INTRODUCTION

   If you happen to own a car or even a bike then you know how annoying it is (not to mention quite inconvenient) having to check the air pressure of your tires regularly especially prior to heading out on a long trip. Granted compared to less than a decade ago the good news is that current generation cars (released after 2013) need to be equipped with basic built-in tire pressure monitors/sensors but since the keyword here is "basic" they leave much to be desired by owners in terms of features (even a friend with a brand new Tesla car seems to agree with me on that). Because of that I’ve always kept track of what's available out there and although there've been several pressure monitor/sensor systems available by third party manufacturers for quite a while now again they are not that different in terms of features. FOBO seems to be the only third party manufacturer to really have a interesting tire pressure monitor/sensor line in the market today and since several of you have asked we decided to take a look at their Tire Plus All Bluetooth Smart Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

   FOBO brand name is an acronym for For Our Better wOrld. FOBO carries a mandate to help enhance mankind’s daily living through innovative and smart products. FOBO products get in tune with Nature, by monitoring key environmental elements that interact with our daily livings or things/loved ones that we care so much about; FOBO is Sensing with Sense™. FOBO products utilize multiple sensor technologies, namely pressure sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors and proximity sensors to deliver tracking, monitoring and crowd searching functions. The current FOBO portfolio focuses on monitoring important personal belongings/loved ones(FOBO Wireless Tag/Max) and the most important element for the main contact point of a vehicle to the road surface - the tire pressure(FOBO Tire, FOBO Tire Plus and FOBO Bike). With two (2) years of intensive and continuous R&D efforts, FOBO launched its first product, the FOBO Tag in April 2013 followed by the FOBO Tire in October 2014 and subsequently FOBO Bike. FOBO currently has twenty four (24) patent applications for five (5) different inventions relating to their products in various countries. Additionally, they've been granted nine (9) trademark rights and one (1) industrial design rights that are recognized in various countries where these applications were filed. These patents, trademarks and industrial design registrations grant them intellectual property rights, thereby protecting FOBO products. FOBO products are designed and manufactured by Salutica Allied Solutions Malaysia located in Ipoh, Malaysia.

   The FOBO Tire Plus All Bluetooth Smart Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) is a five piece product and includes the central Bluetooth 4.0 receiver/transmitter and four IP57 certified (dust proof and water proof up to 1m) Bluetooth wireless sensors which plug into the tire air valve and provide real-time data to the car owner at all times. Although the central unit only has 4 status LEDs via which it can inform the owner of potential issues with the air pressure and/or temperature of your tires you can also monitor their status by using the Android (v4.3 and above) and iOS (v7.1 and above) app with compatible smartphones and tablets. Via this app you can monitor up to a total of 20 cars and can also share the status of your sensors with up to 100 extra compatible devices (useful for large companies with many cars in their fleets). Also since you will need to register the system online in order to start using it both the main unit and the sensors can't be reused by someone else if stolen so that's an extra layer of protection (although i doubt the potential thief will know this). So is the Tire Plus All Bluetooth Smart Tire Pressure Monitoring System the ideal tool for people looking for ways to make their car(s) safer?