For my first attempt to connect the Tesla USB entertainment system to my home network I am trying the SanDisk Connect. I will update this thread and specifically this post with a summary of what I learn.
The basic functions of the device are to 1) act like a standard USB device for the car and 2) facilitate network sharing of the media to other devices, specifically in my case to manage music, although streaming movies is another common use.
I like the minimalist ergonomics of the SanDisk and the ability to not interact with its UI. Mine cost $100 USD for 200G and looks like this:
It has a button on the side that turns on the WiFi functions that run several hours after being disconnected. Not sure if it runs WiFi while connected.
If you have a modest music collection, don't use the high end uncompressed FLAC format and aren't storing movies I recommend the 32G version that happens to be black.
I am using a larger capacity version and here is what I learned:
You can use the SanDIsk iOS app called Connect Drive to manage files. Because SanDisk has made a lot of similar products there are a lot of similarly named apps.
By default the device acts as a WiFi hotspot and lets other devices connect to it. Of course then you can't be connected to anything else and will drop the internet, but it is handy to move individual files around. Use the app or connect over a browser to address. In a browser use sandisk.com/myconnect or 172.25.63.1.
I prefer to have the device connect over WiFI to my home network so I can connect to it with standard tools. This change from hotspot to client can be made using the app. I don't think you can save multiple WiFi network settings, for example one for work and one for home. Also, unfortunately, the device will get a dynamic IP address, so its address will change periodically. I am using the app to go back and find which address it is. User name is the word owner and is fixed. Password will have been set by you.
SanDisk Connect Hacking Wishlist
Update
You can take these devices apart. Use a thin card to pry the seams rather than a jewelers screwdriver and you will be less apt to break the snaps. The memory is microSD removable. I swapped my 200G MicroSD card from the white body into the 32G black body so that the black would be less noticeable to anyone peeking in the car window. Surprisingly, once you change the WiFi hotspot vs WiFi client options, these settings are saved to the memory card. So although you have to use the app to change the settings per internal MicroSD, those settings appear to travel with the internal card if inserted into other SanDisk Connect devices.
The basic functions of the device are to 1) act like a standard USB device for the car and 2) facilitate network sharing of the media to other devices, specifically in my case to manage music, although streaming movies is another common use.
I like the minimalist ergonomics of the SanDisk and the ability to not interact with its UI. Mine cost $100 USD for 200G and looks like this:
It has a button on the side that turns on the WiFi functions that run several hours after being disconnected. Not sure if it runs WiFi while connected.
If you have a modest music collection, don't use the high end uncompressed FLAC format and aren't storing movies I recommend the 32G version that happens to be black.
I am using a larger capacity version and here is what I learned:
- The larger capacity versions ship formatted to exFAT which the Tesla as a Linux device cannot yet read. You have to reformat the drive.
- You must use specific Third party tools to reformat the device to FAT32. The SanDisk recommended EaseUS Partition Manager Free Edition worked. MiniTool Partition Wizard did not work for me. Windows will not format a drive this large to FAT32 by itself.
- Don't bother with ext2 Linux. The WiFi sharing part of the firmware will not recognize it.
You can use the SanDIsk iOS app called Connect Drive to manage files. Because SanDisk has made a lot of similar products there are a lot of similarly named apps.
By default the device acts as a WiFi hotspot and lets other devices connect to it. Of course then you can't be connected to anything else and will drop the internet, but it is handy to move individual files around. Use the app or connect over a browser to address. In a browser use sandisk.com/myconnect or 172.25.63.1.
I prefer to have the device connect over WiFI to my home network so I can connect to it with standard tools. This change from hotspot to client can be made using the app. I don't think you can save multiple WiFi network settings, for example one for work and one for home. Also, unfortunately, the device will get a dynamic IP address, so its address will change periodically. I am using the app to go back and find which address it is. User name is the word owner and is fixed. Password will have been set by you.
SanDisk Connect Hacking Wishlist
- If the device could use a fixed IP address, then WebDAV and other methods to connect to the device would be more permanent.
- If the device could see ext2 Linux partitions, Linux users could use hard links to work around the Telsa UI issues without have multiple renamed copies of the same file. Also the 4G file limit would be solved.
- If the device could store multiple WiFi networks it would be easier to use in multiple locations.
- If there were an easy way to switch between hotspot and client it would make the device much more versatile.
- If someone made a more open version of this device with Bluetooth hardware, the device could connect to the add-on Bluetooth diagnostic modules in the Tesla.
Update
You can take these devices apart. Use a thin card to pry the seams rather than a jewelers screwdriver and you will be less apt to break the snaps. The memory is microSD removable. I swapped my 200G MicroSD card from the white body into the 32G black body so that the black would be less noticeable to anyone peeking in the car window. Surprisingly, once you change the WiFi hotspot vs WiFi client options, these settings are saved to the memory card. So although you have to use the app to change the settings per internal MicroSD, those settings appear to travel with the internal card if inserted into other SanDisk Connect devices.
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