Kingston DataTraveler 2000 USB 3.1 Drive (32GB) Review

The DT2000 is backwards compatible to USB 2.0, and obviously at lower speeds. For the 16GB capacity, Kingston lists read speeds up to 30MB/s and write speeds up to 20MB/s. The 32GB capacity via USB 2.0 can reach up to 30MB/s and write speeds of up to 20MB/s.

If you do use that USB 2.0 port, chances are you will receive that annoying notification from Windows letting you know that the drive can perform faster in a USB 3.0 port. If your computer is not equipped with the latest USB technology, then we encourage you to have a look at our report of the HighPoint 4-Port HBA. This PCIe expansion card easily allows you to add four additional USB ports to your system, as well as the addition of USB 3.0 technology.

The drive is also certified for IP57 rating, which means that it is waterproof and dustproof. This is largely due to the capsule-like design that is secured with a rubber grommet.

The DT2000 is hardware encrypted with 256-bit AES in XTS mode. XTS-AES encryption makes use of two different keys, typically by splitting the supplied block cipher’s key in half. Simply put, rather than adding security, it just complicates the process.

The encryption for the DT2000 is accomplished solely on the drive, and not on the system. Even with the alphanumeric keypad on the front of the device, the pin is only stored on the drive and not on the system. Oh and by the way, remember this pin, because after 10 failed attempts the drive will wipe itself completely.

With the alphanumeric keypad you can select anything from a series of numbers, to even picking letters that are meaningful to you, and probably easier to remember.

The DataTraveler 2000 also gives you a three year manufacturer warranty and free technical support.