WD My Passport Wireless Review: Shared Wireless Storage

The Western Digital Passport Wireless is a member of a new class of storage devices that combine run-of-the-mill USB storage with wireless hotspot and media center functionality. These devices essentially marry what used to be two separate drives - an external USB device and a media device that can stream data wirelessly to connected devices. They also help address the relatively small amount of storage that is included with today's mobile devices, as they let you store and access terabytes of data on your smartphone or tablet without having to store it locally. It's an interesting combination, and very useful if you're the type of person who is constantly passing your external drive around to family members or co-workers. Instead of using Sneaker Net, a drive like the WD My Passport Wireless lets other people connect to the drive wirelessly for file sharing, and it also allows connected users to stream its contents either via a mobile app or via file explorer/Finder. It even doubles as a Wi-Fi Hotspot, and can let up to eight users share an internet connection. And for the photographers out there, it has a built-in SD card reader that can automatically dump its contents onto the drive when a card is inserted.