Thermoworks Smoke Real World Review

[HouseDoc]

I bought a Smoke on the open box sale a few weeks back.
If you plan on using the Smoke and not be within line of site, outside, beware of the misleading 300 foot claims they make. If I would have read a post with a review stating how the device really works I would have bought something else. No returns on open box sales.....
I am very disappointed in the range. 200 ft line of site in backyard was OK. I have been a happy customer using their MK4 and Thermopop so I am very surprised at their "misleading" range description on their website.
Below is my communications with them. They never responded to my test result. It reads backwards as original note is at bottom.

[FONT=&quot]I feel your wording on the website is misleading.[/FONT]
2. Will the Smoke receiver work inside my house?
[FONT=&quot]Will Smoke transmit from the backyard to inside my house?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Absolutely. The Smoke Receiver will receive the signal from Smoke up to 300 feet away with a clear “line of sight.” Inside your house the maximum distance may be less than 300 feet depending upon the number and type of walls between the Receiver and the Smoke unit.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]25 feet inside a basement traveling through a wooden garage door with 4 glass panels results in intermittent failures, go through a 2X4 wall with drywall and lose signal all together is a far contrast from your company’s statement of MAY BE LESS THAN 300 feet. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have enjoyed my Thermopop and MK4 for a while but this has soured my ability to recommend your products.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]An unhappy customer,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]XXXXXXXX
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot] Their reply to original email:
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] TechSupport [mailto:techsupport@thermoworks.com]
Sent: Monday, May 7, 2018 2:39 PM
To: TechSupport
[/FONT]


The Smoke will communicate up to 300 feet line-of-sight unless other factors are involved. If the device is close to devices that also use radio frequencies (such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, remote controls, etc.), those devices may create interference. The signal can also be interrupted by the walls and building materials of your home. Smoke will communicate easily through glass, but tinting on windows can interfere with the signal.

To test if these factors are affecting the communication range, take your Smoke outside and turn both parts on. Start walking away from your base unit and watch your Receiver. With nothing between your Smoke and the Smoke Receiver, you should be able to get a signal to 300 feet.

Please let me know if this is not the case.

[FONT=&quot]
Technical Support
741 E. Utah Valley Dr.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]American Fork, UT 84003
toll-free: 800.393.6434
ph: 801.756.7705

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]www.thermoworks.com[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Follow Us[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Oh, and if you could take 30 seconds to let us know about your experience with ThermoWorks, it would be helpful. Just click here.[/FONT]


My original note:

I recently received my Smoke unit order number [FONT=&quot]529-SO-1XXXXXXX. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I gave it a try this weekend and was very disappointed in the remote handheld receiver.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I do not know if my Open box unit was returned for this same reason or not. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The range was about 40 to 50 feet line of site. I had the unit outside my garage door and if I went inside 40 feet away it would lose connection and start alarming. I tried going upstairs in my house and had similar results, 30-40 feet and it would lose connection. I basically had to be within a range so close I could see the main display unit. My results were not even half of the 300 feet distance advertised. [/FONT]

 

[Jrogers84]

I feel like your unit might be faulty. Im not saying I get 300 feet but I get a good distance. Now that I have the gateway the receiver is basically useless though.

 

[dgaddis1]

Did you only have issues when you were in your basement? Is the signal going through the ground to get to you?

My Smoke works even when I'm on our 2nd floor and the signal has to go through a handful of walls and a floor. Never lost signal. Wood siding on the exterior of the house.

 

[HouseDoc]

I am not below ground. Same level at driveway/smoker.

 

[SmittyJonz]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9LrWxv3KEJU

 

[Cook]

Gateway...

 

[Happy Hapgood]

I may have found the best of both worlds inbetween. ThermoWorks is the real deal but I do temps for a living and have found this rig fit's my needs at a good price.


Comes with 2 probes but will take 6. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth with a nice free app. Great price.


https://grilleye.com/probe/index.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlOr2dReSEQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UwB4ubQ5Vg

 

[midwest_kc]

Yeah, I think your unit may be faulty. I go in my basement, upstairs, etc and never have a problem.

 

[Springram]

I do get some signal drops at times but the Smoke is so much more user friendly than my various Mavericks that I used to have. I know there are some other products that provide all kinds of data but what I want to monitor is the chamber temp and the meat temp. The Smoke does that very well.

Now that I have the stand for the remote, it works even better!

 

[THoey1963]

I ordered at the same time. Used it once without issue, then returned it as they came out with the blue Smoke to match my Thermapen. I have setup the new one, but have not used it yet.

Again, I had no issues with mine. Easy to set up, easy to add the Gateway, easy app to use. The one cook I used it was an overnight brisket cook on the cabinet. The cabinet is in the back left of the brisk house. I had the Gateway in my dining room, back right of the house. The remote was with me in the bedroom which is in the front right of the house. Never once lost signal, and both the remote and the app were showing the same temps.

Does that mean you are not having the issues you say you are having? No. Sorry to hear that. I'd continue to work with them. Even if you have to send it back on your dime and they test it.

 

[70monte]

I have the same issues with my Smoke receiver and Thermoworks replaced the first receiver and I sent the replacement receiver back to get checked out because it keeps dropping signal and they say nothing is wrong with it.

I guess where my smokers are kept, there are just too many things between it and where I usually sit in the house for it to get consistent signal.

My Gateway app works a lot better but it occasionally drops signal as well. When I do use the Smoke these days, I usually just use the Gateway because the receiver drops signal so much it's basically unusable.

 

[tarheelsmoker]

I love mine! I have had some signal drops, especially on overnight cooks. It reaches to my nightstand, but if I take it through another door I lose it. It reaches through a brick wall to get into my bedroom. I am thinking about getting a gateway for mine so I can use the app.

Mike

 

[tenpenny_05]

I have the iGrill 2 and the iGrill mini and have the same complaint. If you can't read the thermometer on the grill itself, you are likely out of range. I ended up putting the weber app on an ipad and keep it right inside my patio door for quick glance checks. Otherwise I loose connection the second I step inside my house. It wouldn't be a huge deal, but once you loose connection its a pain to get it back without restarting the app and the whole process over again.

 

[NYC ‘Que]

Mine drops the signal intermittently in one part of my basement. Aside from that it works great.

 

[One Drop]

I don't think their comments or advertising are misleading here, personally.

Once you go through wall all bets are off if you want to use wifi, there are just so many variables. The performance of these is still way beyond RF transmitters, and their optimal use claims are valid.

 

[v45]

I just tried the Thermoworks Smoke for the first time yesterday on a Tri-Tip I love the Smoke transmitter & receiver, much better than my maverick, has min & max temps for both probes and much better built.
I also bought the gateway and had a slight issue getting it to connect to my phone, I was pleased to see the graphs and temps on my phone. Then I called a friend to chat during the cook, some where during that time I lost the signal from the gateway to my phone? I need to practice more with the gateway and go to town on a longer cook to monitor the gateway function.
I have had no problems with the smoke reciever in my single level brick house, I really like it.