2021 Model 3 came with Tesla USB stick

[tomatoM3]

I guess Tesla needs to improve their marketing. The Tesla USB caught my eye for use with Dashcam/Sentry so I bought on the Tesla store: USB Drive - 128 GB

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

 

[kbecks13]

guess Tesla needs to improve their marketing. The Tesla USB caught my eye for use with Dashcam/Sentry so I bought on the Tesla store: USB Drive - 128 GB

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

So you gave them extra revenue and think they should spend money on marketing to prevent this? Idk about that one

Jokes aside, it's good to have an extra for back-up purposes and welcome to the forum!

 

[Tarpan]

I almost did the same, gl

I guess Tesla needs to improve their marketing. The Tesla USB caught my eye for use with Dashcam/Sentry so I bought on the Tesla store: USB Drive - 128 GB

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

Yup, was very close to making this mistake.
Fortunately caught this in some youtube video before I ordered one. So far the included stick is great, though maybe a bit small.

 

[natman316]

I guess Tesla needs to improve their marketing. The Tesla USB caught my eye for use with Dashcam/Sentry so I bought on the Tesla store: USB Drive - 128 GB

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

Haha did the same thing. Then I returned the USB from the shop and got hit with a 15% restocking fee

 

[tomatoM3]

Haha did the same thing. Then I returned the USB from the shop and got hit with a 15% restocking fee

Oh man the restocking fee lol

I almost did the same, gl


Yup, was very close to making this mistake.
Fortunately caught this in some youtube video before I ordered one. So far the included stick is great, though maybe a bit small.

I should've researched, but good to know for the future. No harm done

So you gave them extra revenue and think they should spend money on marketing to prevent this? Idk about that one

Jokes aside, it's good to have an extra for back-up purposes and welcome to the forum!

Thanks, and lmao

 

[asian_xl]

isn't the new car come with only 64gb?

 

[SMAlset]

I have a 2018 Model 3 and been using a USB card reader and micro card in it for a few years now. I have two. Having two is not a bad idea. Sometimes media gets corrupted and becomes unusable so it’s good to have a spare. I recall a number of owners on here having their USB sticks become locked and only readable due to corruption so needed to be replaced. These were low capacity ones and due to limited lifespan of flash material. Many flash sticks used were not intended for high camera write/read usage also.

Anyway should you be in an accident and forget to save the video (10 minutes have passed) you still have an hour of buffer recorded. To preserve it and not write over it like some have done driving home and then looking for the footage, you’ll want to pause the recording and eject the drive. Being able to replace it immediately with another drive at that point is a good idea. I’ve taken my drive out to check video on my laptop at home thinking I’ll return it to the car right after but that hasn’t always happened and realized later that I was driving and parking the car without the video being recorded. So having a second stick isn’t a bad idea.

 

[SMAlset]

It would make sense for Tesla to sell a larger capacity drive on their website. Many people who initially used 32-64GB USB sticks using Sentry mode were finding that their drives were getting written to a lot and getting corrupted after awhile.

I’m guessing that Tesla supplies the new cars with a low capacity drive to at least start you off with some protection. I think the Forum’s general consensus is to use at least a 128GB device if possible. Last I checked the Manual recommended using the largest capacity you could. A 128GB device satisfies most people’s needs without getting too costly.

You have a number of third party ways to go here without buying a Tesla specific USB stick. I use a card reader with a Samsung 128GB Pro Endurance microSD card (meant for high use, continuous video/dashcam recording) that I bought off Amazon for around $30. It’s been very reliable and others here have bought the same product. You really don’t want to rely long term on a USB stick that is intended for computer use of transferring and storing files on it.

If you decide to go the card reader/microSD card route (microSDs are used in dashcams), here’s a link to the one I’ve bought off Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Endurance-128GB-Micro-Adapter/dp/B07B984HJ5

 

[Dddppp]

I guess Tesla needs to improve their marketing. The Tesla USB caught my eye for use with Dashcam/Sentry so I bought on the Tesla store: USB Drive - 128 GB

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

Make sure to format it.

I read that they included the USB thumbstick and moved the USB-A port to the glovebox, so I didn't buy one. (My 2021 Model 3 Performance was delivered mid-December, and the included USB drive was only 64GB as well).
BUT I drove around for over a week before I realized that it wasn't filming anything and needed to be 'erased' in the car's Security settings. Maybe that was a mistake they've corrected, but check and make sure it's set up to record.

Also the below article is interesting: They recommend using a micro SD card with a USB adapter because the SD cards are more suitable for continuous writing than USB thumb drives, but I don't know why because they are both types of flash memory - unless it's a cheap USB stick versus a certain rating SD card meant for cameras.
I use this really nice and small one, search Amazon for : "Rocketek Aluminum USB 3.0". It's the best size and $9.

Tesla storage set-up for sentry mode, dashcam and boombox

Also, as you may know:
Sentry Mode updates

Sentry Mode adds an extra level of protection to a given Tesla vehicle by continuously monitoring the environment around it when left unattended. With Tesla’s latest 2020.48.35 release notes, footage of the last panic event will now be saved to onboard memory.

Previously, Tesla owners had to have a formatted USB device inserted before Sentry Mode was enabled in order to view footage of previous events. Now you can view or save a given clip after the fact by plugging in a USB device, then launching the Dashcam viewer. From there, you can save the footage and easily take it straight to the proper authorities.


Cheers

 

[Timojames]

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

Can’t help but wonder why Tesla didn’t put in a SATA SSD port instead of a USB, that would enable much bigger drives. I hard wired a SATA plug into my Model 3 Taptes USB hub, now I have a 420GB SSD.

Only other thing I’d like to see is the ability to quickly transfer an event do a USB or straight to my phone rather than needing to disconnect the whole the drive the search blindly through hundreds of videos.

 

[tomatoM3]

It would make sense for Tesla to sell a larger capacity drive on their website. Many people who initially used 32-64GB USB sticks using Sentry mode were finding that their drives were getting written to a lot and getting corrupted after awhile.

I’m guessing that Tesla supplies the new cars with a low capacity drive to at least start you off with some protection. I think the Forum’s general consensus is to use at least a 128GB device if possible. Last I checked the Manual recommended using the largest capacity you could. A 128GB device satisfies most people’s needs without getting too costly.

You have a number of third party ways to go here without buying a Tesla specific USB stick. I use a card reader with a Samsung 128GB Pro Endurance microSD card (meant for high use, continuous video/dashcam recording) that I bought off Amazon for around $30. It’s been very reliable and others here have bought the same product. You really don’t want to rely long term on a USB stick that is intended for computer use of transferring and storing files on it.

If you decide to go the card reader/microSD card route (microSDs are used in dashcams), here’s a link to the one I’ve bought off Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Endurance-128GB-Micro-Adapter/dp/B07B984HJ5

Good to know, makes sense that the capacity is lower. I might switch to the 128GB now then

Make sure to format it.

I read that they included the USB thumbstick and moved the USB-A port to the glovebox, so I didn't buy one. (My 2021 Model 3 Performance was delivered mid-December, and the included USB drive was only 64GB as well).
BUT I drove around for over a week before I realized that it wasn't filming anything and needed to be 'erased' in the car's Security settings. Maybe that was a mistake they've corrected, but check and make sure it's set up to record.

Also the below article is interesting: They recommend using a micro SD card with a USB adapter because the SD cards are more suitable for continuous writing than USB thumb drives, but I don't know why because they are both types of flash memory - unless it's a cheap USB stick versus a certain rating SD card meant for cameras.
I use this really nice and small one, search Amazon for : "Rocketek Aluminum USB 3.0". It's the best size and $9.

Tesla storage set-up for sentry mode, dashcam and boombox

Also, as you may know:
Sentry Mode updates

Sentry Mode adds an extra level of protection to a given Tesla vehicle by continuously monitoring the environment around it when left unattended. With Tesla’s latest 2020.48.35 release notes, footage of the last panic event will now be saved to onboard memory.

Previously, Tesla owners had to have a formatted USB device inserted before Sentry Mode was enabled in order to view footage of previous events. Now you can view or save a given clip after the fact by plugging in a USB device, then launching the Dashcam viewer. From there, you can save the footage and easily take it straight to the proper authorities.


Cheers

Also helpful information, thanks

 

[tomatoM3]

Can’t help but wonder why Tesla didn’t put in a SATA SSD port instead of a USB, that would enable much bigger drives. I hard wired a SATA plug into my Model 3 Taptes USB hub, now I have a 420GB SSD.

Only other thing I’d like to see is the ability to quickly transfer an event do a USB or straight to my phone rather than needing to disconnect the whole the drive the search blindly through hundreds of videos.

Can the USB-A port be used as a hub on these? Could use an adapter maybe?

 

[OCR1]

I have a 128GB Samsung SDXC card that has worked very well. However, I still find that it gets full every couple of months and requires that I remove it and delete everything to free up space. I thought I read somewhere that Tesla updated Sentry to overwrite old files. Is there a setting somewhere that I missed or are we still required to manually free up space?

 

[firstpool]

Got my T3 performance last week (London)
128 GB usb stick was already in glovebox USB. Seems Tesla may be listening!

 

[TBrownTX]

I guess Tesla needs to improve their marketing. The Tesla USB caught my eye for use with Dashcam/Sentry so I bought on the Tesla store: USB Drive - 128 GB

I get it and head for the glovebox and open it and...

The same one was already installed. Whoops. Is this a new thing for the 2021's?

Did the exact same thing, keeping it for a spare.

Tim

 

[Gimmethecash]

I reformatted & repurposed a 500G SSD I had been using with an Xbox 1X, 250G for sentry/dashcam and 250G for music. Working great so far, I keep the stick Tesla gave me in a drawer.

 

[brulaz]

Does Tesla still have different formatting requirements for music versus dashcam?

IIRC exfat, and many others, was ok for dashcam videos, but music had to be fat32?

 

[play150]

I have a 2018 Model 3 and been using a USB card reader and micro card in it for a few years now. I have two. Having two is not a bad idea. Sometimes media gets corrupted and becomes unusable so it’s good to have a spare. I recall a number of owners on here having their USB sticks become locked and only readable due to corruption so needed to be replaced. These were low capacity ones and due to limited lifespan of flash material. Many flash sticks used were not intended for high camera write/read usage also.

Anyway should you be in an accident and forget to save the video (10 minutes have passed) you still have an hour of buffer recorded. To preserve it and not write over it like some have done driving home and then looking for the footage, you’ll want to pause the recording and eject the drive. Being able to replace it immediately with another drive at that point is a good idea. I’ve taken my drive out to check video on my laptop at home thinking I’ll return it to the car right after but that hasn’t always happened and realized later that I was driving and parking the car without the video being recorded. So having a second stick isn’t a bad idea.

How do you pause the recording for ejection?

 

[Gimmethecash]

Does Tesla still have different formatting requirements for music versus dashcam?

IIRC exfat, and many others, was ok for dashcam videos, but music had to be fat32?

My first Tesla, but it has to be fat32 for both, at least that’s what the instructional video I watched said. Works great for me, I just watched dashcam video from the tesla partition while listening to usb music on the music partition.

 

[brulaz]

Formatting a USB Flash Drive To correctly save and retrieve video footage, Model 3 requires the USB flash drive to be formatted as exFAT, FAT 32 (for Windows), MS-DOS FAT (for Mac), ext3, or ext4. NTFS is currently not supported. In addition, the USB flash drive must contain a base-level folder called “TeslaCam” (without quotation marks). You can format a USB flash drive from inside Model 3 or from a personal computer. To format a flash drive from inside Model 3, simply insert a USB flash drive into a front USB port, and touch Safety & Security > FORMAT USB DEVICE. Doing so formats the drive as exFAT and automatically creates a TeslaCam folder. The USB flash drive is now ready to record and save video footage.

That's what the 2020 manual says.
But when talking about music on a usb stick, it says

Media Player supports USB flash drives with FAT32 formatting (NTFS and exFAT are not currently supported).

But the manual I have is almost a year old, so I was wondering if the media player fat32 limitation has changed.

Guess I should try out a few formats and see ...