When it comes to staying safe on the road, a dashboard camera is unarguably one of the best solutions you can get. A dash cam consists of a small camera that’s mounted on your car’s dashboard or windscreen and used for recording video of the front view (and sometimes rear view) of your vehicle while you drive. That recorded footage is stored on a memory card or another external storage device, which can then be reviewed and used as evidence to prove your innocence in case you’re involved in a road accident or a hit-and-run. Basically, these devices serve as a silent witness to unexpected incidents that may unfold while you’re on the road. Particularly for Tesla owners, there’s now an ingenious device that allows a Tesla’s built-in cameras to be used as the vehicle’s dedicated dash cams. Meet the MATT3R K3Y.
The MATT3R K3Y is a USB device that sits in your Tesla’s glove box, recording trip and sentry footage from your vehicle’s built-in front, side, and rear cameras and making it accessible on your smartphone through its companion app. The device features 128GB of storage for accommodating up to 5 hours of recordings, and also has built-in sensors powered by advanced AI technology that intelligently flag accidents and other events like honks, harsh braking, front collision warnings, and autopilot disengagement. It uses a USB-A 2.0 connector for integrating with your Tesla, and boasts Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity for pairing with your phone. Via the CONSOL3 app, drivers can remotely access recorded trip footage through an intuitive map interface, view trip logs, and be notified about any detected events with their vehicle, along with the option to integrate third-party extensions for extra features like cloud storage.
Designed to work as a silent bridge between the vehicle’s external camera’s and the driver’s phone, this clever device enables owners of Tesla vehicle’s to turn their car’s built-in cameras into a smart dashcam system, offering a surround view of every trip, for which that footage can be easily accessed whenever necessary.
Here’s our comprehensive review of the MATT3R K3Y, where we explain in detail how this USB device is designed to work and go over all its features.
DESIGN
Starting with the device’s size, the MATT3R K3Y has an ultra-compact form factor, sitting at about the size of a standard USB flash drive. The device measures 2.75 inches long by 0.98 inches wide by 0.35 inches thick (70 x 25 x 9mm) and is also rather lightweight, weighing just 0.7 oz. (20 g).
The device also packs a high-quality and durable construction.
SET UP / INSTALLATION
When it comes to its installation, you simply have to connect the MATT3R K3Y’s USB-A 2.0 connector directly to one of your Tesla’s built-in USB ports.
For 2020 and earlier Tesla models, you should plug in the device in the center console USB ports, while for 2021 and later models, you should plug in the device in the glovebox USB port.
As for its compatibility, know that the MATT3R K3Y is currently compatible with the Tesla Model S (2021 and newer), Model 3, Model X (2021 and newer), Model Y and the Cybertruck.
The device also integrates a status LED light that informs users about its current status.
A solid Blue light indicates that the device is booting up, while a flashing Blue light means the device has started successfully.
A solid Yellow light indicates that the device is ready to be set up (through its mobile app), while a solid White light means that the device’s Bluetooth pairing has been set.
A solid Magenta light indicates that something went wrong within one of these steps.
NOTABLE FUNCTIONALITIES
Smart Dashcam System Capabilities
After connecting the device to one of your Tesla’s USB ports, the device will be able to record trip and sentry footage from your vehicle’s built-in front, side, and rear cameras and making it accessible on your smartphone through its companion app.
The device features 128GB of onboard storage, allowing it to store up to 5 hours of recordings.
Event Detection via Built-In Sensors
In addition, the MATT3R K3Y also integrates a set of built-in sensors that utilize advanced AI technology, which make it capable of intelligently detecting accidents and other events like honks, harsh braking, front collision warnings, and autopilot disengagement.
CONNECTIVITY
For establishing a wireless connection with your phone, the device boasts Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity.
THE SMARTPHONE COMPANION APP – The CONSOL3 App
To configure the device and access the recorded video footage from their vehicle’s built-in cameras, Tesla owners are required to install the CONSOL3 App on their phones, which can be downloaded for iOS and Android devices.
Via the CONSOL3 App, drivers can remotely access recorded trip footage from each of their Tesla’s built-in external cameras through a map view that has an intuitive interface.
The app also enables users to view detailed logs of their past trips.
Moreover, the app will also notify drivers with smartphone push notifications in case any events that occur with their vehicle are detected.
Best of all, drivers can also opt to subscribe to the CONSOL3 App’s Pro membership, which gives Tesla owners the ability to integrate third-party extensions from the company’s ecosystem of partners, unlocking extra features like 20GB of cloud storage, for which the device automatically backs up crucial footage, including AI-detected events.
The app’s Pro membership also gives drivers the ability to share their recorded footage through other third-party extensions such as WHAM BAAM and FSDtracker, along with the possibility to redeem special rewards (which are coming soon according to the company).
PRICING & AVAILABILITY
If you’re interested in purchasing the MATT3R K3Y, know that each unit is priced at $199. You can order it online directly from MATT3R’s official shopping page.
