Using The Tesla Cam - Need Confirmation

[Jimt29]

Using the Tesla Cam/TeslaCam has become my new vision quest. I can't seem to get a handle on how it is supposed to actually function. To that end I have made an appointment to go to the service center and either have the car fixed or have me fixed/schooled.

I formatted a new USB drive to see if that made a difference: Nope

Here is what is going on. I go for a drive and stop and check to see if anything recorded. Nothing

I select save and continue driving. I stop and check. Nothing. I select save. I check again and there is recorded video.

I thought the car recorded automatically and you select SAVE if you want to insure that portion doesn't get written over.

Am I not understanding how the system is to be used? Am I supposed to select SAVE each time I use the car?

Or is the system not functioning as it was designed to? Or is there something else going on that I don't understand?

 

[StormtrooperSD]

Using the Tesla Cam/TeslaCam has become my new vision quest. I can't seem to get a handle on how it is supposed to actually function. To that end I have made an appointment to go to the service center and either have the car fixed or have me fixed/schooled.

I formatted a new USB drive to see if that made a difference: Nope

Here is what is going on. I go for a drive and stop and check to see if anything recorded. Nothing

I select save and continue driving. I stop and check. Nothing. I select save. I check again and there is recorded video.

I thought the car recorded automatically and you select SAVE if you want to insure that portion doesn't get written over.

Am I not understanding how the system is to be used? Am I supposed to select SAVE each time I use the car?

Or is the system not functioning as it was designed to? Or is there something else going on that I don't understand?

My understanding of how it works is the following:
1) if enabled (ie you have the flashdrive correctly configured and installed and it is showing the little red icon on the dashcam icon) it will loop record the last 10 minutes in memory.
This is not saving it to the flash drive yet, but ensure that when you want to save, the data is available.
2) to transfer the file in memory to permanent storage (your flashdrive) you have to press the 'Save Footage" option, or honk the horn (if you enabled this option in the safety and security section.

To disable/enable dashcam, press and hold the dashcam icon for about a second.

 

[Jimt29]

Assuming your logic is correct, the DashCam is working properly.

This leaves Sentry Mode. It works (sometime) in my garage but the system is aware it is my Home address and is set to not work here.

Everywhere else Sentry Mode does not work. The Sentry Mode light is lit red.

I was hoping to be able to cancel my visit to the service center but I can not as yet.

I have tried two different USB drives. No change.

 

[pkitch]

Assuming your logic is correct, the DashCam is working properly.

This leaves Sentry Mode. It works (sometime) in my garage but the system is aware it is my Home address and is set to not work here.

Everywhere else Sentry Mode does not work. The Sentry Mode light is lit red.

I was hoping to be able to cancel my visit to the service center but I can not as yet.

I have tried two different USB drives. No change.

Just a thought, but if you are trying to set off Sentry while parked away from home, it won't arm if you are yourself hanging around the car as it either would not have locked yet, or like unlocked if you'd just returned to it. Rather obvious I know but just so you can rule out something obvious.

 

[Jimt29]

Just a thought, but if you are trying to set off Sentry while parked away from home, it won't arm if you are yourself hanging around the car as it either would not have locked yet, or like unlocked if you'd just returned to it. Rather obvious I know but just so you can rule out something obvious.

Ok. How do you know if it’s activated?

 

[pkitch]

Ok. How do you know if it’s activated?

It will flash the headlights and if the 'activity' continues (usually a person close to the car) then it will light up the screen with a warning as a sort of secondary warning. If still continues then it fires up with audio system very loudly with a Beethoven symphony or something.

 

[linyuwen]

Ok. How do you know if it’s activated?

Check your phone app and you should see it under the Controls section as shown in the picture.

 

[StormtrooperSD]

Ok. How do you know if it’s activated?

You can also see on your app that sentry mode have been enabled, under the controls section.

 

[Jimt29]

You can also see on your app that sentry mode have been enabled, under the controls section.

Yes. It is enabled in the iPhone app. However it does not record anything when away from home. It does record events when parked in the garage though it is set up to recognize my home address and NOT enable at this address. I am trying to sort this out to eliminate a trip to the service center.

 

[StormtrooperSD]

Yes. It is enabled in the iPhone app. However it does not record anything when away from home. It does record events when parked in the garage though it is set up to recognize my home address and NOT enable at this address. I am trying to sort this out to eliminate a trip to the service center.

Would be good to hear their response. Sentry mode stopped working properly for me with the latest update. It shows the red eye and recording on the screen, but does actually record anything.

 

[StormtrooperSD]

Would be good to hear their response. Sentry mode stopped working properly for me with the latest update. It shows the red eye and recording on the screen, but does actually record anything.

Does *not* actually record anything.

 

[Jimt29]

It will flash the headlights and if the 'activity' continues (usually a person close to the car) then it will light up the screen with a warning as a sort of secondary warning. If still continues then it fires up with audio system very loudly with a Beethoven symphony or something.

The cloud of confusion is dispersing, little by little. I suspect my problem stems from my ignorance and not the car. I took it for a short drive and parked in a local parking lot. I walked away from the car and, and, and turned OFF my phone. Now if Sentry Mode was going to work I was giving it a proper test. Well no lights flashed even with me pounding on the car (gently) but after a bit the sentry red/orange image appeared and Sentry Mode was recording.

As for the DashCam, again it is my consistent ignorance that is causing the misunderstanding of how the thing works.

So, all in all, thanks to the kindness of you "strangers", I have a better understanding of how the systems work and I think everything is operating normally. To that end I will be canceling the service appointment and I thank each of you for your kind help.

Jim T

 

[Jimt29]

Sentry Mode. It works in my garage but the system is aware it is my Home address and is set to NOT work here. This I haven't solved.

 

[StormtrooperSD]

Sentry Mode. It works in my garage but the system is aware it is my Home address and is set to NOT work here. This I haven't solved.

Which version of software are you on? Sentry mode in 24.6.4 seems buggy.

 

[kingkong5]

Assuming you did this already, but the USB drive is formatted in FAT32 and you created a blank, empty folder in it called TeslaCam right?

 

[Jimt29]

Assuming you did this already, but the USB drive is formatted in FAT32 and you created a blank, empty folder in it called TeslaCam right?

Yes.

 

[Jimt29]

Which version of software are you on? Sentry mode in 24.6.4 seems buggy.

Version 2020.20.17.

 

[pkitch]

The cloud of confusion is dispersing, little by little. I suspect my problem stems from my ignorance and not the car. I took it for a short drive and parked in a local parking lot. I walked away from the car and, and, and turned OFF my phone. Now if Sentry Mode was going to work I was giving it a proper test. Well no lights flashed even with me pounding on the car (gently) but after a bit the sentry red/orange image appeared and Sentry Mode was recording.

As for the DashCam, again it is my consistent ignorance that is causing the misunderstanding of how the thing works.

So, all in all, thanks to the kindness of you "strangers", I have a better understanding of how the systems work and I think everything is operating normally. To that end I will be canceling the service appointment and I thank each of you for your kind help.

Jim T

It’s definitely a learning curve. I believe sentry works only from the cameras, mine captures lots of alerts when parked and seemingly all triggered from people, I don’t think ‘motion’ is a factor. The new update (just installed for me tonight) will makes seeing what the trigger was much easier...

 

[StormtrooperSD]

My understanding of how it works is the following:
1) if enabled (ie you have the flashdrive correctly configured and installed and it is showing the little red icon on the dashcam icon) it will loop record the last 10 minutes in memory.
This is not saving it to the flash drive yet, but ensure that when you want to save, the data is available.
2) to transfer the file in memory to permanent storage (your flashdrive) you have to press the 'Save Footage" option, or honk the horn (if you enabled this option in the safety and security section.

To disable/enable dashcam, press and hold the dashcam icon for about a second.

One correction to this, based on something I read and also looking at the actual folder on the USB drive. It seems the last approx hour of dashcam footage is stored in a folder called "RecentClips", instead of the memory buffer I mentioned earlier.
The rest of my comments remain the same.\, so when you press "Save Footage", it will move the last 10 minutes into the "SavedClips" folder.

 

[Klau2]

why don't you turn off exclude home for sentry mode temporally, then go out without your phone and walk around the car. that way you can test it while at home.