Over the past few years I went through several wireless thermometers. I have been disappointed in all of them. Recently I purchased a new smoker, which I will review later, and decided it was time once again to purchase a wireless thermometer. The previous ones I have purchased on a whim or picked up locally as I needed something to get me through the weekend, this time I had a bit more time to do some research and decided to go with the InkBird IBBQ-4T.
One of the big features of the IBBQ-4T is that it is the WiFi model. This makes it, in some cases, twice the price of other InkBird models with just Bluetooth. I usually don’t leave the house when I am grilling or smoking but the thought of being able to check my grill and meat temp from anywhere was very appealing to me should I have to go on a beer run or other quick errand. The downside to the WiFi of this device is it is only compatible with 2.4GHZ networks. If you are thinking of buying this thermometer for WiFi use check to see if your home router still has 2.4GHZ. My new one does not, which led to some frustration during the initial setup. After some trouble shooting I pulled out my old router, connected my phone and then quickly connected the IBBQ-4T. Your phone and the IBBQ-4T both need to be on the 2.4GHZ network for setup.
Another great feature of this device is you can monitor temperature on the unit itself and on your phone through their InkBird Pro app. The app is user friendly and allows you to select the type of meat you are cooking and your desired temperature. There are preset temperatures and you can also select your own. The four probes that come in the box are color coded. The probe and the end that plugs into the IBBQ-4T share the same color making it easy to identify the probes and temperature on the thermometer.
The IBBQ-4T comes nicely boxed with four color coded probes, two holders to allow the probes to sit above the grill grate, a USB charging cable and instructions. I wish it did come with a case to neatly store everything. I did find a travel case for the InkBird and have ordered it to keep everything together when I am not using it. The unit has a magnetic back which comes in handy to attach the thermometer to metal surfaces near the grill, just be sure not to attach it to the hot surface of the grill.
Before using this for a long smoke I decided to try it with some skirt steaks on the grill. I used three probes, one for the grill temp and one in each steak. All three probes read the same temp when plugged in. I did notice a slight lag between the IBBQ-4T and the InkBird Pro app, not a big deal. The device uses a rechargeable 2000mAh lithium battery that they claim will last for up to 26 hours when fully charged. Time will tell how long this battery will last and determine the life of the unit as it appears to not be replaceable. For now I like the idea of not having to buy batteries. The app also lets you access graphs to analyze the temperature of each probe throughout your cook.
Overall I am very impressed with the InkBird IBBQ-4T and think the $100 the unit costs is worth the money. It is well built and designed with the features and ease of use I have always desired in a wireless thermometer. The downside of the 2.4GHZ network and the lack of case are small downsides considering all the great features and quality of the thermometer. I wish I spent the money earlier on a quality unit as the cheap ones break quickly and over time cost more to replace. You can tell this was designed with the serious cook in mind.
UPDATE
After using he InkBird IBBQ-4T at least a dozen times I have had issues with the temperature graph loading. At least half the time I have used it the graph won’t load for the duration of the cook. After doing some online research I have discovered a lot of people have had this issue and it is an ongoing problem. It is very frustrating when using it during a long smoke. The probes still work but the data log is non existent.
