Buffalo HDW-PDU3 MiniStation Air User manual

MiniStation Air
HDW-PDU3 Reference Guide
www.buffalotech.com
35020309-01
2014-04

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Contents
Chapter 1 - Overview ......................................................4
Diagrams ...........................................................................................4
Recommended Usage ......................................................................7
Battery Handling Guidelines and Safety Precautions ............................ 7
Computer Connection (USB Connection) Guidelines ............................. 8
Restrictions ................................................................................................. 9
Chapter 2 - Opening Settings ..................................... 11
What is Settings? ........................................................................... 11
Opening Settings .......................................................................... 11
Windows ...................................................................................................11
Mac ............................................................................................................12
Chapter 3 - Formatting ................................................ 13
What is Formatting? ...................................................................... 13
Windows ...................................................................................................13
Mac ............................................................................................................13
Notes .............................................................................................. 13
Formatting with FAT32 (Mac) ....................................................... 14
Formatting with NTFS (Windows) ................................................ 16
Chapter 4 - Wireless Connection to Router ................ 22
Configuration Through a Mobile Device ..................................... 22
Configuration Through a Computer ............................................ 22

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Chapter 5 - Multimedia ............................................... 23
What is DLNA? ............................................................................... 23
Play Files ........................................................................................ 23
Notes .............................................................................................. 24
Chapter 6 - Appendix .................................................. 25
Specifications ................................................................................ 25
Product Specifications .............................................................................25
USB Interface Specifications ...................................................................26
Wireless Interface Specifications ............................................................26
Troubleshooting ............................................................................ 27
Cannot connect to MiniStation Air though Wi-Fi settings have been
configured in my mobile device .............................................................27
“.qwifi”, “.twonky”, and “.lighttpd” folders have appeared on my
MiniStation Air .........................................................................................27
Thumbnails are not displayed properly .................................................27
Chapter 7 - Regulatory Compliance Information ...... 28

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Chapter 1 - Overview
Diagrams
1 Power Button
Switch Power On or Off
Press and hold the power button for 3 seconds to power on the MiniStation Air. When the power is on, the
power/access LED is lit green. When the power is off, the power/access LED is off.
Switch Battery Charger Mode On or Off
Press and quickly release the power button when the power is off to use the MiniStation Air as a mobile
battery. When in battery charger mode, the power/access LED is lit orange.
Battery charger mode is not available while MiniStation Air is communicating wirelessly.
2 AOSS Button
This button is used to enable AOSS to connect to an access point. When the power is on, press and hold the
AOSS button for 2 seconds to start AOSS.
3 USB Port
Connect the USB data cable to this port to connect the MiniStation Air to your PC.
4 Power Port
Connect the USB power cable to this port to charge the battery.
5 Battery Charger Port
Connect your mobile device to charge it using the MiniStation Air.

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6 Power/Access LED
Indicates the power or hard drive access status.
On (Green): Power is on.
Blinking (Green): Accessing the hard drive when the MiniStation Air is connected to the PC with the USB data
cable.
On (Orange): The MiniStation Air is in mobile battery mode.
On (Red): The MiniStation Air battery is getting low. Please charge the battery.
Blinks once every 2 seconds (Red): The MiniStation Air is in sleep mode. Refer to “Sleep Mode” section below for
more information.
Blinks twice every 2 seconds (Red): The MiniStation Air is in sleep mode and its battery is getting low. Please
charge the battery.
7 Wireless LED
Indicates wireless status.
On (Blue): Power is on.
Blinking (Blue): Communicating wirelessly.
8 AOSS LED
Indicates AOSS connection status with the access point.
On (Amber): Successfully connected using AOSS. LED will turn off after 1 minute.
Double Blinks (Amber): Waiting for an AOSS security key.
Continuously Blinking (Amber): AOSS connection was not established. LED will turn off after 1 minute.
9 Battery LED
Lights when the MiniStation Air battery is being charged.
On (Red): Charging.
On (Green): Charge complete.
10 Wireless Security Label
Shows the MiniStation Air’s SSID and encryption key. Refer to this label when connecting wirelessly to the
MiniStation Air for the first time.
11 Reset Button
To reset all settings, hold down this button until the wireless LED turns off (about 3 seconds). Resetting does
not delete data on the hard drive.
Before resetting, connect the USB power cable to the MiniStation Air to ensure constant power supply.

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Sleep Mode
The MiniStation Air has 2 types of sleep mode, as well as a “Do not sleep” option that is selected by default. You can
change sleep mode settings from Settings or the MiniStation Air2 app.
The list below shows each mode’s LED appearance and the procedure to return from sleep mode.
Type LED How to Return
eco Blinks once or twice every 2 seconds (Red)*
Off Press power button briefly.
Balanced Blinks once or twice every 2 seconds (Red)*
On or blinking (Blue)
The MiniStation Air will return from sleep mode
automatically when it is accessed.
*When the battery is getting low, the LED will blink twice every 2 seconds.

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Recommended Usage
Battery Handling Guidelines and Safety Precautions
This product includes an internal lithium-ion battery. Please follow the safety precautions below.
• If the battery pack is leaking fluid, do not come into contact with the fluid.
Battery fluid can cause burns. Also, if the fluid gets on your skin or clothes, immediately rinse the fluid off with
water, and seek medical attention. If the fluid gets in your eyes, it can lead to permanent loss of eyesight, so
immediately flush your eyes thoroughly with clean water and seek medical treatment.
• Never get the battery pack wet, or put it inside water or other liquids.
This can cause overheating, rupture, ignition, or a failure of the battery pack. If the battery pack gets wet,
immediately stop usage, and contact the Buffalo Support Center or your local dealer.
• Never disassemble or modify the battery pack.
This could cause the fluid in the battery pack to splash out, which can lead to permanent loss of eyesight if it gets
in your eyes, or can lead to overheating, rupture, or ignition of the battery.
• Charge the MiniStation Air periodically.
Charging the MiniStation Air can prevent loss of performance over time.
• When charging is complete, remove the USB power cable from the MiniStation Air.
• Do not expose the battery to heat or fire, or store in a hot place. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
• Do not drop the battery on hard surfaces or expose it to mechanical shock.
• Keep the battery out of the reach of children.
• If the battery is swallowed, seek medical advice immediately.
• Even when the MiniStation Air is turned off, standby mode consumes a small amount of power.
A fully charged battery will last about a week.
• The battery should be charged before use.
Always use the correct charger and refer to this manual for charging instructions.
• Do not leave the battery connected to the charger when not in use.
• After extended periods of storage, it may be necessary to charge and discharge the battery several times to
obtain maximum performance.
• The battery gives its best performance at normal room temperature (18–27°C, 65–80° F).

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• If the MiniStation is charging while connected wirelessly, the internal temperature can exceed 45°C (113° F).
Charging will automatically stop if 45°C (113° F) is exceeded, and start again once temperature drops to a safe
level.
• Retain the original product documentation for future reference.
• Do not remove the MiniStation Air’s battery unless specifically instructed to by Buffalo.
• Do not discard this product with other household waste. Recycle the battery in accordance with local
regulations.
Computer Connection (USB Connection) Guidelines
• To avoid damage to data, follow these precautions:
Never configure the MiniStation Air as a destination for virtual memory.
Never do any of the following while data is being accessed.
• unplug the USB data cable
• turn off your computer
• put your computer into standby, hibernate, or sleep mode
• The MiniStation Air supports hot-plugging.
You can plug or unplug the USB data cable even if the MiniStation Air and your computer are on. However, never
unplug the USB data cable while data is being accessed, or your data may be lost or damaged.
• Don’t use the MiniSation Air as the boot drive for a computer.
• The MiniStation Air supports USB 3.0.
If it is connected to a USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port, Windows may display a message that a high-speed USB device is
connected to a non high-speed USB device. Move the MiniStation Air to a USB 3.0 port for best performance, or
close the message and continue.
• You may hear some noise while the MiniStation Air is working, especially when it is booting or being accessed.
This is normal.
• If your Windows PC will not boot while the MiniStation Air is connected, connect the MiniStation Air after
booting your PC. To turn your PC on or off while the MiniStation Air is connected, refer to your computer’s
manual on changing the BIOS setting to only boot from an internal hard drive.
• When you are using Windows, keep the default NTFS format.
HFS+ is not supported. To use with Mac, reformat the MiniStation Air with FAT32. Note that the maximum size of
a file on a FAT32 hard drive is 4 GB.
• Some computers may display a “Delayed Write Failed” error when they return from an energy-saving state. If this
happens, unplug the MiniStation Air before putting your computer into the energy-saving mode.

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Restrictions
Wireless Connection
• While the MiniStation Air is connected to a computer with the USB data cable, Wi-Fi is disabled.
Unplug the USB data cable before connecting wirelessly.
• Up to 8 devices can be connected wirelessly to the MiniStation Air.
• When the MiniStation Air is connected to the Internet through a wireless router (Internet mode), the wireless
throughput to and from your portable device drops to half.
With this configuration, only a single connected wireless device is recommended.
• Network addresses on the 192.168.14.xxx subnet are reserved for use by the MiniStation Air. When the
Ministation Air is connected to a wireless router, the IP address of the router should be on a different subnet
(anything besides 192.168.14.xxx). For example, 192.168.11.1 or 192.168.15.1 would work fine for the router.
• The MiniStation Air may not detect a wireless router if more than 20 are in the vicinity.
• When the MiniStation Air is connected to a wireless router by WPS, do not disable WPS in the router’s settings.
Doing so will disconnect the MiniStation Air.
• If “Disclose to Network” is enabled, you can access the MiniStation Air wirelessly through the access point instead
of directly connecting your mobile device.
It is highly recommended to disable this feature when the MiniStation Air is on a public network.
Enable this feature only when you want to share the data stored in the MiniStation Air.
Charging
• To charge the MiniStation Air, it is recommended that you use the supplied USB power cable and AC adapter to
connect the MiniStation Air to an outlet.
If the MiniStation Air is charging through a PC, the charge time will vary depending on the computer. Charge
times will slow significantly if the MiniStation Air is also in use at the time.
• If the MiniStation Air is charged while connected wirelessly, the battery LED may turn off and charging may not
be performed.
• If the MiniStation is charging while connected wirelessly, the internal temperature can exceed 45°C (113° F).
Charging will automatically stop if 45°C (113° F) is exceeded, and start again once temperature drops to a safe
level.
MiniStation Air2 (Application)
Picture Files
• Large file sizes may cause the slideshow to stall.

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Music Files
• Use UTF-8 encoding when editing ID3 tags.
• Sorting by “Songs” in Music Player may cause system slowdown or file display errors if there is a large number of
music files. In such a case, sorting by “Artist” or “Album”, or using File Explorer, is recommended.
Video Files
• To play a video file, convert its bitrate or format to one compatible with your mobile device.
It is recommended to convert to a portable format (about 2 Mbps).
• If using Video Player and there is a large number of video files stored, system slowdown or file display errors may
occur.
• When sleep mode is enabled, caching will also be enabled.
With caching, when playing a video, it will be copied to your mobile device. After copying finishes, the
MiniStation Air enters sleep mode and playback switches from the original video to the copied video file in your
mobile device. Playback may be momentarily interrupted. To disable this feature, select “Do not sleep” under
sleep mode settings.
Caching will require the following conditions:
• The MiniStation Air2 app is used to play video files.
• Only one device is currently connected to the MiniStation Air (accessed by no other device).
• The available storage space in your mobile device is larger than the video file size.
• No other DLNA players installed in your mobile device is currently accessing the MiniStation Air.
Other Restrictions
• Do not shake or drop the MiniStation Air during boot. This could damage the hard drive.

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Chapter 2 - Opening Settings
What is Settings?
Settings is the configuration GUI for the MiniStation Air. Settings is accessible from a browser window in your
computer.
The following browsers are supported. Accessing from other browsers may not display the Settings page properly.
Windows
Internet Explorer 10 or later
Google Chrome 31 or later
Firefox 25 or later
Mac
Google Chrome 31 or later
Safari 7.0 or later
Firefox 18 or later
Notes:
• Default iOS and Android browsers are not supported. Use the MiniStation Air2 app when accessing Settings
from a mobile device.
• Configure the browser size to larger than 800 x 600. Otherwise, the Settings page may not be displayed prop-
erly.
Opening Settings
Follow the procedure below to open Settings.
Note: Turn on the MiniStation Air and confirm the wireless LED is lit or blinking.
Windows
Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8, Windows RT
1 Move the cursor to the right top and click the settings icon .
2 Click the network icon in the system tray.
3 Select the SSID of your MiniStation Air.
4 Enter the encryption key and click Next.
Note: If a message about sharing (Ex: “Do you want to find PCs, devices, and content on this network, and
automatically connect to devices like printers and TVs?”) is displayed, click No.
5 Open a browser and enter 192.168.14.1 in the URL field.

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Windows 7
1 Click the network icon in the system tray.
2 Select the SSID of your MiniStation Air.
3 Enter the encryption key and click OK.
4 Open a browser and enter 192.168.14.1 in the URL field.
Windows Vista
1 Click the network icon in the system tray.
2 Click Connect to a network.
3 Select the SSID of your MiniStation Air.
Note: If a message appears asking you to press the configuration button on your access point, click I want to
enter the network key or passphrase instead.
4 Enter the encryption key and click Connect.
Note: If the “Set Network Location” screen is displayed, select Cancel.
5 Open a browser and enter 192.168.14.1 in the URL field.
Windows XP
1 Click the network icon in the system tray.
2 Select the SSID of your MiniStation Air.
3 Enter the encryption key and click Connect.
4 Open a browser and enter 192.168.14.1 in the URL field.
Mac
1 Click in the menu bar.
2 Select the SSID of your MiniStation Air.
3 Enter the encryption key and click Connect.
4 Open a browser and enter 192.168.14.1 in the URL field.

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Chapter 3 - Formatting
What is Formatting?
Formatting is a process that creates a file system, allowing a drive to be usable with your computer.
The MiniStation Air is formatted with NTFS by default.
Windows
Keep the default NTFS format.
Mac
The MiniStation Air is formatted with NTFS by default. For USB connection, reformat it with FAT32 as described in
this manual.
Notes:
• If the MiniStation Air is reformatted with HFS+, files on it will no longer be accessible from your mobile de-
vice. If you have already reformatted the MiniStation Air with a different partition, use the procedure in this
manual to reformat it with FAT32.
• For wireless connection, reformatting is not necessary. Refer to the quick setup guide for how to connect
your Mac to the MiniStation Air wirelessly.
Notes
• Never unplug, reset, or turn off the computer during the formatting process. This could result in damage to the
drive or other problems. Proper operation cannot be guaranteed if the format process is interrupted.
• Formatting will erase all data on the hard drive. Before formatting, back up any data. The user is responsible for
any data lost due to formatting of the hard drive.
Don’t format the wrong drive! Check the drive letter and partition name carefully.

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Formatting with FAT32 (Mac)
If you want to use the MiniStation with a Mac, follow the procedure below to reformat it with FAT32.
Note: After formatting with FAT32, only files of 4 GB or smaller can be saved to the drive.
1 Connect the MiniStation to your Mac with the supplied USB data cable.
2 Select Go - Utilities from the menu bar.
3 Double-click Disk Utility.
4 Click the disk to be formatted.
Note: Formatting will erase all data on the disk. Don’t format the wrong disk!

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5 Configure each setting as below.
• Click Partition.
• Select 1 Partition.
• Enter HDW-PDU3 for “Name”.
• Select MS-DOS (FAT) for the formatting type.
• Click Apply.
6 Click Partition.
This completes the formatting process.
Dismounting the MiniStation Air
After formatting is complete, dismount the MiniStation Air as described below.
1 Drag the MiniStation Air’s icon to the trash . Or, click the dismount icon in the sidebar of the Finder.
2 Unplug the MiniStation Air.

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Formatting with NTFS (Windows)
The MiniStation Air is formatted with NTFS by default.
If the drive has been formatted with FAT32 to use with a Mac and you want to reformat with NTFS, follow the
procedure below.
1 Connect the MiniStation to your computer with the supplied USB data cable.
2 Click Start. Right-click Computer (My Computer) and select Manage.
If the “User Account Control” window opens, select Yes or Continue.
Note: For Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8, and Windows RT, follow the procedure below:
Switch to desktop mode. Click on the taskbar. Right-click This PC and select Manage.
3 Click Disk Management.
4 Right-click the disk area assigned to the MiniStation Air and select Delete Volume.
Notes:
• Formatting will erase all data on the disk. Don’t format the wrong disk!
• If the disk assigned to the MiniStation Air appears as “Unallocated”, proceed to step 6.

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5 Click Yes.
6 Right-click the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume.

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7 Click Next.
If This Screen Opens
Select Primary partition and click Next.

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8 Specify the size in Simple volume size (Partition size or Amount of disk space to use). Unless you need to change
to a specific setting, use the default setting (maximum size).
Click Next.
9 Click Assign the following drive letter and specify the drive letter. Unless you need to change to a specific setting,
use the default setting.
Click Next.

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10 Configure each setting as below.
(1) Select Format this volume with the following settings (Format this partition with the following settings).
(2) Select NTFS.
(3) Unless you need to change a specific setting, use the default settings.
(4) Enter HDW-PDU3 for “Volume label”.
(5) Click Next.
Note: Don’t select Perform a quick format.
11 Click Finish. Formatting will begin.