Other by stefan @ 2014-01-16
The FlashAir Wi-Fi SDHC from Toshiba is available in different capacities of 8GB, 16GB or 32GB, features a well-developed interface for easy access from both our PC and mobile devices without the need of using an extra app and is also built with the Internet Pass Thru functionality for being able to browse the web while being connected to the newly connected network.
At first we would like to thank Toshiba Corporation for offering a sample of their FlashAir Class10 Wi-Fi SD Card for testing and reviewing.
“Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in pioneering high technology, a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products spanning information & communications systems; digital consumer products; electronic devices and components; power systems, including nuclear energy; industrial and social infrastructure systems; and home appliances. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 204,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 6.3 trillion yen (US$68 billion).”
Wireless data transfer function
Wireless data transfer of the data stored on the FlashAir™ SD Card. Any kind of data stored on FlashAir™ can be read and transferred by using standard WLAN communication. For example photos taken with digital cameras can be transferred by wireless communication to a PC, smartphone or Tablet PC.
Easy Wireless setting
It is easily possible to set up the connection from PC and smartphone.
Low power consumption
Wireless function is switched ON only when necessary to prevent wasteful power consumption of the battery.
Multiple Connections
Data sharing by multiple connections simultaneously. The Access Point created by FlashAir™ can be accessed by several remote hosts at the same time.
The FlashAir sample we have received from Toshiba was the 32GB version and is shipped inside a small cardboard box, which shows in the front how this product really works:
On the back side of the packaging we will get to see some more technical information in multiple languages, along with the notice regarding the product warranty:
The box can be opened right away in order to reveal the documentation and the SD card is located inside a semi-transparent plastic enclosure:
The documentation explains step-by-step how we should proceed next in order to use the product successfully; the manufacturer has also included application screenshots for both Android and iOS operating systems:
The Toshiba FlashAir looks like a regular SD card, but also sports wireless connectivity:
On the side we have the write protect switch:
If we look on the back side of the card we will see multiple serial numbers:
After inserting the card into our laptop, we found out that it was pre-formatted to FAT32:
In order to find more details regarding the transfer rates, we fired up HD Tune Pro and ran the Benchmark test:
Next we have ran the File Benchmark test and found out that the card exceeds the specifications of Class10:
For a real-life test, we have copied a large file to the card and then it was transferred back to the HDD; before the file was transferred back, we have rebooted the laptop in order to avoid using a cached version inside the RAM:
Before testing the wireless interface, we have updated the card thanks to the downloadable utility, which also implied removing and reinserting the card for multiple times:
Thanks to FlashAirTool, we are able to customize the advanced functions of the card:
The tool allows us to set a custom SSID for the newly created wireless network, a password, enable the redirecting function, but also the Internet Pass Thru Mode, something that was missing at the Wi-Fi card from Silicon Power:
During the time when the settings are applied, a new window will appear with a progress bar:
The Wireless LAN mode can be started in two ways, manual or auto:
From the same application we will be able to format the card:
Before operating the card, we must make sure that the camera will always keep the FlashAir connected, otherwise the newly created wireless network will only be available for a short while:
After loading our favorite browser, we should be able to navigate to http://flashair/ and the web interface will be shown to us right away. The same interface will be available on either iOS or Android:
Thanks to it we will be available to perform file operations with ease:
We have performed file download operations with the Internet Pass Thru Mode active, but also with it turned off:
On our 100/4 download/upload ISP subscription we have fired up SpeedTest.net in order to find the download limitations of the FlashAir with the Pass Thru Mode active:
After we have got the chance to work for some time with the FlashAir from Toshiba, we can consider it a really successful implementation, which is quite easy to set up after reading the supplied instructions and during testing we have got considerably higher transfer rates compared with the Silicon Power Model on Wi-Fi; the speed seems to drop a bit when the Internet Pass Thru function is enabled though. Another thing we did like about this model was the fact that it supports all file types and features a well-designed web server which can be accessed easily, without additional applications from both our PCs and our mobile devices running either iOS or Android.
When testing as standalone, the product has succeeded to offer speeds over 11MB/s for copy operations to the card and over 15MB/s when reading data to another storage medium.
As a future implementation hint, we would recommend creating a push system like we can find with the Eye-Fi cards or support for Infrastructure Mode.
The Toshiba FlashAir model is available in different capacities of 8GB, 16GB or 32GB. The 32GB variant can be had for about 67.5 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Toshiba Corporation for making this review possible!