81
HSTi Wireless Media Stick
$120.00
Released January, 2010
The Pros:Upgradable firmware for future improvements. Capable of transmitting 720p video. Cheaper and sooner to market than the competition.
The Cons:Fairly expensive - the same price as a sizable external drive. Is not portable outside of your wireless network - like a thumb drive or external disk would be. Not capable of streaming full 1080p video.
The HSTi Wireless Media Stick is an 802.11a/b/g/n wireless USB dongle that allows a user to stream media files from any wirelessly connected computer to any USB-enabled media player, television, stereo, or digital picture frame.
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Users first plug the device into a PC, install the preloaded software, and then, once the Stick is properly connected to the user’s local wireless router, select which folders to share. The Stick can then be connected to any USB device, after which users can wirelessly access all their shared PC files. The premise behind this technology is that the Stick makes the connected device, such as a picture frame, think that it’s accessing a USB mass storage device. Unfortunately, the Media Stick is limited to 720p video streaming and Windows-only compatibility.
Features
- Wireless USB Dongle
- Wireless Media Streaming
- 720p Resolution Limit
- Windows Compatibility
- 2.4GHz Wireless Technology
- Preloaded Software
Specifications
- Wireless: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4GHz)
- Host Interface: USB 2.0
- Frequency Range: 2.412 ~ 2.4835GHz
- Security: WEP 64/128, WPA, WPA2, TKIP, AES
- Data Range (802.11a/g): Up to 54Mbps
- Data Range (802.11b): Up to 11Mbps
- Data Range (802.11n): Up to 300Mbps
System Requirements
- Pentium 4 PC with 300 MHz or higher processor
- 128 MB or more RAM
- Windows XP, Vista, 7 (32/64 bit)
- Color screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher
- Internet Explorer 7 or later
- USB 1.1 or 2.0 port
Playback Requirements
- TV
- DVD/Blu-Ray™ Player
- Home Theatre System,
- Video Game Console
- Personal Computer
- Laptop
- Digital Picture Frame
User Reviews (6)
Pros & Cons
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2
upgradable firmware for future improvements
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2
capable of transmitting 720p video
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2
cheaper and sooner to market than the competition
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2
great with non-WiFi enabled devices / Wifi-capable USB inputs - looks like a plain old USB device full of files!
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2
required software doesn't need to be downloaded or installed from CD - install files are located on the device itself
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2
never needs to be unplugged / reloaded with media - saves lots of time
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2
Wireless N capable - enhanced range and speeds over previous generation 802.11G, should technically be able to transmit 1080p
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2
one stick can see every PC on the network - stream from multiple shares on multiple systems
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2
can stream 1080p if the wireless router is close enough and the files size is 4GB or under -
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2
uses just plain old sharing, you don't need to install anything on the pc
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2
The WMS does not require software to be installed on the serving PC and does use plain-old-shared folders.
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1
fairly expensive - the same price as a sizable external drive
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1
is not portable outside of your wireless network - like a thumb drive or external disk would be
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0
not capable of streaming full 1080p video
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-1
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-3
requires software be installed on the serving PC - doesn't use plain old shared folders
Community Reviews
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Comments (2)
James:
#hsti_wireless_media_stick I recently purchased this and I am having all sorts of problems. One problem I am having is it seems the wireless is not quick enough so when a movie finishes and it starts to play the next one my settop box thinks the file is unsupported and it jumps to the following movie. Frustrating when you are trying to watch a series. The other issue is when I have it plugged into my hd tv it scans the stick for all media, it finds the files but the tv resets and it rescans all over again. I also have a philips hdd recorder and all it sees is the the setup file on the HSTI stick and not the shared folder. So all in all a quite buggy unit sorry to say, otherwise a fantastic idea.
Dec 2, 11
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wirelessj:
#hsti_wireless_media_stick I have tested this device - there are two misconceptions - it is only windows only right now in the setup of the wifi on the stick. After that it is a standalone network device on your home network that just uses regular sharing, so you can share from linux, windows, nas devices, etc. I share from all three. I have also had success with 1080p with the wdtv and the asus o!play, but the router needs to be about 30 feet or less from the stick.. this thing is great!
Feb 26, 10
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