27 Aug 10 Hard Drives Go Wireless

To save large volumes of information as well as for making a backup copy of a computer’s operating system and contents individuals often utilize hard drives. The technology has advanced to the point where these devices can now be integrated wirelessly into your home or office network for storing information of creating routine backups.

What is a wireless hard drive?

Hard drives have traditionally only been inside the CPU (central-processing unit) of a computer. The demand for external storage has grown and wired hard drives have become a popular device for making a backup copy of an operating system in the event it crashes or to have extra space for movies, music and other data. Wireless printers, faxes, speakers and other peripherals have been around for some time. Now hard drives have the capability to capture information transferred to them over a wireless network. These devices are the same as a traditional external hard drive except of course for their wireless capabilities.

There are many different models of wireless hard drives for sale however this article will only highlight two of the most popular from well known manufacturers of computers and other media devices. Apple for example makes the Time Capsule with a whopping two terabyte storage capacity. To give readers some context, a terabyte is over 1,000 gigabytes which means the Time Capsule can potentially store millions upon millions of average word documents or the same amount of pictures depending on the format. The average consumer would have a difficult if not expensive time of filling up this much space with data. Features of the Time Capsule include 802.11n compliant wireless networking, dual 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz frequencies, and built in firewall and USB interface. The unit retails for about 500 dollars and the only drawback to its amazing capabilities is that it can only be used with Apple computers.

A slightly less expensive model of hard drive that is compatible with PC’s is the Imation Pro WX hard-drive with 1.5 terabytes of storage. It features fast transfer speeds, storage for about three hundred thousand photos or 750 hours of video, wireless USB technology, and a data transfer range of up to 30 feet. It also has one touch backup sync buttons for easy routine backups as well as an integrated stand for multiple mounting options. It comes with installation software and retails online for about 300 dollars.

As you can see there are an array of wireless hard drives for sale and wireless has stretched to accommodate still more devices that are used for computers. Wireless hard drives function in much the same was as a traditional wired unit however there is no hassle with cords and units can be stored in a safe and convenient location. While many models are a bit pricy such as the ones featured in this article, backing up priceless photos, huge music collections and other data helps protect the money you have already spent.