TeslaCam - How big of a flash drive is best

[Treetop235]

This is a question for the tech or math experts.

I would like to know if anyone has an opinion on the best sized drive for the dash cam.

Looking at footage, the size varies. 1meg to 30meg maybe.

Considering the Fat32 format, from what I have found these are the recommended cluster sizes.

16Gig 4kb
64Gig 16kb
128Gig 32kb
256Gig 64kb
512Gig ??
1,024Gig ?? (Terabyte)


I am not convinced the numbers above are correct, as I found some conflicting information.
I also see I can get a 512Gig, or even a Terabyte Flash drive.

At some point the cluster size is too big, and space is wasted. So.. has anyone tried 256gig or bigger, or know what will work best as far as large size while not wasting space?

I am thinking of getting a couple 256Gig drives to swap out when they get full.

Amazon has 'Samsung MUF-256AB/AM FIT Plus 256GB - 300MB/s USB 3.1 Flash Drive' for just over $50.00.

Thanks.
Frank

 

[Thp3]

I have a 64 GB stick.

I used to have a 16 gb stick for routine dash cam. That worked fine for months of driving. I never ran out of space. But with Sentry mode, I’ve read it’s 0.9 GB for 10 minutes of Sentry time, and they are not overwritten. Hence the larger stick. But that is over 600 minutes of recorded time, 10+ hours of Sentry time.

I plan on erasing the video every two-four weeks, since I only use Sentry mode when I park in a public lot. It might have been safer to use a 128 Gb stick.

If the rear camera starts recording (and certainly other cameras), then I’d get a 256 Gb stick.

 

[VQTRVA]

This is a question for the tech or math experts.

I would like to know if anyone has an opinion on the best sized drive for the dash cam.

Looking at footage, the size varies. 1meg to 30meg maybe.

Considering the Fat32 format, from what I have found these are the recommended cluster sizes.

16Gig 4kb
64Gig 16kb
128Gig 32kb
256Gig 64kb
512Gig ??
1,024Gig ?? (Terabyte)


I am not convinced the numbers above are correct, as I found some conflicting information.
I also see I can get a 512Gig, or even a Terabyte Flash drive.

At some point the cluster size is too big, and space is wasted. So.. has anyone tried 256gig or bigger, or know what will work best as far as large size while not wasting space?

I am thinking of getting a couple 256Gig drives to swap out when they get full.

Amazon has 'Samsung MUF-256AB/AM FIT Plus 256GB - 300MB/s USB 3.1 Flash Drive' for just over $50.00.

Thanks.
Frank

I think anything over 256 & you can get a nice SSD for almost same price & better performance:

 

[WileyTheMan]

I would think the wasted space due to larger cluster sizes would be negligible when dealing with video files of this size. I wouldn't be concerned about the larger storage devices.

 

[animorph]

TeslaCam will overwrite old files for its continuous operation, so the space required depends on how many times you want to save clips. 64GB should be more than fine.

Sentry Mode can automatically take lots of video clips, every time it sees motion. And it doesn't seem to erase anything. So it seems like you'll be required to periodically delete files in order to keep it recording. A bigger drive will reduce your workload in that case.

 

[Treetop235]

TeslaCam will overwrite old files for its continuous operation, so the space required depends on how many times you want to save clips. 64GB should be more than fine.

Sentry Mode can automatically take lots of video clips, every time it sees motion. And it doesn't seem to erase anything. So it seems like you'll be required to periodically delete files in order to keep it recording. A bigger drive will reduce your workload in that case.

I am using Sentry Mode. So yes, that is filling it up. I am just trying to decide on 128gig or 256gig. And the correct cluster size.

 

[Eno Deb]

The cluster size makes no significant difference. The video files recorded by the TeslaCam are around 30MB each. Even at 64KB cluster size the waste is at most about 0.2%.

 

[Treetop235]

The cluster size makes no significant difference. The video files recorded by the TeslaCam are around 30MB each. Even at 64KB cluster size the waste is at most about 0.2%.

Of course. I was not paying attention to the KB vs MB. Also, I found EaseUS has a utility that will allow a smaller cluster with the larger size drive. I will test that. I am now leaning to the 256Gig drive. Should take a while before that is full from Sentry mode.
That will be a test.

Thanks for the info.

 

[zhu-]

I've considered getting an SSD, but will they survive extreme cold/hot temperatures if parked outside?

 

[Bryan L]

I had a 128gb die after about a week...perhaps due to temperatures. I purchased this 256gb unit that is designed for extream operating conditions. Most thumb drives aren’t designed to operate in temps below freezing or above 113 degrees. Obviously in the summer your car’s cabin temp will exceed the 113 degrees when parked outside in the sun. I found the 256gb to be the sweet spot in price, although a 512gb would be fantastic. Some users have found Sentry mode to use around 18gb a day when parked outside on the street so 256gb should provide about 4-5 weeks before I have to erase it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D7Q41PM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[OCR1]

I just ordered one of these. It is designed to handle extreme temperatures and is specifically designed for dash cam use so it should last a long time. The USB flash drives people are using don’t seem to be lasting very long if you are using Dashcam and Sentry on a regular basis. They are not designed for that heavy use. This one is.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B984HJ5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[devlodha]

I just ordered one of these. It is designed to handle extreme temperatures and is specifically designed for dash cam use so it should last a long time. The USB flash drives people are using don’t seem to be lasting very long if you are using Dashcam and Sentry on a regular basis. They are not designed for that heavy use. This one is.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B984HJ5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But this link is for MSD card, do you plan to buy some adaptor for USB use? Hope the adaptor is of the same quality in terms of endurance.

 

[Alpaca]

Yeah - they need to fix sentry mode so it overwrites the footage after a week or so . .... the problem is most USB drives is they are not rated for many cycles, and are not rated for extreme temps. The low cost, high capacity drives may be using sub-prime grade memory. Stick with a major branded drive (Sandisk, Samsung) - you will probably have more success with that.

 

[OCR1]

But this link is for MSD card, do you plan to buy some adaptor for USB use? Hope the adaptor is of the same quality in terms of endurance.

Yes, I ordered this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006T9B6R2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’ve had very good luck with Anker products.

 

[devlodha]

Yes, I ordered this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006T9B6R2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’ve had very good luck with Anker products.

Mnn..are you sure you dont want to get the ones which has USB hub and card reader both? I am sure Anker would also have some. That way you get additional USB ports for phone, music etc.

 

[OCR1]

Mnn..are you sure you dont want to get the ones which has USB hub and card reader both? I am sure Anker would also have some. That way you get additional USB ports for phone, music etc.

The only ones I could find with a hub by Anker or any well known brand were USB-C, so then I would be buying another adapter to convert that back to USB-A. So I figured I’d use the splitter that comes with the Nomad kit.

 

[VQTRVA]

I had a 128gb die after about a week...perhaps due to temperatures. I purchased this 256gb unit that is designed for extream operating conditions. Most thumb drives aren’t designed to operate in temps below freezing or above 113 degrees. Obviously in the summer your car’s cabin temp will exceed the 113 degrees when parked outside in the sun. I found the 256gb to be the sweet spot in price, although a 512gb would be fantastic. Some users have found Sentry mode to use around 18gb a day when parked outside on the street so 256gb should provide about 4-5 weeks before I have to erase it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D7Q41PM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought the 64GB version of this & in the 3 days it's been in operation, it still has like 59+GB of free space left.

That said, it does get warm really easily & fast.
So I am going to switch to a High Endurance microSD card like mentioned below that is recommended for use in WiFi cams like the Wyze & made for tough environments.

I just ordered one of these. It is designed to handle extreme temperatures and is specifically designed for dash cam use so it should last a long time. The USB flash drives people are using don’t seem to be lasting very long if you are using Dashcam and Sentry on a regular basis. They are not designed for that heavy use. This one is.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B984HJ5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

ments.

 

[Treetop235]

I had a 128gb die after about a week...perhaps due to temperatures. I purchased this 256gb unit that is designed for extream operating conditions. Most thumb drives aren’t designed to operate in temps below freezing or above 113 degrees. Obviously in the summer your car’s cabin temp will exceed the 113 degrees when parked outside in the sun. I found the 256gb to be the sweet spot in price, although a 512gb would be fantastic. Some users have found Sentry mode to use around 18gb a day when parked outside on the street so 256gb should provide about 4-5 weeks before I have to erase it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D7Q41PM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That is the same exact Flash I just ordered. 256 should be perfect, I plan to buy another in a few weeks, so when I'm in the car and one is full I will just swap. I am also doing the procedure to run USB cable from the front back to the 12V. One cable will allow me to plug in my Flash for the Cam in the rear where I can get to it easy, the other will provide 12V to the front for my wireless charger.

 

[Bill Price]

This is a question for the tech or math experts.

I would like to know if anyone has an opinion on the best sized drive for the dash cam.

IMHO, I would utilize a SDXC card instead of the ubiquitous USB flash drive. The USB flash drives are not designed to deal with extreme temperature variations and the fast write speeds necessary if you are recording on multiple camera feeds. I bought two of these......

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B984HJ5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

• Designed specifically for video monitoring cameras (dash cams, surveillance & security cams, CCTV, body cams, etc.)
• Up to 43,800 hours of 4K and Full HD (1080p) recording and playback
• Reliability Built to Last – Water-proof, Shock-proof, Temperature-proof, X-ray-proof, Magnetic-proof
• Transfer speeds up to 100MB/s
• 5-year limited warranty
• -13 degrees F to 185 degree F

and installed them in two of these.....

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTQZS4F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

when one gets filled up, I swap it out and take it to my pc to delete the files no longer needed. I thought about just using one sdxc card, and then thought "what would I do if I was on a trip or didn't have access to a PC to delete files within a reasonable time?" Hence the purchase of two so I can swap them out immediately and carry on.

 

[WileyTheMan]

IMHO, I would utilize a SDXC card instead of the ubiquitous USB flash drive...

I would think at that price range, you might as well go with an SSD since it's designed for warm temperatures and high-writing environments.