Wi-Fi Thermometers

In today’s world, where everything from your coffee maker to your washing machine is connected to WiFi, why should your meat thermometer be any different?

What is a Wi-Fi BBQ Thermometer?

A WiFi BBQ thermometer uses a probe and receiver to display the temperature of food while it cooks. It connects to your smartphone or tablet via WiFi, allowing you to monitor your grill, smoker, or oven from anywhere. This means you can check the temperature of your meat without having to stand next to the grill, offering convenience and precision.

For the ultimate combo, pair your WiFi meat thermometer with a pit controller. While the thermometer monitors the temps, the thermostatic controller manages a fan connected to your smoker that controls air flow, and as a result, pit temperatures. All models we’ve tested and featured on this page have on-board controllers, except for the Inkbird. Read more about BBQ pit controllers.

Note on Wireless Probes vs. Wired WiFi: This article focuses strictly on traditional wired WiFi base stations. These devices offer distinct advantages: continuous power (no mid-cook charging ), high heat tolerance for the base unit, and zero signal loss through thick cuts of meat. If you are looking for 100% wire-free probe devices (like Meater or ThermoWorks RFX), check out our dedicated testing and results for smart leave-in wireless probe Thermometers.

Selecting the Best One

We’re here to help you find the best WiFi thermometer for your grill or smoker.

Our top pick for the grill is Thermoworks’ ‘Signals’, a reliable and precise gadget that ensures your meats are cooked to perfection. Other sources, like the New York Times, agree with our assessment, ranking Thermoworks as the best meat thermometer company. ‘Fireboard 2’ is our top choice for BBQ lovers, offering unbeatable accuracy, ease of use, and a top-of-the line thermostatic controller (A.K.A pit controller) system.

The table below features the Wi-Fi thermometers we like best. We’ll break down our experience with each of them to help you choose the right device for your needs.

*No fan controller capabilities

ThermoWorks is a name that makes us jump up and take notice. We’ve named them as the best digital instant-read thermometer. They also took first place in our wireless Bluetooth thermometer testing; so we walked in with very high hopes for their Wi-Fi thermometer, the Signals.

The Signals supports four thermistor probes with a temperature range of -58°‒572°. It includes three food thermometer probes and one ambient probe with grill clip. In your first signal that the company put ease of use first, they’ve got color-coded rings for each end of each probe, so you can see at a glance which one is which. As you might expect from Thermoworks, the probes are very accurate, advertising ±1.8° in the usual cooking range. Our testing says that’s conservative — we found them within 0.7° on all our comparisons to the calibrated reference thermometer.

Recent update: Signals secures its top spot for wireless grilling with a new version of the ThermoWorks App and Cloud software.

User Experience

The base station is super-easy to use.

You get a full view of all four channels at their alarm setpoints. Setting those alarms is as easy as selecting a channel, pressing set, then adjusting the number with the arrow keys. There’s a volume button for the alarms ranging from muted to quite loud (they say 90 dB, but we didn’t haul out the decibel meter). The quality of the base station is what makes us pick the Signals as Best for Grilling. You can run everything you need without needing to break out your phone.

Connectivity

Phone connection is solid, though. It connects through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi so you’re good on the beach or your backyard.

Setup is simple, especially with Bluetooth. The app is solid, giving you a full view of everything you see on the base unit, plus the ability to label your probes. The first four letters of those labels push back to the base unit, making it even more versatile.

With the new version of the app, you can assign colors to each channel to match the ring on the probe itself, making the graphs more readable. Setting alarms is easy, and all alarms go to both your phone and the base station. You can view temperature graphs in the app too, and save an unlimited number in their new cloud system, or download your data as a .csv file for local storage. The app and cloud software now include a notes section so you can better log your cooks. We never had too many complaints about the app, but the latest update wiped two of them away.

Pit Fan Controller

Signals offers Billows, their pit fan, which will connect to the controller port if you want to maintain temps in your smoker.

Billows runs its own ambient probe, and you set the desired temperature. It automatically sets alarms 25° in both directions of that point. It works, though the app isn’t that good and sends up a lot of questionable alerts. ThermoWorks did add lid detection to their software, so it doesn’t kick the fan up to maximum when you open the grill anymore. However, you do not need this addon if you’re just looking for a wireless grill thermometer, as it’s designed to maintain temps over long cooking sessions; ideal for BBQ. If you care to see more watch our Billows review on YouTube or read our complete review on this thermostatic controller here.

Durability

The Signals’ durability is one of its strongest suits.

It feels rock-solid, and sits up conveniently on a flat surface with its nice grippy base. It’s rated as IP66, which means water resistant “against powerful jets”—not 100% waterproof, so don’t go swimming with it. Our testing showed that it kept working fine when we ran it under the tap (which we do not recommend).

The battery is rated for 16 hours (we got 18) and recharges via USB-C. On the questionable side, it takes 12 hours to fully charge the battery, which seems excessive.

Conclusion: The Signals is great by itself and good with its app. It has the right features for a variety of situations, and the first-rate base unit construction will hold up for the long haul. The Billows fan control isn’t up to the standard of the Fireboard, but it’ll work for your smoking needs too. The Signals is the best wireless grill thermometer.

We like the original Fireboard, but it didn’t quite hit the top of our charts. It was a little too Silicon Valley: too married to its phone app and not weatherproofed without a $50 pain-in-the-butt case. The Fireboard 2 addressed those problems and kicked its fan control up a notch, putting it in our Number 1 spot as the best BBQ thermometer.

Probes

The Fireboard 2 (and the original Fireboard) supports six probes.

Though the basic set comes with three. Two are food probes; the other is an ambient probe with included grill clip. The two probes are 100K thermistors for fast response on a temperature range of 0°‒572°. The Fireboard also supports 10K thermistors for low-temperature applications (-58°‒248°) or RTD PT-100 probes for wide temperature ranges (-58°‒716°) at a slower response time.

Each channel can have its probe type configured in the app if you’re doing something that requires multiple probe types. Fireboard claims the included probes provide accurate temperature readings within 0.7°, and our testing against a calibrated thermometer shows they’re even better.

LCD Display

The on-board display covers the whole front face of the Fireboard 2

A big improvement over the tiny display on the original Fireboard. It has multiple view modes, allowing you to see one channel’s current temperature, a graph of one channel’s temperature over the cook time, all six current temperature readings, or a hybrid view with one graph and six readouts.

There aren’t any alerts here: for that you need to go to the phone app. That phone app is the number one reason to get the Fireboard 2. It syncs as easy as pressing “Add Fireboard” in the app.

Connectivity

This smart device connects with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for use on the road and at home.

The app shows you the readings from all grill thermometers, with the easy option to label each channel and set alerts for high or low temperatures. Those alerts can come in as push notifications in the app, emails, or SMS messages.

You can also view your current cook session as a graph, with the labels helping it make sense. All this data gets saved to the cloud, either directly from the smoker thermometer over Wi-Fi, or via your phone’s data connection on Bluetooth. Bluetooth wireless range is a little above average compared to the others we tested.

One nice feature for those looking to improve their craft is the ability to annotate the graphs. Notes in context are a great way to remember what worked and what didn’t. If you want a local copy, you can download everything as a .csv file.

Three Models

The Fireboard 2 comes in multiple versions.

The basic version comes in around $200, while the Fireboard 2 Drive adds a fan control port and costs about $250.

The basic version can run a fan with the Drive Fan Control Cable ($80), so if you want to run a fan, the Drive version saves $20, and you don’t have an expensive cable to lose.

The Fireboard 2 Pro has a fan control port, but it swaps out the six 2.5 mm probe inputs for three inputs for Type K thermocouple probes. Most wireless thermometers top out at around 500°F but these Type K probes can operate at extremely high temperatures (2,012°F!), suitable for wireless monitoring of wood stoves or a pizza oven.

The Fireboard 2 Drive (or basic model with a Drive Fan Control Cable) can run any 12-Volt fan with a 2.5 mm barrel plug, including the Fireboard Drive Blower. Assign the fan control to any channel, then set the target temperature. When your ambient probe temperature drops below that level, the Drive activates the fan proportionally to push the fire back up towards the target internal temperature. The Fireboard 2 also senses the big temperature change of taking the lid off and not instantly max out the fan, which is a nice extra.

Fan Drive Controller

One thing that sets the Fireboard 2 apart from other units is Drive Programs.

Which can change your temperature automatically over the course of your cook. Let’s say you’re smoking a pork butt, and want to power through the stall. Start with the Drive holding ambient temperature at 225°F. When the pork butt thermometer reaches 150°F, change the setpoint to 310°F; then when the pork butt thermometer reaches 170°F, change the setpoint back to 225F° for the finish.

Durability

One last thing on the Fireboard 2 is that the durability is there.

We set it out in the Arizona summer sun for hours and sprayed it with the hose for a while, but neither did a thing to stop it. It’s not waterproof, but it’s good enough to stand up to a spilled drink or a little rain.

Conclusion: The Fireboard 2 is the best wireless smoker thermometer ideal for BBQ cooked to perfection. It has the versatility, programmability, and durability to make anything possible. If you plan to use a fan control, it’s even better. The only downside is that it’s really tied to the app. You can’t access more than pretty basic features without it, so the Fireboard 2 is always a heavyweight choice, even when you don’t need its full power.

Maybe you don’t need the all-everything BBQ thermometer. The Inkbird promises a simple four-probe thermometer for a reasonable amount of money. There’s no fan controller, but if you don’t plan to use one, why spend the extra money?

Setup

Setup on the Inkbird was reasonably straightforward.

I downloaded the app, set up an account, and fired up the base station. It connected immediately, then asked for my Wi-Fi password in the app. I see in the manual that there’s a whole procedure for dealing with problems on wireless connection, but it went extremely smooth for me.

One oddity is that the app asks for more permissions than most. Digging a little deeper, it looks like this app runs a larger system of home automation devices and asks for everything that any of them needs. Another important note: the Inkbird can only connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with WPA/WPA2-PSK encryption.

Device

The base unit is very simple: four covered probe ports, one covered charging port, and one button.

The screen shows the current temperature on all four probes. Press the button once to turn on a backlight temporarily for easy temperature readings. There’s a battery gauge, but be warned: it’s pretty rudimentary. At below 20% battery, it says LOW, above it shows as Full.

There is no way to set any alerts on the base station — everything is in the app. An alarm does sound on the base station when a timer or temperature alert goes off, but it’s pretty quiet. With the unit outside, I could barely hear it over relatively quiet music, even with the door open. You can mute the base station alarm in the app.

Probes

The Inkbird comes with four angled probes.

They are color-coded so you can match the probe to the plug, which is nice. There are colors in the app that match the probe colors in the package, but they don’t automatically assign. You’d have to plug the right probe into the right socket to get those to match, and there’s no indication anywhere as to which color should go where. One thing that’s nice about the Inkbird is that the probes snap in hard to make a positive lock. There’s no worry here about connectors slipping.

I tested the probes for accuracy against the Thermoworks Calibrated Reference Thermometer by suspending both probes in the boiling water with the High-Tech Science Gantry. The verdict: great! The Inkbird reads within 1° of the reference value, maybe a little bit better. The probes register accurate readings pretty quickly too — not instant-read, but faster than some other wireless meat thermometers we’ve tested.

The App

The Inkbird app can run a large number of automation products.

There’s an outside layer of the app for running multiple devices and making them talk to each other. I don’t have any other products, so I can’t speak to the quality of the automation side.

Jumping into the BBQ portion of the app shows a pretty standard view of all four stainless steel probes with current temperature, temperature alerts, and timers. You also get the real battery status on the base unit. The settings menu offers the opportunity to calibrate each individual probe, adjust the backlight delay on the base unit, mute the base unit, and change localization settings.

Each of the four probes can run a countdown timer with individually selectable sounds. One interesting feature I haven’t seen on other devices is a box to set a message on each timer. This way, when the timer goes off, you can tell your future self what to do with that information (flip the meat, check the potatoes, etc). The timer goes off on both the base unit and the app.

Each probe can also have temperature alerts. There is a wide variety of presets for different meats and grilling situations. You can start with a preset and adjust it, or create your own. Meat presets have only a maximum temperature alert, while chamber presets have maximum and minimum temperature alerts. The temperature alerts come through the app at a reasonable volume and include a message that explains what alert is going off.

Here’s where things fall down a little for the Inkbird. You can view a graph of any individual probe or all four together. Each day is a new session, and you can’t change that. This is less than useful for overnight cooks, or for if you test out the device before starting to cook.

Build Quality

Better quality than expected

With the rubber covers over all the port connectors, it should be pretty resistant to water. Charging is via a USB-C connector, and battery life seems solid. Four hours of use have dropped the battery meter by 5%.

Conclusion: While it doesn’t have the premium bells and whistles of our top winners, or the durability of the FireBoard, the Inkbird is solid for the price. It’s accurate, simple to set up, and easy to use. Our complaints are pretty limited: the base station alarms are too quiet, and the app’s data visualization is a bit lousy, but that’s about it. There’s no option to add a thermostatic pit controller, but if you don’t need one, the Inkbird IBBQ-4T is a fantastic value. It makes a great gift for any BBQ lover, or the perfect entry-level choice if you’re just looking for a reliable Wi-Fi thermometer to monitor your smoker.

Where the Fireboard and the Signals are wireless thermometers that got upgraded to be thermostatic fan controllers, the Flame Boss did it the other way around. What started as a thermostatic controller with just enough wireless thermometer capability to do its job has expanded into a full-on Wi-Fi thermometer.

Device & User Experience

The base unit gives you the basic info you need at a glance.

You can set individual alarms on each channel, plus an interesting option to shift the fan controller into Keep Warm mode when you reach the target temperature. The bad news: just because you can set all of these things on the base station does not mean you should. Anything more advanced than setting the pit temperature is like programming a 1980s VCR. The device’s UX/UI is very poor, so you should definitely use the app.

Application & Connectivity

Getting the Flame Boss connected to the Wi-Fi can be a bit of an adventure.

It only works on 2.4 GHz wireless. If you’re in a crowded area, 2.4 GHz wireless might be dicey. You can punch in your password on the front panel, one character at a time, or start up the Flame Boss’s internal wireless, log into it with your phone, enter your password there, then switch Wi-Fi modes back to regular. If this all sounds complicated, well, it is.

Once connected, the app definitely does things right, giving you full controls and cloud storage with well-laid out graphs.

Pit Fan

As a fan controller, the Flame Boss 500 is extraordinary.

It holds the tightest range of temperature we’ve seen in our testing. It has lid-open detection and sends you a push notification when it kicks on and off, just in case there’s a problem with your lid and airflow.

Conclusion: You buy the Flame Boss 500 because you want a great pit controller and get the bonus of a good wireless smoker thermometer system. However, given the price point and the clunky user interface, it falls to the bottom of our list as it simply lacks the value and refinement found in newer systems like FireBoard and Signals.

Over the past decade, the BBQ thermometer industry has seen a massive shift. In the early days, devices like the Tappecue Touch and BBQ Guru were the pioneers of bringing Wi-Fi connectivity to the backyard smoker. We spent countless hours testing these systems in our test kitchen, and for years, they were the standard-bearers for remote pit control.

However, the landscape has changed. Tappecue has permanently closed its online store, and models like the BBQ Guru UltraQ have been discontinued or phased out as companies merged or pivoted. What happened?

The competition BBQ circuit and backyard enthusiasts alike demanded more robust, reliable, and user-friendly systems. The market naturally consolidated around companies that could deliver rock-solid apps, intuitive cloud data storage, and bulletproof hardware. Today, the industry is dominated by the continuously powered, highly reliable systems from ThermoWorks (Signals) and FireBoard. These devices offer the peace of mind needed for overnight brisket cooks and high-stakes competitions, leaving the clunky interfaces and dropped connections of older models in the dust.

On Our Radar

The BBQ tech world moves fast. While the wired Wi-Fi units above are our tried-and-true favorites, we are currently gearing up to test one new device in the Smoking Meat Geeks test kitchen. Stay tuned for a full review once testing is complete. In the meantime, browse all of our hands-on tested picks on our main cooking thermometers page.

⏲ Testing Scheduled

TempPro

A promising new budget-friendly 4-probe Wi-Fi thermometer from TempPro. We’re eager to see if it can dethrone the Inkbird as our top value pick for basic Wi-Fi monitoring without fan control.

SEE ON AMAZON