Transferring files without a laptop

[CodeRedR51]

So I have a few road trips coming up and want to put together a bunch of videos from my dash cam. I will need to transfer the video files off of the memory card along the way, but do not have a laptop to do so. Is there anything out there I can use to do this? Sort of a portable HDD with memory card slots that I can use a phone app to do the transfer, etc? Or am I dreaming?

Thanks!

 

[eran0004]

So I have a few road trips coming up and want to put together a bunch of videos from my dash cam. I will need to transfer the video files off of the memory card along the way, but do not have a laptop to do so. Is there anything out there I can use to do this? Sort of a portable HDD with memory card slots that I can use a phone app to do the transfer, etc? Or am I dreaming?

Thanks!

If you want to upload the videos you can get a memory card reader for your phone.

If you want to save the videos perhaps it's easiest to just get some extra memory cards and then transfer them to an HDD or a computer when you get back from the road trip.

 

[CodeRedR51]

If you want to upload the videos you can get a memory card reader for your phone.

If you want to save the videos perhaps it's easiest to just get some extra memory cards and then transfer them to an HDD or a computer when you get back from the road trip.

I was hoping there was something like an external hard drive that I could put the memory card into, then use a usb cable plugged into my phone with an app to transfer the files. Wishful thinking but then again a great idea.

My dash cam has been really finiky with memory cards since I got it, and it's actually been doing really well the last couple months so I don't want to mess with it in regards to extra memory cards. Might just try to find a cheap used netbook on craigslist.

 

[eran0004]

I was hoping there was something like an external hard drive that I could put the memory card into, then use a usb cable plugged into my phone with an app to transfer the files. Wishful thinking but then again a great idea.

My dash cam has been really finiky with memory cards since I got it, and it's actually been doing really well the last couple months so I don't want to mess with it in regards to extra memory cards. Might just try to find a cheap used netbook on craigslist.

Maybe something like this then?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1191268-REG/sanho_shdcsudma32tb_2tb_colorspace_udma_3.html

Edit: You can probably find a cheaper laptop though

 

[BobK]

What about transferring the files from the phone to the cloud? Something like dropbox or Google Drive?

 

[torque99]

Delete (re below)

 

[sesselpupser]

Sort of a portable HDD with memory card slots that I can use a phone app to do the transfer, etc? Or am I dreaming?

That was definitely a thing in the mid '00s, I almost bought one, they weren't THAT expensive at the time. There's this one which is probably what you want, although I'm struggling to understand how it's that cheap...

 

[Danoff]

There are some SD cards that will auto-connect to wifi and copy the files over to your phone.

http://www.eyefi.com/

 

[CodeRedR51]

I think there's a small misunderstanding. The only thing I wanted my phone for was using an app to transfer from one device to another. The files are actually on a memory card in my dash cam and I just need to back them up so they don't get over written. I don't need to transfer them to my phone. I also don't have unlimited data to store them online and we're talking about 30 hours of 1080p video.

 

[Robin]

I think there's a small misunderstanding. The only thing I wanted my phone for was using an app to transfer from one device to another. The files are actually on a memory card in my dash cam and I just need to back them up so they don't get over written. I don't need to transfer them to my phone. I also don't have unlimited data to store them online and we're talking about 30 hours of 1080p video.

You need an external HDD that has an SD card slot with backup functionality like this...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EAOJBUQ/?tag=gtplanetuk-20

 

[BobK]

I think there's a small misunderstanding. The only thing I wanted my phone for was using an app to transfer from one device to another. The files are actually on a memory card in my dash cam and I just need to back them up so they don't get over written. I don't need to transfer them to my phone. I also don't have unlimited data to store them online and we're talking about 30 hours of 1080p video.

So if I understand you correctly, you want to take the SD card from the camera, plug it into the phone, plug some other device (such as an external HDD) into the phone via USB then copy from the card to the other device? If not could you go into a little more detail?

If you have limited online storage, would it be possible for a friend/relative/whatever to move the files from the cloud to their computer or external drive plugged into their computer? Or do you need access to everything while still on the go?

 

[CodeRedR51]

So if I understand you correctly, you want to take the SD card from the camera, plug it into the phone, plug some other device (such as an external HDD) into the phone via USB then copy from the card to the other device? If not could you go into a little more detail?

If you have limited online storage, would it be possible for a friend/relative/whatever to move the files from the cloud to their computer or external drive plugged into their computer? Or do you need access to everything while still on the go?

No, I want to plug the SD card into something like a HDD and transfer the files from one to the other without needing a PC.

I can't use a cloud because I won't have internet access along the way (unless I steal wifi from a Starbucks but I won't have time for that). I doubt the hotel I am using for a couple nights has internet strong enough to transfer gigabytes of video files in a timely manner.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

This seems like what you want: RAVPower FileHub Plus

 

[Grayfox]

You can get hard drives that use WiFi as a means to connect.
Then get an SD card reader for you phone and then drag and drop the files over

 

[Moglet]

What sort of memory card does it use? I transfer my dashcam videos to my phone while I'm travelling by taking the micro SD card out, putting it into my phone and then transferring the files to my phone storage. Could it be worth getting a cheap 2nd hand handset that has an SD card slot? That way the cheap phone can be used exclusively to review and store the footage. Like a portable hard drive but with a screen and a card reader built in!

 

[Danoff]

I think there's a small misunderstanding. The only thing I wanted my phone for was using an app to transfer from one device to another. The files are actually on a memory card in my dash cam and I just need to back them up so they don't get over written. I don't need to transfer them to my phone. I also don't have unlimited data to store them online and we're talking about 30 hours of 1080p video.

The eyefi card that I posted earlier can transfer to your phone without an internet connection. All you need to do is create a mobile hotspot (which you can do in absence of an internet connection), and it can transfer the files over the mobile hotspot. If you don't have enough room on your phone then it might not be the right solution.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I don't want to transfer TO my phone guys.

What sort of memory card does it use? I transfer my dashcam videos to my phone while I'm travelling by taking the micro SD card out, putting it into my phone and then transferring the files to my phone storage. Could it be worth getting a cheap 2nd hand handset that has an SD card slot? That way the cheap phone can be used exclusively to review and store the footage. Like a portable hard drive but with a screen and a card reader built in!

Micro SD. I have a Google Pixel, no card slot.

This seems like what you want: RAVPower FileHub Plus

Thanks!

 

[Danoff]

Just a thought - maybe a stack of SD cards (or one giant one) might be easier or cheaper. Hopefully you've already considered that.

 

[Robin]

Just a thought - maybe a stack of SD cards (or one giant one) might be easier or cheaper. Hopefully you've already considered that.

I agree, £200 could buy you a great stack of SD cards instead of getting a portable wireless HDD and it would be much less hassle. Just set the dashcam to not overwrite the footage and when's its full pop a new one in.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Just a thought - maybe a stack of SD cards (or one giant one) might be easier or cheaper. Hopefully you've already considered that.

My dash cam has been really finiky with memory cards since I got it, and it's actually been doing really well the last couple months so I don't want to mess with it in regards to extra memory cards.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

For a dash cam, you need quality storage (Avoid fakes) so something with a lot of endurance and capacity like following would be ideal: Samsung Pro Endurance 128GB Micro SDXC

 

[Grayfox]

Just set the dashcam to not overwrite the footage and when's its full pop a new one in.

One thing all dashcams have is loop recording.
It wont be a dashcam if you could disable that function.
Plus many don't have that option, one would have to hack the firmware and add it.

For a dash cam, you need quality storage (Avoid fakes) so something with a lot of endurance and capacity like following would be ideal: Samsung Pro Endurance 128GB Micro SDXC

Some cheaper dashcams dont support the SDXC format

32GB Class 10, UHS-I or higher would be ideal.

 

[Robin]

One thing all dashcams have is loop recording.
It wont be a dashcam if you could disable that function.
Plus many don't have that option, one would have to hack the firmware and add it.

Mine has that function. You just choose how many minutes you want to overwrite at a time and you can set it to 0.

OP could buy a cheap action cam if he doesnt want to rely on his dash cam.

 

[TenEightyOne]

My dash cam has been really finiky with memory cards since I got it, and it's actually been doing really well the last couple months so I don't want to mess with it in regards to extra memory cards.

That's not good - give it a really good clean otherwise Sod's Law dictates that it will fail at the worse possible time. Try just buying the same memory cards? You're going to be taking the card in/out quite a lot so adding an HDD to your inventory doesn't really change anything if you use multiples of the same card type going in/out or the same one. What model is the cam?