Archival Note (February 2026): This original version of the My Passport Wireless has been discontinued for several years, succeeded by the ‘Pro’ and ‘SSD’ versions. While it’s slower than modern NVMe-based solutions, it remains a very cost-effective way to get high-capacity wireless storage on the used market. I am maintaining this review for those looking for real-world speed tests and setup tips for this legacy hardware.
The Western Digital My Passport Wireless occupies an interesting middle ground for photographers. It wasn’t marketed as a “pro” backup device, but for travelers who want to leave the laptop behind, it offers a compelling mix of a portable hard drive, a Wi-Fi hub, and an SD card reader. I’ve been putting the 1TB version through its paces to see if it can handle a real-world photography workflow.
The photographer’s workflow: SD card backups
The standout feature here is the built-in SD card slot. For photographers, this turns a standard external drive into a standalone backup bank. You can insert an SD, SDHC, or SDXC card directly into the side. If you use microSD (like in a GoPro or a drone), you’ll need a standard SD adapter.
Important Note on RAW Files: While the device will happily copy your RAW files (NEF, CR2, ARW, etc.), the WD My Cloud app currently does not render thumbnails for them. You’ll see a generic icon instead of a preview. You can confirm the files exist and check their sizes, but you won’t be able to “proof” your shots visually without a computer.
Real-world speed and battery tests
To see how it performs in the field, I tested it with a completely full Extreme Pro 64GB SDXC card loaded with Nikon RAW (.nef) files. Here is how it stacked up:
- Transfer Speed: 1 hour and 11 minutes to import 64GB (approx. 14MB/s).
- Battery Drain: A full 64GB import consumed 39% of the battery.
- Capacity: You can expect to back up roughly two-and-a-half 64GB cards on a single charge.
Compared to a dedicated device like the NextoDI ND2901, the WD is significantly slower. However, it is roughly on par with the HyperDrive ColorSpace UDMA2 in terms of SD slot performance.
Operation and LED indicators
Since there is no screen, you rely on two LED lights. A flashing white light indicates data is being imported. You can also set the drive to “Auto-Import” via the app, so it begins backing up the moment you slide a card in. Because there is no on-device confirmation of a “successful” backup, I always recommend connecting via the app to double-check the file count before formatting your cards.
Technical specifications
| Storage Options | 1TB or 2TB Internal HDD |
| Interface | USB 3.0 (Micro-B) / Wi-Fi (802.11n) |
| Card Slot | SD / SDHC / SDXC (UHS-I speeds) |
| Battery | Internal Li-ion (approx. 6 hours streaming / 2-3 card backups) |
| Weight | 9.7 oz (276 grams) |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 8.6 x 2.4 cm (5.0 x 3.4 x 1.0 in) |
Wrap up
The WD My Passport Wireless is a jack-of-all-trades. It lacks the professional “verify” features found in NextoDI units, and the lack of RAW previews in the app is a letdown for pros. However, as a hybrid device that can back up your photos by day and stream movies to your iPad by night, it’s a very cost-effective travel companion — especially if you pick one up at a good price on the used market.
Once you have downloaded photographs onto your WD wireless pro from an SD card.
How do you organise your photographs into folders that you may want
Thanks
I don’t recall that capability being built into the WD app, so you’d need to do that by connecting the device to a computer (or tablet with file browsing capabilities) and treat it as an external hard drive.
Lyn,
What I do is transfer into the WD to immediately have a back up and more SD card storage. then import into Lightroom later for file management.
Very helpful. Thanks for the writeup.
Super helpful review! Helped me set up the drive and answered all my questions! THANK YOU
Hi
Can I use a CF card in a card reader and connected to the My Passport via a usb cable?
Not with this model. The new Pro model offers that feature.
Will this gizmo perform incremental backups (e.g. if I keep using the same SD card in the camera without deleting already backed-up files, so I have two copies of my images), or does it just copy everything on the card each time (thereby duplicating already backed-up files)? If the latter, which of the other such devices you have reviewed have an incremental backup feature? Tia.
Yes, it does incremental backup.
While out travelling I understand you can copy everything to the passport. But while you’re away from home, can the passport send photos back a home base? Either directly (via an open port) connected to a public wifi, or via the WD Cloud?
Hi,
I hope you can answer me, I have googled so much about it , but can’t find the answer.
Can I transfer from the SD card while I’m offline? I tried, just to test it, but it doesn’t seem like it worked.
I will be traveling quite a bit with out internet, so I want to back up my pictures on the go.
Hope you can help
If you mean from the SD memory card to the hard drive, then yes, absolutely. You don’t need to be connected via wifi for that. Insert the card and press the WPS button. A white flashing light indicates it’s in progress. If you want to control it via the mobile app, you can set up the device’s own wifi network–you don’t need to be online with a regular internet connection–it creates its own wifi connection between your mobile device and the MyPassport.
i got micro sdxc 64gb and wanted to import to this wd without pc and wireless dan without ac power, it means full with the internal wd’s batteries. File that i transfered was raw photograph file from my dslr and 4k file from my action cam. CAN I DO THAT WITHOUT PC, WIRELESS AND AC POWER??? pleaeee help
You can download from the memory card to the drive without AC power, yes. But I don’t follow what you mean by “wireless dan”. You can also find the manual here which might answer your question.
Hi, I have an android phone with non expandable storage. I take photos of my patients sitting in my clinic. I use quick pic to organise and browse through photos. I need to know. Will the camera app save the just clicked photo directly to the wireless drive ? And. .. Will i be able to browse through the drive photos on quickpic?
Hi can you use this drive on an airplane?? Long haul flight with the family!!
Absolutely.
It’s a fantastic and very useful review. It’s how I learned of the drive and decided to buy it. Thanks again
Glad it’s useful!
Hi
Sorry for the bother with a tech question but I cannot seem to get an answer elsewhere. I have transferred jpeg and raw files from two SD cards to the WD drive. All is well but there are no thumbnails only black squares. When I tap on them they load but I want to be able to see all thumbnails as you demonstrate above. Did you experience any sort of lag time? Thanks!
Not with JPGs, no. Not sure what could be causing that.
Thanks. I did a complete erase and reset. All is well now.
Glad to hear you got it fixed, and thanks for taking the time to let us know in case someone else runs into the same issue.