A few months ago, I had the opportunity to review Kingston’s first attempt of a mobile NAS. Being a Network Attached Storage device, this first generation allowed users to share music, movies, videos, photos, and more across multiple (five) mobile devices simultaneously.
First impressions of the first generation offered a great experience. Never before had I used a home NAS, and I found that with the ability to quickly share files between certain devices, the MobileLite G1 became a useful product.
When reviewing the G1, I mentioned in my review that I found the device to be nearly flawless. With very little negative comments, I was expecting it to be a while before we saw a second generation. Well Kingston has taken a second go at the mobile NAS and has just released their newest model, the MobileLite Wireless G2.
Welcome to the MobileLite Wireless G2 review where I will be covering the following topics: the unboxing and setup, design, features, and my overall thoughts. I would like to thank Kingston for providing me with the MobileLite Wireless G2 for this review.
The Unboxing and Setup
Similar to the first generation, the G2 offers nearly an identical unboxing, using the same box design as the G1 and including the same accessories, Kingston ensured that new users who pick up a G2 would receive everything needed to get started.
The front facing flap of the packaging is full of information and explains the top five features. You will also get a quick preview of the G2 through the front window.
Once unboxed, users will find the MobileLite G2 inside as well as a micro USB to USB cable, and a Kingston branded Micro SD adapter. These are the same items that came with the G1.
After you have charged your G2 to full battery, setup is a breeze. By downloading the Kingston MobileLite application, for either Android or iOS, users follow the demonstration found inside the box to turn on the device.
Download the Kingston MobileLite Wireless Application here:
First, download the Android or iOS Kingston MobileLite application by using the links above. Then press and hold the power button for three seconds and the G2 awakes. Connect your wireless mobile device to the newly created open Wi-Fi network and launch the MobileLite application. Then you’re done!
The Kingston application will automatically connect to the G2 and you will be greeted with the device’s user friendly file explorer. Any attached USB or Micro SD card connected to the G2 will become available to any user who is both connected to the wireless network and has launched the application.
The Design
As a second generation device, it would make sense to compare previous generations. So when it comes to design you would expect to see some improvement.
Unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the G2 seems to have taken a step backwards in design. Compared to the G1, the G2 has increased in overall size dimensions, moved to an all plastic body, and has changed shapes from a long rectangle to more of a square.
So what happened? Why has Kingston increased the size as well as move to a less durable building material? Well when comparing both units side by side, it becomes more apparent why. The G1’s metal top may have given some users a weaker wireless signal while the increase in size is due to the new Ethernet port.
Looking at more of a positive approach, users will find there is an all stylish all-black and white color scheme design. When it comes to the new plastic building material, it may not offer that premium feel but it is much lighter. The G2 still holds up to drops and bumps so there’s no worry there.
Moving to the front bezel, users will find three status LEDs, one indicating battery status, one displaying wireless network activity, and the last showing World Wide Web access. Moving down the bezel, there is a power button, reset hole, power input, and some product branding.
On the left bezel, there are the two storage inputs for USB and Micro SD; whereas on the back there is the new built-in Ethernet port and the right bezel is blank. On the top is just a Kingston logo and finally on the bottom are four plastic feet and product information.
When it comes to the design of the mobile application, well not much changes. The Kingston file explorer is great to use and the application is very user friendly. Users can sort by music files, movies, videos, or all files. The application provides some helpful tips, however, those helpful guides are still for the G1. The application doesn’t offer any help for the G2…yet.
In the end, I think I would much more prefer the design of the G1. The G1 offers a much more premium aspect while the G2 still looks nice it doesn’t out beat its predecessor when it comes to design. The application could use some updating for the G2, but still offers a great experience if you are a returning user or newcomer.
Features
So we see that the G2 doesn’t offer any new welcoming design aspects, but what about features? How does the G2 perform to the G1 when it comes to new technology?
Well, the G2 shines with many new features that G1 owners were asking for from the start. Let’s start with the features that were carried over from the G1. The G2 follows the same data file transfer rate of the G1. Connect your USB or Micro SD card, launch the app, and be ready to go.
Share music, videos, movies, and other files over an open wireless connection. Media playback is smooth and never stutters due to the long delay given off by the G2. In fact I found that I preferred my music on the G2 rather than my phone. Mainly due to other devices having access to my music library and it saved me storage on my phone. It’s like a portable SSD for your phone!
Throughout my review, I chose to use a Kingston DTM30 USB 3.0 flash drive. This small compact flash drive gave me 16GB of additional storage and offered a nice compact size. It’s all metal design is great and comes in many different colors. If you plan on picking up a G2 for yourself I would highly recommend you look into a DTM30 to follow along.
Now we take a look at what’s new. If your device is running low on battery, then give it an extra boost of power with the G2. The built in 4640mAh battery is large enough to supply most devices and is a nice stable battery boost; because let’s face it, without a mobile device having full battery the MobileLite can’t do much so having this ability to charge devices is excellent.
Next we have the new edition of the Ethernet port. Something I disliked about the G1 was that your internet access while connected to the G1 was terminated since you needed to connect to the G1 Wi-Fi connection. On the G2 this problem is somewhat solved. You still need to connect to its Wi-Fi field, but by connecting an Ethernet cable to the G2, users will regain their wireless capability. This is a huge improvement over the previous edition and something I am very happy to see.
Finally, you can view the entire specification sheet here:
Inputs for Storage: USB and SD – reads SD, SDHC, SDXC and microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC (with included adapter)
Supported File Systems: FAT, FAT32, NTFS, exFAT
Dimensions: 129.14mm x 79.09mm x 19.28mm
Weight: 171g
Wireless Network Interface: Wi-Fi 802.11g/n with wireless security (WPA2)
WLAN Ethernet Port: to function as a mobile router
Rechargeable Battery: up to 13 hours of continuous use; built-in Li-ion 4640 mAh 3.8v battery
Local Storage: wirelessly transfer files to and from the MobileLite Wireless app and the MobileLite Wireless hardware
Camera Roll support: allows users to move photos from their mobile device to MobileLite Wireless in order to free up space
Cable: USB to micro USB cable included
Operating Temperature: 0–40°C
Storage Temperature: -10–45°C
Guaranteed: two-year warranty, free technical support
Customizable Device Name: (SSID) User selectable Wi-Fi priority list when there are multiple APN/Key available
File Support: MobileLite Wireless can store any file type. Playback and viewing are based on the files supported by the mobile device
General file format support:
Audio: MP3, WAV
Video2: m4V, mp4 (H. 264 video codec)
Image: jpg, tif
Document: pdf
Compatible with: Windows® 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 (SP1), Windows Vista® (SP2), Mac OS X v.10.6.x+, Linux v.2.6.x+
Compatible Mobile Devices: iPad2, iPad (3rd Gen), iPad (4th Gen), iPad mini, iPad Air3, iPhone 4/4S/53, iPod touch3, Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, Android (4.0+)
My Final Thoughts
All in all, I am happy to see Kingston continue with the product line of the MobileLite. The device offers a great service for people who need to share files between multiple (five) devices. The G2 offers great new features over the G1 even if the design isn’t much of an improvement. If you’re a user looking for such a device then I would highly recommend exploring the MobileLite Wireless G2. With the two year warranty and low price of $55 you can’t go wrong.
Buy it Now:
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3 Comments
your wrong about the g1 nother having Internet when connected to its WiFi
if you use the mobilelite app, under settings you can connect the g1 to the access point at which point it acts as a dhcp server to any devices connected to the it, allowing you to connect to the Internet through the mobilelite .
Does it works with windows phone? i have Lumia 1020.
Hi. You will need the Kingston app which is only available on Android and iOS. Visit the Microsoft Store to see if there is a Kingston application to download.