LiTime’s 500A Bluetooth battery shunt reads any battery bank from 8V to 120V, tracks up to 6,500Ah of capacity and sends state of charge, current, power and remaining runtime to the free LiTime app over Bluetooth 5.0 with about a 15-meter range, according to LiTime’s product page. The company lists the shunt at $109.99 on its own store, and it pairs with the same LiTime app that owners of LiTime’s Bluetooth LiFePO4 batteries already use. This guide covers how the monitor is wired, how to pair it, which settings to enter on day one and how to calibrate it so the percentage on your phone stays honest.
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Details come from the LiTime 500A Bluetooth Battery Shunt product page, LiTime’s battery monitor installation guide and LiTime’s app pairing video. You can also find the LiTime 500A Bluetooth Battery Monitor on Amazon. I’ve run LiTime batteries and chargers on this site before, including my LiTime 12V 50Ah LiFePO4 battery review, but I haven’t installed this shunt yet, so the examples below are labeled as estimates.
What the LiTime battery monitor measures
A shunt-based monitor works by measuring every amp that flows into or out of the battery through a precision resistor on the negative side. Because it counts current over time, it can tell you state of charge far more accurately than reading voltage alone, which is nearly flat on LiFePO4 for most of the discharge curve.
| Spec | LiTime 500A Bluetooth Shunt |
|---|---|
| Voltage range | 8–120V DC (12V, 24V, 36V, 48V systems) |
| Current range | 0.05–500A |
| Battery capacity setting | 0–6,500Ah |
| Battery types | Lithium-ion, LiFePO4, gel and AGM |
| Connection | Bluetooth 5.0, about 15 m (49 ft) range |
| Data shown in app | SOC, voltage, current, power, remaining capacity, runtime, starter battery voltage, ambient temperature |
| Alarms | 8 alarm types; LED on the shunt flashes |
| History | 13 logged records plus 24-hour and 30-day consumption curves |
| Shunt bolts | M8 |
| Size (with frame) | 3.94 × 1.97 × 1.75 in |
| Operating temperature | -4°F to 113°F |
| In the box | Shunt, 2 sampling wires, temperature sensor, installation tools |
Before you start
- Charge the battery fully. LiTime’s guide recommends starting from a full battery so the monitor can begin at a known 100%.
- Shut the system down. Flip the main disconnect or remove the battery terminals so no current flows while you work.
- Check the current rating. Pick a shunt rated above your system’s highest continuous current. At 500A the LiTime unit covers a 12V inverter of about 5,000W on paper (estimate: 5,000W ÷ 12V ≈ 417A), well above most van and RV builds.
- Have a torque wrench. LiTime specifies 12–14 N·m for M8 bolts.
Step-by-step wiring
- Battery negative to B-. Run one cable from the battery bank’s main negative terminal to the shunt’s B- side. Nothing else goes on this side. LiTime is explicit that any load or charger connected to B- bypasses the shunt and corrupts the readings.
- P- to the negative bus bar. Connect the shunt’s P- side to a common negative bus. Every inverter, MPPT controller, DC-DC charger and DC load lands on that bus, so all current passes through the shunt.
- Power wire to battery positive. Connect the small power and sampling lead from the shunt’s B+ port to the battery’s main positive or the positive bus.
- Optional starter battery lead. If you want the app to show your vehicle’s starter battery voltage, connect the second sampling wire to that battery’s positive terminal.
- Temperature sensor. Attach the included sensor near the battery so the app can show ambient temperature.
- Torque and inspect. Tighten to spec, check polarity twice and make sure no cable insulation is pinched.
For a bank of several batteries, wire the batteries together first, then run one main positive and one main negative to the bus bars and shunt. My guide to series vs parallel wiring explains how to build the bank, and what size fuse do I need covers protecting the main positive cable.
Pairing the LiTime app
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Scan the QR code on the shunt to download the LiTime app (iOS App Store or Google Play). |
| 2 | Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth. |
| 3 | Open the app and scan the QR code on the pairing sticker, or tap Search Device to find the shunt manually. |
| 4 | Once connected, live readings appear on the main screen. |
If it won’t connect, LiTime’s FAQ suggests disconnecting other Bluetooth devices that might be holding the connection, using a phone with Bluetooth 5.0 or later, moving closer and updating the app. The same steps apply to LiTime’s Bluetooth batteries.
First-time settings
Under Device Control, then Parameter Setting, enter three values before anything else: battery capacity, battery type and battery voltage. The app fills in recommended alarm thresholds from those choices, and you can adjust them afterward.
| Setting | 12V (12.8V) LiFePO4 | 24V (25.6V) LiFePO4 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery type | LiFePO4 | LiFePO4 |
| Capacity | Total Ah of the bank (e.g., 2 × 100Ah parallel = 200Ah) | Ah of one series string (e.g., 2 × 100Ah in series = 100Ah) |
| Full-charge voltage (LiTime guide) | 14.2V | 28.4V |
| Empty voltage (LiTime guide) | 10.8V | 21.6V |
A common mistake is entering the wrong capacity for a series bank. Two 12V 100Ah batteries in series make a 24V 100Ah bank, not 200Ah; in parallel they make 12V 200Ah.
Calibrating state of charge
If the percentage drifts, LiTime’s manual describes a manual calibration: charge the battery fully, then tap to sync the capacity to 100%. For the most accurate result, you can later discharge it fully and sync to 0%. Most owners only need the 100% sync, repeated every few weeks after a full solar or shore charge.
Worked example: reading runtime
Say you have a 12V 200Ah LiFePO4 bank at 80% and the app shows a steady 6A draw from a 12V fridge, lights and a Starlink Mini. Remaining capacity is about 160Ah. Runtime ≈ 160Ah ÷ 6A ≈ 26.7 hours (estimate). The app’s runtime figure does this math continuously, so it changes as your load changes. The 24-hour consumption curve then shows when the big draws happen, which helps you size solar.
Alarms worth setting
- Low SOC: a warning around 20% gives you time to start a generator or reduce loads.
- Low voltage: a backup to SOC in case calibration drifts.
- High current: useful for catching an inverter load you forgot about.
- Temperature: LiFePO4 shouldn’t be charged below freezing, so a low-temperature alert is handy in winter.
LiTime shunt vs other monitors
If you’re comparing options, the main differences are current rating, app ecosystem and integration. Victron’s SmartShunt connects to Victron’s VictronConnect app and GX devices, which I cover in my Victron SmartShunt review and SmartShunt vs budget shunts comparison. The LiTime shunt makes the most sense if you already run LiTime batteries, chargers or controllers and want everything in one app.
Where to mount the shunt
Install the shunt close to the battery bank, on a dry, flat surface where you can reach the bolts with a torque wrench later. Keep the cable from battery negative to B- short. Some installs put the shunt right next to the negative bus bar so the P- connection is just a short jumper. Leave room around the small sampling leads so they aren’t strained when a big cable moves. Because the monitor talks to your phone over Bluetooth with about a 15 m range, a metal battery box or a compartment deep inside a trailer can shorten that range. Check the connection from where you usually sit before you close everything up.
Worked example: sizing solar from the 30-day curve (estimate)
After a couple of weeks of normal use, the app’s consumption curves show what you really use, which is more reliable than adding up labels. Say the curve shows an average of 60Ah a day from a 12.8V LiFePO4 bank:
- Daily energy: 60Ah × 12.8V ≈ 768Wh.
- Solar to replace it: with about 5 peak sun hours and roughly 75% real-world output, you need about 768 ÷ (5 × 0.75) ≈ 205W of panels. A 200–250W array is a sensible target.
- Battery reserve: a 200Ah bank holds about 2,560Wh, so cloudy days are covered for roughly three days at that use before you need a generator or shore power.
| Average daily use (app) | Daily Wh at 12.8V | Solar to replace it (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| 30Ah | ~384Wh | ~100–150W |
| 60Ah | ~768Wh | ~200–250W |
| 100Ah | ~1,280Wh | ~350–400W |
FAQ
Does the LiTime battery monitor work with non-LiTime batteries?
Yes. LiTime lists lithium-ion, LiFePO4, gel and AGM support across 8–120V, so it works with most 12V, 24V and 48V banks.
Do I need a separate display?
No. The 500A shunt is app-based; your phone is the display.
Why does the app show 100% when my battery isn’t full?
It usually means the capacity or full-charge voltage setting is off, or the monitor hasn’t been synced after a full charge. Recheck Parameter Setting and run the 100% calibration.
Can I see the starter battery too?
Yes, with the second sampling wire connected to the starter battery positive, the app shows its voltage.
Will the shunt drain my battery?
Shunt monitors draw a small standby current. LiTime’s guide puts typical monitors at 1–10mA, which on a 100Ah battery is a fraction of a percent per day (estimate: 10mA × 24h = 0.24Ah).
Does the LiTime shunt work on a 48V bank?
Yes. LiTime lists an 8–120V range, which covers 12V, 24V, 36V and 48V systems. Enter the bank’s series-string capacity and choose the matching voltage in Parameter Setting.
Can two phones read the same shunt?
Bluetooth monitors usually connect to one phone at a time. If a second phone can’t find the shunt, close the app on the first phone so it drops the connection.
Bottom line
The LiTime 500A Bluetooth shunt is a straightforward way to get accurate state of charge, runtime and usage history on your phone. Wire everything through the P- side, enter the right capacity and chemistry, sync to 100% after a full charge, and the LiTime app becomes a reliable fuel gauge for your battery bank.