Wireless Meat Thermometer with Bluetooth - MeatStick Smart Cooking Thermometer for BBQ, Grill, Smoker, Oven, Air Fryer, Sous Vide, Rotisserie & Deep Frying | Perfect for Indoor & Outdoor Cooking, Backyard Grilling & Kitchen Use

So I have to start out by saying that I *really* wanted to like this. I think that the design is fantastic, the concept amazing, the practical applications endless. Unfortunately, the reality just doesn't quite get there. I'll do a pro/con:Pros:Fantastic designVery small, great carrying caseYou can monitor it anywhere through the internet (with the package I purchased)Relatively easy setupWorks anywhere, including a deep fryerSolidly built (the probes, anyway)One probe tells you both the grill/fryer/smoker/sous vide temperature AND the meat temperatureCons:If the probe is near the meat (which, by default, it *has* to be), it is *WILDLY* inaccurate. one was 70° offThe charger works perfectly, but leaves a lot to be desired. It is battery-powered, so the LED's don't stay on, there is no way (without going to the phone app) to see whether or not it is charging and when it is done.There is no way to turn these on or off (by design, since they are sealed). You have to put it in the charger, then power the charger on, then pull it out and connect with your phone. Not a huge deal, but slightly annoying.It can't be used to solely monitor grill temperature, it has to be in the meat and part of a "cook" on the app.The occasionally don't connect to the phone, and occasionally drop off the extender. Not enough to be bad, but an occasional annoyance.The internal thermometer seems to be 5°-12° off (from my other two thermometers) at cooking temperatures, but fairly close to accurate in ice water (where they suggested I test it). It doesn't sound like a lot, but it is the difference between a medium-rare and medium-well steak.So these aren't guesses. I have a ThermPro (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014DAVHSQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) thermometer which I love. I also have a stand alone digital meat thermometer, and two analog thermometers to measure the inside of the smoker (in addition to the ThermPro, you never know when a battery may go out). I bought this because I wanted to be more wireless, and I liked that I could leave for a bit if I had to and still monitor something cooking.For my first test I used the ThermPro and the MeatStick in the same piece of meat (bacon belly), pushed in the same distance, with the tips around an inch from each other. I hung the ThermPro ambient probe above the MeatStick (about 3 inches away). I also put a second ThermPro into a twine-wrapped boneless Boston Butt. The analog thermometer was on the other side of the smoker (in front, the others were near the back, both on the same side to eliminate heat coming out of the smoker box). In the pork belly there was a 12° temperature difference between the ThermPro and Meatstick, but my stand-alone digital thermometer agreed with the ThermPro. For the ambient temperature, though, the MeatStick in the pork belly was 30° different than the ThermPro and analog thermometers (both which measured within 1° of each other). For the Butt, there was a 70° difference. Since the smoker was at 225°, this is over 30% off. Had I been using only the MeatStick, I would have been smoking the pork at 295°, which is kind of the opposite of slow cooking.I contacted customer support, who told me that my smoker likely has hot and cold spots (a smoker with variations of 70° in three inches would cook stripes into the meat), and that with the ambient probe so close to the meat it can't register the ambient temperature accurately. They did reassure me that it accurately shows the temperature directly around the meat . . . but since that changes constantly as the meat heats up it really isn't helpful. I need to know the temperature of the inside of the smoker. They also pointed out that it is really accurate when in ice water (this is true, they were only a degree off, and a couple of degrees from each other). They said that there are too many variables for what the thermometers show. Which is funny, since *everything* I've cooked with the ThermPro has come out exactly like it is supposed to be cooked with no exceptions. I replied with my concerns, and they never wrote back.After their e-mail, I did a second test when I was smoking some salmon. This time I made sure that the ThermPro probe end and the MeatStick end were actually touching each other inside the meat. I was cooking it at a much cooler internal temperature, and they were only 5° different (still the difference between medium rare and medium), but the MeatStick seems to measure cold temperatures better than it does hot ones. The ambient temperature, however, was still over 30° off, again with the ThermPro end hanging directly over the MeatStick.I was going to keep them to ignore the ambient temperature (which you can turn off the notifications for) and just use for internal temperature, and/or use the second one just to measure ambient temperature. However you aren't supposed to get the internal part of the probe that hot. You can't use the external one without the internal one in the "cook" screen, nor can you turn off the alarms for it. So if you tried to use it to measure ambient temperature you would find that the alarm would go off constantly. You also can't display it when you have a cook for something going on unless you set up a cook for it as well, so you can't see the display temperature for it without doing the cook setup.In the end I decided to return it. I think that it would work for the sous vide . . . but those cook so accurately I don't really need to spend $180 on it. I could use it when I deep-fry a turkey each year . . . but again it seems expensive for a once-per-year cook. Since both things *should* measure a more accurate ambient temperature from the total immersion, I think that it would probably work.I'm not one of those people who buys things just to try them and return them, this is only the second thing I've returned in nearly 20 years of shopping on Amazon.MeatStick is coming out with a smaller probe that doesn't have ambient temperature. Once it comes out and I see some reviews, I may end up getting it. At least if I can't remotely monitor the smoker temperature, I can remotely monitor the meat temperature.I'm sorry this turned into a book. But with more information, you can be better prepared. This may still work perfectly for you if you don't need it for the things I need it for. It IS a great product overall, but fails the most in the one thing I really need it to do.I bought this for my husband for Father's Day this past year. I was choosing between this and the Meater+. All 3 of my brothers and my father have the Meater+ and highly recommended it. I saw this was the "competition" so I did some comparing and even reached out to MeaStick's CS team with some questions. Between the longer range for the bluetooth App, the ability to connect unlimited sticks (Meater+ has a limit of 8 and you need a special "hub" then) and my extraordinary Customer Service experience with MeatStick, I chose to go with the MeatStick and I am happy I did! My husband found it a little touchy to set-up initially, but loves how easy it is to use since. The settings on the App for the type of meat you're cooking are perfection every time which takes the guessing out of it. It's so easy to "Set and forget"!I've been eager to try a wireless meat thermometer for a while to take the guesswork out of cooking. I read several reviews and landed on The MeatStick X. I've only used it once, and it did its job. The app is a bit clumsy (and has endless tutorials that you cannot seem to avoid), but once I got it charged-up and was able to use it, it did its job well. I was impressed that the connectivity was never lost despite the probe being inside a foil-wrapped tray inside a metal oven. I didn't stray far from the oven, so I cannot attest to the range beyond a few feet. But, the "X" feature was engaged. I'm impressed how well the whole thing works on two AA batteries. The base unit is magnetic, too, which is a handy touch for storage near my oven. We'll see how long it holds-up.I have two. Standard MeatStick and the X. Received for my birthday in April. This brisket cook was my first long run with them. Ambient temp accuracy is questionable unless the meat surface is really that much cooler than I expected. Boiling water check showed the end to be only off by 6F though. (206 vs 212) so maybe it’s ok.One MAJOR issue is the standard Meatstick charge lasted only about 6 hours and then another 5 after a 2 hour charge. Frustrating when doing a 19 hour brisket. Return window has closed which is unfortunate. Otherwise these are great! I recommend the WiFi bridge. It will be my next purchase. Note: for standard cooking, 6 hour battery is fine. Just not for long smokes.This is only able to talk to the meatstick in your oven if your device is within 6 ft. I have found that makes it pretty pointless. I was wanting something where I could be in another room and get notified. It says it works that way for a grill, not an oven.Also, I got it out to use it and it wanted to do a firmware update--right now, you can't use it until this is done. I had to update the app on my phone, I had to put the meatstick in the charging device, I had to click ok over and over. I had to approve pairing again twice. It didn't take long when it was actually downloading, but after that, it said I had to do it again. then it said it was done after I had clicked 3 things.The after purchase process was very good. The top, little metal cap, of my stick came loose, for unknown reasons. I contacted the service department and after verification that the Stick was still under warranty, the agreed to send me a new Stick.There conclusion was that the stick was used above the 570 degree F limit. While I had not used the Stick on a BBQ, that could go that high, so who knows.The process was very friendly and easy.Great product. Only issue is the need to insert all the metal portion into the meat. Chicken thighs or other small pieces of meat can't be measured accurately. Be aware. Meat with a 5inch or greater width EXCELLENT PRODUCT!!This is total spyware disguised as a meat thermometer. Extreme caution advised. They require Precise GPS location of you at all times for this to work. It will track your movements 7/24 and know when you aren’t home. It further wants access to your entire LAN, and requires you to maintain an account (to receive spam no less) for it function at full specifications. The terms and privacy are 44 pages long. They also reserve the right to charge you to use the app in the future.They are completely untruthful in the setup process “eg Bluetooth only works if GPS-Precise is enabled”About the only they didn’t ask for during setup was my bank transit and acct numberThis is right up there with washing machines that ask for your gps location 7/24 to allow you to know when the rinse cycle starts.I’ll go back to something more basic like a glass liquid thermometer to know when the chicken is done.Bought this because my Meater is off on temperature and I have to use my Thermapen to get accurate readings once it gets close. Unfortunately, The MeatStick just doesn't work for me. I am in an endless loop of it telling me to update software so that I can use it. When I say okay, update software, it says the stick needs to be fully charged. Well it has been sitting in its charger with new batteries for two weeks and light goes green -- supposedly meaning the stick is fully charged. Got fed up with this thing very quickly. Junk.Purchased this meatstick with the intention of using it on the bbq rotisserie while doing chicken & roasts. Had a real difficult time getting it to work initially. Followed all the included instructions 2-3 times. Worked intermittently and seemed that it would go to sleep often. Never did get it going properly and finally it would NOT be seen by the Meatstick App. New batteries again with no luck. App seemed ok but the only problem and concern I had is that the App wants to know your location all the time. Privacy is a major concern. At the end of the day, I requested a return and received a refund for my purchase. I would DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT AND WOULD NOT PURCHASE IT AGAIN!This is such a handy tool for the bbq/smoker lover. You can see and feel the quality in it. The accompanying app is very user friendly and will help guide you to the perfect piece of meat. Another bonus is that you can monitor temperature remotely, which alleviates the need to open your bbq or smoker and let all the heat and smoke out. I highly recommend.Ive always been a fan of using thermometers when bbq'ing for that perfect cook, and this is a must have.The thermometer takes two AA batteries for the base which acts as a wireless bridge and a charging station for the stick.Simply download the app, and follow the on screen instructions to set both ambient temp and cook temp, both of which are monitored by the stick. Then its just a matter of inserting the stick into the meat and away you go.I will note that it is important to ensure that all of the thermometer is seated in the meat. The instructions walk you through the proper placement, but to my understanding the entire probe measures, not just the tip as with other thermometers. I have found a few times where the tip has poked through the side of the meat and your temps will then be thrown off fairly easily. As long as the whole probe is in meat its smooth sailing.Two AA batteries have lasted be roughly 4 months before needing replacement. I use it roughly 2-3 times a week.