Top Wifi Reviews

1. 

   Nimravus
   July 11th, 2010 - 12:06

   Review by Nimravus for Eye-Fi Pro X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-8PC
   Rating:
   First off, there are several different Eye-Fi models so I suggest you get the one with the features you need. The “X2″ models now have the Class 6 rating which is great news for fast D-SLR’s with high megapixels (18+, etc) or taking 1080p HD video to ensure the data transfer rate can keep up with the recording.

   The X2 adds the Class 6 rating, 802.11 b/g/n capability and endless memory. All of which were major concerns with the older models when using them in modern D-SLRs.

   I chose this one because the X2 Pro offers RAW image transfers and Ad hoc mode. If you do not take pictures in RAW format and/or do not care to transfer directly from Camera to Laptop via WiFi, then get the X2 Explore for $50 cheaper.

   Setup is a breeze. When you first put the card into the computer, it will ask if you want to install the software. You can use the web based settings manager if you do not want to install any software. I chose to install the Eye-Fi Manager software. Very functional.

   The first thing it will ask you to do is to select a network to connect to. I chose mine at home and configured the WPA2 security in seconds…. it connected and asked me to put the card into my camera and take a test picture.

   I did so and withing seconds, my T2i’s display showed that the eye-fi was connected and transferring data. The computer software system tray icon lit up and confirmed this too.

   I took an 18mp picture for the test which turned out to be about 22mb RAW and 7mb jpeg. It finished the transfer quickly.

   There are many custom features you can set to tell it what to do with the pictures. I have mine set to transfer to my HDD and MobileMe account. There are about 25 online services you can automatically upload to.

   I do like the fact that you can set it to upload to a “private” album so it is not automatically “shared”.

   You can add multiple cards to one account and manage them all through the software. I currently have 3 Eye-Fi cards (2 x 8GB X2 Pro for my D-SLR and 1 x 8GB X2 Explore for my point and shoot).

   You can configure each card separately to deliver the pictures where you would like them.

   I recommend this card.

   UPDATE: I have been using this card all day today and through several battery cycles. There is a significant drop in battery life while using this card, which is understandable because it is transmitting via WiFi.

   I am using the Canon T2i and the camera has an Eye-Fi menu within which I can disable the WiFi. The battery does last longer when I shut off the Eye-Fi card (WiFi). So something to think about, maybe get a spare battery or get a camera with Eye-Fi menu support.
2. 

   Chris Zee Shutterbug
   July 11th, 2010 - 12:46

   Review by Chris Zee Shutterbug for Eye-Fi Pro X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-8PC
   Rating:
   Here is my experience. Harware 5 stars, software 2 stars. Average 3.5.
   
   Installation file is 21 meg, hardly what I would describe as a compact file (per the manual). Installation offers updates to both software and hardware(firmware) Software is now 3.0.20 version, was 3.0.16. You also must then also allow Adobe Air Installer to access your computer, for non personal data only. Not quite sure what that does, maybe the web based geotagging. Then the SD card updated its firmware from 4.1010 to 4.1012. As installed the software is 12 meg total on a WinXP PC. Took 17 minutes. Reasonable.

   Now taking pictures! It takes about 5 seconds for a 850 meg 7 mpixel photo upload. This was at about 50 ft distance from my N router. Right after the picture is taken it appears on the screen. By the time I took my test pictures outdoors and ran back inside to look, they were all there. Software allows to upload to any directory, but defaults to My Documents/ Pictures. Eye Fi helper software which does all this housekeeping can run in auto mode or you can manually start it. Geotagging works great, when you click on the thumbnail it shows a small Google map with the location of your photo. Once again this function is dependent on a Sky Hook recognized wi fi mac address hardware being in the vicinity of your card when the photo is taken. I loved everything so far. But..

   Glitch one. And a bad one. Bad or test pictures are forever. A total of 10 photos taken generated a 1 meg log file, a 8 meg dated photo directory, a duplicate “spool” directory of full size photos, and a cache directory with thumbnail snaps. Tons of overhead. Should not be a problem to clean up. Wrong. Deleting the cache directory manually per the web based help file still kept a “palm tree” blank cache image in the eye-fi browser, with a now non existent file name below it. Why is this not a part of the software. I am now littered with palm tree thumbnails for all the pictures I took as a test and have deleted. Why? And why a duplicate “spool” directory after the data transfer has been completed?

   There are lots of postings on the Eye Fi web forum site about this being an issue dating back to 2009, but between using eye fi helper, eye fi manager ? (web based additional software I had to add), and eye fi center I still could not find the elusive “delete upload history” button. It is supposed to be the answer. Seems like a common problem. So far, get this, the solution is to delete your account with Eye Fi, and then create a new one. I delete about half the pictures I take each time I shoot, and I have to do this every time???

   So the hardware works great, after a short software installation. But the software is missing critical components. So this is only a 3.5 star review. I will upgrade it if, and when Eye Fi improves their photo manager software, or simply allows it to do the simple task of wireless transfer with geo cache data added.

   Updated 4/23 If you check my comments file you will see that the Eye Fi folks were very kind to respond to my concerns and offer some additional help. Once the suggestions are incorporated into the actual software (as promised) so other do not have to struggle, I will up the software score. My suggestion is similar to what other software vendors use. Have a “simple” interface and an “expert” interface, such that the user can decide what level of control to exercise over the software. For example when on the road, without wi fi, the capability of turning off the cards’ attempts to communicate needlessly and hence conserve battery power. Some newer cameras such as Canon T1i (T2i?) can do this in camera menu.

   Update 5/2 The software is now up to version 3.1.2 and the delete local thumbnails is easy to find. After I hit that button, the spool file also seems to be gone. Some quirkiness in using the thumbnails to see the location on a small Google map – clicking next appears to confuse the program if all the pictures are not uploaded yet. Today I used the supplied USB dongle to transfer the pictures (it still uses Wi Fi, would have thought that it would detect that its plugged in and use the USB). Took about 5 min for 40 7mp 1 mb shots. Geotagging error just driving around town is relatively small, about 200 yards. Interestingly enough, the pictures that stay on the card are not geotagged, only the ones that were transferred wirelessly are tagged, so do not overwrite the tagged auto shots by a manual transfer into the same directory, as file names are the same.

   Update 5/12 ALthough not recommended by Eye Fi many users have used a SD/SDHC to CF adapter in order to use the Eye Fi with their DSLRs that only take CF cards. This was mostly sucessful with the previous Eye Fi cards. Unfortunately neither I nor anyone else that I have seen has been able to use the 8Gb X2 cards with the adapters. Certainly not in Canon cameras.

   Update 5/29 I have just gotten a Fuji XP10 waterproof camera. It has a metal body, but it still manages to transfer pictures to the computer wirelessly at up to 25 ft from a router. The card is not totally compatible though. The second you hit playback on the camera, you get a card error. The only way to recover is to format the card in the camera, which means you would have lost all the pictures taken up to that point if on the road. So do not assume that because the camera and the card are both SDHC that they will play nice together. Check the EyeFi web site.
3. 

   Derek Hallett
   July 11th, 2010 - 13:21

   Review by Derek Hallett for Eye-Fi Pro X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-8PC
   Rating:
   I have been using multiple eye-fi cards with the Canon T2i. As mentioned above, this camera comes standard with eye-fi firmware built into the camera. Eye-fi has partnered with multiple camera manufacturers it seems to bring this functionality into the Camera. My experience with the eye-fi card has evolved from the 4GB Pro Card to the most recent X2 Pro 8GB Card. Some of the immediate benefits you will find with the new eye-fi card class 6 series, are the faster upload speeds via the wi-fi connectivity. The X2 Pro card will upload my 18MP photos in less then 15 seconds. The increase in upload speeds is amazing and i find the value with this card in its ease of photo management. Prior to owning these cards taking photos was a hassle due to the extra work involved in uploading and pushing the photos to an online website. With the original eye-fi Pro card, it took care of the initial problem. With the new eye-fi Pro X2 I am taking more photos and at a higher quality. With the increased sized of storage space and increased upload speeds, I have endless photo taking opportunities. The issue of running out of storage space is no longer a concern. I can simply delete the photos from the camera that have already uploaded through the wi-fi. Some may ask – well how do you know when the photos have finished uploading? With the built in firm ware, eye-fi communicates with the Canon firmware to show you that data transfer is occurring. Once the wireless icon stops moving, you know your photos have finished uploading.

   Moving on to the new photo management utility. Eye-fi has successfully updated their photo management, moving the user friendly interface from an online client to a desktop utility. I find this useful because it eliminates the need to access the web. Everything is done directly on the host computer. The new utility makes it easier to manage multiple eye-fi cards as well as any iphone connections you may have.

   Overall I highly recommend this product for its ease of use, ease of photo management, blazing fast uploads, and eliminating the need to manually upload photos. I can finally just shoot away and not worry about the need to go upload my photos later. I put my camera down and pick it up ten minutes later ready to go.
4. 

   Dieds
   July 11th, 2010 - 14:02

   Review by Dieds for Eye-Fi Pro X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-8PC
   Rating:
   Before the Eye-Fi Pro X2, I was frequently filling up my SD card because I’d always forget to delete the photos from it once I transferred them to my computer. Another problem it solved for me was the frustration I had at not being able to find the cable to download the photos in the first place. I always seemed to misplace it.

   The Eye-Fi Pro X2 eliminated those concerns.

   Not only is the 8GBs of storage HUGE, the “endless memory” feature ensures that I’ll never run out of space because it automatically clears out photos that, after a certain amount of time, have been beamed to my computer.

   You read correctly: “Beamed.” Well, that’s my word for the process, anyhow. The Eye-Fi Pro X2 hooks into your (or anyone’s) wi-fi network and wirelessly transfers the photos you snap to your computer. And it’s fast, too. Most times each photo was transferred in less than 10 seconds.

   The folks who designed this came up with a very easy-to-use walkthrough for setting up the card when you first get it. Once it’s setup, you never need to worry about removing your SD card again.

   I use mine with a Casio Exilim EX-Z29. It’s very important to check the company’s website to ensure your camera is supported before purchasing this item. You can do that here: [...]

   You can even upload videos. And what’s very cool is you can post photos to your favorite photo-sharing site and videos to YouTube if you wanted to.

   If you’re like me and hate fussing with hooking your camera up to your computer – or just like the convenience and piece of mind that having your photos and videos automatically transferred, then the Eye-Fi Pro X2 8 is for you. I love this product!
   
5. 

   Kaio
   July 11th, 2010 - 14:04

   Review by Kaio for Eye-Fi Pro X2 8 GB Class 6 SDHC Wireless Flash Memory Card EYE-FI-8PC
   Rating:
   Honestly, I was blown away with the concept of wifi being added to a flash memory card, but also skeptical if it would live up to the hype. I think there’s room for improvement with the software, but the card itself actually works quite well.

   Easy Setup

   Just plug in the USB reader and SDHC card to launch and install the software and you’re up and running within minutes. The wireless connection to your router might be where some novice users run into problems, but I suspect if you know what wifi is, then you’re probably smart enough to figure out how to enable the connection. It’s really no harder than connecting to a wifi hotspot at home or in your local coffee shop. Nothing complicated there, so let’s move on to the true test…

   Shooting Pics and Vids

   I dropped the Eye-Fi into my Canon HFS 10, switched the cam’s record settings from internal memory storage to this Eye-Fi — and voila — I was ready to shoot. And I tell ya, it’s pretty cool to take a picture, and then seconds later, see it automatically pop-up on my computer screen and download into a folder on my hard drive. Videos obviously take longer to download than pics, but it still works and is pretty neat. Though honestly, I doubt I’d rely on this Eye-Fi to transfer my HD vids. The files can be pretty large, and I’d be concerned about file integrity over a sustained wireless connection. Anyone who has worked extensively with video footage knows how easily files can be corrupted. And for me, there are still circumstances where hardwires are just better and more reliable than any wireless connection. I guess I’m just old school that way. Besides, I prefer using my video camera’s interface and software since it catalogs my videos in a way I’m used to working with. Maybe with some time to acclimate to the change I might use the Eye-Fi to transfer videos too, but for now, I’m gonna stick to just using it for pictures and transfer my HD vids manually. Besides, it’s only 8gb, which isn’t all that much when it comes to AVCHD video.

   Software

   The weakest element here is the software. Don’t get me wrong, it works just fine. But it feels a little restrictive and the user interface is limited. But then, maybe it doesn’t matter all that much since I already have my favorite photo editing and organizing programs. I guess it could just be a little more obvious about certain things, such as, why thumbnails remain viewable to pics that I’ve deleted. But I’ve since learned those files are refreshed every few days, so the orphaned thumbnails iron themselves out in the end. But overall, maybe the pared down interface is best. It takes a bit to get used to, but aside from setting up the wireless connection and selecting where to store files, the software really doesn’t have to do much else for my needs.

   It’s Orange!

   Meaningless as to how it operates, but I love orange, so…
   
   D

   Bottom line – the price tag is a bit hefty, but make no mistake, this is a cool little gadget. And since it’s rated for class 6 speeds, the memory card itself is more than capable of handling speed intensive applications like AVCHD. Add to that a wifi connection — and voila — Eye-Fi has turned something as boring as disk storage into an exciting and pragmatically useful product. I just wish it was 32gb instead of 8, but I’m sure that’s coming down the pike soon enough.
   

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