Front USB Ports, best solution

[mreynolds767]

Have researched this but sounds like solutions some have used in the past may not work as well with most recent updates or may not work long term.
Picking up a new 3 and trying to plan what to do with the front 2 USB ports. Don't want to buy twice if you know what I mean,

I already have a Telsa Wireless Charger (official Tesla one). Really only need the left side of that pad as my wife's phone does not have wireless charging. Still wouldn't mind connecting the right side though but would be easier to live with reduced power to it.

Left side I don't really want to reduce power to ; as it can be a struggle for me to keep my phone always charged.
Thinking I will still keep a IPhone USB cable to be able to use the back ports or Cigarette lighter plug to faster charge the phone when using Waze or similar and the pad location is not most convenient. I am not very anal about having a cord showing.

Recording video / sentry cam ; sounds like a great idea.

Music via USB ; I like the idea of having maybe 50 songs I would load on a USB just for best sound quality but for me is not something I would likely maintain nor insist on using. I am fairly certain Bluetooth audio from my phone or even FM / not so good Slacker / Tune In will meet 99% of my audio needs.

I have a 4 port 3.1 USB hub, so that is one option. Plug the left side of the wireless pad in directly. Use the right side for the other wireless pad, the Sentry Cam device, the USB music and that leaves one free which sounds nice.

I have a small USB enough for music already I could use.
Should I just buy a mini 128 or 256 sturdy SD card with USB adapter for the Sentry. Is that the best option?
Can the right side provide enough power for everything I am talking about and work well?
It requires only 1 purchase which is ideal for me cost wise and keeps maximum juice to my side of the wireless pad.
If I went all USB thumb drive, I would need to buy a new one anyway as I only have small capacity ones now.
Not really interested in buying a portable Hard Drive at this time.

Or do I really need to run music and cam on separate ports, requiring splitter cables or similar to still get the wireless pad working and also requiring reduced power on my phone side.

I looked into the Jeda Hub, while it looks great it seems pricey and given their service and shipping time is poorly regarded not sure I want to bother.

 

[GPinzone]

Buy this: RAVPower USB C Battery Pack 20100 Portable Charger with QC 3.0 Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, 20100mAh

It will give you two charging ports, one will be QC 3.0. It allows direct through charging so the internal battery will be charging while you are using it.

Regarding music/sentry:
Samsung PRO Endurance 128GB Micro SDXC Card
SD Card Reader

You want a microsd card rated for lots of writes. They reader can be unplugged from the Model 3 and plugged into your phone directly allowing you to review the video with apps on your phone.

 

[GPinzone]

BTW, I use one card for video and audio. I partition it.

 

[Eno Deb]

If you don't really need both sides of the wireless pad, I'd recommend to simply connect only the left side to one port, and a USB drive (or better micro-SD adapter with an endurance SD card) in the other. Chances are you'll be happy with music from the iPhone, which sounds quite good given that Tesla supports AAC over Bluetooth (which is much better than the standard BT SBC codec). Also, the UI of the Tesla USB player sucks. If you draw too much power from the second port, you might run into reliability issues with the dashcam/Sentry feature, which is far more important IMO.

 

[WattsHappening]

I installed this and it works great. A small DIY project to route the 12v charger to the front of the console. Benefits include higher speed charging, a QC 3.0 port, frees up the two front ports for music and camera recording, and an additional 2 USB ports at the 12v plug.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FLG8TLD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mreynolds767]

Buy this: RAVPower USB C Battery Pack 20100 Portable Charger with QC 3.0 Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, 20100mAh

It will give you two charging ports, one will be QC 3.0. It allows direct through charging so the internal battery will be charging while you are using it.

Regarding music/sentry:
Samsung PRO Endurance 128GB Micro SDXC Card
SD Card Reader

You want a microsd card rated for lots of writes. They reader can be unplugged from the Model 3 and plugged into your phone directly allowing you to review the video with apps on your phone.

Thank you
Will purchase the Micro SDXC card. That is the one I was thinking of but having the link was super helpful.
The SD card reader looks good too, this model looks like I could then view the Cam on my Iphone vs. others that are simply a USB Adapter?

The power bank, I have a 20,000 mAh one at home, so may see if that works first before buying a new one.
Not sure the one I have offers the direct through charging the same way and always stay on. It does have 2 outputs though and looks similar (different brand).

 

[mreynolds767]

BTW, I use one card for video and audio. I partition it.

Any performance issues with the cam by doing this?

 

[mreynolds767]

If you don't really need both sides of the wireless pad, I'd recommend to simply connect only the left side to one port, and a USB drive (or better micro-SD adapter with an endurance SD card) in the other. Chances are you'll be happy with music from the iPhone, which sounds quite good given that Tesla supports AAC over Bluetooth (which is much better than the standard BT SBC codec). Also, the UI of the Tesla USB player sucks. If you draw too much power from the second port, you might run into reliability issues with the dashcam/Sentry feature, which is far more important IMO.

To start at least if my PowerBank does not pass through power it may be what I do.

 

[mreynolds767]

I installed this and it works great. A small DIY project to route the 12v charger to the front of the console. Benefits include higher speed charging, a QC 3.0 port, frees up the two front ports for music and camera recording, and an additional 2 USB ports at the 12v plug.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FLG8TLD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you. Looks cool and is friendly on the budget, how extensive was the DIY work?

 

[WattsHappening]

Thank you. Looks cool and is friendly on the budget, how extensive was the DIY work?

Easy. Youtube video (not mine) below.

 

[Eno Deb]

The SD card reader looks good too, this model looks like I could then view the Cam on my Iphone vs. others that are simply a USB Adapter?

Just as a note, this reader (and other similar ones) require special apps (which are often of dubious quality) to access the dashcam files on an SD card from an iOS device. iOS 13 (which was released today) now supports simple OTG adapters natively, so this is no longer necessary. You can use e.g. the Apple SD Card Camera Reader or a clone like this one, and simply access the dashcam videos on an SD Card via the Files app.

As for the USB adapter, I'd recommend a small one like this or this, because they don't stick out so much and are less likely to lose contact if you driver over a bump or rummage around in the front compartment.

 

[GPinzone]

Any performance issues with the cam by doing this?

None.