Reviewing the Weber iGrill 2 Bluetooth Thermometer

Reviewing the Weber iGrill 2 Bluetooth Thermometer

This thermometer is universally agreed to be hands down the best Bluetooth thermometer available to purchase. In this article, we are checking out whether this is just a marketing ploy or whether it is the truth.

We are breaking down the positives and negatives of this product so that you don’t have to.  

Key Points and Initial Impressions

Bluetooth thermometers are fairly simple instruments to understand. Basically your average thermometer will use WiFi technology in order to broadcast the temperature on a receiver. Bluetooth thermometers, however, use Bluetooth to send the temperature of your grill or food to one of your devices (phone, tablet ... ).

The app that accompanies this thermometer has been improved since Weber purchased the product from iDevices, however, the thermometer hasn’t changed much. For example, you can now name probes so you know what they are measuring.

Upon purchase you can choose between a package that comes with two probes or you can buy the iGrill starter kit that has two probes and an ambient probe. Don’t worry as you can buy more iGrill probes from Amazon.

Generally, most Bluetooth thermometers have poor range and connection but looking at the reviews on the app store Weber appear to have improved this aspect since they took over from iDevices.

Pros:

• Excellent app - The app was a pleasure to use and the pairing of devices and setting up the interfaces was simple.

• Probe capacity - You can use 4 probes at once! This is necessary if you are cooking lots of food at once, therefore this is a huge plus.

• Fast pairing and dependable Bluetooth - In a matter of seconds the iGrill 2 will connect to your phone and signal loss is not a problem afterwards.

Cons:

• Range - The range is supposedly 150 ft however some people have complained that they have lost connection earlier.

• Data loss - If you do lose connection then your temperature graph will also be lost even where you restore the connection, this can be annoying and could be fixed.

In short the Weber iGrill 2 is the perfect thermometer and a great addition to your cooking set up. The only problems arise if you are too far away and lose connection.

What does it Come With and What are the Specifications

Inside the Weber branded box there are batteries and probes all wrapped up to ensure they are not damaged. There will either be 2 or 4 probes depending on what option you went for.

Contents:

• iGrill 2 Bluetooth transmitter
• 2 x 48” meat probes
• 2 x probe wraps
• 2 x AA batteries
• Quick start guide
• 2 x coloured probe indicators 
• Magnetic disc

It is possible for the iGrill 2 to be used without the Bluetooth but you’d lose a lot of the best features and would be a waste of money, you’d be better off buying a standard instant-read thermometer.

The batteries are a nice addition and the guide helps you through the setting up processes such as downloading the app.

When looking at the ranges on the specifications it is worth bearing in mind that this is the maximum/minimum values possible and they can change depending on your setup.

Manufacturer Specifications:

Compatible phones/tablets:

• iPad® (3rd generation and later)
• iPad mini™ (all generations)
• iPhone® (4S and later)
• iPod touch® (5th generation and later)
• Many Android™ devices equipped with Bluetooth® 4.0 and running Android™ software version 4.3 or later

How to Setup and use you Weber iGrill 2

This process is not at all difficult and the starter guide does a good job at explaining how it’s done. If for some reason you don’t understand or have lost the guide here is how to do it:

1. Download the app from the App Store or the Google Play Store and enable Bluetooth on your device.
2. Remove the iGrill 2 from its base by gripping the base with one hand and carefully pulling upwards on the iGrill 2 with the other.
3. Remove the battery door and insert the batteries by pressing on the underside of the iGrill 2. Put the batteries that have been supplied in with the negative ends compressing the springs.
4. Attach the iGrill 2 back to its base and plug the probes into the probe ports.
5. Push the on button, that is located on the bottom of the faceplate, for 2 seconds. It will display “On” and there will be a single beep, telling you that it is on.
6. Open the app and tap on the grill logo in the toolbar on top. Choose your iGrill 2 from the available devices drop-down.

Once connected the home screen will give the option to “Start barbecuing”, clicking this will give you the option to choose whether you are measuring the temperature of the food or barbecue.

Selecting the food option will enable you to pick from some preset temperature or create your own target temperature. This means that the process can be personal to you. These temperatures can be displayed through colourful graphics making the app very user-friendly.

You can change your target temperatures throughout without restarting the whole process.

Additional features:

• You can create custom presets
• The “Pre-Alarm” tells you when your food is nearly done
• Setting timers
• Graphs showing temperature progression
• You can identify probes by colour and then rename them

Problems with the App

When looking at reviews there are two common issues: not pairing or loss of connection and bad Bluetooth range.

From experience, I didn’t notice these issues and more often than not the issue is with having outdated phone software. Another potential problem could be walls and the material that your home is built of.

Finally, be careful when reading reviews because issues from 2 years ago may now have been corrected through updates and won’t be a problem for you.

Accuracy

The iGrill 2 is stated to have an accuracy of +/- 1°F and the thermometer will be accurate 10-30 seconds after the probe goes in.

The Alternative: The InkBird IBT-4XS

The best alternative Bluetooth thermometer is the InkBrid IBT-4XS.

It is much cheaper than the Weber and both have 150 ft range and can have 2 or 4 probes. What’s more the probes on the InkBird are longer and it has a USB charger instead of batteries.

However, the InkBird’s battery life is only 60 hours and iGrill 2’s app is much more polished. Overall the iGrill 2 is the better option but the InkBrid is certainly a viable option.

The Verdict

If for you, having a Bluetooth thermometer is important then the Weber iGrill 2 is certainly the best option on the market.

It has an incredible app, excellent warranty and Weber provide great customer service. All in all, it is a top-end grill thermometer.