Tesla Sentry Mode Video Notifications - How to Enable Them and When They're Sent [Video]

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Tesla’s Sentry Mode keeps the vehicle’s cameras active and various sensors ready to record if there is any activity that the vehicle identifies as suspicious.

Sentry Mode is like a 24/7 home security system with 360-degree cameras for your Tesla. In addition to recording from the vehicle’s various cameras, Tesla recently added the ability for the vehicle to alert you when there is suspicious activity.

The vehicle owners will receive a notification from the Tesla app with a short video clip of the activity. However, not all Sentry Mode events result in a notification or video being sent. So, let’s dig into how Sentry Mode’s mobile notifications work.

How to Enable Video Notifications

You’ll need to ensure that Sentry Mode and Dashcam are enabled to receive video notifications as they’re both disabled by default due to the amount of power Sentry Mode uses.

You’ll also need to be subscribed to Tesla’s Premium Connectivity and have a USB drive inserted into the glovebox USB port (or middle console in older vehicles). By default, all Teslas from 2020 and later are equipped with a pre-formatted USB flash drive that supports Sentry Mode recordings.

While “Camera-Based Detection” doesn’t need to be enabled to receive video notifications, we recommend enabling it if available so that Sentry Mode captures all events involving your vehicle.

Sentry Mode video notifications are currently limited to the iPhone and iPad, but there will likely be Android support in the future.

Video Notifications Details

Ok. Is this new Sentry Mode alarm mobile notification with video new to me or everyone? pic.twitter.com/vL5UxfjO4Z

— TesLatino (@TesLatino) May 14, 2024

Each video notification is 60 seconds long. You can tap on your notification to view the video directly, or also go into the app to view recent video notifications. The video notifications are located under Security & Drivers > Sentry Mode Recording Previews.

In addition to receiving a video of the Sentry event, Tesla will also save the same one-minute notification video to your vehicle’s USB drive in addition to the other Sentry Mode footage.

Tesla has confirmed that all preview videos are end-to-end encrypted and can't be accessed by Tesla.

What Triggers a Video Notification

While Sentry Mode will record quite a few events, and display them for the user when they return, only certain events will trigger the threshold for mobile notifications.

Tesla describes two specific parameters that will trigger a video notification:

• the vehicle alarm is triggered, or

• a threat to the vehicle is detected that is caused by sudden jerky motions

Sentry Mode records various other events such as if a person walks by very closely to your vehicle. This may cause the vehicle to pulse its headlights or display a message on the screen, but it will not result in a notification being sent to the app.

Regional Availability

Sentry Mode’s mobile notifications are limited to certain regions due to local laws. The feature is available in North America, Australia, and most parts of Asia.

Who Receives Video Notifications

It’s important to keep in mind that anything that triggers Sentry Mode’s mobile notification threshold will immediately alert all mobile app keyholders of the vehicle. This does not include guest drivers but does include other Tesla account holders with whom you may have shared vehicle access.

Commercial Alerts

If your vehicle is part of a commercial fleet, it will also notify the fleet managers on the Tesla Fleet Dashboard, and the 1-minute clip will be viewable through the Fleet Dashboard. Full-length clips will still need to be accessed on a per-vehicle basis, even through the Commercial Fleet API.

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Tesla Releases FSD V12.6.1 for Model 3 & Model Y

Not a Tesla App

Last night, Tesla released software update 2024.45.25.15, which includes FSD V12.6.1. This update adds support for all HW3 vehicles, including the Model 3 and Model Y. We’re excited to see the continued support for HW3 owners. 

FSD V12.6.1

V12.6.1 is now going wide, according to Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s VP of AI. This update is going to the Model 3 and Model Y for the first time - as only the Model S and Model X were included in FSD V12.6. 

V12.6 is a big step forward for HW3 - it includes End-to-End on Highway, Improved City Streets Behavior, and Smoother and More Accurate Tracking - all contributing towards a better, smoother, and more comfortable build of FSD. You can read our comparison between FSD V12.6 and V13.2.2 here. 

In short, FSD V12.6 performs considerably closer to V13 than V12.5.4.2 - which is a massive improvement. It performs as well as the Cybertruck version of FSD V13, which is still missing a few features when compared to other HW4 vehicles, but it’s a great sign for HW3. A lot of the improvements can be pointed to in the improvements to lane selection and decision-making - the vehicle tends to hesitate far less on V12.6, meaning the ride is a lot smoother. Many early V12.6 testers mentioned that it felt more like V13-mini than anything else.

Legacy Model S & X

We haven’t seen this update hit any legacy Model S and Model X vehicles just yet. We’re not sure whether Ashok’s statement of “generally” applies here - but it should. If you do get the update, please let us know.

Legacy Model S and Model X vehicles are still on an older FSD build and potentially won’t see another FSD update for a little while longer. While they do have the same FSD hardware as other vehicles, there are enough hardware differences that require a build specifically for these vehicles.

Release Date

FSD V12.6.1 is going out now to the redesigned Model S and X with HW3 and all Model 3 and Model Y vehicles with HW3. The initial wave went out last night, and we expect to see more later today or tomorrow. If this release ends up going “wide,” we should see much larger waves go out next week.

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Tesla Issues Physical & OTA Recall for Hardware 4 Computer

Not a Tesla App

Tesla has issued a recall for some vehicles due to issues linked to a revision of the Hardware 4 (HW4) computer that was introduced this past November. This recall affects all vehicles with the revised hardware except for the Cybertruck, as it uses a slightly modified version of the HW4 system.

Many vehicle owners have reported a complete failure of their Autopilot computer, which not only leaves the vehicle without FSD and Autopilot but also disables many of the active safety features that make a Tesla what it is.

Let’s take a look at this recall - because the recall is partially physical and partially a software recall.

HW4 Failure

Tesla has identified the failure and flagged it to the U.S. NHTSA (but not Transport Canada or Euro NCAP at the time of publishing) as a recall.

Tesla mentions that the vehicle’s FSD computer circuit board may short circuit, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image. The recall itself is focused on the rearview camera - as not having a functional rearview camera breaks a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. However, it does impact more than just the rearview camera.

As previously mentioned, users have experienced the full loss of Autopilot and FSD on these vehicles, as well as reduced traction control and removal of safety features such as automatic emergency braking, collision avoidance assist, and forward collision warnings. 

While the vehicle remains driveable, it is not necessarily a good idea to drive the vehicle with many of these features, especially with the reduced traction control noted by many people. We’ve already noted that while Tesla has been sending tow trucks to pick up some vehicles, it is also prompting owners to drive the vehicle to their service center in some cases.

Remedy

Unlike most of Tesla’s recalls, this one isn’t entirely an OTA recall, owing to the fact that people have already experienced circuit board shorts and are already waiting for replacements.

The software portion of the recall has already been mostly completed for any vehicles with Tesla software update 2024.45.25.3 or greater. However, a significant portion of the tracked fleet remains on update 2024.44.25.2 (approximately 20%), so we recommend updating your HW4 vehicle whenever you receive the notification.

On the hardware side, Tesla is immediately identifying and replacing hardware that has had circuit board failure. Tesla is also reaching out to customers who have expressed intermittent issues with Autopilot features, active safety features, or vehicle cameras that don't display correctly. If you have experienced any of these issues in a late 2024 vehicle, we recommend submitting a service ticket with Tesla to ensure that your vehicle isn’t affected by this recall.

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