Tesla to launch ‘camera surveillance mode’ and ‘dog mode’ next week

Elon Musk has announced on Twitter that Tesla will release the so-called Sentry Mode next week. This mode allows several cameras to be used to record a 360-degree image around the car. There will also be a mode to keep dogs cool.

The so-called Sentry Mode will be available for all cars that have Autopilot 2.5. Two weeks ago, Musk already announced that this mode would be released. He then responded to a Tesla owner who discovered a dent in his Tesla sitting near the rear-facing camera.

The intention is to use the eight cameras around the Sentry mode, which all Teslas have been equipped with since 2016. The new mode should help reduce the attempted break-ins and theft of Tesla cars.

The new mode is in fact an extension of the already existing TeslaCam function. This feature uses a single, forward-facing Autopilot camera mounted above the rear-view mirror to capture images of what’s happening directly in front of the car. This function is therefore not suitable for recording what happens, for example, on the sides of the cars.

On Twitter Musk also informed that a so-called ‘dog mode’ will be available next week. This mode ensures that, for example, dogs left in the car on a hot day do not have to deal with rising temperatures. The function should keep the interior temperature at a safe level for hours. The batteries of the Teslas are used for this.