BLE TPMS - Bluetooth Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Interactive desktop tool to monitor external TPMS sensors via Bluetooth Low Energy.

Features

• Interactive UI - Menu-driven interface for discovering and monitoring sensors
• Auto-Detection - Automatically identifies TPMS sensors from all nearby BLE devices
• Multi-Sensor - Track 4+ sensors simultaneously with friendly names
• Modular Decoders - Plugin system supports different TPMS sensor types
• Dual Units - Pressure displayed in both BAR and PSI
• HEX Packet View - Raw BLE packet data for debugging
• Color-Coded Display - Status indicators at a glance
• Saved Configuration - Remembers your sensors between sessions
• CSV Logging - Optional data logging to file

Supported Sensors

Decoder	Sensor Type	Data Size	Identification	Status
TPMS3-16byte	Generic BLE TPMS (VSTM/ZEEPIN/TP630)	16 bytes	Name TPMS{N}_*, CID 0x0100	Tested
BR-7byte	Generic "BR" sensors	7 bytes	Name "BR", UUID 0x27a5	Reference
SYTPMS-6byte	SYTPMS sensors	6 bytes	Name "TPMS", 6-byte data	Reference
Generic	Unknown sensors	4+ bytes	Fallback with heuristics	Always

Tested with: Generic external BLE TPMS cap sensors (VSTM/Visture, ZEEPIN/TP630, WISTEK, and other rebranded variants widely sold on AliExpress/Amazon)

New sensor types can be added via the modular decoder system. See DECODER_GUIDE.md.

Quick Start

# One-time setup (creates virtual environment, installs dependencies)
./setup.sh

# Run the monitor
./run.sh

Usage

Main Menu

BLE TPMS Monitor - Interactive
================================

Current Configuration:
  Front Left         (AC:15:85:C3:A2:01)
  Rear Left          (82:EA:CA:33:4F:E2)

Options:
  1 - Discover and select sensors
  2 - Start monitoring
  3 - Remove a sensor
  4 - Clear all sensors
  5 - List available decoders
  q - Quit

Workflow

1. Discover - Scan for nearby BLE devices (option 1)
2. Select - Choose which sensors to monitor, give them names
3. Monitor - Start live monitoring (option 2)

Device Discovery

#    MAC Address          Name            RSSI   Decoder          TPMS?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1    82:EA:CA:33:4F:E2   TPMS3_334FE2   -45    TPMS3-16byte     TPMS Sensor
2    AC:15:85:C3:A2:01   BR             -48    BR-7byte         BR Sensor
3    AA:BB:CC:DD:EE:FF   Unknown        -72    Unknown

Select sensors by number, or press a to auto-select all detected TPMS devices.

Live Monitoring

Sensor          Decoder        Pressure                Temp    Battery   Note              HEX Packet
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rear Left       TPMS3-16byte   1.82 bar (26.4 psi)     29C     100%      Pos:RL Abs:40.9   82eaca334fe2...
Front Left      BR-7byte       2.15 bar (31.2 psi)     22C     2.9V      ROTAT             281d160105a376

Press Ctrl+C to stop monitoring and return to menu.

Sensor Behavior

TPMS{N} Sensors (most common)

Primary wake trigger is PRESSURE CHANGE, not motion. These cheap cap sensors do not have a true accelerometer - they use a basic roll switch that only works at driving speeds. Rolling or spinning the sensor by hand will NOT wake it.

Sleep / Wake cycle:

• Storage / Deep sleep - No broadcasts. Factory default; extended inactivity
• Idle (pressurized) - Broadcasts every 1-5 minutes with stable pressure
• Active (driving) - Broadcasts every 10-30 seconds (roll switch detects rotation)
• Pressure event - Immediate burst on pressure change >1.2 PSI

What wakes the sensor:

• Pressure change (primary) - inflating, deflating, screwing onto a valve, blowing air into it
• Sustained wheel rotation at driving speed (>15-20 km/h)
• Internal timer (2-15 min periodic check)

What does NOT wake the sensor:

• Rolling it on a table
• Brief hand spins
• Shaking or tapping

Tip: If no sensor is detected, deflate/inflate the tire slightly, or slowly screw the sensor on/off the valve to create air flow. See PROTOCOL.md for full details.

Valve interaction: An internal pin depresses the Schrader valve core when the sensor is screwed on, opening an air path. A twist-lock nut must be engaged for a proper seal. Without engagement, the sensor only reads atmospheric pressure (~0 PSI gauge).

BR Sensors

• Rotating: Frequent broadcasts (~10-30s) above 4 km/h
• Stationary: Every 2-5 minutes
• Pressure change: Immediate transmission on >0.5 psi change

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Bluetooth adapter
• Linux, macOS, or Windows

Dependencies installed automatically by setup.sh:

• bleak - Cross-platform BLE library (no sudo required)
• colorama - Colored terminal output

Project Structure

TPMS/
├── tpms-interactive.py    # Main application
├── sensor_decoders.py     # Modular decoder library
├── setup.sh               # One-time setup (venv + dependencies)
├── run.sh                 # Launch the app
├── activate.sh            # Quick venv activation helper
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
├── README.md              # This file
├── PROTOCOL.md            # BLE TPMS protocol documentation
├── DECODER_GUIDE.md       # Guide for adding new sensor types
└── deprecated/            # Old implementations (reference only)

Adding New Sensor Types

1. Create a decoder class in sensor_decoders.py
2. Implement can_decode() to identify your sensor
3. Implement decode() to parse the data
4. Register it in the factory

See DECODER_GUIDE.md for a complete guide with a real-world reverse-engineering case study.

Troubleshooting

No sensors detected

• Verify Bluetooth is enabled
• Sensor is likely asleep - these sensors wake on PRESSURE CHANGE, not motion
• To wake: deflate/inflate the tire briefly, or slowly screw the sensor on/off a valve
• Rolling or shaking the sensor will NOT wake it
• Use the interactive discovery (option 1) and keep scanning in 5-second rounds
• Use a BLE scanner app (e.g., nRF Connect) to verify the sensor is broadcasting
• Move closer to sensors (<5m)

Sensor reads ~0 PSI gauge on a tire

• The twist-lock mechanism may not be engaged
• Sensor must fully depress the Schrader valve core to read tire pressure
• Without engagement, it correctly reads atmospheric pressure (~14.5 PSI absolute = ~0 gauge)

Setup issues

• If pip install fails with "externally-managed-environment", use ./setup.sh (uses venv)
• If python3-venv is missing: sudo apt install python3-venv

References

• TPMS Protocol Details: PROTOCOL.md
• Home Assistant ESPHome TPMS: https://community.home-assistant.io/t/ble-tire-pressure-monitor/509927
• ricallinson/tpms: https://github.com/ricallinson/tpms
• bkbilly/tpms_ble: https://github.com/bkbilly/tpms_ble
• theengs/decoder: https://decoder.theengs.io/devices/TPMS.html
• Instructables BLE TPMS: https://www.instructables.com/BLE-Direct-Tire-Pressure-Monitoring-System-TPMS-Di/

License

This project is provided as-is for educational and personal use.