Differences Between RAVPower FileHub Plus and WD My Passport WiFi Drive

[kgphotos]

Hi. I have a friend who does photo work and is interested in either the RAVPower Filehub Plus (WD-03) and the Western Digital My Passport Wifi Drive. Basically she wants to be able to transfer photos after a photo shoot to her iPad without a computer to do some culling and light photo editing. I have the WD Wifi Drive but I think she is leaning towards the RAVPower Drive. The questions I have is what is the difference between the two models and can the RavPower read RAW files and transfer to the iPad.

Thanks for your help!

 

[sparksd]

Hi. I have a friend who does photo work and is interested in either the RAVPower Filehub Plus (WD-03) and the Western Digital My Passport Wifi Drive. Basically she wants to be able to transfer photos after a photo shoot to her iPad without a computer to do some culling and light photo editing. I have the WD Wifi Drive but I think she is leaning towards the RAVPower Drive. The questions I have is what is the difference between the two models and can the RavPower read RAW files and transfer to the iPad.

Thanks for your help!

Yes, the RAVPower can transfer RAW files to the iPad - I have a RAVPower, iPP 10.5, and a Canon DSLR that I shoot exclusively RAW with. Functionally, there are a lot similarities though with the FileHub there is no built-in storage (I generally use a 4TB WD My Passport with mine) - as a result, the RAVPower is significantly cheaper.

 

[rui no onna]

Yes, the RAVPower can transfer RAW files to the iPad - I have a RAVPower, iPP 10.5, and a Canon DSLR that I shoot exclusively RAW with. Functionally, there are a lot similarities though with the FileHub there is no built-in storage (I generally use a 4TB WD My Passport with mine) - as a result, the RAVPower is significantly cheaper.

More flexible, too, abeit it does mean carrying two additional pieces of electronics instead of just one. I think just using separate external HDDs is easier for file transfers and the like. I've run into issues mounting the WD My Passpowrt WiFi on some of my PCs on occasion.

 

[sparksd]

More flexible, too, abeit it does mean carrying two additional pieces of electronics instead of just one. I think just using separate external HDDs is easier for file transfers and the like. I've run into issues mounting the WD My Passpowrt WiFi on some of my PCs on occasion.

Yeah, definitely more flexible. I've connected the FileHub to my iPad Pro, Air 2, Samsung phone & tablet (Androids), and my Windows 10 laptop. The bridge function has been useful in hotels with limits on number of Internet connections and I've even had to use the Ethernet connectivity in a few older places (and also where hotel WiFi sucked but wired was also available). With photos, I usually just transfer direct from an inserted SD card to the connected HDD. Really a versatile device and I've used them for some time - this is version 3 and I started with version 1 (the WD01).

 

[kgphotos]

Thanks for the replies. Can you transfer photos using FileBrowser? Or do you have to use the RavPower app? I think she wants her photos to go to her iCloud Drive and not the photos app on her iPad. Is that possible to transfer photos to iCloud Drive?

 

[sparksd]

Thanks for the replies. Can you transfer photos using FileBrowser? Or do you have to use the RavPower app? I think she wants her photos to go to her iCloud Drive and not the photos app on her iPad. Is that possible to transfer photos to iCloud Drive?

I sue FileBrowser with it most of the time. I don't use iCloud but I assume you could copy direct from an inserted SD card to iCloud with FileBrowser (I've done that with other storage). But you would have to have a bridged Internet connection to have iCloud also available.

 

[kgphotos]

Ok. I got the RavPower drive and in setting it up on her computer I get this error... what is the problem? I can't seem to mount the RavPower in her shared devices. The drive is connected to the internet. Also, does she need the IOS app to use this or the Mac App as well? She has Filebrowser and would like to use that instead.

Thanks for the help!

 

[sparksd]

Ok. I got the RavPower drive and in setting it up on her computer I get this error... what is the problem? I can't seem to mount the RavPower in her shared devices. The drive is connected to the internet. Also, does she need the IOS app to use this or the Mac App as well? She has Filebrowser and would like to use that instead.

Thanks for the help!

Not clear to me but it sounds like you are trying set the FileHub up as a share point on a Mac? The FileHub without attached storage is really just a router and I think to be a share on the Mac, it has to have storage (the storage being the share). I'm a Windows person so I'm coming from that perspective but did that make sense?

As for the FileHub app, I use it on the iPad (or other device) mainly to control the settings of the FileHub. I also use it to transfer files from an SD card to a USB drive directly through the FileHub. You can do it with FileBrowser or FileExplorer but it appears that with those apps that the copy goes from the card, through the iPad, and back to the FileHub; using the FileHub app, the transfer is faster and appears to be all within the FileHub, direct from the card to the drive.

 

[kgphotos]

Hi. I am trying to do this...
https://www.ravpower.com/media/downloads/How to connect filehub plus with mac.pdf

After I enter the admin name and password that’s when I get the error message. The drive won’t mount so I can’t see the contents on my SD card. According to these instructions it should show up under my shared devices in the Finder allowing me to view the contents. It does not.

I am not a network guru so any help in setting this up on her Mac is appreciated.

 

[sparksd]

Hi. I am trying to do this...
https://www.ravpower.com/media/downloads/How to connect filehub plus with mac.pdf

After I enter the admin name and password that’s when I get the error message. The drive won’t mount so I can’t see the contents on my SD card. According to these instructions it should show up under my shared devices in the Finder allowing me to view the contents. It does not.

I am not a network guru so any help in setting this up on her Mac is appreciated.

Searching on the error message, I couldn't find anything that was helpful in debugging it and not being a Mac person, I don't have much insight there. I'd recommend bundling all the info you have into an email message to RAVPower Support (support@ravpower.com). I'll play some more with my device and see if I can find anything useful on the net.

 

[Dave3641]

Hi. I am trying to do this...
https://www.ravpower.com/media/downloads/How to connect filehub plus with mac.pdf

After I enter the admin name and password that’s when I get the error message. The drive won’t mount so I can’t see the contents on my SD card. According to these instructions it should show up under my shared devices in the Finder allowing me to view the contents. It does not.

I am not a network guru so any help in setting this up on her Mac is appreciated.

Have you tried typing the smb web address into safari? I have to do this to connect to other smb drives on my mac.

 

[kgphotos]

Hey guys... I figured this one out. I didn't have the SD card pushed all the way in to the RavPower. I thought it was in but is wasn't. Once it was in, it worked.

On another note, how do I transfer photos from the SD card in RavPower to iCloud Drive?

Thanks for the help!

 

[sparksd]

Hey guys... I figured this one out. I didn't have the SD card pushed all the way in to the RavPower. I thought it was in but is wasn't. Once it was in, it worked.

On another note, how do I transfer photos from the SD card in RavPower to iCloud Drive?

Thanks for the help!

Glad it worked out. And so it was the equivalent of not having storage plugged in - interesting.

I'd use FileBrowser on the iPad for that.

 

[kgphotos]

@sparksd... you were right. I didn't have the card in. Another question- How did you set it up using FileBrowser on the the iPad? I set it up it as a NAS, then I entered the IP address. I do have it connected to my home WIFI. Should I connect via the Filebrowser WFIF? Many thanks for your help with this. I would like to be able to copy the files from the SD card to iCloud drive.

 

[sparksd]

@sparksd... you were right. I didn't have the card in. Another question- How did you set it up using FileBrowser on the the iPad? I set it up it as a NAS, then I entered the IP address. I do have it connected to my home WIFI. Should I connect via the Filebrowser WFIF? Many thanks for your help with this. I would like to be able to copy the files from the SD card to iCloud drive.

In FileBrowser, I set the FileHub up as a Computer/Network Drive -> PC using the \\10.10.10.254 IP address and login credentials. When I open it and the hub has storage connected, the storage looks like a PC drive. I did the same with the similar FileExplorer app.

 

[kgphotos]

Thanks @sparksd. Got it working now!

 

[sparksd]

Thanks @sparksd. Got it working now!

Super - hope you enjoy it!

 

[mrklaw]

Think I might get one of these. Was considering the WD for being self contained and for the plex server, but the Ravpower is much cheaper and I have USB HDDs spare I can reuse

With the Ravpower - couple of questions
1) can people play movies from it? Eg using infuse or VLC? I want something I can put videos on and stream directly as my kids only have 16GB iPad mini 2s so no space for downloading
2) can I backup SD cards from my camera to HDD without using an app - completely automatically on the Ravpower?
3) can you transfer photos from this into lightroom directly, or into the photo album (so lightroom can import from there)?

 

[sparksd]

Think I might get one of these. Was considering the WD for being self contained and for the plex server, but the Ravpower is much cheaper and I have USB HDDs spare I can reuse

With the Ravpower - couple of questions
1) can people play movies from it? Eg using infuse or VLC? I want something I can put videos on and stream directly as my kids only have 16GB iPad mini 2s so no space for downloading
2) can I backup SD cards from my camera to HDD without using an app - completely automatically on the Ravpower?
3) can you transfer photos from this into lightroom directly, or into the photo album (so lightroom can import from there)?

1) Yes. I use FileBrowser to stream mp4 movies on a connected HDD to Infuse. The FileHub app itself can stream video. My biggest use of this while traveling.
2) No, you need an app to do the transfer.
3) You can transfer to the photo album directly but not to Lightroom directly. Flip side, I've saved from Lightroom to attached storage (nice feature in Lightroom).

 

[mrklaw]

1) Yes. I use FileBrowser to stream mp4 movies on a connected HDD to Infuse. The FileHub app itself can stream video. My biggest use of this while traveling.
2) No, you need an app to do the transfer.
3) You can transfer to the photo album directly but not to Lightroom directly. Flip side, I've saved from Lightroom to attached storage (nice feature in Lightroom).

1) awesome - assume it’d work with mkv too because infuse can handle it

2) ok, does this mean you need the app open for the duration of the copy? That could be 30+ minutes which may be an issue

3) export direct to external? Nice.

 

[sparksd]

1) awesome - assume it’d work with mkv too because infuse can handle it

2) ok, does this mean you need the app open for the duration of the copy? That could be 30+ minutes which may be an issue

3) export direct to external? Nice.

I’ll give (2) a try.

 

[sparksd]

1) awesome - assume it’d work with mkv too because infuse can handle it

2) ok, does this mean you need the app open for the duration of the copy? That could be 30+ minutes which may be an issue

3) export direct to external? Nice.

Answering (2):

Interesting results. I had two top-level folders on the SD card, each with multiple subfolders loaded with RAW & JPEG photos. I selected both and using the FileHub app on my iPad, I initiated a copy to an attached USB HDD. Then I immediately switched off the WiFi on the iPad, disconnecting from the FileHub. Looking at the HDD, I could see that the first folder and its subfolders and all files were copied but the second folder (alphabetically) was not. I then tried the same experiment but just copied the second folder over – that entire copy continued and was completed after turning WiFi off. Bottom line, if you have a photo SD card with a DCIM folder, you can initiate the copy of that one folder (and its subfolders) and the copy will continue if you disconnect from the FileHub.

And on (3):

Back to Lightroom: it was FileExplorer that I was able to use to save directly to the HDD on the FileHub. In Lightroom, I selected “Save to Files” and FileExplorer was an option; under FileExplorer, I could select FileHub and the HDD under it.

 

[mrklaw]

Fab - thanks. So for 2 it sounds like it’ll complete a job it was started but needs the app open to initiate any follow up jobs. Like you say for a DCIM backup it’s probably fine.

 

[sparksd]

Fab - thanks. So for 2 it sounds like it’ll complete a job it was started but needs the app open to initiate any follow up jobs. Like you say for a DCIM backup it’s probably fine.

Yes. If you select two folders to copy, it will continue and finish the first (alphabetically) with all of its files and subfolders but won't start the second one.

 

[KBStudio]

Yes. If you select two folders to copy, it will continue and finish the first (alphabetically) with all of its files and subfolders but won't start the second one.

Could anyone give me an idea of the kind of Real World transfer rates you are getting transferring files from an SD card to an external HDD using the Ravpower Filehub Plus?