Stay away from the Nonda ZUS TPMS & smart charger

sridhu · 12th July 2018, 11:16

Hi

I was looking for a car locator & Tire Pressure Monitoring system (TPMS). I was sure that I did not want some random Chinese stuff.

I came across Nonda Zus and the reviews on CNET etc made it look like a slick company, if a bit expensive. I was okay with paying extra if the product was good. (That is my attitude generally - I am willing to pay top dollar but I expect the product to be well engineered)

I went ahead and bought their Smart Charger and TPMS . The former was about $ 35 and the latter about $ 120.

There is a fairly slick app that works with both.

(While I sound like I bought both together, in actuality, I bought the Charger first & the TPMS about 3 months later. I also got the TPMS on some deal at around $90)

Smart Charger

This is well made. The lights are not intrusive and if you connect a cable, are not visible. (A really good thing as the slots are not intrusive at night). The status lights are also muted. All lights are a soft white.

The ports are reversible (meaning you do not have to look at which way you connect the cable) but not being stacked, cause a bit of clutter. They do sell a 90 degree cable with life time warranty for $ 26 (Gulp!). I remember seeing a Type-C cable not it is not there any more.

Both ports are capable of 2.4 A discharge. Hence they charge reasonably fast - useful if you have GPS on & are listening to music on the BT.

The unit does not have a GPS. What it does is to connect to your phone and use that GPS. So, it notes down the GPS coordinates when you switch off the car and stores it as your parking location. Pretty smart implementation (slightly better than the Google Now Parking Card implementation)

The issue is that the location is not exact as there is a lag between when it senses that the car is not connected and when it stores the GPS coordinates. So, it is off by about 30-50 meters. No big deal but that error is there.

The other issue is that it does not work in MLCP or covered parking as it requires line-of-sight to GPS satellites.

It has a nifty map rendering which shows where your car is. You can also quickly set up parking meter reminders.

Map Rendering

Stay away from the Nonda ZUS TPMS & smart charger-screenshot_20180711175601.png

The app also tracks & alerts you on the battery voltage. Useless, IMO, but cool!

The other useful feature is that it keeps track of trips & lets you classify them as business or personal. Very useful for claiming expenses.

Mileage log

Stay away from the Nonda ZUS TPMS & smart charger-screenshot_20180711175734.png

The unit is very good. Probably not worth asking price. But I would recommend it, if the following negatives are not a problem for you.

Negatives
- The unit tends to pop out at the slightest tug. Need to keep looking to ensure that it is still plugged in

- The more serious issue is that with Android 8.1, with its aggressive clean up of apps to conserve battery, the Zus app keeps getting closed by Android. THis means that the connection is not automatic to the unit. That, in turn, implies that the car finder feature does not work! Since that is one of the main uses for the unit, it is a show stopper for me.

I have removed the Zus app from the Battery Optmizer blacklist (that should take care of the app getting closed. It does for other apps, notably the Sensairy) but that does not seem to fix the issue.

Have raised the issue with Zus.

So, if you use Android 8 or greater, avoid this. Otherwise, it is good.

TPMS

This is a useless product. AVOID BUYING IT

I bought it because I was quite happy with the Car locator + Smart Charger.

First the good stuff & the features:

- It pairs fairly easily with the app.
- Which tire each sensor goes on is printed on the cap for the sensor (FL, FR, RR, RL etc). So, you cant go wrong!
- The unit comes with an offset mini spanner, a set of security nuts which prevent the sensor from being removed, a set of spare, unmarked sensor covers.
- The app reads pressure reasonably quickly and shows both the pressure and temperature of each tire. You can, of course, configure the units.
- There is an in-car module that uses a usb port (but has another one) that visually shows the health of the tires. Green if it is fine. Blinking if that tire is out of bounds. You can set the bounds. There is also an audible alarm.

All this is fine if it works well. But unfortunately, it does not. The TPMS is unreliable and therefore, useless.

You are better off with the Sensairy. I have now installed it in the Crysta and could not be happier. My impressions on the Sensairy in my Crsta ownership review.

I prefer the Sensairy because it is simply easier to use. Since it is internal, there is no fiddly "Unscrew the security nut -> remove the sensor -> fill air -> lose a little bit of pressure because air escapes as you screw it in -> lock the nut again" Process to worry about. My driver has the app installed and when it drops below 2 PSI, fills it up with my air pump in the morning, before taking the car out. No hassles.

That is not my main objection to the Nonda TPMS - I knew that that is what I was signing up for and I cant pin the difference between an internal sensor vs an external sensor on them.

My main objection is that the Nonda TPMS is unreliable & inconsistent

That is unpardonable in a device designed to alert you about critical safety issues. (Tire pressure is very important at high speeds on the high ways).

I am reproducing my mail to Nonda to outline why i think it is useless

- when the car has been parked for around 11 hours in my basement garage, it shows completely different temperatures for the tires. See the image where the tire pressure is greyed out.
- The second issue is that the TPMS does not always reconnect- the same image shows that the TPMS is not connected. I had switched off & restarted just about 2 minutes prior.

- look at the second image (with the FL tire showing 29.9 PSI). This was taken immediately after I re-connected the TPMS to the app. The tire pressures are wildly different from what they were just minutes prior and the temperatures are different again. Your TPMS shows quite different numbers and not consistently.

- the last image with the FL tire showing 31.4 is taken once I filled the tires to 33.5 psi in the front and 31.5 psi in the rear. Exactly that pressure. Same gauge. Same time. A bit more consistent but off. Note: I have had the gauge calibrated and I know it under reports, consistently, by 1 PSI.

So, I really can't trust your read outs when they are off so much with very little change in conditions. I am not complaining about the correctness of the readout- as long as the behaviour is consistent, I can still use it.

At this point, your TPMS is just an expensive but useless gee-gaw.

So, I would avoid the Nonda products.

With the Android 8.1 issue, they are well nigh useless.

blackwasp · 13th July 2018, 15:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridhu

I was looking for a car locator & Tire Pressure Monitoring system (TPMS). I was sure that I did not want some random Chinese stuff.

Thanks for sharing. Feedback, even though negative on one product is much appreciated. Being a tech-person, sometimes even I get carried away and buy some gimmicky products. So far, my experience has been mixed, but as the prices on Aliexpress were low, I didn't mind some of them not working as expected.

Quote:

Smart Charger
The ports are reversible (meaning you do not have to look at which way you connect the cable) but not being stacked, cause a bit of clutter. They do sell a 90 degree cable with life time warranty for $ 26 (Gulp!). I remember seeing a Type-C cable not it is not there any more.

Attaching a photo for reference. I loved the design, but can you post a picture of the port? I don't understand how the ports work reversibly.

Stay away from the Nonda ZUS TPMS & smart charger-screen-shot-20180713-3.42.30-pm.png

Quote:

TPMS

This is a useless product. AVOID BUYING IT

I bought it because I was quite happy with the Car locator + Smart Charger.

Hmm, surprising to see so many problems. The product images as well as the website look nice. But thanks again for sharing this experience with us.

Rajiv0909 · 13th July 2018, 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridhu

The TPMS is unreliable and therefore, useless.

My main objection is that the Nonda TPMS is unreliable & inconsistent

- when the car has been parked for around 11 hours in my basement garage, it shows completely different temperatures for the tires. See the image where the tire pressure is greyed out.

At this point, your TPMS is just an expensive but useless gee-gaw.

So, I would avoid the Nonda products.

With the Android 8.1 issue, they are well nigh useless.

Can't comment on Nonda but external sensor TPMS has this accuracy issue especially during the warm up. I use a not so cheap chinese cousin and have learnt to live with accuracy issues @ +/- 2 psi during 15 minutes of my ride (have it on a motorycycle).

sridhu · 14th July 2018, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Attaching a photo for reference. I loved the design, but can you post a picture of the port? I don't understand how the ports work reversibly.

Here you go:

The image (sorry for the quality - hand held phone!)

Stay away from the Nonda ZUS TPMS & smart charger-img_20180714_095231.jpg

The reversibility in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugXwZyFWlQw

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajiv0909

Can't comment on Nonda but external sensor TPMS has this accuracy issue especially during the warm up. I use a not so cheap chinese cousin and have learnt to live with accuracy issues @ +/- 2 psi during 15 minutes of my ride (have it on a motorycycle).

That is a great idea! Never thought of using them on 2 wheelers. Probably more useful there!

Thanks.

Rajiv0909 · 15th July 2018, 07:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by sridhu

That is a great idea! Never thought of using them on 2 wheelers. Probably more useful there!

Thanks.

Extremely useful, in a situation like below that 10 seconds of heads up would be of tremendous help to the rider

https://youtu.be/vfeLXYRRhCQ

PS: I ride the same make, it comes with tubed tires and it's suppose to go off-road where situations can be tricky.

12th July 2018, 11:16	#1
sridhu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,246 Thanked: 2,733 Times	Stay away from the Nonda ZUS TPMS & smart charger Hi I was looking for a car locator & Tire Pressure Monitoring system (TPMS). I was sure that I did not want some random Chinese stuff. I came across Nonda Zus and the reviews on CNET etc made it look like a slick company, if a bit expensive. I was okay with paying extra if the product was good. (That is my attitude generally - I am willing to pay top dollar but I expect the product to be well engineered) I went ahead and bought their Smart Charger and TPMS . The former was about $ 35 and the latter about $ 120. There is a fairly slick app that works with both. (While I sound like I bought both together, in actuality, I bought the Charger first & the TPMS about 3 months later. I also got the TPMS on some deal at around $90) Smart Charger This is well made. The lights are not intrusive and if you connect a cable, are not visible. (A really good thing as the slots are not intrusive at night). The status lights are also muted. All lights are a soft white. The ports are reversible (meaning you do not have to look at which way you connect the cable) but not being stacked, cause a bit of clutter. They do sell a 90 degree cable with life time warranty for $ 26 (Gulp!). I remember seeing a Type-C cable not it is not there any more. Both ports are capable of 2.4 A discharge. Hence they charge reasonably fast - useful if you have GPS on & are listening to music on the BT. The unit does not have a GPS. What it does is to connect to your phone and use that GPS. So, it notes down the GPS coordinates when you switch off the car and stores it as your parking location. Pretty smart implementation (slightly better than the Google Now Parking Card implementation) The issue is that the location is not exact as there is a lag between when it senses that the car is not connected and when it stores the GPS coordinates. So, it is off by about 30-50 meters. No big deal but that error is there. The other issue is that it does not work in MLCP or covered parking as it requires line-of-sight to GPS satellites. It has a nifty map rendering which shows where your car is. You can also quickly set up parking meter reminders. Map Rendering The app also tracks & alerts you on the battery voltage. Useless, IMO, but cool! The other useful feature is that it keeps track of trips & lets you classify them as business or personal. Very useful for claiming expenses. Mileage log The unit is very good. Probably not worth asking price. But I would recommend it, if the following negatives are not a problem for you. *Negatives* - The unit tends to pop out at the slightest tug. Need to keep looking to ensure that it is still plugged in - The more serious issue is that with Android 8.1, with its aggressive clean up of apps to conserve battery, the Zus app keeps getting closed by Android. THis means that the connection is not automatic to the unit. That, in turn, implies that the car finder feature does not work! Since that is one of the main uses for the unit, it is a show stopper for me. I have removed the Zus app from the Battery Optmizer blacklist (that should take care of the app getting closed. It does for other apps, notably the Sensairy) but that does not seem to fix the issue. Have raised the issue with Zus. So, if you use Android 8 or greater, avoid this. Otherwise, it is good. TPMS This is a useless product. *AVOID BUYING IT* I bought it because I was quite happy with the Car locator + Smart Charger. First the good stuff & the features: - It pairs fairly easily with the app. - Which tire each sensor goes on is printed on the cap for the sensor (FL, FR, RR, RL etc). So, you cant go wrong! - The unit comes with an offset mini spanner, a set of security nuts which prevent the sensor from being removed, a set of spare, unmarked sensor covers. - The app reads pressure reasonably quickly and shows both the pressure and temperature of each tire. You can, of course, configure the units. - There is an in-car module that uses a usb port (but has another one) that visually shows the health of the tires. Green if it is fine. Blinking if that tire is out of bounds. You can set the bounds. There is also an audible alarm. All this is fine if it works well. But unfortunately, it does not. The TPMS is unreliable and therefore, useless. You are better off with the Sensairy. I have now installed it in the Crysta and could not be happier. My impressions on the Sensairy in my Crsta ownership review. I prefer the Sensairy because it is simply easier to use. Since it is internal, there is no fiddly "Unscrew the security nut -> remove the sensor -> fill air -> lose a little bit of pressure because air escapes as you screw it in -> lock the nut again" Process to worry about. My driver has the app installed and when it drops below 2 PSI, fills it up with my air pump in the morning, before taking the car out. No hassles. That is not my main objection to the Nonda TPMS - I knew that that is what I was signing up for and I cant pin the difference between an internal sensor vs an external sensor on them. My main objection is that the Nonda TPMS is *unreliable & inconsistent* That is unpardonable in a device designed to alert you about critical safety issues. (Tire pressure is very important at high speeds on the high ways). I am reproducing my mail to Nonda to outline why i think it is useless - when the car has been parked for around 11 hours in my basement garage, it shows completely different temperatures for the tires. See the image where the tire pressure is greyed out. - The second issue is that the TPMS does not always reconnect- the same image shows that the TPMS is not connected. I had switched off & restarted just about 2 minutes prior. - look at the second image (with the FL tire showing 29.9 PSI). This was taken immediately after I re-connected the TPMS to the app. The tire pressures are wildly different from what they were just minutes prior and the temperatures are different again. Your TPMS shows quite different numbers and not consistently. - the last image with the FL tire showing 31.4 is taken once I filled the tires to 33.5 psi in the front and 31.5 psi in the rear. Exactly that pressure. Same gauge. Same time. A bit more consistent but off. Note: I have had the gauge calibrated and I know it under reports, consistently, by 1 PSI. So, I really can't trust your read outs when they are off so much with very little change in conditions. I am not complaining about the correctness of the readout- as long as the behaviour is consistent, I can still use it. At this point, your TPMS is just an expensive but useless gee-gaw. So, I would avoid the Nonda products. With the Android 8.1 issue, they are well nigh useless. Last edited by sridhu : 12th July 2018 at 11:35.
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