Inkbird questions

[ironbrew]

Last spring I bought an Inkbird remote thermometer to monitor my meat and BBQ overnight. It worked well. Then I moved in the late summer. Fast forward to now.

I did my first brisket cook at the new house, and the frost was still in the air. I hooked up my inkbird and all was great. I was in the house for a while and I got the news on my monitor that it wasn't getting reception. The temperature was right around freezing. Since I'm running a UDS with a welding blanket wrap, I decided to hang the transmitter off one of the wires holding the blanket via the magnet. About 1/2 hour later I had readings again and no issues overnight. OK. Doesn't like freezing temps. Got it. Last night I started a brisket again, and the temps were around 45F. I had the same issue. Is this normal for them? If so, can anybody suggest a more realistic unit? One that can handle temperatures down to about 5F? I like the rechargeable nature of the inkbird, the number of ports, etc. but the cold issue is just... not good. Glad I'm not doing this back in Alberta where it actually gets cold...

 

[IamMadMan]

I don't know if it's related to your issue, but Lithium batteries don't like the cold and can fail or weaken with cold temperatures.


I'm not sure if Inkbird has a charging port or what the voltage is for a portable power pack, but my fan control (BBQ Guru Digi-Q II) can use a 12 volt battery and my Thermoworks Signals 4 has a 12 volt adapter. 12 volt gel cells are not as adversely affected by cold temperatures like Lithium Batteries.

 

[16Adams]

I have a friend that uses The Meater. He loves it. It's inside the cook chamber- right?? So should not be affected by weather outside the cook chamber. Isn't The Meater Probe tip and transmitter the same stick?

That being said I seldom use a remote thermometer until guessing the last 30% of a cook. I don't chart-graph or set alarms. For the way I use thermometer Inkbird is fine. I also have Thermapen, Weber, DOT, 3 Inkbirds in boxes. My Thermapen gets used nearly every cook. As a probe and to check temp.

My son has told me for years in a loving way that I'm one or two years and a couple of changes behind. He's right.

 

[ironbrew]

I don't know if it's related to your issue, but Lithium batteries don't like the cold and can fail or weaken with cold temperatures.


I'm not sure if Inkbird has a charging port or what the voltage is for a portable power pack, but my fan control (BBQ Guru Digi-Q II) can use a 12 volt battery and my Thermoworks Signals 4 has a 12 volt adapter. 12 volt gel cells are not as adversely affected by cold temperatures like Lithium Batteries.

Yeah. I tried it with it plugged into mains power. Still no transmit. It's a weird one. The battery indicator was indicating a full battery too. Just... no transmit.

 

[ironbrew]

I have a friend that uses The Meater. He loves it. It's inside the cook chamber- right?? So should not be affected by weather outside the cook chamber. Isn't The Meater Probe tip and transmitter the same stick?

That being said I seldom use a remote thermometer until guessing the last 30% of a cook. I don't chart-graph or set alarms. For the way I use thermometer Inkbird is fine. I also have Thermapen, Weber, DOT, 3 Inkbirds in boxes. My Thermapen gets used nearly every cook. As a probe and to check temp.

My son has told me for years in a loving way that I'm one or two years and a couple of changes behind. He's right.

Mine is a seperate transmitter. I leave it outside the BBQ.

When I'm doing overnights (brisket) I like having alarms if something goes wonky. My instant thermometer is my go to when I'm doing the "normal" BBQ.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

All electronics have a range of temperature operation. True it has lithium batteries.



I've done reviews on several of their units. Check out this one on their Wi-Fi unit.


https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=286402


Spec sheet in post #1 shows good down to 32*F/0*C. I think with the heat coming off my smoker that I could rig a way to keep it above freezing on a long smoke.


Good Luck!