SSD size for Teslacam / Sentry mode

[HappyHappy]

From what I understand, Teslacam and Sentry mode overwrite files after a while. If so, what's the advantage of a large SSD? Just for more music?

Also, any suggestions for powering: 1) SSD/Flash drive, 2) Wireless phone charger, and 3) 4G hotspot? I assume a USB hub will not work, right? Thanks in advance.

 

[Patrick W]

I've been using one of these in both of my Ss and have not had any problems.
SanDisk Ultra Flair USB 3.0 64GB Flash Drive

 

[agtdDelirium]

Very good information:

USB Flash Drives for Tesla Dashcam | TeslaTap

 

[MikeHolliday]

Flash Drive were not designed to be written to as much as the Tesla Cam writes to the drive. Spend $100 and buy a Samsung 500GB SSD drive and it will last as long as the car. Does someone really want to risk an USB Drive when they may need it most?

 

[zanary]

Many have just purchased one from www.puretesla.com. I went with this one: TeslaCam SSD Extreme - Pure Tesla

 

[FatherTo1]

An SSD has a micro controller with wear-leveling algorithms to spread the number of writes. This provides better longevity and durability. SSDs will also have faster read and write speeds and won't build up heat as much as a small microSD or USB drive. I experienced a card reader failure, and failed microSD and USB flash drive from brand names like Samsung and SanDisk, all within the first 2.5 months of owning the S. No issues ever since I switched to an SSD. At the time, a Crucial MX500 250GB cost the same as a 256GB microSD or USB flash drive (~$40 Nov 2019). I popped the SSD into one of these and it has been perfect for 9 months so far, and everything fits snuggly in the tray area near the USB ports:

 

[FatherTo1]

Many have just purchased one from www.puretesla.com. I went with this one: TeslaCam SSD Extreme - Pure Tesla

I can see the appeal of ordering one of these for convenience, but you can get a 480GB Kingston SSD today for half the price of the PureTesla. It literally takes 1 minute to format the drive with FAT32 and create a TeslaCam folder. There are free utilities available to format it yourself.

But props to PureTesla. I should have been like them and sell pre-formatted SSDs ($40-50 profit for a minute of work).

 

[eladts]

It literally takes 1 minute to format the drive with FAT32 and create a TeslaCam folder. There are free utilities available to format it yourself.

You do not need to format USB drives to FAT32 anymore. Tesla supports ExFAT since firmware 2020.16. All you need to do is create the TeslaCam folder. If you use an ExFAT formatted disk, you can re-format the disk directly from the car.

 

[KingRaptor]

You can now plug a blank drive into the Tesla and have Tesla MCU2 computer format and create folders for you.

 

[FatherTo1]

Thanks for the reminder, I forgot about that. Mine is still FAT32 from before.

 

[HappyHappy]

Thanks all for the great info. Is the procedure to get music and teslacam on the same SSD in this thread still current?

[V9] How to Format USB into 2 Partitions for DashCam and Music [Windows]

 

[Wol747]

Grandmothers to suck eggs, but remember you have to take out any other USB stick before trying to use the onboard formatting, otherwise it doesn't work.

 

[EAV1]

I can see the appeal of ordering one of these for convenience, but you can get a 480GB Kingston SSD today for half the price of the PureTesla. It literally takes 1 minute to format the drive with FAT32 and create a TeslaCam folder. There are free utilities available to format it yourself.

But props to PureTesla. I should have been like them and sell pre-formatted SSDs ($40-50 profit for a minute of work).

I was about to order one of these, but shipping to Finland and VAT made it too expensive. I can format myself, that's not a problem (if even needed), but the product they offer is a micro SD card with both USB-A and USB-C (so not a flash drive?). No-one seems to be mentioning this convenience.

 

[MikeHolliday]

The Samsung SSDs come with a USB-A and a USB-C cable.

 

[EAV1]

The Samsung SSDs come with a USB-A and a USB-C cable.

Thanks, but I did not intend to get an external drive. A micro SD with USD-A and USB-C would be perfect, but all I can find are cheap adapters.

 

[FatherTo1]

I was about to order one of these, but shipping to Finland and VAT made it too expensive. I can format myself, that's not a problem (if even needed), but the product they offer is a micro SD card with both USB-A and USB-C (so not a flash drive?). No-one seems to be mentioning this convenience.

Yes, microSD is smaller but also gets a lot hotter and that affects the lifespan. It sucks if you go review Sentry Mode videos only to realize your microSD failed and didn't record what you needed. I went through microSD, SD card, and even failed microSD card readers. What has worked so far for me has been the SSD. SSDs also have a microcontroller that helps with wear-leveling to increase the write endurance of the drive. In the end, it mattered more to have a solution I can rely on and SD/microSD cards did not cut it. All the best to you on what you decide for yourself.

 

[EAV1]

Yes, microSD is smaller but also gets a lot hotter and that affects the lifespan. It sucks if you go review Sentry Mode videos only to realize your microSD failed and didn't record what you needed. I went through microSD, SD card, and even failed microSD card readers. What has worked so far for me has been the SSD. SSDs also have a microcontroller that helps with wear-leveling to increase the write endurance of the drive. In the end, it mattered more to have a solution I can rely on and SD/microSD cards did not cut it. All the best to you on what you decide for yourself.

Thanks, all help is greatly appreciated!