AirLive WMU-6500FS WiFi HDD & Downloader Review 13

AirLive WMU-6500FS WiFi HDD & Downloader Review

(13 Comments) »

Value & Conclusion

  • The AirLive WMU-6500FS Wireless HD + Downloader will set you back just under 100 € within the EU, it should cost you just as much in US Dollars.
  • Justified price
  • Well built
  • Can take IDE or SATA hard drive
  • Can be used as an access point
  • Very simple and well organized Setup Wizard
  • Great web interface
  • BitTorrent downloader
  • FTP & HTTP downloader
  • Further expandability with two USB 2.0 ports
  • Easy to setup network storage
  • iTunes server
  • Antenna can be removed
  • No HTTP or FTP server functionality
  • Torrent files cannot be sent to the device through the Operating System
  • Does get hot during use
  • A 2 dbi antenna may not be strong enough
  • "Super-G" 125 MBit/s only possible with appropriate hardware
  • Only Fast Ethernet 100 MBit/s
The AirLive WMU-6500FS is perfect for people who use BitTorrent as their primary download service and download large files over night. While the maximum power consumption of 45W is more than other hard drive enclosures, it is certainly less than most computers, which should lower your electricity bill if used instead of your main rig. The construction and installation of the enclosure is great, but it does get quite hot after extended periods of time. You may want to go out and buy a thin 4 cm fan to create some air flow inside the enclosure. AirLink has managed to create a great web interface, making the setup a real breeze. Even if you know nothing about networking, you should be perfectly fine, as there is an application included to find the WMU-6500FS within a network. Small businesses with larger networks can easily set up multiple such devices and create specific user access rights as well as assign them to specific workgroups.
The biggest drawback of the device is the need to enter the web interface to upload a *.torrent file or to initiate a HTTP or FTP download. If you are willing to live with that, the AirLive WMU-6500FS should be a great addition to any network or can even be configured to be the heart of it in form of the access point. The small price tag makes this device even more attractive, considering that a 124 MBit/s WiFi access point and separate Ethernet enclosure should cost much more than 100 US Dollars.
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Feb 7th, 2025 18:21 EST change timezone

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