FOBO tire pressure monitoring system report..

[Chuckk_imp]

thanks G.O. for your input on the FOBO ..the techs told me to leave the setting on "always allow" compared to where I had it set.. I had it on "only when app is turned on" .. they said I would get a faster response.. well I have noticed a shorter response time when I first check my pressures, so I will keep it on the "always allow" but I will keep an eye on my sensor's battery levels.. my iPhone charge hasn't been effected, by what I can tell .. let's see if I can get a year out of these new batteries, using the "always allow"..
chuckk ..

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Your iPhone battery level won't be affected significantly. I assume you charge nightly. The bluetooth radio on the smart phones draw very little current - maybe depending on the device, anywhere from 1 to 3% of battery per day. I am sure your phone is connected to at least one bluetooth device at any given time of the day (e.g. your car, headphones, smart watch, bluetooth speaker, etc. etc.).

- - -

When in range, your phone is always chattering with registered (even unregistered) bluetooth enabled devices ... even when you sleep.

Can you imagine if you m/c had bluetooth and sent a message to your phone while you slept?

 

[Chuckk_imp]

good to know.. thanks G.O.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

 

[Chuckk_imp]

. well, I have gotten only 3 months out of my front sensor's battery.. they are cheap enough and easy enough to change, but thats a pretty short time.. any time I am within range of my bike, my phone and fobo sensors are talking to one another.. that is because I have the fobo app set for "always allow" .. I asked mr. fobo how I could put the setting on the app back to "only when app is turned on".. he told me to keep it where it is, so the app works properly.. I had it set on "only when turned on" in the past and didn't have a problem.. it took just a moment longer when I did turn the app on, to get my readings.. he never did tell me how I can change the settings.. I will push him for an answer..
.

 

[Cormanus]

Chuckk, look in the settings app on your phone. You should find specific settings for the FOBO app if you scroll down through the apps installed on your phone. If it’s not in there, try finding settings within the app.

 

[Lord Popgun]

Chuckk, What Cormanus said.

I read 2 of the FOBO manuals and they do not mention or show that setting.

On you iPhone, select the settings icon. Scroll down until you find the FOBO app and tap on that. There then should be a selection that says something like Background App Refresh. Tap the slider button so it isn’t green.

 

[Cormanus]

Or you could look in Settings>General>Background app refresh and turn it off in there.

 

[Chuckk_imp]

[/b] thanks guys.. I did find it in my settings on my iPhone.. unfortunately it seems, the app demands I keep it in always allow.. I wanted to just turn on the app and get my pressures, then shut the app off, by touching the apps icon and not have the app still working in the background.. using sensor battery.. I don't want to have to go into settings to turn it on every time I want a reading, just to save a little battery life.. what was possible in the past, is no longer it seems ..

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

The devices will try to communicate (whether successful or not) with any nearby other device that will listen. That effort in trying will put additional strain on the device battery.

The alternative is the device sends out periodic "beacons" of, "Is there anybody, out there?" In this case, the phone application refresh rate would be lower, but in theory the FOBO device battery would last longer.

Would be handy if FOBO shared the implementation background regarding communications so the consumer can adapt and get more use out of the battery.

 

[Chuckk_imp]

. I'm thinking, based on the refresh rate my phone receives, it sends out periodic.. I have waited 30 seconds or so at times to get a response on my phone's fobo display when filling my tires.. so what happens when the phone connects with the sensor? what happens to the sensors battery consumption? does it go up ? thanks for the input G.O.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I don't know the underlying implementation, however, each wireless message transaction costs the device some battery capacity. The more frequent, the more energy consumed. Device listening (if applicable) is not so expensive in terms of power, but when it sends out data, your button battery (s) take a hit.

During connection establishment between the phone and the device, there is an exchange of information. I am assuming the link is probably not encrypted (i.e. nothing secret about tire pressure), so device power consumption should be minimal.

Maybe the FOBO communication is just one way? Would you happen to know if you can configure anything inside the FOBO from within your phone app? Would you know if the devices are Bluetooth enabled?

 

[Chuckk_imp]

tough questions fo me to answer G.O. .. it seems there must be a back and forth.. between sensor and app.. when that happens, more power is used from the sensor.. thats the only thing I can think of that would cause the 3 month lifespan of the sensors battery.. unless I had a sour battery in my front wheel !! .. in the past, when my app allowed me to use the "only when app is turned on" my batteries lasted 7 months if I recall .. back then, they weren't able to talk to each other when I was close to the bike.. (100 ft) I'm guessing.. now the fobo2 app has more features.. that might play a part.. gps is on it now, but that would come from my phone's battery .. I have another email that should be answered tonight.. we will see what Hazwan has to say.. unfortunately I am not asking the right questions.. now my hopes are for a sour battery.. we will see how long my rear sensor lasts..

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

It is definitely possible one button battery can be substandard. I have had that a few times.

 

[Lord Popgun]

GO, the FOBO site says it is Bluetooth 5.0. Here is a link to the FOBO Bike 2 model: FOBO

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Right on popgun. So that means energy will be spent in two-way communications, and always listening, even if the paired phone is not around. Not a lot, but the radio will come on periodically. I suspect maybe Chuck had a weaker button battery? The other remote possibility is the one FOBO device has a bug in its firmware where at some point it got into a state for awhile (e.g. several hours) where it could not put its bluetooth radio into a power save mode. Just some guesses. Firmware bugs are quite common in consumer devices.

 

[Chuckk_imp]

thanks guys.. I really appreciate your input.. one more thing to consider is, I am using the original fobo sensors that came with my original fobo bike, as they call the first generation.. then I was told by mr. fobo, I can utilize the fobo 2 app and keep my original sensors.. so that is what I am running.. also, I do have another 2 or 3 original sensors that I had on my trike.. so if I have a faulty sensor, I could trade it out.. maybe wait and see how long my other sensor's battery lasts.. time isn't a problem.. mr. fobo didn't return yesterday's email
the new fobo 2 sensors are smaller and are still supposed to last about a year.. they take smaller batteries..

 

[Chuckk_imp]

well, my FOBO battery problem has reared it's ugly head once more.. this time the battery lasted for less than a month !!.. G.O. suggested it may be a faulty sensor.. I have extras, so I will replace battery and sensor on the front.. the rear sensor is still happy with the battery I installed in it last December..
.

 

[peterbaron]

Not that I have a cure, ready answer for your problem or I question previous pre-diag by more experienced fellas in this matter...but a few things to consider:
* cheap or poorly design products usually draw more current or normality in your case
* your FOBOs constant communication with your cell means: slow and continuous discharge
* simply said: when the ambient temperature drops , the battery is able to last longer. When the temperature increases, the battery life shortens. I think, California climate delivers these two extremes almost daily, correct?
* before installing a new battery, check its voltage, as well when discarding it
* battery lifespan depends on its quality/manufacture + some other factors
* general rule is: if you buy 2 cheap, you pay twice for it = overpaid vs 1x good quality + no headache

** your FOBOs and batteries are constantly facing centrifugal force, spinning, shaky/twisty roads, brake pads dust falling on them, pistachio load/smell....so no wonder these wander, get brain damage and die prematurely

 

[Chuckk_imp]

I try to buy the best batteries..
.

you can buy a cheap T.P.M.S. for about $30. the FOBO's run about $100. .. the rear sensor is working fine so far, telling me it is either the battery or the sensor in the front..