cayenne
is one Smokin' Farker
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2004
- Location
- New Orleans
Ok I recently got my pre-order in from thermoworks....I got the 4 probe starter kit.
It has the main module that reads the probes via radio waves (not bluetooth if I understand correctly)....and this module also has a wired temp probe that you use to monitor the cook chamber temperature.
Unlike other systems, the wireless probe end that sticks out of the meat does NOT read the ambient temp.
They state they do this for more accuracy of the cook chamber temperature, since with the other way, they have to come up with algorithms to take into account the effect the meat has on the ambient sensor.
This thing uses radio waves to read the probes....and then the base unit, like other brands hooks into your home WiFi system and with a cloud account, allows you to view readings from the phone app and even on your watches and iPads/tablets.
The use of radio waves instead of BlueTooth is to increase signal reading through heavy steel like many smokers, etc. My Bluesmoke Smoker is almost 1/2" steel all around and my MEATER system does have some problems with readings due to the thick metal.
Alright, my first test was an EASY one....I was just doing an indoor, in the oven reverse sear of a rib eye and finishing the sear on my Chud Press I keep on my gas stovetop.
First...set up. This RFX system is dead easy to set up. I got the phone app installed....signed up for a cloud account with Thermoworks with one of my many throw away email accounts I keep just for this reason.
Took seconds and that was up and running. I turned on the "base unit"...it came up searching for a signal that the phone app caught right away..and with a button click and giving SID and password for my WiFi system...bang was on and running very fast.
My MEATER, was a nightmare to hook to my wifi system...I had to replace a unit and then still had to escalate to upper support....before they finally gave me a custom set of WiFi router changes I had to make, based on the brand of my wifi router.
Apparently this is a problem with a number of routers out there....they are picky about how they work.
No such problem with the RFX...just wanted to note that.
Once I set up the base station...I pulled the wireless probe out of the holder/charger....it immediately showed up as wanting to pair with the app.
From what I understand, there is ONLY (ahem) a limit of 255 or so wireless probes you can work with each base unit? Many more than I'd ever need, but nice to know I can readily grow past 4 probes with no problem.
Alright...there are some naming customizations for each unit and probe you can set up readily from the phone app. The set comes with little silicon "rubber band" looking colored rings you can put on each unit....and you can label each in the app with colors...to keep track of what's what. That's nice.
First, for the MOST important thing for a temperature system to do...measure temperature. I feel on my first cook, that the RFX system holds up just as well as all the other problems that Thermoworks puts out and is often thought of as the "golden standard" for home and commercial use.
Now, the less than good. The app.
While the app is easy to use, works VERY well and is extremely straightforward....it needs work.
I used the MEATER app, which, while it tries to hand hold the user TOO much...and takes a bit to actually get past the pre-sets...to where you can custom set up your cooks and remember/reuse these settings....it IS nice to have the ability to set up multiple alarm levels for temperatures during a single cook on each and every probe you are using.
For example on my reverse sear ribeye...I like to have a first alarm when it hits the 118F threshold...I know then to take my steak out of the heat and let rest for 15 min, before searing.
I have the second alarm to know if I"m hitting 135F on the sear which means a bit more done than I like.
When I smoke, for brisket I like it to go off at 171F or so to let me know the brisket has passed "the stall" and is ready for me to wrap or foil boat. I like to then have a 2nd alarm to alert when it hits about 203F...to let me know to check that it is likely close to ready to pull from smoker and let rest.
So far on the RFX system...I can only see how to set 1 alarm at time on each probe. For my reverse sear last night...on the app I set it to alert me for internal temp of meat at 117F....which it did. I left probe in and pulled steak to rest.
While it was resting I had open and edit the probe to change to alert at 135F.....which it did...and actually went off during sear.
Does this work? Sure....but the extra ability to set up "cooks" on the MEATER is SO nice. I have a cook labeled brisket point and brisket flat....they are the same cooking profile I described above, but I put one in the point and one in the flat end of each brisket and with a click of a button the app, the settings are already there, the alarms are there...and it is labeled for me plainly on the app when monitoring the probes. Easy peasy.
It would take NOTHING for Thermoworks to adjust their app and add this functionality.
Their app works and is simple, but I don't consider having saved sessions and multiple alarms for a cook to be unreasonable and beyond utilitarian.
I plan to write their customer support to make suggestions. They DO seem very much willing to listen to customers and with my past dealing with the company, their customer support is above and beyond at times.
Anyway...I only have used 1 probe this one time, indoors with no distances to mention....
Next time I fire up the offset outside and run all 4 probes...I'll update this thread and let you know my experience.
Is the unit expensive? Yes.
So far is it worth it...Yes. I bought pre-order and got a nice discount. I don't work with or for Thermoworks...I'm just a happy customer for a long time.
Hope this helps,
cayenne
It has the main module that reads the probes via radio waves (not bluetooth if I understand correctly)....and this module also has a wired temp probe that you use to monitor the cook chamber temperature.
Unlike other systems, the wireless probe end that sticks out of the meat does NOT read the ambient temp.
They state they do this for more accuracy of the cook chamber temperature, since with the other way, they have to come up with algorithms to take into account the effect the meat has on the ambient sensor.
This thing uses radio waves to read the probes....and then the base unit, like other brands hooks into your home WiFi system and with a cloud account, allows you to view readings from the phone app and even on your watches and iPads/tablets.
The use of radio waves instead of BlueTooth is to increase signal reading through heavy steel like many smokers, etc. My Bluesmoke Smoker is almost 1/2" steel all around and my MEATER system does have some problems with readings due to the thick metal.
Alright, my first test was an EASY one....I was just doing an indoor, in the oven reverse sear of a rib eye and finishing the sear on my Chud Press I keep on my gas stovetop.
First...set up. This RFX system is dead easy to set up. I got the phone app installed....signed up for a cloud account with Thermoworks with one of my many throw away email accounts I keep just for this reason.
Took seconds and that was up and running. I turned on the "base unit"...it came up searching for a signal that the phone app caught right away..and with a button click and giving SID and password for my WiFi system...bang was on and running very fast.
My MEATER, was a nightmare to hook to my wifi system...I had to replace a unit and then still had to escalate to upper support....before they finally gave me a custom set of WiFi router changes I had to make, based on the brand of my wifi router.
Apparently this is a problem with a number of routers out there....they are picky about how they work.
No such problem with the RFX...just wanted to note that.
Once I set up the base station...I pulled the wireless probe out of the holder/charger....it immediately showed up as wanting to pair with the app.
From what I understand, there is ONLY (ahem) a limit of 255 or so wireless probes you can work with each base unit? Many more than I'd ever need, but nice to know I can readily grow past 4 probes with no problem.
Alright...there are some naming customizations for each unit and probe you can set up readily from the phone app. The set comes with little silicon "rubber band" looking colored rings you can put on each unit....and you can label each in the app with colors...to keep track of what's what. That's nice.
First, for the MOST important thing for a temperature system to do...measure temperature. I feel on my first cook, that the RFX system holds up just as well as all the other problems that Thermoworks puts out and is often thought of as the "golden standard" for home and commercial use.
Now, the less than good. The app.
While the app is easy to use, works VERY well and is extremely straightforward....it needs work.
I used the MEATER app, which, while it tries to hand hold the user TOO much...and takes a bit to actually get past the pre-sets...to where you can custom set up your cooks and remember/reuse these settings....it IS nice to have the ability to set up multiple alarm levels for temperatures during a single cook on each and every probe you are using.
For example on my reverse sear ribeye...I like to have a first alarm when it hits the 118F threshold...I know then to take my steak out of the heat and let rest for 15 min, before searing.
I have the second alarm to know if I"m hitting 135F on the sear which means a bit more done than I like.
When I smoke, for brisket I like it to go off at 171F or so to let me know the brisket has passed "the stall" and is ready for me to wrap or foil boat. I like to then have a 2nd alarm to alert when it hits about 203F...to let me know to check that it is likely close to ready to pull from smoker and let rest.
So far on the RFX system...I can only see how to set 1 alarm at time on each probe. For my reverse sear last night...on the app I set it to alert me for internal temp of meat at 117F....which it did. I left probe in and pulled steak to rest.
While it was resting I had open and edit the probe to change to alert at 135F.....which it did...and actually went off during sear.
Does this work? Sure....but the extra ability to set up "cooks" on the MEATER is SO nice. I have a cook labeled brisket point and brisket flat....they are the same cooking profile I described above, but I put one in the point and one in the flat end of each brisket and with a click of a button the app, the settings are already there, the alarms are there...and it is labeled for me plainly on the app when monitoring the probes. Easy peasy.
It would take NOTHING for Thermoworks to adjust their app and add this functionality.
Their app works and is simple, but I don't consider having saved sessions and multiple alarms for a cook to be unreasonable and beyond utilitarian.
I plan to write their customer support to make suggestions. They DO seem very much willing to listen to customers and with my past dealing with the company, their customer support is above and beyond at times.
Anyway...I only have used 1 probe this one time, indoors with no distances to mention....
Next time I fire up the offset outside and run all 4 probes...I'll update this thread and let you know my experience.
Is the unit expensive? Yes.
So far is it worth it...Yes. I bought pre-order and got a nice discount. I don't work with or for Thermoworks...I'm just a happy customer for a long time.
Hope this helps,
cayenne
