CyberQ BBQ Temperature Controller & Digital Meat Thermometer for Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Weber, and Ceramic Grills

Temperature Control:This device allows excellent temperature control when combined with my my Kamado Joe Classic. It has been very common for me to overshoot my temperature while to trying get the grill to smoking temperature. Once you've overshot the desired temperature, it can be difficult to get the temperature back down.Getting to perfect smoking temperature was easy using the Cyber Q. I simply lit 6 Kingsford competition briquettes and tossed them into my Kamado Joe which was loaded with Kamado Joe XL lump charcoal. I set the temperature using the buttons on the controller box to 200F and the grill came up to 200F and it held with little to no variation. I've never been able to hold a temperature that using just the vents and the entire process was very easy. Furthermore, I was able to adjust the temperature down to 180 and it actually allowed the temperature to drop and then maintain at 180. This was done during the winter in the Carolinas and I'd imagine this would be a more difficult task during the summer . I was very impressed .Wireless Setup:The wireless setup was not difficult for me but, I'm a network engineer by trade. The directions were very clear and I think they should be for the average user as well. I have excellent wifi coverage in the area where my grill is. There are a lot of factors that cause frustration with wifi connected devices. I think that may be a factor in some other users comments about the wifi connectivity. BBQ Guru has provided a great setup experience provided the conditions of your network are right.Installation:The fan attachment installation leaves a little to be desired when the product is combined with Kamado Joe. It may be better for other Kamado grill types. The fan doesn't not make a perfect fit with the Kamado Joe classic. It is close but I think they should offer a Kamado Joe specific attachment so that it slides in a little better. The expander piece is a little too thick for the lip of the bottom vent to seamlessly install it. It didn't affect temperature control, but the installation could be better and for the price, it should be.Monitoring and alarming:Monitoring the Cyber Q is an area where Cyber Q both exceeded my expectations but also, failed to meet expectations. I'm going to break this down into two sections.Monitoring via Web Interface:Part of the setup process involves creating an account at sharemycook.com. This will allow remote control of your device using a web interface so that you can monitor or adjust the cook from anywhere you have internet access. After creating the account, you put in a special code that allows sharemycook to associate your temperature controller with your account. You can use the sharemycook website to create a log of your cooks. Using the cook log can help you determine what went right (or wrong) by capturing details such as outdoor weather condition, the amount and type of food, ingredients, additional notes. etc. This granular detail is captured for each of the three food probes. Once you configure your cook, you can record and monitor the temperature over the entire cook. You can even adjust the controller by editing the grill temperature. All of the data can be viewed via a web interface and referred back to. This is really powerfule.Monitoring via Alexa:Alexa is an area where I'm somewhat let down. Here are the current Alexa commands as of 2/5/2020: Alexa, Ask CyberQ Cloud, what is the pit temperature? Alexa, Ask CyberQ Cloud, what is the food 1 temperature? Alexa, Ask CyberQ Cloud, what is the food 2 temperature? Alexa, Ask CyberQ Cloud, what is the food 3 temperature? Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set food 1 target temperature to 100. Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set food 2 target temperature to 130. Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set food 3 target temperature to 150. Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set food 1 name to sausage. Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set food 2 name to brisket. Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set food 3 name to hamburgers. Alexa, Tell CyberQ Cloud, set timer to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Alexa, Ask CyberQ Cloud, how much time is left on the timer?That's impressive right? So what's wrong? There is no Alarm with Alexa!I want an alarm to go off like an Alexa timer when my food is done! I want something that requires you to turn it off! You can get text notifications as well as e-mail notifications but these are passive notifications. If you don't hear the text or e-mail because your phone is on silent, this will be a problem. I believe that Cyber Q could solve this with software enhances to enable additional Alexa features. They could also solve this with an App. I reached out to BBQ support to inquire about these features and received no indication that this feature is planned. So, don't get so comfortable that you fall asleep with the smoke on during long cooks unless you're a light sleeper.SummaryI'm very happy with the control offered by the product but I feel there are some needed improvements tot he installation which will require physical parts. The monitoring aspects that I take issue with can likely be enhanced with software. Hopefully the manufacturer takes my comments seriously and does something about it!

Rewrote review 5/27/2020I bought my CyberQ in Nov 2018, so not have it a little over 1.5 years. Initially used it with a Weber Kettle (Performer Deluxe) and then In 2019 got a Weber Summit and have been using that for smoking. I will briefly share my experience with both grills and some tips.Weber Kettle - This was the grill I had when I first tried smoking. I smoked in it with a Slow N Sear to hold the charcoal. Prior to getting the CyberQ could not keep consistent temps, after getting this I was able to, depending on outside conditions, hold the temp steady for, I think, about 4-6 hours (thanksgiving time) before fuel burned down too much and needed adding and fooling around with. The Weber Kettle is way to poorly sealed to hold temps steady, so I was wrapping some foil around the lid and trying to block the wind in general. Once I got that under control the CyberQ was able to mostly handle the rest. Bottom line, for me, the Weber Kettle is just a poor grill for smoking in non-ideal conditions. The CyberQ will help, but it can't fix the leakiness of the Weber Kettle on a windy day. One other thing, to install the CyberQ in this grill you need to drill a hole. I used a drill with a step bit (Neiko 10189A Titanium Step Drill Bit) to do this. Just be careful and go step by step and don't make it too big. I was able to get it to go above the blades that sweep the ash and below the grate.Weber Summit - With this grill I smoke with the charcoal on bottom and a diverter plate to prevent direct heat from hitting the food. The grill itself is well sealed (while there is some minimal leakage it does not seem to interfere with cooking) and it is also insulated so you can load up with charcoal and smoke/cook at low temp food for 20 hours without needing to add charcoal, regardless of weather conditions outside. It is basically Weber's version of a Kamado and works wonderfully. To install, the Summit actually has a little metal piece that pops out where you attach the control to (may need the proper adapter... I think it comes with the kit). You still need to lean the ins and outs of your grill and set the damper on top properly (and I use the PitBull fan with it halfway closed) to control temps, but once you get the hang of it, it is not very difficult. For me, I usually have to adjust the dampers once or twice in the first hour or two of a cook and beyond that can just use the control, so that is really good.As to the CyberQ itself...Setup the first time, I recall, was a pain. Once you finally get it connected to the cloud though you should never need to bother with setup again. At least that is my experience.Now the real issue with this device and perhaps every device from BBQGuru. I was doing a brisket and started it to go overnight. Put it up and did not bother with a meat probe, just a Pit probe as figured there was not a chance that in 6-8 hours when I would check it next it would be anywhere near done (figured about 16-18 hours for the brisket). In the morning when I went to check the brisket I probed it and noticed the temp was pretty high (above the stall temp), but I assumed must be this is stalling at a higher temp than usual. I wrapped the brisket, stuck a probe in a went back inside. A couple of hours later I notice the temp was still rising too fast and I got concerned. In the end I took off the brisket when it was clearly cooked, however when we ate it, it was drier than it should have been. I was very confused what happened, but when I checked into it, I realized the PIT probe was not working and my temps were way too high.I since bought additional probes (PIT and food) but skeptical about trusting them. I use a secondary sensor to double check temps, which is a real shame, but I just don't feel confident in their probes. I see they have new Premium probes on their website, so may try that, but just nervous about this.As to powering the device. It uses 12V's. I did some math and bought a 11,000mAh Li-Ion battery (on Amazon made by a company called TalentCell) with 12V out to power this when I am not near an outlet. The battery should easily make it though 2 long cooks, so it is perfect for me. You should be fine with their 6,000mAh battery for one cook, Ithink.I also took a tupperware container where I store all the parts and I made a few holes in it for the probes and fan wire to go out, so when smoking food I can have the CyberQ protected from the elements.Bottom line, the device once setup can help you maintain or adjust temps on the fly. That said, without better probes it is a mixed bag. Maybe their new "premium" probes work better, but I have not tried yet.Giving it 3 stars until I feel they got the temp things solved.

It doesn't connect to the internet at all. Sent back for a refund.