Tesla Model 3: Security Settings

About the Security System

If Model 3 does not detect an authenticated phone, key fob, or key card and a locked door or trunk is opened, an alarm sounds and the headlights and turn signals flash. To deactivate the alarm, press any button on the mobile app or tap your key card or key fob against the card reader located just below the Autopilot camera on the driver's side door pillar.

To manually enable or disable the alarm system, touch Controls > Safety & Security > Security Alarm. When enabled, Model 3 activates its alarm one minute after you exit, the doors lock, and a recognized key is no longer detected.

If your Model 3 is equipped with the optional security package, a battery-backed siren sounds in situations where a locked door or trunk is opened and Model 3 does not detect a key nearby. If the Tilt/Intrusion setting is on, the battery-backed siren also sounds if Model 3 detects motion inside the cabin, or if the vehicle is moved or tilted (for example, with a tow truck or jack). To turn the Tilt/Intrusion detection system on or off, touch Controls > Safety & Security > Tilt/Intrusion.

Note: If you plan to leave something that moves inside your locked Model 3, remember to turn off Tilt/Intrusion (if equipped). Motion detected inside Model 3 activates the intrusion alarm.

Note: The Security Alarm must be on to enable Tilt/Intrusion.

Note: The Intrusion Sensor automatically disables in situations where the climate control system is operating when you have left your vehicle.To override, you can manually turn the Intrusion Sensor on again after choosing Keep Climate On, Dog, or Camp Mode (touch Controls > Safety & Security > Tilt/Intrusion).

PIN to Drive

To increase security, you can prevent Model 3 from being driven until a 4-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number) is entered. To enable this setting, touch Controls > Safety & Security > PIN to Drive and follow the onscreen prompts to create a driving PIN.

Note: When enabled, in addition to having to enter the 4-digit driving PIN to drive, you must also use it to enter Valet mode for the first time and create the 4-digit valet PIN that you can use to enter and exit Valet mode. When in Valet mode, Model 3 can be driven without the need for the valet to enter a driving PIN. In addition, the PIN to Drive setting is disabled whenever Valet mode is active.

If you forget your driving PIN, or to disable PIN to Drive, return to this setting, touch the link to enter your Tesla login credentials, then follow the on-screen prompts.

Note: In the unlikely event that your touchscreen is unresponsive, you may be unable to enter the PIN. In this case, first try to restart the touchscreen. If the touchscreen is still unresponsive, you can still bypass PIN to Drive by enabling Keyless Driving in your mobile app.

Sentry Mode

In Sentry Mode, cameras and sensors remain powered on and ready to record suspicious activity when the vehicle is locked and in Park.

To turn Sentry Mode on or off, touch the Sentry Mode icon at the top of your touchscreen. Alternatively, you can use voice commands, the mobile app, or you can touch Controls > Safety & Security > Sentry Mode. To activate Sentry Mode using voice commands, say "Keep Tesla safe", "Keep my car safe", "Sentry on", or "Enable Sentry" (for details using voice commands

Note: Sentry Mode requires the Battery's charge level to be at least 20%. If the Battery falls below 20%, Sentry Mode turns off and the mobile app sends you a notification.

Note: Power consumption may increase while Sentry Mode is active.

Note: Software updates cannot be installed while Sentry Mode is activated.

Warning: Do not rely on Sentry Mode to protect Model 3 from all possible security threats. While it may help deter some threats, no security system can prevent all attacks.

Standby, Alert, and Alarm States

When in Sentry Mode, Model 3 may go through three states depending on its surroundings-Standby, Alert, and Alarm:

• Standby - Your vehicle automatically enters the Standby state when you activate Sentry Mode. In the Standby state, the cameras constantly monitor the area surrounding Model 3 for possible security threats.
• Alert - If Sentry Mode detects a threat, such as someone leaning on Model 3, Sentry Mode switches to the Alert state.

  The headlights flash and the touchscreen displays a message indicating that the cameras are recording the event.

• Alarm - For major threats, such as someone breaking a window, Sentry Mode triggers the Alarm state. In the Alarm state, the security alarm activates, the audio system generates a loud and unexpected sound, and the message on the touchscreen displays in maximum brightness. Phones that are paired to the vehicle receive an alert from their mobile app that the alarm state is triggered. After 30 seconds, Sentry Mode returns to the Standby state.

When in the Alert or Alarm state, Sentry Mode saves the most recent ten minutes of footage prior to the event that triggered either state, provided that a properly configured USB flash drive is inserted into one of the USB ports

Note: When the Alarm state is triggered, the most recent six seconds prior to the security event may be sent to Tesla for temporary backup for approximately 72 hours. You can enable or disable the collection of this video at any time by touching "DATA SHARING" in Controls > Safety & Security.

Note: Sentry Mode can operate without a flash drive installed. If your vehicle enters the Alarm state, the security alarm activates and you will receive a notification on your phone. However, video recordings of the event are not available.

Location-Based Settings

You can customize Sentry Mode to automatically activate at specific locations where you park Model 3:

• Exclude Home- Sentry Mode does not automatically activate at the location you set as Home in your Favorites list, but activates at every other location where you park.

Note: To set up your Home location, touch Navigate and hold down Home, then enter your address. Touch Save as Home.

• Exclude Work- Sentry Mode does not automatically activate at the location you set as Work in your Favorites list, but activates at every other location where you park. Set your Work location the same way you set up your Home location, as previously described.
• Exclude Favorites- Sentry Mode does not automatically activate at the locations in your Favorites list, but activates at every other location where you park.

Model 3 must be parked within 32 feet (10 meters) of a location listed as a Home, Work, or Favorite for Sentry Mode to recognize the location.

USB Flash Drive Requirements for Videos and Recording

Flash drives used to store video from your vehicle's cameras must meet these requirements:

• Use a flash drive with as much available storage as possible, since video footage takes up a large amount of space (Tesla recommends using a flash drive with at least 32 GB of storage). Some personal computer operating systems may not be able to format flash drives larger than 32 GB as FAT 32. Consider using a third party application to format flash drives larger than 32 GB.
• The flash drive must have a sustained write speed of at least 4 MB/s. A sustained write speed is different from the peak write speed. Check the product details of your flash drive for more information.
• The flash drive must be USB 2.0 compatible. If using a USB 3.0 flash drive, it must be able to support USB 2.0.
• Use a dedicated flash drive exclusively for saving footage for your vehicle.
• The flash drive must be properly formatted

Although not a comprehensive list, Tesla has confirmed through testing that the following flash drives meet the requirements for Dashcam and Sentry Mode use:

• SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive
• Samsung MUF-64AB/AM FIT Plus - 200MB/s USB 3.1 Flash Drive

Formatting the USB Flash Drive

To correctly save and retrieve video footage, your vehicle requires a properly formatted USB flash drive containing a base-level folder called "TeslaCam" (without quotation marks).

In addition, the flash drive must be formatted as FAT 32 (for Windows), MS-DOS FAT (for Mac), ext3, or ext4 in order to save videos.

NTFS and exFAT are not currently supported.

For MacOS:

1. Insert the USB flash drive into your personal computer.
2. Navigate to Utilities > Disk Utility (or you can conduct a Spotlight Search for this).
3. Select your flash drive in the left menu.
4. Navigate to Erase in the top menu ribbon.
5. In the pop-up menu, select the correct format (MS-DOS FAT) and click Erase.

Note: Selecting Erase completely erases all content on your flash drive. If you have other content stored on the flash drive, migrate it to a different device before erasing it.

6. Once the flash drive is successfully erased, navigate to Finder and select your USB flash drive from the left menu. The flash drive should not contain any files.
7. Right-click in the empty space of the flash drive and select New Folder. A folder appears in your flash drive space.
8. Right-click on the folder, select Rename, and name the folder to "TeslaCam" (without quotation marks). Click "Save".

   This folder will contain all recent and saved clips from Sentry Mode and dashcam.

9. Properly eject the USB flash drive from your personal computer.

For Windows:

1. Insert the USB flash drive into your personal computer.
2. Navigate to File Explorer.
3. Right-click on your USB flash drive and select "Format...".
4. In the pop-up menu, under the File System section, select "FAT 32".

Note: You can also name your USB (under Volume Label) for easier recognition.

5. Check the "Quick format box" and click Start.
6. Go back to File Explorer, click on your flash drive, and right-click to create a folder, or select "New Folder" in the top menu.
7. Name the folder "TeslaCam" (without quotation marks) and click "Save". This folder will contain all recent and saved clips from Sentry Mode and dashcam.
8. Properly eject the USB flash drive from your personal computer.

Once you have created the "TeslaCam" folder in your USB flash drive and ejected it from your personal computer, insert the flash drive into one of the front USB ports in Model 3. Do not use the rear USB ports, as they are solely meant for charging devices. It may take your vehicle up to 15 seconds to recognize the flash drive. When recognized, icons for dashcam and Sentry Mode appear at the top of your touchscreen (note that you may need to enable to Sentry Mode by going to Controls > Safety & Security > Sentry Mode). Your vehicle is ready to record video.

Retrieving Footage

To retrieve video footage from the flash drive, remove the flash drive from the front USB port and use a personal computer or other device to access the files. Navigate to the "TeslaCam" folder on the flash drive.

Within the "TeslaCam" folder, there are three sub-folders: Recent Clips, Saved Clips, and Sentry Clips. The footage in Recent Clips constantly loops in a 60-minute cycle when the cameras are activated. Therefore, the footage is constantly being overwritten every hour unless the footage is saved. When an event is recorded, one video is recorded for each of the front, rear, left, and right cameras.

Saved footage is located in either the Saved Clips or Sentry Clips folder. Footage in the Saved Clips folder contains all saved recordings from dashcam, which have been manually saved by touching the dashcam icon on the touchscreen. Sentry Clips contains all saved footage from Sentry Mode events, which have been automatically saved when the Alert or Alarm state was triggered. Once footage of a particular event is saved, the latest 10 minutes of video is archived in your flash drive labeled with a unique timestamp.

Note: As your USB flash drive runs out of available space, the oldest footage in Sentry Clips are deleted to make room for new footage. Once the old footage is deleted, you will be unable to retrieve them. When the flash drive is full, Sentry Mode and dashcam can no longer save video footage.

Note: To prevent the flash drive from getting full, move saved videos to another device as soon as possible.

Note: You are responsible for complying with all local laws, regulations, and property restrictions regarding video recordings.

Note: The cameras do not record audio.

Save Clips on Honk

Once a properly formatted USB flash drive is inserted in one of the vehicle's front USB ports, you can choose to save dashcam clips while driving when you honk the horn on your steering wheel. Navigate to Controls > Safety and Security > Save Clips on Honk > ON to enable. The most recent ten minutes of footage is saved. You can also save dashcam footage by touching the dashcam icon at the top of the touchscreen.