This is my first kickstarter campaign to do and I did it primarily for use with my rotisserie. I got tired of probing my chicken breast with my thermapen and seeing all the juice fly out. I am disappointed with the promised delivery date of January 2016 being pushed back to almost a year later, but if it works its well worth the wait. Also, the probes have a line on them that has to be inserted in the meat to the line to protect the internal components. I don't leave for long periods when cooking food, but with the alerts that its approaching a dangerous temp, I'm always close enough by to be home to take care of it. Eventually a product like this will be invented and work flawlessly, but there always has to be a first. Even with limited bluetooth range, the meter block will fix that. I'll hold my judgement until I get the block and test it myself, or see some good reviews of those who have actually gotten the product and done a unbiased test on it.
Pulled the information from their kickstarter page:
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...truly-wireless-smart-meat-thermom/description
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Safety
When the Meater probe is inserted into the food, the meat acts as a heat insulator protecting the Meater electronics from extreme heat. We’ve miniaturized the Meater components, specified them to withstand the highest internal meat temperature and provide a warning to the user should Meater begin to approach its limits."
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Features
Stainless steel construction
Water resistant design, dustproof, and easy to clean
Wireless up to 33 feet (10 meters): Bluetooth LE connection to your smart device (iOS or Android)
Meater Dual Sensor System
Internal temperature sensor range: 212°F (100°C)
Ambient temperature sensor range: 527°F (275°C)
Rechargeable Battery: Lasts 48 hours or more of continuous cooking between charges"
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What happens when the internal temperature sensor reaches or exceeds the stated 212°F (100°C) maximum specification?
Safety has been our #1 priority from day 1! The sensor maximum temperature of 212°F (100°C) is based on practical cooking temperatures. We designed and chose components for the MEATER probe that can withstand temperatures higher than 212°F (100°C) to allow your smoked meats to hold @ 205°F (96°C). Should at any point, the MEATER probe begin to reach its true maximum temperature, the MEATER app will warn the user and send notifications to all connected smartphones and MEATER Block (if you have one).
Also remember, your meat is completely ruined when it goes beyond 212°F (100°C). It means there is no moisture left at all. It is actually very difficult to do this as temperature tends to stall before the meat becomes completely dry and the temperature starts to rise again."
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Will MEATER’s wireless Bluetooth range of 33ft. (10m) reduce when the MEATER probe is placed inside an oven/grill/smoker?
Bluetooth wireless range varies by type of smartphone used and the type of oven, BBQ, smoker, and obstacles in between. Based on our testing, we feel comfortable with the claimed 33ft. (10m) BLE range. It possibly could be more, but we can't guarantee ranges due to said variables.
We too have needed extended wireless range due to our cooking set up. We knew we had to develop MEATER Link and MEATER Cloud to extend wireless range beyond 33ft. (10m). We built the MEATER Block specifically to give you this capability and keep you connected to your MEATER probes wherever you go."
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Aren't BBQ grills, smokers, and ovens essentially "Faraday Cages" that would significantly reduce the wireless range of the MEATER probe?
In theory, a "Faraday Cage" will block RF signals from entering and exiting the cage. The good news is that BBQ grills, smokers, and ovens are not built or designed to be "Faraday Cages."
A good "Faraday Cage" has no gaps, slots, and holes; Are usually made of thick conductive material and designed with as little individual parts/pieces as possible (i.e. every joining edge or corner between materials are spot welded, etc.).
In reality BBQ grills, smokers, and ovens are anything but a "Faraday Cage." They have plenty of large air vents and gaps. If air and smoke can enter or exit your BBQ grill, smoker, and oven, then it'll be easy for 2.4GHz radio frequency to enter and exit through the same gaps and holes.
Also, there are a few MEATER backers in the comments section who did their own testing using a Bluetooth speaker to test the effect of their BBQ grill on Bluetooth signal range. They too have found that it made no noticeable difference."