Tesla Owners Will Be Able To Remotely Access Autopilot Camera At Will With New Upgrade: Report

Tesla Inc TSLA is planning a software upgrade to its in-vehicle sentry mode security system that would allow users access to a live stream from their vehicle’s autopilot cameras at any moment, Electrek reported Saturday.

What Happened: The update — said to be version 11 — is likely to arrive near the holidays, according to Electrek.

Twitter user Green, who reports on developments surrounding code, said that it appears as if “there's going to be a livestreaming of car videos to the phone app.”

The code sleuth said that a single camera on the vehicle streams at up to 30 megabytes per minute, which according to the expert, would not take too much bandwidth for periodic checks of the camera’s feed.

In response to when the new feature might be released, Green said it seems to be in the “wings.”

Well, the remote camera viewing seems to be in the wings, whenever they'll drop it in 2020.48 or if they'll postpone it again - I don't know.

— green (@greentheonly) November 27, 2020

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, hinted at a “hot” software feature release during the holidays on Twitter this month.

Why It Matters: Users may have to pay for a premium data subscription due to high data usage involved in live streaming, Engadget reported. 

The sentry mode came in handy in capturing footage of thieves who stole an RV in September this year. 

On another occasion, the feature helped police in the recovery of a stolen Porsche, a vehicle made by a company owned by rival Volkswagen Group AG VWAGY.

Price Action: Tesla shares closed nearly 2% higher at $585.76 on Friday and fell 0.17% in the after-hours session.