Testing
On the new iteration of Thermaltakes hard drive dock, the biggest new feature has been the Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity and the “TtCloud” App for Android and iOS. The app allows for easy hard drive access from your wireless mobile devices. Due to that, I wanted to test ease of access, speed, and stability of my mobile devices when connected to the BlacX Urban Wi-FI Edition HDD Docking Station. For those interested in the performance of the USB 3.0 I suggest looking at older reviews covering older versions of Thermaltake’s hard drive docks.
It is important to understand that the BlacX Urban does not seamlessly work with your Wi-Fi to allow access to stored files while connected to your home router. Typically, to access the files on your hard drive using the Wi-Fi function, you have to disconnect from your home router and connect to the network connection default name of “TtCloud”, but Thermaltake has ingeniously included the option to use the BlacX Urban as an internet tethering device. By including the internet tethering function the BlacX Urban docking station can connect to your internet ready Wi-Fi network, which allows the device connected to the dock to access the internet! All standard network security is included as well.
The BlacX Urban Wi-FI docking station provides excellent coverage throughout my house; with old hard drives plugged into the dock I am able to stream pictures, movies, and music through my mobile devices all from my old stacks of hard drives. The shortcomings of the BlacX is not the the dock itself, but rather the TtCloud app. The TtCloud app crashes constantly, refuses to pick up an inserted hard drive that my PC easily sees via IP connection, and offers a clunky user interface. Thankfully, with enough feedback towards Thermaltake, the TtCloud app can be fixed. For now, the mild mannered app does affect the overall appeal of the BlacX Urban dock.
Final Thoughts
When you are considering purchasing a hard drive dock, you know exactly what you are getting: an easy way to interface with your hard drives without having to pull out your SATA cables or an annoying hard drive enclosure. Thermaltake takes hard drive docking a couple of steps further with the BlacX Urban Wi-Fi edition hard drive dock by including USB 3.0 and reliable Wi-Fi. With the new features, you are not just getting a hard drive dock. However, you are just about getting a home cloud server capable of storing movies, music, and files on a single hard drive and being able to stream them anywhere from home. I believe the real value of the BlacX Urban comes from its extra features and versatility. A great buy for anyone looking for a cheap streaming solution or just a simple hard drive dock.
Pros
- Elgeant Design
- Incredible Streaming Capabilities
- USB 3.0
Cons
- Unreliable App for Mobile Devices
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