Ok, first off - a lot of cars do know which tire is which. Most do it by associating certain TPMS IDs with certain tires. This is what the technician is setting

Ok, first off - a lot of cars do know which tire is which. Most do it by associating certain TPMS IDs with certain tires. This is what the technician is setting when he does a TPMS re-learn (or reset) after rotating your tires. Other vehicles actually know which is which without being told. I'm not sure exactly how this is done, but I'm guessing/vaguely recall hearing they do this by using multiple receivers. As for tracking from a distance - these sensors have very low output power, and a lot of their signal is blocked by the metal wheel. It can somewhat be done but you'll need more than one receiver per block if you want 100% coverage. Sources: worked as a tire shop technician for a while, messed around with SDR, read a lot online. Also: https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-091115-154458/unrestricted/MQP_piscitelli_arnold_2015.pdf https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-09111...