CAN A TESLA HELP FIGHT CRIME…THE ANSWER IS YES!
A Tesla Model 3 was parked in a public parking lot with the car left in Sentry Mode. Sentry Mode is a Tela security feature which enables the vehicles exterior cameras to record video footage of what might be going on around the vehicle.
It’s a great example of the in-built security capability of the numerous hidden cameras on Tesla vehicles and instead of capturing a break-in on the Model 3 itself, the vehicle caught another driver’s vehicle being broken into instead, the thief did not realize every move he made was being recorded on video from the Tesla.
The owner of the Tesla explains “When I returned, it had a little message saying “instances reported”… when I got home I plugged in the USB and saw a lot of things, but one in particular was interesting, “the person’s car next to me got broken into.”
The footage into the police and they were amazed that it was so clear – they are sending it off to the local area command [where the carpark in question is located] to see if the person is known to them.”
For those not familiar with how Sentry Mode works, it is a mode that can be optionally selected in such times as when you need to leave your car in a public place.
Tesla vehicles – Model 3s in particular – have multiple hidden cameras that it uses for features such as Enhanced Summon, and will be critical for eventual Full Self Driving capabilities.
The cameras are also useful for catching those up to no good. Various events can be noted as a security incident by the car, which is activated by a motion detector.
Anyone approaching a Tesla vehicle in Sentry Mode will be notified of its status, first by a flash of the headlights and taillights, and by the interior display lighting up to inform anyone looking inside the car that they are being recorded.
If the car is physically disturbed it will start beeping to further deter the person from anything they may have in mind.
As it was not the Model 3 in this instance that was being tampered with, the car did not start beeping but it did flash warning lights, says our reader.
“When the guy was breaking into car next to me you can see [in the uncropped video] the car’s lights flashed, but he didn’t notice it,” the owner stated.
It does use the car battery to operate, so it’s always a good idea to ensure there is enough charge left before activating Sentry Mode. To be able to give a copy of the video to police to identify a perpetrator, you must also have a USB plugged in.
In the recent Version 10 upgrade “over the air” to Tesla’s electric car software, Tesla added the ability for videos to be sorted in a separate folder on the USB, as well as the ability to delete older clips when the USB is low on storage.
This is all pretty cool technology but what would really suck would be if the police kept your Tesla for evidence in the legal case against the thief. As an added note Rivian has just started incorporating a similar system in the R1S and R2 SUV and the R1T pickup truck they manufacture which is called “Gear Guard Live Camera”.
The Gear Guard Live Camera likely uses the Driver+ hardware found in all R1 Rivian vehicles. This hardware includes 11 cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors, five radars, and a high-precision GPS antenna.
Rivian’s Gear Guard technology uses cameras to protect the vehicle and everything inside or on top of it.