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Sentry Mode: what it does and how to set it up

4 min read · Updated Oct 22, 2026 · By VoltCoach

REC
In short

How Sentry Mode works, what storage it needs, and its limits.

On this page
  1. Turn it on
  2. Recording needs storage
  3. Battery
  4. Good to know

Sentry Mode watches the area around your parked, locked car. When it detects a threat, the cameras record and the alarm can sound, and the Tesla app alerts you.

Turn it on

  • Touchscreen: Controls, then Safety & Security, then Sentry Mode.
  • Or use a voice command or the Tesla app.

Recording needs storage

  • Sentry Mode will not record unless a drive is in place. Use a USB drive in a front USB port; a dashcam icon appears when it is ready.
  • Supported formats are exFAT, FAT32, MS-DOS FAT, ext3 and ext4. NTFS is not supported.
  • The drive needs a top-level folder named TeslaCam.
  • Formatting from the touchscreen erases everything on the drive.
  • Tesla says 2018 and newer cars on software 2020.48.5 or later save recordings to onboard memory and show them on the touchscreen. Without a drive, you still get phone alerts but nothing is kept.

Battery

Away from a Supercharger, Sentry Mode stays on until the charge falls to 20% or lower. The app tells you if it turns off for that reason.

Good to know

  • Live Camera lets you view the surroundings remotely. It needs Premium Connectivity and a recent Tesla app, and is not available on some 2012-2020 Model S and Model X cars.
  • Sentry recordings are not sent to Tesla.
  • It cannot be on at the same time as Pet Mode.
  • It will not prevent every possible threat, and you are responsible for following local laws about cameras.

Sources

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