Review: SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive

Introduction and specs

I buy USB drives all the time. I either lose them, constantly, but I'm also prone to purchasing new USB drives for newer technology. I remember ditching all my old USB 1.0 sticks when USB 2.0 came out, but, as I'm starting towards USB 3.0 there is a wonderful glitch in the path, and that is the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive.

Why pay for a USB drive when it's just USB 3.0, and why not get the Wi-Fi USB stick? There have been a ton of instances where I've been using a USB drive that is formatted in HFS+ (Mac OS X's file system) and I need to read something on a Windows machine – and there's always a problem. Sure, I could have originally formatted my USB drive in another more prominent operating system but who pre-plans for that? Regardless, the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive allows you to share content anywhere, with or without an existing Wi-Fi source, to any device.

How much does this SanDisk stick cost? Well, the 16GB drive is £40 (it's priced at $50 in the US, which is around AU$65), the 32GB model is £45 ($60 in the US, which is around AU$79), and the 64GB drive is £68 ($109 in the US, which is around AU$145).

The price points are high – £40 for a 16GB flash drive? I understand the concern that you can buy a regular 16GB USB 3.0 stick for way less than that, these days. But you lose the functionality that SanDisk incorporates into the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive, of course.

Tech specs

The Connect Wireless Flash Drive is a normal-sized USB flash drive, or maybe slightly bigger. The dimensions of the device are 2.79 x 0.84 x 0.45-inch (7.09 x 2.13 x 1.14cm).

The system requirements do call for a USB 2.0 interface or higher, though what type of USB connection the Connect Wireless Flash Drive actually uses isn't specified. In terms of operating systems, this SanDisk device works well with Mac OS X 10.6 or higher and Windows Vista/7/8. The Wi-Fi mode that the drive uses is also not specified, but I would assume it's 802.11n. Furthermore, it's worth noting that this USB stick does allow for an optional password to be set for the Wi-Fi.

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive works with almost all mobile devices when it comes to sharing files. It supports all iOS devices that are running iOS 5.0 and higher, and Android devices on Android version 2.3 and better (as well as the Kindle Fire).

Performance

Before you start using the Connect Wireless Flash Drive for its Wi-Fi capabilities, you will need to charge it. You can charge up via a USB port on your computer, or a charger. The instructions that come with the device note that it requires two hours of charging before use for the Wi-Fi option to work. Regardless of waiting for Wi-Fi to work, the SanDisk stick will function as a normal USB drive off the bat – there's no need to wait there, naturally.

The performance of the Connect Wireless Flash Drive is typical of a USB stick. The Read/Write performance is pretty phenomenal and you can easily copy stuff to the drive via USB very swiftly.

Using the ATTO Disk Benchmark, the test results I recorded are as follows:

USB 3.0

64kb Block Size

• Read speed was in the 3.25Gbps range


• Write speed was around 2.75Gbps

128kb Block Size

• Read speed was in the 3.6Gbps range


• Write speed was around 3.1Gbps

256kb Block Size

• Read speed was around 4Gbps


• Write speed was around 3.5Gbps

USB 2.0

64kb – 256kb Block Size results were all the same

• Read speed was around 17Mbps


• Write speed was just over 10Mbps

So, it seems that the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive is a USB 3.0 flash device. But regardless, the speed is pretty decent. If you are only using this device for project decks, PDFs, spreadsheets and other business-based files then you will not have a problem transferring files to this USB drive in any form.

Transferring bigger files, say a ton of MP3s or a movie, may take a while if you are using USB 2.0, but will be quick on USB 3.0.

The Wi-Fi aspect of this device is a bit different. For starters, the Wi-Fi on the Wireless Flash Drive is started by pressing the Wi-Fi button until it blinks blue. Once on, you connect your mobile device or computer to the Connect Wireless Flash Drive by selecting the pre-named wireless name. On a Mac OS X or Windows machine, you can connect to the drive via a web browser.

The directions to hook up with a web browser instruct you to connect to http://ift.tt/1AY70N1 but I haven't made that work consistently. What I have been using is the IP address (which can be found in your network adapter's IP settings, then point your browser to the information under the 'gateway' setting) of the SanDisk drive in the web browser. Usage via the web browser is merely okay – it just lists files in a basic directory, but it works.

For mobile devices you can download the SanDisk Wireless Flash Drive app. Once downloaded, you connect your Android or iOS device to the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive's Wi-Fi and that's it.

The mobile app is far better than the web browser app. You can change the Wi-Fi (SSID) name, password, and energy saver settings on both the web and mobile apps. The web platform allows you to change the Wi-Fi Channel of the Connect Wireless Flash Drive, and the mobile app lets you add the SanDisk device to an already existing Wi-Fi access point. So, if you want your SanDisk stick to connect directly to your home network, then you would set this here. The mobile app also allows you to upload contacts and other files, along with the facility to download files to your device.

One more thing to mention is that the Wi-Fi battery life is pretty decent. I put a movie on the Connect Wireless Flash Drive and I streamed it to my mobile phone, and the SanDisk device lasted for 55 minutes before giving out.

Verdict

We liked

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive simply makes things easy – the Wi-Fi aspect is pure genius and it works really well. This device is great to collaborate with friends and co-workers when you are in a location where Wi-Fi is not available. Such as, for instance, when travelling – on a bus, train, or an airplane, this gadget provides a wonderful way to work on a file wirelessly where a Wi-Fi connection is not available. Performance levels were also impressive.

We disliked

The web-based application for the Connect Wireless Flash Drive is not great. It's just very basic and I was hoping for something more dynamic. Another flaw is you can't have the Wi-Fi active while the USB drive is plugged into a computer charging. That just seems like a lack of planning on SanDisk's part but hopefully a firmware upgrade will fix that.

Final verdict

The SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive is excellent. I want one. The Wi-Fi capability may seem like a gimmick but its real-world uses are endless. If nothing else, this is a USB drive that offers another way of easily sharing your content with collaborators when all other means fail, and that could be a very handy feature to have on tap.

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