How sensitive is Sentry Mode? Hit&Run not recorded

[Erase]

Hi guys,
Someone crashed into our TM3 2020 from the back a couple of days ago, and Sentry did not capture it. The USB stick had plenty of space, everything was working, it recorded a lot of other stuff, but not the hit&run. The damage is minor (scratches on the paint), however, still expensive to repair.
It feels like the rear sensor or camera is not sensitive enough. I experimented today: turned off bluetooth on my phone to avoid it being recognized as the key, approached the car from the back and started first touching it, then slightly hitting it.
When I sat in the car, there was no Sentry events and no footage of me clapping on the car, which seems pretty disappointing. It means the car can get hit time after time without recording it. Have any of you experienced something similar? Is it a common thing?

 

[CertLive]

I tested this myself last week before my m3 was picked up. The front camera picked up a family from way down the street as they got near to the front of the car. When close it flashed the lights. The side and rears very hard to activate and didnt trigger with someone right next to it cleaning the path of weeds along side my drive. The alarm is also really hard to trigger. I can rock the car from the side, bang the windows and nothing. Maybe it was toned down in updates?

 

[texas_star_TM3]

sentry mode got *WAY* less sensitive over the last updates and the battery drain is also drastically reduced... i wish there would be a setting to put sentry mode into "less" or "more" sensitive.

in the past sentry mode on the parking lot would be triggered by a bird walking on the parking lot and now sentry mode seems to not even record someone parking right next to you and leaving their car

 

[lUtriaNt]

agree. i leave sentry on 24/7 because the cost per hour is less than pennies - its much less sensitive than when i got this car in march of this year and the battery percent over hours when parked at the office will not even put a dent in the battery like it used to.

 

[camalaio]

Note for future and everyone else: The "Recent" folder on the drive contains the last hour of footage. If you see something like this when you return to your vehicle, eject the drive ASAP just in case Sentry didn't catch it and hope it was somewhere in the last hour.

Also, find software to stitch that hour of videos together before you decide to comb through it. A linear video is much easier to scrub through.

 

[Phlier]

Note for future and everyone else: The "Recent" folder on the drive contains the last hour of footage. If you see something like this when you return to your vehicle, eject the drive ASAP just in case Sentry didn't catch it and hope it was somewhere in the last hour.

Also, find software to stitch that hour of videos together before you decide to comb through it. A linear video is much easier to scrub through.

Yup, the only thing that a Sentry event does is move the footage from the Recent folder to the Sentry folder. When Sentry mode is on, the cameras are recording. Non stop. You always have the last one hour of recordings in the Recent folder. If something happens and Sentry mode didn't move the footage to the Sentry folder, just look for it in the Recent folder, as Camalaio states. As long as the event was in the preceding one hour, it'll be there.

Make sure you unmount the drive correctly before removing it from the USB port to prevent corrupting the video files.

 

[Mattopotamus]

Yup, the only thing that a Sentry event does is move the footage from the Recent folder to the Sentry folder. When Sentry mode is on, the cameras are recording. Non stop. You always have the last one hour of recordings in the Recent folder. If something happens and Sentry mode didn't move the footage to the Sentry folder, just look for it in the Recent folder, as Camalaio states. As long as the event was in the preceding one hour, it'll be there.

Make sure you unmount the drive correctly before removing it from the USB port to prevent corrupting the video files.

From your car or do you mean your computer? I always just unplug it from my car, is there a proper way?

 

[AKinDC]

I have the opposite problem...had 17 videos yesterday of cars driving behind mine in the parking garage.

 

[camalaio]

From your car or do you mean your computer? I always just unplug it from my car, is there a proper way?

Tap and hold the dashcam icon on the screen, top right-ish. You can release when you see the white swoosh emanate from the icon. The red dot will turn grey after a few seconds. It can now be removed.

 

[Mattopotamus]

I have the opposite problem...had 17 videos yesterday of cars driving behind mine in the parking garage.

only 17. I had 170+ on Saturday =/

 

[Jkfred56]

Several days ago I experienced a similar issue. My 2021 Model Y was parked in the gym lot a few days ago and was hit in the back bending the lift gate and possibly ruining the bumper. Sentry mode was on but did not capture the incident. instead, it captured someone sitting in their car with the door open and then walking away. Disappointing.

 

[JamesZoo]

Someone scratched my TM3 2021 front left bumper. The other driver was courteous enough to leave a note with his details and apologised for the incident. Yet sentry covered the whole range before and after the incident, but not the moment when the incident happened. Disappointing.