Guide · Paint-thickness gauges
Bluetooth and app paint gauges
A paint gauge app stores and reports readings; it does not make them more accurate. What apps add, what color codes mean, and the radio marks to check.
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Short answer
An app adds record keeping, not accuracy. A Bluetooth gauge sends readings to your phone so you can store them by panel and share a report; the measurement itself still depends on the probe, and its accuracy is what the maker states for the gauge.[1] Some apps also color-code panels as factory or repainted. That is the maker's interpretation, not proof.[2]
What the app does
- Storage and logging. UNI-T lists Bluetooth app support and storage for 3,300 readings on the UT343E.[1]
- Reports. A stored set of readings by panel is easier to share with a seller or a buyer than notes on paper. Report features vary by model: NexDiag says PDF reports are not supported on its NexPTG Standard and Standard Plus gauges.[2]
- Connections. DeFelsko lists USB, WiFi and Bluetooth for the PosiTector 6000.[3] Elcometer offers Bluetooth on the 311 Model T only.[4]
Check which model a listing sells. The same family name can come with or without Bluetooth and reports.
What the app does not change
Accuracy. The app shows the number the probe measured. UNI-T lists the UT343E's accuracy as ±(2%H + 2 µm), whatever screen you read it on.[1] More decimal places on a phone are still resolution, not accuracy. See accuracy vs resolution.
The cause. NexDiag's NexPTG app interprets readings with its SAPL system and color-codes panels as factory, repaired or touched-up, or repainted or body filler.[2] It is a useful flag, but it is the maker's reading of a number. In AUTO BILD's 2021 test, one NexPTG Professional sample deviated by up to 118% from the reference device.[5] One sample is not every unit, but a color code is only as good as the reading under it. A gauge shows thickness, not the cause.
Do you need an app gauge?
| You are | App worth it? |
|---|---|
| Checking one car before you buy it | Optional; a paper panel map works |
| Checking several cars, or comparing over time | Helpful for keeping records straight |
| Writing reports for customers | Yes, and check the model supports the report format you need |
Radio marks and North America
A Bluetooth gauge is a radio device. Whether a particular model carries an FCC ID (US) or ISED certification (Canada) has to be checked on the model itself.
- UT343E: UNI-T's product page lists CE and UKCA as its certificates and lists no UL, ETL, CSA, FCC or ISED marks. It runs on a built-in 3.7 V 1300 mAh lithium battery.[1] Absence on the page is not proof the marks do not exist, so look at the label on the unit you receive.
- Canada: ICES-003 is Canada's interference-causing equipment standard for information technology equipment, including digital apparatus.[6] Whether it covers a given gauge must be checked per model.
We do not claim any North American mark that the maker does not state for the product.
Next
Questions
Does a Bluetooth paint gauge measure more accurately?
No. The app shows what the probe measured, and accuracy stays what the maker states for the gauge, for example ±(2%H + 2 µm) for UNI-T's UT343E.[1]
Can the app tell me a panel was repainted?
Some apps color-code panels; NexDiag's NexPTG app labels them factory, repaired or repainted with its SAPL system. That is the maker's interpretation of a thickness number, not proof of a repair.[2]
Does every NexPTG gauge make PDF reports?
No. NexDiag says PDF reports are not supported on its NexPTG Standard and Standard Plus gauges.[2]
Does the UNI-T UT343E have an FCC ID?
UNI-T's product page lists only CE and UKCA certificates and no FCC or ISED marks. That does not prove there is none, so check the label on the unit itself.[1]