 LEDs in the casing, these are also used as a basic progress bar when copying files.
how do you setup this drive on windows 10 pc??? it's a fookin headache!!
This was awesome and very helpful review... :)
I just bought the 2/3 tb to hook up to my iPad
It’s think can replace iCloud for me
Giờ ngừng bán không sản xuất rồi, lỗi nặng quá thu hồi lại hết !
Can I back up my iPhone So that I can free up space
so you can charge the hdd while connected wirelessly?
yes
should I get this instead of my passport studio ? For my mac ?
can i upgrade the hardrive?
I got two of this cool wireless drives load them with ton of movies and music and you ready to live in even cave nice product period I recommend to anyone
What is twonky?
HOW DO YOU SET UP FTP SERVER