You're probably familiar with the hit song "Sicko Mode" (not Sentry Mode) by American Hip Hop artist Travis Scott. We will get to sentry mode Tesla in a moment. First here's a bit of fun fact; Travis Scott is the "baby daddy" to Forbes youngest self-made billionaire Kylie Jenner.
The song features three artists, namely Swae Lee, Big Hawk, and Drake. The lyrics of this track, among other things, see the rappers (Scott and Drake) boasting about their insane work ethic. You might be wondering what this has to do with Tesla sentry mode. Well, here's a refresher just in case you have been under a rock for the past few years.
What is Sentry Mode?
The Urban Dictionary defines "Sicko Mode" as a level of both intelligence and physical being in such one can achieve anything. I think that definition is exactly what Tesla's Sentry Mode is.
Here's Tesla's official definition of Sentry Mode:
Sentry Mode adds a unique layer of protection to Tesla vehicles by continuously monitoring the environment around a car when it’s left unattended. When enabled, Sentry Mode enters a “Standby” state, like many home alarm systems, which uses the car’s external cameras to detect potential threats.
If a minimal threat is detected, such as someone leaning on a car, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alert” state and displays a message on the touchscreen warning that its cameras are recording. If a more severe threat is detected, such as someone breaking a window, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alarm” state, which activates the car alarm, increases the brightness of the center display, and plays music at maximum volume from the car’s audio system.
And here's Tesla's video:
Sentry Mode, according to Tesla's description, puts your Tesla into a type of Sicko Mode, giving it a degree of intellect and physical awareness (being) in such a way that your Tesla can perform the amazing feat of monitoring and being aware of its own surroundings at all times.
This amazing capability comes just a few months after the Tesla version 9 software release, which brought a new Tesla dashcam function that could collect footage from the front-facing camera but only when the car was turned on. Sentry Mode live camera access eliminates the need for the automobile to be in motion for the camera to activate in the event of an external threat.
How to View Sentry Mode Events
From time to time, you would want to view sentry more events. If you are looking for how to see sentry mode events, you can use the steps below:
Controls > Safety > Dashcam > View Clips. Another way is to take out the USB and plug it into your computer. It will show up just like a drive, and you can go and view sentry mode event clips in each folder on the USB drive.
How to Delete Sentry Mode Events
You might also want to view sentry mode events in order to delete some or all of them. In that case, you can use the steps below.
Controls > Safety > Dashcam > Delete Dashcam Clips. Another way is to take the USB and plug it into your computer. It will show up just like a drive, and you can go and delete the multiple clips in each folder on the USB drive.
You may also reformat the drive directly from the screen indicated in the quotation. However, doing so will delete everything, so make certain that this is what you want to do.
Does Sentry Mode Drain Battery?
The short answer is yes. Sentry mode battery drain is a real thing. However, the better question is to what extent or at what rate does sentry mode drain your battery? After all, a dead battery will prevent sentry mode live camera access which is the whole point of having sentry mode in the first place.
Teslas, unlike other automobiles, are never "off" in the usual sense. Some functions are constantly on, reducing battery life. When in Sentry Mode, more functions and systems are activated, consuming greater battery life. The camera and sensors are both active and can use a significant amount of power.
As a result, when in Tesla sentry mode, the battery will drain faster.
Sentry Mode, according to Tesla, consumes the battery at the rate of one mile per hour. So, if you left your Tesla in Sentry Mode for eleven days, you'd most certainly return to a dead Tesla and you won't be able to view sentry mode events from the Tesla center screen.
On the other hand, Teslas parked without Sentry Mode can go up to twenty days without charging. Also sentry mode live camera access will no longer be available.
Some refer to the phenomenon as "vampire drain," since electricity appears to be sucked away while the automobile is not in use. This is not to be confused with Vampire Tesla which was the Tesla Halloween costume I made for my Model X.
Tesla, on the other hand, has a solution: the 20% fail-safe. Sentry Mode automatically switches off if the battery falls below 20%. This is beneficial to your battery (and to you when you return to your car), but it makes your vehicle more vulnerable to theft.
A Private Security for your Tesla
DIY home security systems, which allow homeowners to install and monitor their houses remotely via a smartphone app, are in tremendous demand, so much so that numerous firms have raised millions of dollars through Kickstarter funded projects projects.
These businesses aren't the only ones profiting from the DIY security boom. Google purchased Nest and Dropcam, while Amazon purchased Ring for a rumored $1 billion. Telecommunications corporations are also entering the DIY home security sector. DIY home security systems are especially appealing to consumers under the age of 45 who are more comfortable with having their every action recorded on video. Their increasing market participation is a vital contributor to the industry's overall growth.
Tesla's Sentry Mode obviously responds to this rising need and should provide Millennials with yet another incentive (as if they needed one) to purchase a Tesla. This solution, though, might be improved. For example, when the Tesla enters "Alarm" mode, owners will receive a notification from their Tesla mobile app indicating an event has happened.
They can download a video recording of the incident (which begins 10 minutes before a threat is identified) by placing a formatted Tesla sentry mode USB drive into their car's USB Charger port before activating Sentry Mode. This implies that the video cannot yet be transmitted live, which is now the preferred way of security monitoring.
Having said that, Tesla's Sentry Mode is the greatest that any vehicle manufacturer has to offer right now. Tesla's approach adds intelligence to vehicle alarm systems, which are now a dumb feature on which we all rely. Alarm systems, as we all know, go off at the worst conceivable moments, especially when you're trying to get some much-needed R&R.
Despite the fact that almost every car in the country has an alarm system, the United States had 773,139 motor vehicles stolen in 2017 - the most since 2009, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That demonstrates that the existing state of car security systems is just not functioning. Leave it to Tesla to rethink and innovate yet another area of the automobile industry and I think it's long overdue.
Tesla Dog Mode
I'd be remiss if I didn't remark that Tesla considered pet owners and included a "Dog Mode" for those instances when you had to leave a four-legged companion alone in the car (providing that is allowed by local laws).
Dog mode Tesla keeps the interior at a suitable temperature (simply hit the fan symbol when parked and set the climate to "Dog"), but it also displays that temperature on the car's internal screen, preventing any well-meaning Good Samaritans from shattering your windows unnecessarily.
If the car's battery falls below 20% while in Dog Mode, a notification will be sent to your phone. What would they come up with next...maybe a Wife Mode? I'd let you think about it.
Conclusion
There are many things about a Tesla that make you wonder why hasn't been done before. Tesla's sentry mode is just another in a long line of "where has this been all my life" features that Tesla has.
