Smart BBQ Smoker Temperature Controller with Patented Variable Speed Fan, Flame Boss 500 Universal Wi-Fi with 2 Probes for Weber, Drum and Offset

I am a fan of this unit, however I am running into a problem. I am not an internet newbie, and have about 5 computers at home, along with several wifi devices. I have been doing computers for the last 40 years or more. The manual portion of the controller works very well. It seemed to keep the temperature in my Pit Boss egg to within a few degrees. I had set it for 350 and it never moved more than a few degrees in either direction. When I raised the lid on the unit, the temperature probe dropped by at least 50 degrees. But when I closed it, the temperature slowly raised by up again. It did not run the fan needlessly but waited for some time before adding a little bit of air. So there was no overshoot at all. I tested it from 200 to 350 and it always stayed very constant. If you start out at a high temperature, it will take some time for it to come down in the egg. So it is better to cook at a low temperature, then when you need a higher temperature, then raise the temp on the unit. Why I am giving it 3 stars is that no matter what I do, I cannot connect to it from an android phone, a laptop, or any pads, whether they be android or apple. It simply does not put out the signal that I can find. I even used a signal scanner for the wifi and nothing at all. I tried it using the automatic method, and the manual method. Nothing. I did email their support and will see if they can help, but as of yet, they have not replied. I will give it a few days and then return the item to Amazon if they do not help at all. Edited: the wifi was not responding. I tried to get it on manually. Would not. So I sent an email off and within hours it was answered and Marcus emailed me back from Flame Boss. Talk about customer service..So we worked through the problem. It turns out it had the wrong IP address programmed into it for their server. We changed it and after a few more attempts it connected. Then it automatically updated, and is now rock stable. Marcus was wonderful, and very courteous. I do have a lot of experience with computers (over 40 years) and the internet. so working with him was easy, but if I did not have that experience, it still would have been easy. He even offered for a quick return, but I turned it down to see if we could get if fixed together. I had even run a program to look at the signal strength, and there was none at the beginning. After fixing the server IP number, it turned on and ran great. Granted, I had an earlier revision number for the firmware and software, and that was causing the problem. I had earlier filled out a ticket to return it with Amazon, and they also gave me no grief. Gave me a return label immediately. Now I do not have to. And Marcus even stated at the beginning, go ahead and use it for the weekend and then when I get time, send it back and they would replace it. What a generous offer. And he would find out the problem and respond to me and let me know the failure. Now that is very good customer service. So he and I talked and he told me some tips to using it, how to cook the best ribs and chicken wings, and then sent me recipes! And this was on a Saturday morning during the weekend! I could just call Marcus and talk to him all day about bbqing! What a pleasant gentleman. I am 71 years old and he never talked down to me at all. He made me feel right at home. So go ahead and splurge with this company. It is a great product and they make things very right!

Overall, I am happy with the Flame Boss 500 Wifi. I had to fabricate a new firebox door for my offset smoker to eliminate the butterfly damper and accept the blower port (see photo), but I think it improves the air control and leaves the air flow 98% up to the controller (the door is not 100% sealed). I have done two cooks with the new setup and have some observations. First, get your fire established with some decent coals before closing the firebox door and starting the controller. The fan mostly maintains the fire pretty well, but doesn't have the oomph to get the fire started. Also, the controller seems to send the fan speed on wild swings, sometimes all the way from 0-100% in a few seconds which doesn't help to fine tune the pit temp. If there is plenty of fuel and you keep all the pit doors closed, the controller does settle on the set temp and keeps it pretty well around that temp. I have only tried it at 275*. I would like to see an option for a larger fan. On my second cook, the weather was deteriorating rapidly near the end of the cook with a stiff cold wind and mixed precipitation. The fan could not keep enough air flow to maintain pit temp, and temp fell like a rock. Several times if I did not have the app open for a while, I would get logged out in the middle of the cook. While not difficult to deal with, it was a bit annoying. Also, I have not figured out how to save cook sessions once they are complete for reference later. It is fun to share the cook with others, though they might just laugh at my geekiness. Edit 11/17/23 I have done many cooks with this controller now, and have additional observations. The app automagically saves a record of your smoking sessions, I did not know this before. I find it particularly useful to name and date the cooking session so I can refer back. The controller does a really good job of settling on the set temp, though I do wish the manufacturer would adjust the PID settings to avoid wild highs and lows with the fan speed. Obviously, with a wood fire the pit temp does not change quickly in response to fan speed. The current settings oscillate quickly between 0-100%. The fan speed should increase or decrease gradually, and hold at a certain percentage once the pit temp stabilizes. The purpose is to get as clean a burn on the wood as possible. Alternately feeding and starving the fire can cause it to burn poorly and introduce unpleasant flavors to your food. I am still very happy with the controller, it has been an exceptional purchase. Only improvements I think are necessary: bigger fan, adjust PID settings, fortify wifi login/connection.

I used a flame boss for 15 years. I have one and easily move the motor to either my Medium or Large Green Egg, whichever one I'm using for the evening. I never have to worry about temp control. I can check the temp right at the Egg, or on my phone if I run to the grocery. I seldom check it on my phone, cause I know its working. My original Flameboss was a Model 200. It failed so I bought a new one. No complaints there, it was under cover, but outside for 15 years. My new Model 500 has a nicer case and a better stand. When I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised with the new design. Had a little trouble with software, I think because I had old software on my phone. Called support and a friendly fellow (who was in the US, yeah!)(after 5pm, yeah!) got me going quickly. OK, what's the picky gripe? The Model 200 provided display of the Egg temp, meat temp, and fan speed right on the unit. The fan speed is great feedback for knowing how much to open the top vent. Well, the Model 500 does not display the fan speed on the unit. Instead, they added display of two more meat temps (extra probes required). The fan speed is only displayed on the phone app. Man, when I'm done for the day and grilling, ain't no one interrupting me on the phone. I leave the phone in the bathroom after my shower! I suppose its a picky gripe. I can usually guess the top vent opening. Now if I miss, the temp rises or falls, and I readjust. The Flameboss makes the Egg pretty forgiving of the vent setting anyway. Great product. Thanks folks.

works fine but the wifi connection sometimes is sketchy and the software interface looks outdated

Still using it after 2 years. Makes controlling the temperature much easier. Just got to put enough charcoal in it.

Although the box was sealed, there was an empty space where the fan should have been located.... I will be returning it. Supplier speedily rectified this problem, supplying a replacement fan, so I have upgraded my original review.

This thing is perfect for my kamado. Easy setup and install. Plugged it in, opened app, entered code done. It updated itself. Was cooking in 10 min. More products need to put at least this much effort into their app. Clean interface, features and their controls are obvious. No crashing. Quick account setup. Works with cloud, local or direct. The guys who made the amazon phone app could learn something here.

Kabel nach erster Verwendung locker, Schrumpfschlauch nicht korrekt verpresst