Sentry Mode Power Consumption
A YouTuber did some testing to determine how much electricity is needed to operate Sentry Mode on the Model 3.
With Sentry Mode off, the Tesla Model 3’s phantom power drain is approximately 263 watts. With Sentry Mode on, the power usage increases to 315 watts, for a difference of 52 watts.
Leaving your Model 3 Sentry Mode on for 24 hours would use 1.24 kWh in every 24 hour period.
Tesla’s Sentry Mode History
On January 26, 2019, Elon Musk tweeted that Tesla’s Sentry Mode would play Bach’s Taccota and Fugue during a robbery
In mid-February 2019, the first Tesla owners started to receive the Sentry Mode software update. On February 13, Tesla announced:
“If a minimal threat is detected, such as someone leaning on a car, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alert” state and displays a message on the touchscreen warning that its cameras are recording. If a more severe threat is detected, such as someone breaking a window, Sentry Mode switches to an “Alarm” state, which activates the car alarm, increases the brightness of the center display, and plays music at maximum volume from the car’s audio system.”
Tesla Model 3 Sentry Mode Testing
Tesla Model 3 Sentry Mode Real Life Tests
When armed, Tesla’s Sentry Mode is in a standby state. If the car’s cameras catch someone too close, it saves the footage from the previous 10 minutes prior to being set off. In this particular theft attempt, the glass is broken, and the blaring music doesn’t start – apparently the care didn’t sense the window was smashed. Theft starts around 11:30 mark in the video