Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification


The Seagate Wireless Plus is a 1TB wireless hard drive and is a lighter version of the GoFlex Satellite which we reviewed last year. It can be accessed by most Wi-Fi enabled devices using a web browser, but for iOS and Android users there are dedicated apps. We'll be testing using an iPhone and an iPad. The Seagate Wireless Plus is available for around £170.00.

Seagate Wireless Plus Features

• 1TB of storage capacity
• Wirelessly stream your media and files to tablets, smartphones, MAC computers and PCs
• Take more than 500 HD movies with you on the go
• Stream media to multiple (maximum 3) Wi-Fi enabled devices at the same time
• Enjoy all your movies, photos, music and documents on DLNA-certified game consoles, media players, smart TVs and more
• Up to 10 hours of battery life
• Stream to almost any Wi-Fi enabled device using a Web browser or the free app optimised for iPad and Android devices
• Upload and back up full-resolution photos and video from your tablet or smartphone
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Create a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 8 devices
• Wi-Fi range of up to 150 feet
• Charge the device with the included portable wall charger
• Includes USB 3.0 connectivity for fast data transfers
• 3 year limited warranty

Seagate Wireless Plus Handling

The Wireless Plus can be charged via a wall plug or by USB on your computer. To add media, you connect the device via USB (2.0 or 3.0) to your computer, as you would any ordinary external hard drive. You can add your media wirelessly if you prefer but it takes longer. We tested the drive and found it has a read speed of 33.85 Mb and a write speed of 29.13 Mb when connected using USB 2.

When you have finished adding your content, you need to disconnect it from your computer and switch it on. The blue wireless light will flash on and off until it is ready, then it will remain solid. The other light indicates how much charge the device has, with green for fully charged, red when it needs charging and amber when it is charging.

On your device, either iOS or Android, you need to install the free Seagate Media app, available from the iTunes Store or Andriod Market. The next step is to connect to the Wireless Plus. This will mean that you aren't connected to the internet any more, but you can reconnect later via the hard drive. You can also set a password so that no one can access the device without your permission.

Your content is organised into videos, photos, music and documents, but you also access by folder view. The folder view tends to be a better way to view your media, particularly if you have added it to the drive in an organised fashion, for example, if you upload lots of music that comes with its album art, this will clog up the photos section.

Seagate Wireless Plus Performance

The process of viewing contents in folders is much quick than the GoFlex Satellite, although if you are flicking through large photos there is a small delay while it loads up. If you want to save images from the Wireless Plus to your camera roll you have to access the drive via your web browser as this cannot be done via the app unfortunately. It is also worth bearing in mind that you'll only be able to save images one at a time. Content can be saved to your device but it can only be accessed using the app and is therefore inaccessible to other apps for editing and sharing.


Videos and music will take a little time to buffer, particularly videos, but the content will download during playback, so if your device runs out of power before you finished viewing, you should be OK to continue watching until the end.

The Seagate Media Sync software makes it very easy to sync chosen folders with the GoFlex Satellite, you can set it to auto sync, as well as only sync items that are compatible with your device. You can choose a selection of videos to watch, music to listen to and pictures to view in a slide show, adding transition, time, loop and shuffle effects.


We were a little wary of the temperature that the GoFlex Satellite reaches during use, but we are happy to report that the Wireless Plus is much cooler during operation. Another small improvement is the speed that the drive switches on and off. The GoFlex Satellite required a press and hold to switch off, the Wireless Plus just needs a press and it switches off instantly.

Being able to access the internet using the drive is standard now amongst Wireless Drives. What it is worth noting is that if you are in, for example, a hotel and have paid for internet access for one device, you can connect with the Wireless Plus and the connection is then available for up to eight other devices (iOS and Android devices only). When running speed tests we found that the internet was slower by up to 75% than when connecting directly.

If you're unable to connect to an internet enabled Wi-Fi network with the drive, it does mean that you'll have no internet at all as 3G is unavailable when connected to the drive. When connected to another Wi-Fi network, for security, you will be asked if you want to disable access to the contents of the device for other users.


The device is capable of up to 10 hours of constant use, but is reduced when viewing high-resolution video. Via the app you can see how much battery life is remaining. It's worth carrying the charger with you just in case. The previous model came with an in-car charger, but that isn't the case with the Wireless Plus.

Value for money

The Seagate Wireless Plus 1TB is available for £169.99. There aren't lots of options on the market at the moment, particularly if you want a 1TB drive. There is the Kiosk LS 1TB available for just under £150. A smaller solution is the Kingston Wi-Drive, which comes in capacities of 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb priced at £55.00, £65.00 and £82.38 respectively.

Seagate Wireless Plus Verdict

The Seagate Wireless Plus is an extremely useful device if you are looking for a portable hard-drive which can connect to your computer and mobile devices, such as tablets and smart phones. Even if you have the latest iPad with the maximum sized storage available, it's still only 128GB, so a drive with a capacity of 1TB is a massive bonus.

It's ideal for storing videos to watch while travelling, but also great for carrying and even backing up your images from your device whilst on the move. There are some limitations, such as only being able to transfer images one at a time via a web browser, but we are still happy to recommend the Seagate Wireless Plus.

	The Seagate Wireless Plus allows you to carry lots of media for use on the move.

Seagate Wireless Plus Pros

Lots of storage space
Connects to internet to ensure your device is always connected
Can be used by up to 8 users
Can be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot
Easier than the GoFlex Satellite to switch on / off

Seagate Wireless Plus Cons

Can be a little slow in use
Can't save images using app to camera roll
No in-car charger supplied

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL

Seagate Wireless Plus Specifications

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