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Tesla ends Sentry Mode battery drain by optimizing camera footage processing

Sentry Mode is no longer a power hog (Image source: Tesla)
Sentry Mode is no longer a power hog (Image source: Tesla)
Police may now be towing Teslas to download Sentry Mode footage as evidence in crime scene investigation, but the option has been a real battery hog up until now.

Tesla has been getting complaints that its anti-theft Sentry Mode system, which alerts the owner about potentially fishy activities around their vehicle, has been a battery drain from day one.

Sentry Mode is off by default but can be activated with voice commands or via the app to keep pertinent cameras and sensors powered and recording movements around a locked Tesla put in Park mode.

This constant powering of the cameras in Sentry Mode, however, has proved to be a battery hog, as the system has to keep processing and eventually recording a sizable video footage that can be stored on a dedicated drive in the glove compartment.

Police officers are aware of Tesla's Sentry Mode, and there have been scenarios when they couldn't identify or contact the owner, and towed the car to the local precinct with a court order in order to download the potential crime scene recordings during an investigation.

Tesla started addressing the Sentry Mode battery drain issue with the 2024.32.6 software update version by simply cutting the power to the 12V outlets and USB ports of cars in theft-prevention mode, so that no devices connected to them could continue charging or running from the main battery.

While not an ideal solution for those who have the habit to leave their gear charging in the car, or have to run a portable fridge overnight, it is at least one way to address direct power drain in Sentry Mode.

For the phantom power drain that results from processing the video recording from numerous cameras that consumes up to 14% of a Model Y battery capacity in a single 24-hour period, Tesla has a better engineered solution.

With the latest 2024.38.4 software update version, it is bringing the promised up to 40% reduction in Sentry Mode battery drain. Tesla reportedly optimized the video feed processing that kept the main car computers chugging battery capacity in Sentry Mode.

The update is first rolling to the Cybertruck, and it remains to be seen how soon would the Model 3 and Model Y get the drastic Sentry Mode battery drain reduction.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 11 > Tesla ends Sentry Mode battery drain by optimizing camera footage processing
Daniel Zlatev, 2024-11-12 (Update: 2024-11-12)