It’s so easy to get caught up in the latest tech releases, that we sometimes forget about the handy products of yesterday. The EMTEC Power Connect is one of those. Despite being somewhat of a niche device, the Power Connect manages to remain useful even after all of these years.

Design and Connectivity

The EMTEC Power Connect is quite smaller than product images on the internet make it appear to be. This is a plus for those who like to pack plenty of features in the least amount of space. However, the palm-sized form is reasonably compact for housing its 5200 mAh internal battery. The EMTEC Power Connect looks simple, almost nondescript, with its lightweight plastic and slightly rounded edges. It’s not fragile, but you can expect surface scratches to show up over time.

Three sides of the EMTEC Power Connect have silicone flaps that keep all of the ports covered and protected. The RJ45 port on the rear, a standard USB port is on the front (next to the power button), and micro USB and microSD ports on the left. These flaps are thick, supple, and actually stay put when you close them up over the ports. Each flap has an icon stamped into it to show which port lies underneath, which is a thoughtful touch.

Most battery packs feature a 4-LED system for indicating remaining battery life. The EMTEC Power Connect has only one. This single LED blinks while charging, turning off once the internal battery is fully-charged (so at least we get to know it’s done). Next to the power LED is the WiFi LED (glows blue), and next to that is the LED that shows internet connectivity (glows green).

Single-pressing the power button on the EMTEC Power Connect toggles output charging; do this when you want to charge other devices. Otherwise, the button requires a press-hold to turn on and off for the other features. It’s worth noting that this power toggle has no auto-detect or auto-shutoff. You’ll want to make sure the button doesn’t get accidentally bumped while the device is in bags or pockets.

Mobile App (Android)

You’ll need to download the mobile application to get the most out of the EMTEC Power Connect. Once you log in, you’ll have the option to change the broadcast SSID as well as passwords for connecting when it is in hotspot mode. Admin password is for you, and guest password is for anyone else you want to share device access with. Overall, the EMTEC Connect app is better than expected. The navigation is intuitive, and the options are self-explanatory. It doesn’t take long to go through and understand all of the available settings. You can play around with WiFi (SSID, channel, mode, security), LAN (MAC address, IP Address, Subnet mask), Internet (access on/off, wired/wireless, setting up wireless network connectivity), and System (user logins, hostname, disk information, online update) settings. There is an on/off toggle for guest access. That’s it. Simple. Effective.

Connecting the EMTEC Power Connect to a local wireless network might take a few tries to make it stick. The app shows only a few local networks at a time, and it sometimes prompts a device reboot or two. You’ll know it’s working as intended when a check mark shows next to the connected wireless network in the app. Otherwise, you can have the Power Connect be its own network to allow connected users transfer data to and from the device. This is useful for when there are no wireless networks available, like while on a road trip or camping or in a hotel with weak internet access.

After the Power Connect has been set up as a local wireless network, you can switch your mobile device back to the same wireless network instead directly connecting to the Power Connect. Basically, once both the hardware and app recognize that you have total authorized access, you don’t need to directly connect again. Using the EMTEC Connect app to access content on connected drives feels like a basic version of cloud storage.

Internet Gatekeeper

What’s nice about the way the Power Connect handles connectivity is that it doesn’t force itself as the “internet middleman.” Assume that you’re streaming a YouTube video on your smartphone and suddenly decide you want to transfer files from the SD card currently inserted into the Power Connect. You can do both at the same time, just like you’re accustomed to with popular cloud storage apps (e.g. Dropbox, Box), without skipping a beat.

But other manufacturers with products similar to the EMTEC Power Connect? Many of them require you to connect directly to the device (i.e. via the app) and stay connected for the duration of the file transfer. This usually means that your smartphone is forced to use the internet connection provided by the device, typically a measly one third or one fourth of what you’ve been getting from your Wi-Fi or 4G/5G network. That’s the kind of annoying middleman action EMTEC avoids.

Overall, the EMTEC Connect app covers what you need without getting too involved or complicated. The app lets you navigate through the file directories on both your device and what’s available on the EMTEC Power Connect (the toggle is at the bottom of the app screen). ‘Back’, ‘home’, and ‘view mode’ buttons are always at the top of each screen for navigation. Once a file or folder has been selected, you can send or interact with (open, copy, cut, paste, rename, delete) it. You can see the current progress of copies as well as failed/completed transfers in the transfer list (the icon of the cloud and double arrow). The transfer information is basic; you get a progress bar, file name, and file size, but no time or date stamps to go with it.

EMTEC Guest Access

Security. In order for a guest to access content on any media connected to the EMTEC Power Connect, three things need to happen: the individual needs the device password, the individual also needs the app’s guest password, and accessible files need to be shared first. That last bit is the key part in this three-step process of security. When a new data drive plugs into the Power Connect, the hardware/app creates a new, top-level folder named ‘Share’, containing subfolders ‘Videos’, ‘Pictures’, ‘Music’, and ‘Documents.’ If a file is not somewhere within the main ‘Share’ folder, then the guests are out of luck. Only the admin can see all files and directories as they truly are. 

This means that you’re going to have to copy files over ahead of time if you don’t want to wait. Copying isn’t as quick through the EMTEC Power Connect as it is on a tablet or laptop/computer. There is also no ‘move’ function, possibly to prevent the loss of data due to loss of power or a cable accidentally yanking out. It seems tedious, but it does prevent the chance of a guest permanently deleting stuff on accident. Pretty smart, EMTEC.

Data Transfer and Media Streaming

The range to connect to the EMTEC Power Connect is not too bad. Stable web connections (via direct connect) are good for about 23 meters (75+ feet). However, you’ll want to stay within 15 meters in order to stream video files without interruption. The range is rather impressive for the size, actually. The wireless strength is affected by the usual suspects (i.e. walls, floors, doors, large objects, etc.), so positioning is key. But if you need a bit of a boost for a Wi-Fi network, this nifty little gadget also functions as a range extender.

As for data transferring, you might be better off using an OTG cable between devices. Sure, music albums can copy wirelessly within minutes to and from the Power Connect. But large groups of high-megapixel photos can take up to an hour. Video files? Multiple hours. Although it works in a pinch, speed is the limiting factor for those short on time, especially if multiple people are connected to the Power Connect simultaneously. But if battery life and time aren’t a big deal to you at the moment, then it gets the job done reliably.

When you choose to play music through the EMTEC Connect app, it sees only the audio files in that same folder. If you want to listen to a different album/artist, you’ll have to manually fire up a track in that folder. But once you do, you can play/pause, skip/replay, and shuffle to your heart’s content. There’s no playlist creation, and single/group selecting of audio files to send to, say, Amazon Music app doesn’t work. Nothing happens.

Music plays fine, even if you’re streaming from the EMTEC Power Connect through a wireless network. But if you want to watch video without interruption, you’ll need to connect directly (trust me on this one, it doesn’t matter if the video is 40MB or 2.5GB in size). If you go wireless, expect a 1-2 second pause once or twice a minute, and a 4-10 second pause every other minute on top of that. It makes videos totally unwatchable. But if you connect directly to the Power Connect, video playback is seamless. For streaming video, a full charge of the EMTEC Power Connect delivers just about eight hours of entertainment (as claimed by the product specs). That’s a lot of binge watching for a single person, especially when you consider it doesn’t take too long to charge the device back up.

Battery Performance

On top of all the streaming and hotspot-y goodness, the EMTEC Power Connect can recharge mobile devices in times of need. I say need, because the 5200 mAh internal battery is better-suited for its own use. But, in a pinch, you can top off most smartphones and still have some power left over. Unlike a top-quality battery pack, the EMTEC Power Connect doesn’t pack any ‘fancy’ features when it comes to charging out. There is no auto-detect and no auto-shutoff. The latter is more important, considering it will trickle-charge out until it’s completely empty. You’ll have to remember to check back frequently and unplug when devices are full. It does allow passthrough charging, so you can connect a device to charge it and the Power Connect simultaneously.

Note: Not all external battery packs come fully-charged right out of the box. Charging and discharging a new battery a few times levels out the charge states of the individual cells, which helps maximize the battery’s manufacturer-listed potential. The standard efficiency rating of external battery packs currently on the market is 70 percent. This means that 30 percent of the battery’s listed capacity is consumed while charging up devices. So, for example, a basic 1000 mAh battery would effectively deliver 700 mAh of energy.

Right out of the box, the EMTEC Power Connect was able to deliver a total of 113 percent charge (3638 mAh of usable energy) to a 3220 mAh smartphone battery. That’s equivalent to 69.9 percent efficiency. Not bad, considering that battery output isn’t the Power Connect’s main attraction. Additional charge cycles brought up the values to a peak of 71.6 percent efficiency, with an average right at 70.9 efficiency, which is equivalent to 3686 mAh. Not a big difference, but the Power Connect gets a big thumbs up for consistency.

Overall Impression

All in all, there is little to dislike and much to appreciate about the EMTEC Power Connect. Want to create a secured wireless hotspot from a wired connection? Done. Extend the range of your home wireless network? Easy. Need to transfer files from your smartphone to a microSD card or USB drive? Copy away. Although transferring data wirelessly through the Power Connect is slower than what one can achieve with a simple OTG cable, there is something to be said about wireless convenience. Overall, everything this device does it does quite well.

In terms of potential improvement, EMTEC can provide better updates to the Connect app. Although the app for this type of device is better than many, some may find the interface and navigation a little clunky. But given the practical features, ease of use, and security options, the app does a respectable job of supporting the hardware.

The EMTEC Power Connect is a must-have gadget, especially for those who love road trips and traveling. It charges devices, transfers files, and creates private little hotspots. Using the Power Connect as network range extender on a daily basis alone can be worth it. Plus, the price is affordable (under $40 on Amazon). It’s not quite a ‘stocking-stuffer’, though it definitely makes for a good and thoughtful gift.

Product page: EMTEC

Source: The sample for this review was provided by EMTEC