Here's my experience - there are 3 ways to switch on/off Sentry mode:
1) the black dot at the top of the car display (turns red when "ON")
2) the switch on the Tesla app (becomes blue when "ON")
3) the setting in the safety menu where you can also exclude locations like home,... Let's call it the MAIN switch.
I call it the MAIN switch because it affects the 2 others, whereas the 2 others do NOT affect the MAIN switch, e.g.:
- switching Sentry "ON" using the MAIN switch turns the black dot red, and the app switch blue
- switching off Sentry by tapping the red dot or blue switch to "OFF" will leave the MAIN switch to "ON"
Here's my problem: my car does NOT recognize the fact that I'm in my own home.
In other words, if I set the MAIN switch to "ON" and EXCLUDE my home location (which IS recorded in the navigation settings) it STILL activates the Sentry mode. Very frustrating.
I'm on a simple 110V charger so I really can't afford to lose over 14 miles between 6 pm and 8 am the next day. Since I'm on the time of use plan my car charges only between midnight and 6 am, or 6 times 5 miles = 30 miles. Obviously, I would lose HALF of this when using the unnecessary Sentry mode in my garage.
My solution is to leave the MAIN switch for Sentry to OFF. Then, when I'm out and park the car, I simply press the black dot at the top of the screen and Sentry mode will be active just for that time. Even if I forgot to switch it on, I can still remotely activate it through the Tesla app.
Will check this again once we get the V.10 update but I'm afraid it will only be more features rather than fixes when it comes to Sentry.