Cameras

[Pics] About the mystery of the Model 3 in-cabin 'selfie' cam

For the first time, @greentheonly and @davidhooperr have managed to get footage of the interior camera of the Model 3. The sensor and the resolution seem to be the same of the rest of the cameras. This camera, located in the rearview mirror, is there for future Robotaxi usage and for now it isn’t active. Thank you both for sharing your findings!

2021.4.15.5 the auto wiper code is now using all cameras as input

According to Greentheonly, the new software is using all the cameras for its auto wiper function. Up until now, the car only used the cameras behind the windshield for this function but given the area, the aerodynamics of the car, and the fact that it’s heated, Tesla seems to need more input to correctly decide when to turn on the wipers. Greentheonly also mentioned that the neural net looks for a lot of stuff such as “ice, rain, foggy, sun-blinded, wet road, tire spray, tunnel, indoors, …. to name just a few”.

2021.4.18.3 reduces the nags

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the new firmware is now using the internal camera to know if the driver is paying attention. Well, it seems that if you are wearing sunglasses you will see a bigger gap between nags, 41 nags without sunglasses to 13 with them on. As Tesla improves the eye and attention detection, we should see the normal nag also getting longer and for the car to almost only nag if we aren’t paying attention.

2023.27.12

According to Greentheonly, this new version brings speed cam and red light camera awareness, and a way to avoid construction on route.

360 surround view + HDMI kit testing

For $775 this kit from BearBu would give you a 360 view of your car. It took LowTech two days to install it but the result are pretty cool. I would recommend you to watch the video and look at how the cameras look from outside.

Amazon launches Ring Car Connect

Ring just launched a new device for your car that can extend Tesla’s Sentry Mode capabilities. Ring Car Connect gets plugged into your Tesla (all models) and taps into its cameras which can then be used in real-time. What kind of features are we talking about? If you’re familiar with Ring’s doorbell camera, we’re talking about similar things: motion and sound alerts, photo capture, cloud storage, etc. I believe Tesla is going to get there sooner or later, but it seems a good move on Ring’s side to win in the car security space outside the Tesla world.

Backup camera fix in 2020.48.35.5

I’ve heard many folks who upgraded their MCU1 to MCU2 complaining about the backup camera being too dark at night. Well, we have good news, the software update 2020.48.35.5 comes with a fix for you. Check out the before and after images in the link.

Birdseye view coming soon

Birdseye view, please? Coming right up if you have FSD, or so said Elon Musk on Twitter this week after being asked by @teslaownerssv. This is a pretty standard feature in other vehicles, so the community has been asking about this for a while now.

Blackvue DR900S 4k UHD is now available for pre-order

One of Tesla owners’ favorite dash cams is releasing its 4k version and it is now available to pre-order. Expected shipping date: April 24.

Read more: Blackvue.com

Cameras on HW4

We were aware that the HW4 cameras offered four times the resolution of the previous cameras, and after viewing this picture, it’s clear that the image they produce is significantly crisper.

Can the selfie cam be used for driver monitoring?

This is a topic that people bring up often. This time, Greentheonly (of course!) is bringing us a few videos of what the selfie cam records. It is interesting to see how good the image is at night and that the visor position can fully hide the driver’s face from the camera.

Cloud accounts

More updates from Greentheonly. It seems that the latests code includes the ability to add profile to an online account. It is unclear how you will be adding your profile to a new car, especially for rentals/Turo.

Cybertruck has a camera below the front bumper

I haven’t seen this before but someone captured it while the Cybertruck was visiting NYC. I think if Tesla decided to add a camera, there goes the last spot that they need for a 360 view while parking. I hope this reaches production.

Dog mode does show the interior camera being used

The holiday update brings the possibility of viewing the interior camera from the Tesla app. When doing so, Dog Mode displays a message indicating that the live camera is in use.

Image quality is so much better with HW3

Look at the differences of the Dashcam images from with HW2.5 and HW3, the new computer is powerful enough to be able to process uncompressed (minimally compressed) video. Some folks are saying the image got worst with HW2.5 when the fourth camera was introduced. In any case, it’s only looking better and I can’t wait to get my upgrade!

Read more: Reddit

Imagining Tesla's blind spot camera

Greentheonly imagines what the Tesla blind spot camera ‘should be’. What do you think?

Is Tesla switching to new repeater cameras with wider angles?

Months ago, there was a lot of chatter on Twitter about the angle of the cameras and if they can see cross traffic or not. The current angle of the cameras isn’t sufficient and that is why in FSD, not often but it happens, the car can creep forward and then backward. In a video from Ashok, Tesla’s Director of Autopilot, we can see a weird angle, and several people in the community thought Tesla is adding a new repeater camera with a wider angle. What do you think?

Keeping the car 'on' for entertainment and comfort if the camera detects occupants

After a request on Twitter, Elon mentioned that Tesla will be making a change to keep the car on (HVAC, entertainment, etc.) if the cameras detect an occupant in the car. Currently, occupants need to touch the screen to turn everything back on, which isn’t as convenient as keeping it on automatically, but it’s not too bad either.

Live camera screen on the Tesla app

By looking at the screen, it seems that we should be able to change the camera that we are viewing by tapping on the dots on the screen. Cool!

Live interior camera viewing coming to Tesla App

Some more improvements in the new version of the app are:

• Live interior camera viewing
• Remote farting
• Remote boombox
• Setting a climate temp for co-pilot

Model S modified to show a 360º view

Our Teslas don’t offer a 360º view. It’s well know that the reason why is that while it has cameras in all directions it lacks a forward camera low enough to see what it’s directly in front of the car. The pilar cameras also don’t show what it’s in the ground right next to the car. Having said that, some folks in China modded their Model S to have a 360º view and looks really good!

Multi-Camera View

The latest version of the Tesla App, 4.22.5, introduces a multi-camera view feature. Now, when monitoring your vehicle’s surroundings through the app, you can observe multiple camera feeds simultaneously - a fantastic addition! Some Redditors have speculated about the prospect of Tesla creating a stitched view from their various cameras, which would certainly be a great improvement.

The timeline and method of the new Model 3’s launch remain unclear.

New blind spot visualizations

They could be better, but at least they are present now. Little steps. I hope Tesla keeps improving this functionality, they could really step up the game with all the cameras and screens that other cars don’t have. BTW, seems like in pre-2021 cars the blinker light makes the blind spot camera unstable at night.

New V11 photos reveal blind spot camera, new speedometer layout, more

I have to say that the blind spot camera shows up in a bit of an odd place, but I can’t think of a better option, to be honest, and it is a great addition! Thank you John TOSV for requesting this one a long time ago 🙂

NHTSA & DOT want your thoughts on using cameras instead of traditional mirrors

In the current legislation, all cars have to be sold with physical rearview mirrors, but that might not be the case in the future. NHTSA wants to know if drivers support the use of cameras instead of rearview mirrors and it has a form to apply to some future research, if you are interested the link to the form is in the article.

Remote view of the cabin camera from the app

Now, with the holiday update, you can stream the cabin camera directly on your phone. This is especially useful for those using Dog Mode, but also if you want to check the interior for any other reason, such as to see if you forgot something in your car or to check for a Sentry alert.

Selfie cam coming to Model S and X soon?

Greentheobly has found evidence of what is seems to be called HW3.2 for the Model S and X, according to his findings this will include the selfie cam and it might be yet another hit at some kind of refresh coming soon™

Tesla Autopark now uses the cameras

Another discovery by Greentheonly. Only enabled by default for the refreshed Model S, although Greentheonly managed to enable it in his car. I hope Tesla releases it to the rest of the cars soon!

Tesla cameras may be reading speed limits soon

For a long time, the theory behind Tesla’s AP2+ not recognizing speed limit signs was the existence of a patent by Mobileeye. It seems like Tesla has been able to get around it since Elon Musk has recently said that it’s coming soon in a reply to Everyday Astronaut (@Erdayastronaut) on Twitter. Hopefully, Tesla will roll out a hybrid solution, we will see!

Tesla Crash Lab: Data-Driven Safety

By collecting data from the millions of vehicles in their fleet and replicating real-world crash scenarios, Tesla is able to engineer one of the safest vehicles on the road. This isn’t new, Tesla’s top 1 priority has always been safety, but this video from their crash labs shows some of their efforts to achieve that and make it possible that every Tesla ranks at the top of most safety tests out there.

Tesla does video production in-house

Tesla built a custom camera car utilizing an engineering Model S and a Motocrane V1 + Movi Pro. The crane, wireless video, and 4x Small HD monitors are fully powered by the Model S battery pack.

Tesla Hardware 4.0 to use 5-megapixel camera, production and shipments to Tesla already started

If this rumor coming out of China is true, the new system will dramatically increase the quality of the cameras. When or where we will see these, it’s unclear.

Tesla HW4/AP4 to reduce forward-facing cameras to 2 and add fan

According to an internal document from Giga Shanghai that was leaked on Twitter, the forward-facing camera will be undergoing a change from its current three-camera configuration to two cameras. This is made possible by the increased pixel density and field of view of the new cameras. Furthermore, the leaked document also revealed that Tesla is currently evaluating the addition of a heater to the B-pillar camera.

Tesla Model S / X digital mirror display with stock rearview camera

Tesla Model S/X Builds spotted with new Autopilot cameras

Our friends from the Kilowatts found a new Model S and Model X with what seem to be new cameras, and here are some interesting highlights:

• The repeater cameras have a much wider angle.
• The rear camera has a bigger housing.
• The front and pillar cameras seem to have an upgraded lens.

All the cameras have a red hue on the lenses that could be indicative of an anti-glare coating.

Tesla registers a new high-resolution radar unit with FCC

Tesla eliminated the radar from most of their cars because, according to them, it creates confusion in the system, false positives, and it’s just not needed. Last week, Tesla registered a new high-resolution radar with the FCC, and some speculation indicates that this can be part of the future Hardware 4.0 for Autopilot. High-resolution radars have the same benefits as radar, but with a higher resolution, they can be used in a way similar to LiDAR. What do you think, will Tesla continue vision only?

Tesla to enable access to B pillar and repeater cameras from the car

In some situations, e.g. while parking, having access to the cameras from within the car would be pretty helpful. Elon said on Twitter that Tesla can enable access to these views.

Read more: Twitter

Tesla using the interior cam to decrease the nag intervals

Last week, we shared some videos of the interior camera detecting the driver, their eyes, etc. by Greentheonly. This week, Greentheonly said his Tesla is using the camera to decrease the nag intervals. Hopefully, in the future, they can also use it to increase it and nag less often.

Tesla Vision and Cabin camera updates

Tesla started delivering the first vision only 3s and Ys and here are some interesting findings:

• The cabin camera is also used to detect if the driver is distracted while using Autopilot
• Autopilot hard limit is 75 for now
• You can’t disable auto high beams while on AP
• Summon and lane departure avoidance can’t be enabled at the moment

Tesla's FSD hardware 4.0 to use new cameras

It’s well known that Tesla wants to keep iterating on their AP hardware. According to a Twitter user, Tesla is planning to use Sony’s new IMX490 automotive sensor in their upcoming hardware 4.0 revision. The new sensor would provide 5.4 megapixels compared to the 1.2 megapixels and the new wide-angle sensor might also allow Tesla to drop the number of cameras used in the front-facing module.

Tested driver monitoring on 2021.4.5.11

As we said above, Tesla’s firmware 2021.4.5.11 is now using the cabin camera to monitor the driver’s attention. In this video, the only new behavior happens when the driver is looking at his phone, the car is on Autopilot, and the car is close to other cars. When the driver was pretending to be asleep, looking through the window, or if cars weren’t around, they didn’t observe any difference in behavior.

The cabin camera is officially on (update 2020.24.6)

A few weeks ago @greentheonly revealed some unknowns about the cabin-camera. Now, with the latest software update 2020.24.6, Tesla has officially told us about it and they’re planning on using it to build safety features. In case you have privacy concerns, know that you can opt-in/out to share your cabin videos with Tesla.

Read more: Twitter

Thinkware F770 Dash Camera ($244.99)

An updated version the Thinkware F750, the F770 is less imposing and easier to use than its predecessor. It not only features a slimmer form factor but also a new matte black look, larger buttons, and a wire management flap.

Read more: Massdrop (Make sure you’re signed in)

Upgraded cameras for 2017 FSD cars

Elon said recently that cars with AP2 would need their cameras to be replaced in order to access FSD Beta, seems like Tesla has already done that. BTW this, as well as the HW3 processor upgrade, is covered if you have purchased the FSD package.

What can the pillar cam see?

There has been some chatting lately about the pillar cameras and what the car can see at the intersections. The video from the pillar cameras isn’t recorded as part of Sentry or TeslaCam, but Greentheonly has published a few screenshots and videos of what the camera can see. Given the angle, the cars would need to peek a bit into the intersection to see the cars coming, what do you think?

What does the cabin camera in the Model 3/Y try to detect

An interesting finding by @greentheonly. Not that it changes anything, but pretty cool to know!

• Blinded
• Dark
• Eyes closed
• Eyes down
• Eyes nominal
• Eyes up
• Head down
• Head trunk
• Looking left
• Looking right
• Phone use
• Sunglasses eyes likely nominal
• Sunglasses luckily eyes down