Sentry Mode battery usage 7% per day

[ASH*TAR]

Ideally, Tesla should replace the 12v lead batteries with lithium ones that have more capacity. Then it can run off of a secondary mini computer for sentry mode. Like what Ring cameras do at only 2w per camera. I think the biggest problem that Tesla currently faces is that in order to have software to self drive these cars, they need highly robust computers that cannot fail. They also need redundancy. Those computers need far more processing power(watts) than a simple camera system does. However Tesla(Elon) loves simplicity. So they want to utilize what the cars already have. They don't want a full separate system just for sentry mode like what JPMcNown is doing. I'm certain even connecting cameras to a different, mini computer system opens Tesla up to new liabilities as far as full self driving. It sounds about right that our cars require a higher end video card to process every camera while driving at insane speeds. Even when they run at idle they use 100w alone.
I think that brings us to the point that if you live in an area that votes to protect criminals who don't have the money to pay you if you caught them and law enforcement is being told to let them go by your politicians, then it's probably a waste of time. However if you park in a spot where your car can be damaged by dishonest neighbors at a frequently(1 incident per car you own every 2.5 years) it may pay for itself. Think of it as $900/year insurance.
For me, I'm turning it off and remembering to vote for politicians who protect what I work hard for. I'm also going to continue to be a good, friendly neighbor with all of my neighbors.

​

 

[CyberGus]

Ideally, Tesla should replace the 12v lead batteries with lithium ones that have more capacity. Then it can run off of a secondary mini computer for sentry mode. Like what Ring cameras do at only 2w per camera. I think the biggest problem that Tesla currently faces is that in order to have software to self drive these cars, they need highly robust computers that cannot fail. They also need redundancy. Those computers need far more processing power(watts) than a simple camera system does. However Tesla(Elon) loves simplicity. So they want to utilize what the cars already have. They don't want a full separate system just for sentry mode like what JPMcNown is doing. I'm certain even connecting cameras to a different, mini computer system opens Tesla up to new liabilities as far as full self driving. It sounds about right that our cars require a higher end video card to process every camera while driving at insane speeds. Even when they run at idle they use 100w alone.
I think that brings us to the point that if you live in an area that votes to protect criminals who don't have the money to pay you if you caught them and law enforcement is being told to let them go by your politicians, then it's probably a waste of time. However if you park in a spot where your car can be damaged by dishonest neighbors at a frequently(1 incident per car you own every 2.5 years) it may pay for itself. Think of it as $900/year insurance.
For me, I'm turning it off and remembering to vote for politicians who protect what I work hard for. I'm also going to continue to be a good, friendly neighbor with all of my neighbors.

​

Sentry was a software add-on to the FSD computer, and was not part of the design. I'm hoping HW4 incorporates Sentry to improve efficiency.

 

[gearchruncher]

It's really not ethical for Tesla to allow Sentry mode to be used full time. They claim their mission is to move the world forward to sustainable transportation, and they advertise that their cars are much more efficient than ICE vehicles...

...And then with one little button on the screen you can use as much energy as driving 8k+ miles a year.

 

[CyberGus]

It's really not ethical for Tesla to allow Sentry mode to be used full time. They claim their mission is to move the world forward to sustainable transportation, and they advertise that their cars are much more efficient than ICE vehicles...

...And then with one little button on the screen you can use as much energy as driving 8k+ miles a year.

Still less energy than bitcoin

 

[gearchruncher]

Still less energy than bitcoin

The thing Tesla ditched in about 2 weeks due to the outcry over how it was so directly against their mission?

 

[BMWM3Man]

This is interesting to me. My wife parks in a shopping center parking lot every day and we see little or no loss. Maybe 1%...and I imagined that there are enough people walking by to trigger it. I guess not.

 

[gearchruncher]

This is interesting to me. My wife parks in a shopping center parking lot every day and we see little or no loss. Maybe 1%...and I imagined that there are enough people walking by to trigger it. I guess not.

It doesn't matter if anyone triggers it, the power comes from having to keep the HV alive, and processing the images to see IF it needs to save anything.
If the car is driven to the shopping center and then home at the end, how are you so sure of the loss during that time? Note that 1% in 4 hours is 7% in 24 hours...

 

[BMWM3Man]

It doesn't matter if anyone triggers it, the power comes from having to keep the HV alive, and processing the images to see IF it needs to save anything.
If the car is driven to the shopping center and then home at the end, how are you so sure of the loss during that time? Note that 1% in 4 hours is 7% in 24 hours...

She is at work from 845am to 530pm and it takes 9-10% to get to work every day. When she gets home after leaving at 100% (LFP) she is always at 80% so...not sure what to tell you. Sentry is always on. Been doing this commute since September when we got it and she will have 2 or 3 sentry notifications or so.

 

[gearchruncher]

Well, the real test is to leave it on over a weekend or 24+ hours and check the draw there. There is some chance that the newer LFP cars have a better LV system, but the drain with older cars is pretty well documented.

 

[BMWM3Man]

Well, the real test is to leave it on over a weekend or 24+ hours and check the draw there. There is some chance that the newer LFP cars have a better LV system, but the drain with older cars is pretty well documented.

Picking up a LR today. I’ll def pay attention on this one. I travel almost every week for work. I thought I was leaving on at airport maybe not…

 

[avionos]

Is there a way to just auto enable Sentry when it becomes dark? Not in the daylight

 

[gearchruncher]

Is there a way to just auto enable Sentry when it becomes dark? Not in the daylight

No. Location based is the only option. There are 3rd party tools that can turn it on and off, maybe one of them could do it on time (but not actual brightness)

 

[Blacktes24]

I love sentry mode but don't like the drain if it sits for a couple days. I even like it on at home incase anyone messes with it.

 

[supremeMilo]

Ideally, Tesla should replace the 12v lead batteries with lithium ones that have more capacity. Then it can run off of a secondary mini computer for sentry mode. Like what Ring cameras do at only 2w per camera. I think the biggest problem that Tesla currently faces is that in order to have software to self drive these cars, they need highly robust computers that cannot fail. They also need redundancy. Those computers need far more processing power(watts) than a simple camera system does. However Tesla(Elon) loves simplicity. So they want to utilize what the cars already have. They don't want a full separate system just for sentry mode like what JPMcNown is doing. I'm certain even connecting cameras to a different, mini computer system opens Tesla up to new liabilities as far as full self driving. It sounds about right that our cars require a higher end video card to process every camera while driving at insane speeds. Even when they run at idle they use 100w alone.
I think that brings us to the point that if you live in an area that votes to protect criminals who don't have the money to pay you if you caught them and law enforcement is being told to let them go by your politicians, then it's probably a waste of time. However if you park in a spot where your car can be damaged by dishonest neighbors at a frequently(1 incident per car you own every 2.5 years) it may pay for itself. Think of it as $900/year insurance.
For me, I'm turning it off and remembering to vote for politicians who protect what I work hard for. I'm also going to continue to be a good, friendly neighbor with all of my neighbors.

​

Ring is an excellent example of how this should be approached in the future, I didn’t think about the fact that sentry would drain at about 1mph when I knew I would have to park on the street.

 

[Caramel]

Ring is an excellent example of how this should be approached in the future, I didn’t think about the fact that sentry would drain at about 1mph when I knew I would have to park on the street.

 

[Caramel]

So I’m in a similar position.

New MYLR, just picked up on Saturday.

Parked on street, have lost 16% over the last 38 hours.

I don’t think the power drain is tenable long term - with no home charger, it’s just too much energy. Will have to take the risk that someone dings it!

 

[Assquatch]

It blows my mind that such a feature could use so much power but I get about the same. I'm assuming that this is because a much larger-than-necessary computer is running to handle inputs from numerous cameras/sensors, and is probably poorly optimized for that type of work. 7% is, after all, enough to propel a 2-ton object down a road for 20 miles. It's a *sugar* ton of energy.

 

[smogne41]

It blows my mind that such a feature could use so much power but I get about the same. I'm assuming that this is because a much larger-than-necessary computer is running to handle inputs from numerous cameras/sensors, and is probably poorly optimized for that type of work. 7% is, after all, enough to propel a 2-ton object down a road for 20 miles. It's a *sugar* ton of energy.

Yeah, the system was not designed for this. It was something they figured out they could do long after the Model 3 went into production (and after owner requests). It is super cool they could add it, but yeah, not suitable for long-term parking if you can't keep the car plugged in. A purpose-built camera recording sub-system could probably run for months.

 

[Caramel]

Turned it off and down to 1% battery drain / day.

Clearly only ever useful for people whose cars are garaged most of the time and only on for a few hours at a time.

Great idea though, not usable for me.

 

[Amanfromconn]

Sentry will be no good if they steal the car though.

I don't know how easy it is to hack the 4 digit pin. I enable that feature just like you would normally do it on the phone.