Vehicle Wake-Up and Command Retry Process

When your Tesla is parked and idle, it enters a sleep state to conserve battery. Vehicle commands require the vehicle to be awake and online first. Teslemetry automatically handles waking your vehicle and retrying commands when needed, so you don't have to manage this yourself.

How Vehicle Sleep Works

Your Tesla can be in one of three states:

When you send a command through Teslemetry, the system checks your vehicle's state first. If the vehicle is already online, the command is sent immediately. If it's asleep, Teslemetry automatically wakes it before sending your command.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to wake my vehicle?

Waking a sleeping vehicle costs 20 credits. If you execute a command while your vehicle is asleep, Teslemetry will automatically handle waking your vehicle which will cost 20 credits plus 1 credit for the command.

How long does it take to wake my vehicle?

The wake-up process typically takes a few seconds, but it can take longer especially if your vehicle has poor signal.

1. Teslemetry sends a wake-up signal to Tesla's servers
2. The system polls your vehicle's status every 3 seconds, up to 10 times (~30 seconds)
3. Once online, a short 3-second buffer ensures the vehicle is fully ready
4. Your command is then sent

What happens if my vehicle doesn't wake up?

If your vehicle does not come online after approximately 36 seconds of trying, you will receive a 408 timeout error. This typically happens when:

• The vehicle has no cellular signal (underground parking, remote areas)
• The vehicle's cellular modem is offline
• There is a Tesla server-side issue preventing the wake signal from reaching the vehicle

In these cases, you will still be charged the 20 credits for the wake up command.

Why did my command fail even though my vehicle is awake?

Even after a successful wake-up, commands can sometimes fail due to temporary issues. Teslemetry automatically retries failed commands so you don't have to resend them manually.

For standard commands, Teslemetry retries up to 5 times when:

• Tesla returns a temporary server error
• Tesla indicates rate limiting (the system waits before retrying)
• A vehicle subsystem wasn't ready yet

For signed commands, Teslemetry retries up to 5 times with increasing wait times between attempts. This covers situations where:

• The vehicle's security session needs to be refreshed
• The vehicle acknowledged the command but wasn't ready to execute it
• The vehicle briefly went offline during the command

Will I be charged credits for failed commands?

You are charged 1 credit for a command as long as it was delivered to Tesla's servers, even if the vehicle ultimately didn't execute it. You are not charged for commands that fail before reaching Tesla (e.g. insufficient credits, authentication errors, Teslemetry server errors).

The 20-credit wake-up cost is charged when the wake-up procedure runs, regardless of whether the subsequent command succeeds.

How can I reduce wake-up costs?

1. Group commands together - If you need to send multiple commands, send them while the vehicle is still awake from the first one
2. Use Fleet Telemetry for data - Streaming telemetry does not require waking the vehicle and is included in your vehicle subscription
3. Check vehicle status first - In Home Assistant, check the vehicle's state entity before triggering command automations

My command timed out. Should I retry it immediately?

In most cases, no. Teslemetry has already retried the command multiple times before returning the error to you. If you received a timeout, the vehicle is likely unreachable. Wait a few minutes and try again, or check if the vehicle has cellular connectivity.

Repeatedly retrying will consume additional credits each time without improving the chances of success.

Retry Summary

Related Resources

• Command Credits System and Usage - Understanding credit costs and usage
• Teslemetry Console - Check your credit balance and command history
• Bluetooth Control Documentation - Credit-free alternative for frequent commands

Updated on: 16/02/2026