Guru, Stoker, etc w/o Fan - Tracking Only

[BigDW]

Offset, stick burner only so not too interested in the fans to control my temps but am very interested in the monitoring and logging of my cooks.

I’ve watched Popdaddy’s Video and read those threads but if anyone has actual experience with wood only and the fan controls then I’d love to hear how it works for you and I may change my mind about adding a fan to the mix.

I have a Maverick today and love it except as an IT guy, I’d love to be able to graph, log and monitor my pit temp and food temps from at minimum my laptop. I’ve looked at the Guru CyberQ Wifi, Stoker Wifi and Tappecue. It seems like the stoker and guru are great for temp control but does anyone have some experience with the tracking and logging aspects of these devices.

I like the looks of the Pit Pal app, CyberQ Wifi Windows Controller, BBQ Remote and iGrill apps. Does anyone have experience with these or other custom apps for tracking your cooks and recommend one that may work well for me?

There are lots of options and would love some input before I drop a few hundred dollars on a system.

Thanks!

[cwhite]

Since you are an IT guy I would say go with the Stoker. The guru is dialed backed to be user friendly. The Stoker is a little more difficult to setup but has a little more in the graphing and tracking department.

[kingstar]

I use the guru wifi on my UDS. I wish they did have some official graphing software. The software I use you can get at http://wedonet.net. The graphing/logging is great. You can just move your cursor back through the graph and see the pit or food temps at any point in time. With the guru wifi, that is 3 separate food temps. Also, if you aren't using the fan control you could also use the pit probe for food, but you wouldn't have the alarms and other food related controls on that probe. You can also log cook notes with each cook to refer back to. I know this kind of talk will drive some others here crazy, but I really like geeking out on the data.

[markrvp]

I use the Stoker. To chart a cook I use Stokerlog and I have attached an image below that shows how it tracks pit temp and food temp. It will also graph the fan usage which you won't be using.

I also like that I can access the Stoker from an app on my iPhone. The other night I was cooking a rotisserie chicken on my kettle, but had to go to a meeting at my son's school during the cook. I used the Stoker simply as a pit thermometer and I was able to monitor the temperature from my iPhone using the BBQ Monitor app.

[GMDGeek]

I use an offset stick burner and the Stoker (No Fans) just pit probes and meat probes. Love it. I track my cooks and when temps go up or down 5 - 10 degrees I get alerts to my phone. I did get a Wireless Access Point specifically for the Stoker. It has not internet connectivity but allows me to have a closed network for the soul purpose of monitoring my cooks.

That said both the Stoker and Guru will do just temp tracking / monitoring.

Gerry

[kingstar]

Both will probably work well for what you are describing. The guru wifi also has the ability to adjust/check on it while away. There isn't an app, but you can log into the controller through any web browser from any phone/tablet/computer anywhere once you have everything configured. You can also have it email or text you when there are alarms or just for updates at the interval you want.

[BigDW]

Thanks for the input and screenshots. Originally was leaning towards the stoker for same reasons mentioned but looking over my options it looks like the CyberQ Wifi is offering a lot more custom options these days i.e. CyberQ Wifi Windows Controller, BBQ Remote & Pit Pal. Looks like I’ll be noodling over this one for a while.

[kingstar]

Wow thanks. When I bought my guru wifi I couldn't find an app. I'm going to have to try those out.

[muidaq]

IT guy, data geek. Sounds like the perfect person for the HeaterMeter.

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?35674-HeaterMeter-v4-0-for-RaspberyPi-Standalone

[kingstar]

IT guy, data geek. Sounds like the perfect person for the HeaterMeter.

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?35674-HeaterMeter-v4-0-for-RaspberyPi-Standalone

Nice! Only slightly cheaper than what I paid for my CyberQ.:shocked:

[BuHi]

I've got the CyberQ Wifi on a 22.5 WSM (with fan) and I'm really liking it. I was seriously considering the Stoker (I'm IT as well), but price was a big factor, and i read a couple of negative reviews on it's wifi setup.

I'm using PitPal on an Android tablet to monitor and chart and I'm impressed so far.

I tried the wedonet.net software, but it crashes constantly for me on Win7.

I'll be using the CyberQ to monitor only on my Caja China for pig roasts.

[Mdboatbum]

Thermoworks has the new Blu-therm duo with has an app with graphing function built in.