Patriot Gauntlet 320 Wireless HDD PCGTW320S

Written by Olin Coles

Sunday, 14 October 2012

Table of Contents: Page Index
Patriot Gauntlet 320 Wireless HDD PCGTW320S
Closer Look: Patriot Gauntlet 320
Gauntlet 320 Performance
Patriot Gauntlet 320 Conclusion

Page 1 of 4

Patriot Gauntlet 320 Wireless Drive Review

Manufacturer: Patriot Memory LLC
Product Name: Gauntlet 320
Model Number: PCGTW320S
UPC: 815530014959
Price As Tested: $149.99 (Newegg)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Patriot.

If you've ever wanted a compact storage device that was small, had its own power supply, and wirelessly accessible, then the Patriot Gauntlet 320 fits the build perfectly. While capable of connecting via SuperSpeed USB 3.0, the Patriot Gauntlet is so much more. Designed as a portable hard disk drive with 320GB of storage space, 5.5-hour lithium-ion battery, and and integrated 150Mbps Wi-Fi b/g/n access point, the Patriot Gauntlet 320 (PCGTW320S) simultaneously streams media to up to five devices. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Patriot Gauntlet 320 using Google Android and Apple iPhone devices as well as digital media players and the PC platform.

People become more mobile as technology allows them, which is why portable devices and wireless technology have become so popular. When it comes to portable data storage the two predominant standards have been USB drives, either flash or hard disk. Plug and cable-connected devices generally exclude mobile storage items, such as tablets and smartphones, which rely on wireless data transmission. This is where Patriot has focused their latest product, Gauntlet 320, and the focus of our review.

Gauntlet 320 Features

Source: Patriot Memory

Wireless Storage for videos, music, pictures and documents
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 plug-and-play interface
Carry all your media with you to stream or share wirelessly
Stream videos and music to multiple devices like mobile phones and tablets simultaneously
iOS and Android App available allows seamless streaming from the Gauntlet 320 to your mobile phone, tablet or notebook.
Download and Upload to and from mobile devices.

The Gauntlet 320 is the perfect all-in-one portable wireless storage solution to enhance the limited storage options of devices like tablets, smart phones, and laptops. With an onboard 320GB hard drive, the Gauntlet 320 provides an easy way to take a vast media collection on the go.

Launching with App support for Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire and off ering the ability to connect up to 8 devices and stream to 5 simultaneously; the Gauntlet 320 provides the most accessible wireless storage solution for streaming content like videos, music, and pictures. A battery powered wireless solution, the Gauntlet 320 is also plug and play USB 3.0 capable for high speed wired data transfers to and from USB 3.0 compatible desktops and laptops.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the Gauntlet 320 is capable of streaming up to 5.5 hours continuously, providing the ultimate solution for on-the-go productivity or entertainment. Backed by Patriot Memory's award winning customer service, the Gauntlet 320 carries a 2-year limited warranty.

PCGTW320S Specificiations

Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
WEP/WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK Wireless Security
150 Mbit wireless transfer rate
Embedded wireless PCB antenna
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 external data port (USB 2.0 backwards compatible)
Lithium-ion polymer battery up to 5.5 hours continuous streaming
Internal 320 GB Hard Drive
Connect up to 8 devices; stream to 5 devices simultaneously
2-Year Limited Warranty

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Comments

# 500GB? — danwat1234 2012-10-14 21:24

It should be using a single 500GB 2.5" diameter platter but it isn't. So hopefully the final version will, since 500GB/platter 2.5" drives have been out for some time.

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# RE: 500GB? — Olin Coles 2012-10-14 21:26

This is a product already on sale in stores, so I'm not sure how much more 'final' you can get. There may be a 500GB version on the horizon, but it would be a different model... probably called the Gauntlet 500.

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# RE: RE: 500GB? — danwat1234 2012-10-14 22:31

Hmm it just doesn't make sense why they didn't put in a 500GB 1-platter drive into this product because WD has had their 9.5mm thick (2 platter) 2.5" Scorpio blue out on the market for a bit over a year now. Maybe it's a business rather than manufacturing issue.

320GB/platter tech is years old. 640GB 2-platter laptop drives first came out in late 2010, so nearly 2 years old.

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# Mr — JAJansenJr 2012-10-14 23:44

A nice product. It will be interesting to see if something like this is offered based on ssd technology.

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# ROG — Michael 2012-10-15 06:30

This is a waste of money. Why come out with a product that can only store 320 gigs when the norm has been at a minimum of 500 and up, to 2 terabytes! I like the idea of the technology, but I wouldn't waste my time or money because of the low-end storage capability.

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# RE: ROG — Olin Coles 2012-10-15 08:30

I can always tell when people don't read the article. For example, I explain that the Gauntlet 320 is made of two parts: Patriot's Gauntlet Node wireless enclosure, and a hard drive. If you wanted a 2TB hard drive or SSD, just buy the Gauntlet Node and put one in.

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# Mr. — JAJansenJr 2012-10-15 11:58

Thanks for that information. I went back to the article and see that I overlooked that information. You state in your article that the hard drive is the speed limiting factor. I wonder what the performance stats would look like if the fastest hard drive was installed. In other words just how fast can this setup be made to perform? (Apologies in advance if I've overlooked this information!)

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# RE: Mr. — Olin Coles 2012-10-15 12:12

In that case, it would be limited by the transport interface. Presuming a top-end SSD was installed, it would be 300 Mb/s via USB 3.0 and 150 Mb/s via Wireless-N.

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# ROG — oz 2012-10-15 12:39

@Michael. That's what I thought as well. A few weeks ago I even emailed them, because they mentioned that this device was "upgradeable".......so I asked them "to what?" They came back with "2TB drives" So for me it's not an upAgrade....I've got 5x 3TBs in one of my enclosures right now [can't afford 4TB yet], so where's the upgrade? He came back and told me that this was obviously not for me....but you can still put a 2TB drive in there, so it's not completely useless. If they'd knock off $50 and kept their useless 320GB HDD and shipped me a unit without the HDD, I might consider it.

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# RE: ROG — Olin Coles 2012-10-15 12:53

Why would you ever consider buying the Gauntlet 320 when they also sell the Gauntlet Node enclosure that lets you put whatever drive you want in it? Also, if you're comparing your five-disk enclosure (likely a NAS) to this portable device, you're doing it wrong.

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# bits n bytes — R2ch 2012-10-15 13:57

Please note that 150 Mb/s connection will only push about 18 MB/s of data. So your wireless limited not drive speed limited.

Just food for thought since the article missed the difference between bits on network speed vs bytes on drive speed.

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# Exactly what I was looking for! — mazer 2013-03-28 13:50

Thanks for the review Olin!! I've been looking around for a good backup device for a friend that owns her own business. The 320gb size is overkill for her since she mostly stores documents, but does store some music as well. You mention that it is durable, and protable....good combination...and the wireless will make a nice option for her!!
You made my job a lot easier!!
mazer

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