Thermoworks Signals and blower questions

[jimmyinsd]

Happy New Years all.

I have been looking at adding a new remote with a blower and have always trusted Thermoworks products so I went there first. The Signals unit paired with the billows blower interests me, but doing some research it seems that they have had issues with their APP, wifi connectivity, as well as probe failures.

Does anybody have any recent experience with this product that they could share? A lot of the issues I have read seem to stem from earlier versions, maybe they have improved on their problems? I dont always trust "reviews" that are written and posted on some sites due to some folks just putting stuff out there out of spite or for profit.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Jim

 

[Porcine Perfection]

I have had this exact setup for a little over two years and have no real complaints. I use it on a ball valve intake and I had to do close the valve a bit to keep it from overshooting. I have done quite a few firmware updates, but I never had a problem with the app. Probes read about (+/- 5 degrees) the same as my Thermapen. Keep an eye out for sales.

 

[jimmyinsd]

I have had this exact setup for a little over two years and have no real complaints. I use it on a ball valve intake and I had to do close the valve a bit to keep it from overshooting. I have done quite a few firmware updates, but I never had a problem with the app. Probes read about (+/- 5 degrees) the same as my Thermapen. Keep an eye out for sales.

they are running a 15% off sale currently, which is what got me looking again. Thank you for the reply.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

I have had the signals for a little over 6 months and it does excellent job temping with the probes. I just got the Billows fan for Christmas and hopefully will hook it up to my WSM this weekend. I will try to put some reviews up as soon as I can get some time in with it.

 

[SmoothBoarBBQ]

I ran a very large insulated cabinet smoker with the Signals and 2 Billows fans. The app worked just fine and I had no issues with it. I did have an issue with one of the fans not working properly, but Thermoworks sent me a replacement and that fixed the issue.

I've switched back to offset smokers and using my Thermoworks Smoke to monitor the temps and I'm happy with it. If I were in the market to buy another fan system I'd probably buy the Signals + Billows again.

 

[lstoker]

Honestly, I'll never purchase any other Thermoworks product other than the pens. I've had nothing but issues with both my Signals and Smoke. Battery issues, probe issues, and range issues.

Switched to a Fireboard and am very happy so far.

 

[Texas Hogger]

I run a Smoke X with the Billows fan on my drum smoker. The setup does a good job of keeping the temp stable. I really like the convenience of sitting on the couch in front of the boob tube during a cook.
The only issues I have are with the pit probes. Some times the probes go bad. I buy them when they go on sale and keep some on hand so I can switch them out if they fail during a cook.

 

[Smokie185]

I have had that setup for over a year and love it. I have the app on both my phone and tablet and never had a problem. The graph function is really handy.

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

Honestly, I'll never purchase any other Thermoworks product other than the pens. I've had nothing but issues with both my Signals and Smoke. Battery issues, probe issues, and range issues.

Switched to a Fireboard and am very happy so far.

I have noticed in instances that it seems my signals battery dies much quicker than it should.

 

[IamMadMan]

I use the Thermo-Works Signals without any issues, but have not added the blower. I still use my BBQ Guru Digi-II for my controller. The step-down feature is great insurance as the meat nears target temps.


I had no problems with WiFi connections using Signals. Although I have a multitude of neighbors with networks, one can manually add the network they desire. The ability to log and review at a later date is also a great feature if you wish to use it.



While I've only used Signals for only 8 months, I have had no issues with the battery life. The battery life always exceeds my cook times.

 

[RandyNight]

I have a Signals and 2 Billows. Using one Billows on my BGE Large works great. I am trying to use on my 20x42 LSG with 2 Billows, but does not work as well. But I have had several tell me a fan will not work as well with a stick burner. I have replaced several probes, the last time I had 2 go bad I emailed Thermoworks and they sent me 2 more at no charge. I see they are not to be submersed and I have been doing that to clean them. Will stop and see if that gives longer life. No problems with battery, but you need to plug in to use fan. I think they may make an external battery pack for the fan?

 

[SweetHeatBBQnSC]

I used my Signals and Billows both last night and today for over 2 hours each time and they worked flawlessly.

 

[jeffshoaf]

I think they may make an external battery pack for the fan?

Yup, the battery pack runs the fan and the signals. Supposed to be able to power then both for over 24 hours.