Tesla has always pushed the envelope when it comes to innovative features, and the features we’ll be going over today such are the Sentry Mode Events & Dashcam Footage. This detailed guide will help you unlock the power of this feature by illustrating how to view these sentry mode events on your Tesla screen & Tesla app.
What is Tesla Sentry Mode?
Designed as an intelligent vehicle security system, Sentry Mode leverages the external cameras of your Tesla to scan for potential threats and start recording when detected. When you enable sentry mode – you’ll get alerted through the Tesla mobile app installed on your phone.
Beyond detection, Sentry Mode records these events to give you cold hard evidence something went wrong. Before we get into the complexities of viewing the Sentry Mode events, you need to know what Sentry Mode is.
It’s more than just a car alarm system – it’s an integrated surveillance advanced security system that effectively turns your Tesla into a high-tech security camera. Learn more about what Tesla Sentry Mode is in our complete guide about how it works & how to enable it.
How Do I Know if Sentry Mode Recorded an Event?
The Tesla Mobile App will notify you that something noteworthy happened near your vehicle. Even if your app doesn’t give you an alert (because you have notifications off), it’s still a good practice to regularly check your Sentry clips. The same way you’d skim through home security footage.
Where is Sentry Mode Event Footage Stored?
Then what’s the next step? You received an event notification and want to see the recorded clips.
But where are they? The recorded clips are stored on a USB flash drive – assuming you’ve inserted a properly formatted USB drive into the USB port. If you haven’t done that yet, don’t worry, we have a full guide explaining how to format USB drives for a Tesla.
How to View Tesla Dashcam Footage
To view the clips, your first destination is the Dashcam clips option. It’s quite straightforward to navigate there: Controls → Safety → Dashcam → Dashcam Clips. Your Sentry Mode recordings are at your fingertips. But remember, there’s also an option to delete the clips here. Be careful or you might accidentally erase valuable footage. Let’s explore how to view Sentry Mode events for different Tesla models.
How to view footage for Model X & Model S
From Controls, navigate to Safety, and there you’ll find the Sentry Mode option. Click on it, and you’ll spot the ‘View Live Camera’. Now you can watch the footage from the comfort of your phone.
How to view footage for Model 3 & Model Y
The process is similar for those cruising in a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y. You’ll have a Dashcam icon pop up on your Tesla touchscreen (as long as your USB is properly formatted). Tap the camera icon to find all the videos that Sentry Mode recorded. If you want to watch live footage from the app on your phone – open the app and navigate the path as followed: Controls → Safety & Security → Sentry Mode → View Live Camera Feed. It’s that simple.
Always Check For Software Updates
Sometimes you can run into weird issues when trying to view Sentry Mode events. In the past, every time my Sentry mode started acting a little strange I’d research like crazy looking for solutions.
Most of the time, I was simply out-of-date on the latest software update. To make sure you’re updated to the latest software update, head to Controls → Software and look for any possible pending updates.
Update your software if needed but if there’s no pending updates, try reinstalling the mobile app on your phone. While it might seem like an elementary solution, sometimes the most basic troubleshooting steps can fix a ton of complex issues & more importantly, save you a ton of time.
FAQs
Yes, you can view Sentry Mode events on your phone through the Tesla Mobile App. After you have the app downloaded, navigate to Controls → Safety & Security → Sentry Mode → View Live Camera to access and view your footage.
Yes, technically the Sentry Mode drain battery as it uses your vehicle’s external cameras to monitor the surroundings. However, Sentry mode consumes a very small amount of energy and shouldn’t have an impact your car’s battery life. As an added power consumption safety mechanic, Sentry Mode automatically turns off if your Tesla’s battery falls below 20%. You can save battery by turning off Sentry Mode manually – it’s actually quick and easy to do.
Retrieving your Sentry Mode videos is quite straightforward. First, ensure that your Dashcam was enabled and a USB flash drive was correctly inserted into the port. Your recorded events are stored on this USB flash drive.
Yes, the Sentry Mode can function without a USB flash drive. Your sentry mode settings will still work as intended by monitoring the surroundings & notify you of potential threats via the Tesla Mobile App, but without a USB drive, it won’t be able to store any footage. You have the ability to disable sentry mode events in this case.
A Tesla Sentry Mode event report is the detected threats to your vehicle while you were away. When you’re parked & Sentry Mode is activate – anything that sets Sentry Mode off (no matter how big or small) is added to the event report. The report sends you a sentry mode alert via the Tesla Mobile App, and saves the recording of the event.
Tesla Sentry Mode is triggered by perceived threats in the vicinity of your parked Tesla. This could be something major like an attempted break-in, or something minor like the neighborhood cat strolling by.
To download Sentry Mode footage, first ensure that a USB drive is properly inserted in the port. All Sentry Mode videos are stored on this drive. After you connect your USB Drive to your computer, you’ll be able to see all the videos saved from your Tesla Sentry Mode clips via the USB drive.
Sentry Mode Event Videos
Tesla’s Sentry Mode Event Videos are a brilliant feature that provides an additional layer of security for your vehicle. Having the ability to save Tesla dashcam footage & sentry mode events is like having a driving security guard. It’s important to understand how to navigate this feature through the sentry mode icon and even more important to know how to view dashcam recordings in your Tesla.
Hopefully, this guide has provided you with the knowledge to confidently explore your Sentry Mode clips and optimize this feature to its full potential. While the Sentry & Dashcam Mode can drain your car battery, the impact is super minimal so it shouldn’t leave your Tesla without charge. Just make sure not to overuse it if you’re vitally low on battery.
Wrapping up, even if you don’t have a USB drive handy – Sentry Mode can still function as security alarm to notify you of threats via your Telsa mobile app. The only caveat – without a USB drive, you can’t record clips. With or without recordings though, Sentry Mode will has the security of your vehicle at the forefront of its design.
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