Rand McNally Wireless TPMS ?

[Biggles607]

Hi Guys,

Has anyone used, tried to use, or can offer ANY insight into the Rand McNally wireless TPMS system that has an Android supported app.

I'm looking to use said system on my TT. It has a rechargeable receiver that transmits pressure and temperature data gathered from four external valve stem sensors via Bluetooth to an app installed on a smart phone.

Any experiences, firsthand or otherwise would be greatly appreciated.

Season's Greetings to everyone...

[Steve7]

I haven’t heard of that one, being bluetooth. I would fear that the Bluetooth would not consistently reach the phone. What reviews have you seen so far, or maybe you haven’t since your here asking. I know some of the other brands require a booster on whatever frequency they use. I’ve been happy with my TST system.

[mark5w]

Here is the numbers for bluetooth, depending on the power.

Device Class*Transmit Power*Intended Range

Class 3 1 mW less than 10 meters (32feet)

Class 2 2.5 mW 10 meters, 33 feet

Class 1 100 mW 100 meters, 328 feet

[Biggles607]

Steve, thanks, Mark, that's awesome information.

I believe it's running Bluetooth 4.0. I too had checked the range and found somewhere that line of sight BT quoted 100'.

The kit comes with 4 valve stem sensors, and a receiver that then transmits to a smart phone app.

Since my TT is 34' long, and the wheels are sort of in the middle, If I place the USB rechargeable receiver in the TT right at the front, it's going to be equidistant between the wheels and my cell phone in my truck, therefore needing a receive/transmission range of 25 ish feet.

I have a USB receptacle in the bedroom which is energized when the TT is plugged into my truck, so by plugging the Rx in there, I know it'll be delivering a max power signal.

My logic seems reasonable, or maybe I'm deluding myself. I think the only solution is a trip to Best Buy who has the kit on sale for $49.95 and give it a try. They do after all offer a 30 day money back guarantee...

I'll let you know how it works out.....Oh Santa !!

[Biggles607]

So, I called Rand McNally technical department and posed the question of using the four sensors on my TT, and positioning the receiver near the front wall of my TT.

Apparently no-one had asked this before as they had to poll several members of their technical staff to find an answer, and since nothing negative was forthcoming, and Best Buy has a phenomenal return policy, I decided to bite the bullet and give it test.

During some last minute, late night shopping, (completely by accident you understand), I found myself right there in Best Buy. And guess what.....there all neatly boxed was a handful of the Rand McNally TPMS systems.

$49.99 later and it's now mine.



If nothing else the packaging and presentation are impressive, let's just hope it performs as well as it looks.

I'll install it after the holidays as we're going on a road trip first part of January and report my findings, check back if you interested to hear the results, I sure am.

Happy Christmas everyone.

[dipped02]

Looks pretty neat system. One guy brought his truck to the shop for new tires and ion wheels installation plus a brake job. He mentioned about the wireless TPMS and I had no idea until I read here. Installed them already?

[Biggles607]

Your question was timed to perfection.

We've just arrived at our destination in GA having traveled some 300 miles on the I-75 from our home in Florida.

This was the first run out for 'Harvey' with the TPMS system.

I installed the four valve stem sensors in accordance with the directions supplied by Rand McNally, which took all of five minutes.

Downloading the App to my Smart Phone took another 2 or 3 minutes, and once I opened it the phone instantly recognized the sender unit I'd charged via a USB adapter the night before and strategically placed on the bed in the front of our trailer. From there it relays tire pressure and temperatures in a very clear, easy to read format for each of the four wheels.

You have to set your nominal tire pressure in the app, it then reacts to changes of + or - 20 psi. I like to run at 50 psi so the alarm goes off if the pressure drops to 30 or balloons to 70 psi.

I purposely dropped the pressure of one of the tires to outside the pressure range I'd pre-set in the app, (which is very simple) and sure enough the audible alarm sounded instantly on my phone.

The app also gives a read out of the voltage from the watch batteries that power the wheel sensors.

Extremely cool....huh?

So, back to today, I had the monitor active for the entire trip and had my wife periodically summon the app to review my tire pressures and temperatures. (I'm a stickler for NOT using phones etc. while driving.....in fact I wish we could un-invent texting)

Apart from minor temperature variations as we drove on rain soaked then sun baked blacktop everything remained constant.

I can't tell you what a comfort this is knowing there's something watching the bits we can't see when we're on the highway.

Now, short of a catastrophic tire carcass failure, anything else tire related that fate decides to throw at us should come with a bit of a heads up.

Drive Safe everyone.

[Steve7]

Thanks for the update Biggles. It sounds like it performed well.

Edit: Is there any way to hardware the sending unit so it doesn’t have to be charged up regularly? I see you have a usb that is charged when driving, so that is convenient. Not sure how that works though, unless you maybe have an inverter for the 120v ac.

[mark5w]

Most Rv's have a 12v receptacle by the tv. You can plug an automotive usb charger into that and it will charge the TPMS. I also have a 12v receptacle in my Rv basement near the front of the 5th wheel.

[Biggles607]

Originally Posted by mark5w

Most Rv's have a 12v receptacle by the tv. You can plug an automotive usb charger into that and it will charge the TPMS. I also have a 12v receptacle in my Rv basement near the front of the 5th wheel.

I too have a factory hardwired USB charging port on the wall above the sofa.

But here's something I discovered yesterday. (Every day turns into a road test of something or other....)

I found by experimentation that the signal range between the sensors on the valve stems and the transmitter is consistently greater than that of the transmitter to my cell phone. with the transmitter in the bedroom I occasionally lost the signal, but by having it in the truck it didn't drop out once between Atlanta and Orlando yesterday. So it kind of makes the previous discussions moot, as I'll now keep the transmitter plugged into USB power outlet in my truck.

[jalapeno]

So i read this post back when it first came out and decided to buy the rand mcnally tpms. i have installed and used it on two trips now so i am ready to give my feedback.

first let me describe my set up, crew cab short bed truck with 28' fifth wheel. so i was a little concerned about distance. installed the 4 monitors on the valve stems as directions stated, pretty easy. I don't really have anywhere in the trailer to put the sending unit so i opted to put it in the cab of the truck. the kit comes with a very short usb cable, this needs to be replaced with a longer cable, more on that later. the app installed easily and once i adjusted the setting for temp and pressure ranges that's it.

with the receiver module in the truck, down the road we went. the receiver has an on/off button and four red lights that indicate the receiver is not connected to the monitors, it also has a blue light on the top that indicates connection with the phone app. so going down the road the receiver would not connect to the monitors. i unplugged it from the short usb cable and handed it to my grandson sitting in the back seat. he held the unit to the back window and all four lights went out and the app on the phone showed temp and pressure from all four sensors. i was then able to place the monitor back at the dash. using this set up for two trips i experienced an alarm for tire leak on each trip, however both times it has been the right rear sensor and the red light comes on at the receiver indicating loss of connection. i am going to relocate the receiver to the back of the truck cab for the next trip to eliminate this condition. i will have to remember to turn the unit on before we head out as it will be out of reach when driving.

i am sharing this to let those with larger rigs know this may not work due to distance limitation. this is not a top tier tpms and if you are expecting that you will be disappointed. but for 49.99 it works. only time will tell if this unit will save me from damage from a blow out, but it makes me feel better having it. as a side note this works with the rand mcnally dryve gps monitor, i am considering purchasing the unit as it will allow gps and tpms on one screen. so far i am happy with my purchase thanks for posting the info.

[rcflyer]

Question for the OP.

When the receiver is in your truck with good pressure readings and you drive away from the trailer at a distance greater than a mile how long is it before you get a signal loss alert.

I ask this question as the TST systems take one hour before you get a signal loss indication. During that hour the TST system displays the last received pressure as if nothing is wrong.

[travelin texans]

With my TST system if I unhook the rv & drive away I turn off the display for the rv & turn it back on when hooked back up.
I had this vision when I 1st saw this post of a wired TPMS system & wires connected to each wheel.

[DavisK]

Originally Posted by rcflyer

Question for the OP.

I ask this question as the TST systems take one hour before you get a signal loss indication. During that hour the TST system displays the last received pressure as if nothing is wrong.

My TST system alerts me of signal loss as soon as I get about 150' away from the trailer. It doesn't take it an hour to alert.

[Biggles607]

Hi rcflyer,


Sorry, I didn't see you post sooner.


I must confess I haven't tested it to find out, but rest assured next time out I will, and I'll post my finding here shortly thereafter.

[rcflyer]

Originally Posted by DavisK

My TST system alerts me of signal loss as soon as I get about 150' away from the trailer. It doesn't take it an hour to alert.

I guarantee you it will take one hour. Even TST has admitted that it will.

Myself and many other TST users have noted this.

Plus the TST system only checks in with pressures about every 5 minutes so I am sure you will gone more than 150 feet in 5 minutes.

[Lloyd]

Most of this was discussed in full some time back. I think there is 12 pages of very good informative info. Well worth the time it takes to read it all.
I believe it will also shed some light on this "one hour theory".

http://www.crossroadsowners.com/foru...ems-11094.html