Review: WD My Passport Wireless SSD
Last issue, Simmo used the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro in his transition from computer to iPad-based recording. This allowed him to wirelessly transfer audio and video between it and the iPad Pro straight from SD cards inserted into the drive.
By Preshan John
15 February 2019
Last issue, Simmo used the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro in his transition from computer to iPad-based recording. This allowed him to wirelessly transfer audio and video between it and the iPad Pro straight from SD cards inserted into the drive.
We received the more expensive My Passport Wireless SSD for review which has all the same features of the My Passport Wireless Pro — SD card reader, wireless connection to your devices, a built-in 10+ hour battery — except that it has a solid state (instead of spinning platter) drive, significantly increasing read/write speeds. It’s also constructed with a tougher, more roadworthy casing.
I used the My Passport Wireless SSD on a number of out-and-about video shoots. Its slim form factor slipped easily into my laptop bag. Bolstered by an orange rubber bumper, the drive would nonchalantly shrug off a drop or two thanks also to the lack of moving parts in an SSD. Western Digital reckons it’ll handle a drop of 1m when operational.
You can set it up using the included WD software to instantly create backups of an SD card whenever one is slotted in (at 65MB/s), without needing a laptop. Alternatively the iOS/Android app lets you view and manage the transfer of files right from your smartphone using the My Passport Wireless SSD’s own high speed Wi-Fi hotspot. When you don’t need the fancy stuff, it’ll function just fine as a typical portable hard drive via USB 3.0. Editing and exporting video right off the My Passport Wireless SSD was a breeze and all file transfers were lighting fast (up to 390MB/s). Note, because it’s formatted as an NTFS drive you’ll need mounting software like Paragon (included) to use it with a Mac computer.
I had nothing but rock solid performance during my time with the WD My Passport Wireless SSD. Once this drive becomes part of your workflow, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.
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