Patriot Gauntlet Node Portable Wireless 2.5″ HDD Enclosure Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. The Patriot Gauntlet Node4. Software Configuration - Windows PC5. Software Configuration - Android App6. Operation and Performance7. Closing Thoughts8. View All Pages

Turning towards the computing industry's storage segment, Patriot's latest drive enclosure aims to offer the flexibility of a portable hard drive with the convenience of a wireless streaming function. Can the Patriot Gauntlet Node portable wireless HDD enclosure establish itself as one of the market's firm contenders?

Offering support for 2.5″ HDDs and SSDs, the Gauntlet Node is capable of sending a drive's data across a built-in WiFi 802.11 b/g/n adapter. A USB 3.0 connection allows users to quickly transfer files from a computer to the Gauntlet Node's internal drive.

With dimensions only slightly larger than most average 2.5″ HDD caddies and a battery life of up to 5.5 hours, can the Patriot Gauntlet Node prove itself as a convenient and effective portable wireless drive enclosure?

Specifications:

• Wifi 802.11 b/g/n
• USB 3.0 port for high speed wired connection
• Connect up to 8 devices at a time
• Supports internet connection through a home or business Wi-Fi network (Internet Pass-thru)
• Lithium-ion Battery
• Up to 5.5 hours of operation on a full charge
• 2.5″ HDD or SSD drive, NTFS formatted, maximum 9.5mm height
• Dimensions: 3.39” (D) x 5.47” (W) x .96” (H) or 8.62cm (D) x 13.9cm (W) x 2.44cm (H)
• Weight: 182.5 grams
• Warranty: 2 years
• Compatible with: iPad, iPhone (3GS or higher), iPod Touch (4th generation or higher) running iOS 4.2 or higher
• Compatible with: Android phone with v2.3 or higher, or Android tablet with v3.0 or higher
• Compatible with: Kindle Fire
• Compatible with: PC running Windows XP/Vista/7/8 or higher, or Apple Mac running OSX 10.5 or higher

The Gauntlet Node and its accessories are housed in a sturdy box that is home to a large quantity of product information and promotional material.

AC power adapters, a short USB 3.0 data cable, HDD mounting hardware and 4 rubber feet comprise the Gauntlet Node's supplied bundle.

A quick start guide and in-depth installation guide will help users to install a HDD/SSD and configure the Gauntlet Node for use with various devices.

Patriot uses a black, plastic material to protect the Gauntlet Node's internal components.

Three LED indicators for WiFi, charging and power accompany the embossed ‘Gauntlet Node' writing on the product's top surface.

A round button on the Gauntlet Node's rear edge can be used to indicate the enclosure's current charge level via a quartet of white LEDs positioned alongside.

The USB 3.0 connector, power button and charging input are located in an easily-accessible location on the right side of the Patriot Gauntlet Node.

Removing the enclosure's bottom cover provides access to the internal 2.5″ HDD/SSD tray and SATA II (3GB/s) connection.

Lifting the drive tray reveals the Gauntlet Node's controller board and a 3350 mAh Li-ion battery capable of supplying up to 5.5 hours of usage.

Installing a 2.5″ HDD into the Gauntlet Node was a straightforward process. Following the manuals instructions of attaching the grommets to your drives mounting holes before placing the HDD into the Gauntlet Node's tray made the process quick and efficient. Re-attaching the bottom cover was a tight fit, but once the screws were in place the installation was secure enough for us to deem the enclosure portable and the drive safe.

Typing “http://10.10.10.254” into your browser provides access to the ‘Gauntlet Connect' user interface. Security and settings can be changed from this interface – we opted for a password-protected WPA2-PSK configuration. The Gauntlet Node's status and connected devices can also be viewed.

Using a Windows computer, access to the Gauntlet Node's streamed files can be obtained by typing “\\10.10.10.254” into the Windows search box. OSX users must treat the Gauntlet Node as a server, selecting the “Connect to Server” input before typing “smb://10.10.10254” in the “Server Address” space.

Connection instructions are provided in the manual and Patriot does a good job at making them easy to understand.

Downloading the 6.32 MB ‘Gauntlet Connect' app from the Google Play store allows users to gain easy access to the Gauntlet Node using an Android device.

Patriot states an Android 2.3 or above device as mandatory; everything worked fine with our Android 2.2 HTC Legend and Archos 70 as well as a Samsung Galaxy SIII sporting Android version 4.1.

iOS users are able to download the Gauntlet Connect app from the App Store. Its function will be very similar to that of the Android variant.

The first thing that we noticed about the Gauntlet Connect app was its similarity to older versions of the Astro File Manager app. This isn't a bad thing as the user interface is simple yet effective.

Users can access the files being streamed by the Gauntlet Node by maneuvering to the ‘WiFi Drive' section. An added bonus is the app's ability to browse folders on your device's internal storage, rendering other file browsing apps needless.

Files can be downloaded directly to your device by pressing the ‘control' button before selecting the media that you wish to download. The transfer process was fast and efficient when downloading photos, although larger files such as videos and music albums will take longer.

A list of settings that is all but identical to the one available via the PC version's Gauntlet Connect interface is accessible via the Android app. Information such as the disk allocation can be viewed and the slideshow settings can also be changed.

Patriot's claim of up to 5.5 hours of battery life is fair and makes the Gauntlet Node a viable option for users who travel frequently. The enclosure's small dimensions and evident sturdiness enhance the effectiveness of using the Gauntlet Node as an essential traveling device.

Range of the WiFi 802.11 b/g/n device was acceptable. When located in the same room as the Gauntlet Node, we could obtain signal and a stable connection without any problems. Step outside of the device's area and the signal was rapidly attenuated due to brick and plasterboard walls. This isn't entirely the Gauntlet Node's fault, although a stronger wireless transmitter would have made the issue less of an concern.

On the positive side, the Gauntlet Node's portability factor and good battery life means that you shouldn't have to worry about poor wireless connections – simply carry the device in your pocket when entering a different room or area, hence maintaining excellent signal.

Another issue that we noticed was the enclosure's power button placement. It was very awkward to press due to the fact that it didn't protrude, but instead lay in a small channel. At times, it seemed non-responsive and wouldn't turn the unit off or on due to the fact that an accurate push of the button was very difficult to register.

We were impressed by how easy the Gauntlet Node was to use. No problems were encountered when trying to stream various types of media, including MKV, AVI, JPG, MP3, DOCX and PDF files, to 3 different Android and Windows devices, simultaneously.

Our videos were streamed in their original format without any noticeable loss of quality. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the Gauntlet Node's streaming capabilities was the fact that not once did we encounter buffering times of more than a few seconds. And that's while streaming hour-long AVI videos and even HD MKV movies to Windows and Android devices.

Patriot has produced a conveniently-designed and easily-usable portable wireless HDD enclosure with the Gauntlet Node.

Streaming a variety of media files from HD MKV movies to loading 14 Megapixel JPG photos and Word-formatted DOCX files was easily handled by the Gauntlet Node. We didn't encounter any problems with three different Android devices or a pair of Windows 7 PCs – the original file quality and format was preserved throughout.

Using the Gauntlet Node with a Windows computer was very simple. Once the computer is connected to the device and has accessed the relevant network folder, the process is no different to using the standard Windows interface.

Patriot has designed an effective and easy to use Android app in Gauntlet Connect. We have no complaints about the settings and configuration access that is provided – we couldn't really ask for any more tinkering opportunities. Accessing and downloading files was a simple and fast procedure. The added bonus of the Gauntlet Connect app being able to work as an internal file browser for your Android device is a very convenient trait.

Battery life of the Gauntlet Node is very good, providing plenty of time to finish an entire movie or documentary. When traveling for extended periods of time, the compact form factor of the Gauntlet Node makes it a hassle-free method of accessing videos, music, photos and documents through your portable, WiFi-capable devices.

The streaming range of Patriot's wireless enclosure is acceptable. Don't expect the signal to pass through brick or even plasterboard walls without attenuating, but stay in the same room and you won't encounter any issues. An easy method of overcoming any connection-related problems would be to move the Gauntlet Node to a more desirable location when required. Being a portable device, it isn't confined to the same connection-restricting area.

While Patriot's quick start guide may show a clear preference towards NTFS drive formatting, we didn't have any problems using our HDD's FAT32 partition. We can also confirm that the Gauntlet Node is able to offer support for drives with multiple partitions of different formatting, as proven by our use of a pair of NTFS partitions accompanied by a single FAT32 partner.

We do have a slight niggle with the Gauntlet Node's design. The power button is located in a small channel that makes it very awkward to push for users with large or even medium-sized fingers. We understand that this design is used to avoid accidental powering-off of the device when on the move, but a large button with simple locking system would have worked better.

At £79.99 from Overclockers and backed by a 2 year warranty, the Patriot Gauntlet Node represents good value for a wireless-capable portable 2.5″ HDD enclosure, especially if you have access to a spare storage drive. The Patriot Gauntlet Node is a great device for users that want to stream media and files to portable devices without being confined to a specific location.

Pros:

• Very easy to use with both Android and Windows devices.
• Widespread compatibility.
• User-definable storage quantity, up to 2TB.
• FAT32 and NTFS compatible.
• Good battery life.
• Small, sturdy and sleek design.
• Can stream to multiple devices, simultaneously.

Cons:

• Awkward power button.
• WiFi range is only acceptable.

KitGuru says: A very good portable wireless drive enclosure that is a great device for frequent travellers or users wanting to transfer files to their numerous gadgets.

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