-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Music choices without premium connectivity
- Thread starter hruskap
- Start date
ElectricAnt54
Active Member
Put your favorite audio on a USB stick & update center console usb-c to support data & power rather than just power (only needed in cars built after 10/31/2021 usually). I took this route. When possible I get my audio in uncompressed flax format. But a good mp3 is fine too. Playing music off usb avoids the extra round of audio compression applied by the Bluetooth transmission.
I have a usb stick on my keychain which I plug in to those ports. This forces me to remember to take usb stick out of car so it doesn’t get too hot (I bought a cheap one).
You can also buy a larger SSD drive and partition it so one area is for Tesla cam & other music. The SSD would get plugged in to the usb-a in glovebox.
Many threads on these topics exist. use the search forums and similar threads suggestions to learn more.
I don't understand why anyone who can afford a Tesla wouldn't continue to subscribe to premium connectivity. It's just reimbursing Tesla for the monthly charge for 4g lte data, just like you would with any other 4g lte service. Why cripple the entertainment features over such a nominal charge?
Mike_TV
Active Member
Agree and for years...decades now...people with ICE cars have paid the same or more per month for less in car functionality...OnStar, XM radio and others.
Also, many people paid hundreds of dollars just to get updated maps installed in their factory nav systems each year.
ElectricAnt54
Active Member
I did pay for Apple CarPlay & Android Auto to be in my 2022 Tesla. I got the hansshow 9” Linux behind the steering wheel console. Works very well. One fellow in this forum met me & tested Android Auto. There is also a methodology to add both to the Tesla infotainment screen which uses multiple raspberry pi micro computers & soon to be one micro computer.I would pay to have Apple CarPlay
Last edited:
I use a large SSD drive in the glovebox, partitioned it for sentry and music, and have a variety of music on it. Works well.
I just have a spare phone setup with a hotspot with a free line from tmobile that i got from one of their promotions. It's fast enough to stream Tidal. Tidal only plays in hifi if it's on a wifi connection or the song is downloaded locally. Since I don't want to use up all the storage of the car's drive space, hotspot is the way to go. There are those 3 months for a dollar for tidal from Best buy you can get. Just use new email addresses. But I still use bluetooth from my phone mostly. It's just that when my phone is playing music the phone gets warm and wireless charging doesn't work as well. If I'm playing a downloaded playlist on bluetooth the charging works better.
I use Echo Auto: “Alexa, play Kirt Vile on Pandora”. Or “Alexa, play My Morning Jacket on Amazon music”.
I have an iPhone and TMobile for unlimited streaming. I have the Echo Auto plugged into one of the USB ports in the center console.
Anything you can do with Alexa on your phone can be played through the Echo Auto.
I have an iPhone and TMobile for unlimited streaming. I have the Echo Auto plugged into one of the USB ports in the center console.
Anything you can do with Alexa on your phone can be played through the Echo Auto.
One could say after paying a premium for a Tesla, one would expect premium sound experience without being subjected to additional up selling. I'm just saying.
You raise a good point with the free updating of software including the NAV system. It's just that premium connectivity seemed second rate IMO (had lag and poor connectivity) when compared to XM radio which I have always enjoyed and would gladly pay for if offered by Tesla.
But thats not how "premium" works in the car space. Putting aside for the moment whether a tesla model 3 or Y is "premium", BMW / Audi / Porsche etc would usually be considered at least "entry level luxury" by most, and they dont give you hardly anything.
BMW charged extra for backup cameras until they were FORCED BY LAW to include them. Porsche is legendary on their option list, along with its cost. Audi connect costs like $500 for 18 months or something, and none of those let you stream netflix or youtube video on your screen, even for those costs.
Now, before you jump on me, I am not in the camp that says everyone needs to pay for this if they dont find any value there. I find value in being able to not fumble around with hot spot connections, etc, but everyones value system is different.
What I AM saying though, is that I find a lot of people seem to think that "I paid a lot for this premium product" means its supposed to "come with everything" and thats not generally how any premium products (in virtually any space) are. Even things like Appliances, Wolf / Viking ranges cost 5 times as much as regular ones, but its not like they give you everything connected to them for free with them.
Interesting. How do you get the the music from the SSD drive to the sound system?
Just select USB as the music source in the same way you’d select the radio or Spotify. If it’s not in your list, you might need to go to audio settings and turn it on. You then get a fairly simple display but you can select folder, artist, album etc.
It supports mp3 and flac, I haven’t tried any other formats.
Dopey44
Member
Can you use any USB port (in armrest /console) or does it have to only be the one in the glovebox?
Only my glovebox is data enabled so I have to use that. When I had a model 3 they were all data enabled so i could use any of them
You do understand that no lte data comes without a monthly fee. after the free trial Tesla is just passing on the charge at a rate typical of the entire industry. It isn't about premium sound, available with other inputs, but about data - streaming, traffic, Google maps, etc.
Mike_TV
Active Member
Agree with you. There are lots of Tesla owners out there still driving around with free lifetime premium connectivity and free lifetime Supercharging but the moment they sell or trade their current car in they'll have to start paying.
Tha_Ape
Active Member
Depends on when your car was made, anything after ~11/21 lacks center armrest data ports. Most people opt for an SSD inside the glovebox partitioned for sentry and music
Similar threads
