any place to hide/bury a usb thumbdrive, for *secure* sentry mode?

[linux-works]

you can see the hidden one behind the panel. I also keep a tray in that opening that also blocks the sentry mode/usb area

that looks good. I'll keep that in mind. I still want something a bit more custom,though.

 

[qbit]

I believe sentry mode drains about 1 mile of range per hour while it is enabled.

Just make sure to disable when parked at your favorite ( home/work) location. I don't see any drain because of sentry mode.

 

[linux-works]

I'm not going to make exceptions for home/work. I'm not in a locked garage at home and there have been break-ins at my apartment complex. I'm going to have to make allowances for the 10mi each nite that I will lose, sigh. selective use of sentry mode seems like a gap in security. either you use it or you don't, is how I see it.

 

[qbit]

I'm not going to make exceptions for home/work. I'm not in a locked garage at home and there have been break-ins at my apartment complex. I'm going to have to make allowances for the 10mi each nite that I will lose, sigh. selective use of sentry mode seems like a gap in security. either you use it or you don't, is how I see it.

Yes it's case by case, I park in my garage and I have security cameras around my house.

 

[qbit]

usb in the back is power only; no data (right?)

if there was at least data WIRING, I could bury something out of sight.

Didn't know that, let me try it today. Also want to try two USB options.

 

[linux-works]

one network type I might consider, for redundancy and backup, is LORA. its long range, low power and still a little unknown to most. where I could not get wifi to go from my parking garage to my apartment unit, LORA would easily go that far. perhaps even if just as a 'notify' to some base station that something happened. you'd have to have a LORA endpoint near where you park, but they are cheap enough as modules and you could have one at home and one at work. this would not be a primary focus, but I'm thinking about adding this to the solution, as it matures.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Perhaps putting a little rubber toy or some other thing around the USB drive would camoflague it enough to fool many thieves.

Could make it look like something innoculous.

 

[linux-works]

I also had a thought to add one or more *decoys*. even label them as 'tesla-cam'.

there is a proof of concept called a 'usb killer' that throws lots of high voltage into your usb port when you plug that in. it would be an interesting thought experiment to consider such a thing. in the US, you'd get in trouble, legally, so it could only be a thought. but imagine if you had one of those devices in your console, on a special *disconnected* usb port and hid the real usb drive elsewhere.

the porch-pirate 'glitter-bomb' guy comes to mind (youtube it, if you have not heard of that)

anyway, I do feel quite ok with a non-connected decoy that the bad guy would grab and I think that should be part of this overall solution.

 

[linux-works]

are there instructions on how to get to the usb ports that are data-wired and in the center console? I have not tried to yet, myself. not sure if its obvious or even possible.

any diagrams on how to get to those? at some point, they will wear out, anyway, so replacing them is going to be a needed service after a few years.

 

[Adam3]

Route a USB Extension cable from USB port to the glovebox. Plug flash drive / SSD into the extension cable in the glove box.

 

[puckpurnell]

Yes, the JEDA hub has two visible USB ports. Below, behind a flush panel, is a third that is designed for an SSD drive. This hidden area is impossible to detect to an untrained eye and a p a i n i n t h e a s s to get opened even to the owner (moi). Anyone trying to rifle through a car isn’t going to take time to detect, open and pull out the SSD in the JEDA hub. Just say’in. The only “however” is that JEDA have terrible customer service and are difficult/impossible to work with.

 

[focher]

Lots of YouTube videos on accessing the space at the front of the center console. It’s a bit of a pain, but doable.

 

[jkoya]

btw, is sentry mode REALLY that power-hungry? I had about 200 'miles' of charge on the battery when I parked last nite and this AM, it says its down to 190. 10 'miles' is quite a lot for a nite's worth of sentry. I don't have home charging (shared parking at apartment building) so the drain is significant to me, but I think I'll just have to plan for that kind of power loss, if I want to use sentry mode.

are others losing that much 'range' each nite for sentry mode? seems excessive to me, but I'm new to tesla (3 months into my m3).

I could be wrong, but I think the more events you have the more power is consumed. I had my car parked in the Parade Grounds Parking Lot of the Presidio of San Francisco and I was averaging about 25 Sentry Events a day with a corresponding loss of about 23 miles of range.

 

[linux-works]

I don't think there is a single solution that would work for everyone. I see lots of good steps forward.

for example, I might run a simple extension cable from one of the front usb data console ports to some location that is 6' or less (I think that's a good starting length, given usb and cabling). glovebox was suggested and I do think that a remote wire going to the GB area is way better than a direct usb thumbdrive directly in the center console. the glovebox lets you get to the drive, later, as the owner, so that's a plus.

the center console feels more hackable, to me, though (meaning, as the owner, I prefer to hack in there vs the GB). I can plant a decoy usb drive in a more obvious location and hide the real drive in a more labor intensive location.

for dual-porting, I'm thinking I can make a y-cable with 4 poles, 2 throw, NC contacts going between the usb drive and the car's data port (via the extension wire). if power is lost, you still get direct connection to the drive. for the owner to get the data, you send power down a single control line (new line, run just for this) and that powers the relay to switch the storage from the car, to another extension cable. *that* could be the one that has a free end (female) that just terminates and hangs in the glovebox.

to get your data a laptop, you connect your laptop to that data jack in the GB, power the relay to switch it over, watch the 'drive icon' appear on your desktop, copy over all files, then unmount the drive on your pc and then remove power from control wire to that relay.

(later, might have some bluetooth way to control the relay)

I'm trying to keep the drive safely buried so its too much effort to dig out, and also keep secret how to get TO it, as long as its not expensive. the single (or pair of DPDT) relays is not expensive. usb powered hubs could be another way if you hate relays. this is usb 2.0 speeds, so its not super fast and relays would likely get the job done if the soldering/wiring was clean.

 

[jkoya]

for example, I might run a simple extension cable from one of the front usb data console ports to some location that is 6' or less (I think that's a good starting length, given usb and cabling). glovebox was suggested and I do think that a remote wire going to the GB area is way better than a direct usb thumbdrive directly in the center console. the glovebox lets you get to the drive, later, as the owner, so that's a plus.

Someone on the forums did a test many months ago to see if you can open the glovebox while the alarm was going off and the answer was "yes". They kept the window rolled down, locked the car with sentry set and then reached inside the car to open the door. The alarm went off, but they were able to access the touchscreen and open the glovebox. So if a thief was familiar with the car, it's possible they may open the glovebox. Note: This was many, many software updates ago, so it may have changed since that test was performed. Just a thought ......

 

[hydro 481]

I also had a thought to add one or more *decoys*. even label them as 'tesla-cam'.

there is a proof of concept called a 'usb killer' that throws lots of high voltage into your usb port when you plug that in. it would be an interesting thought experiment to consider such a thing. in the US, you'd get in trouble, legally, so it could only be a thought. but imagine if you had one of those devices in your console, on a special *disconnected* usb port and hid the real usb drive elsewhere.

the porch-pirate 'glitter-bomb' guy comes to mind (youtube it, if you have not heard of that)

anyway, I do feel quite ok with a non-connected decoy that the bad guy would grab and I think that should be part of this overall solution.

I was just going to suggest that using a ‘dummy’ drive plugged into the outside of the Jeda hub should be more than enough to fool your average crook. They are obviously trying to get in and out as quickly as possible so being thorough is not something they are aiming to do. And I’m sure the vast majority of people, let alone criminals, have never heard of the Jeda hub to begin with.

I also live in an apartment complex that deals with break-ins on the regular. I get paranoid too but honestly having sentry mode warning displayed on the screen should be a sufficient deterrent in most situation.

Here is an interesting product I came across on RPM Tesla. It’s a glass protection film called ClearPlex by Madico. You apply it over the rear small window and it’s supposed to provide a layer of protection against someone smashing the window. I have no idea how effective it is but it might be worth a try. There’s a video of them testing the product on the website.

Model 3 Rear Corner Window Protector Kit - $39 with 20% Off