App temp increments are different from the grill control

[Mustfly]

I've got the grill dialed in at 275° for some Texas style spare ribs, but the app temperature increments skips from 250° to 300° with nothing in between. The app DOES accurately monitor the current temp (which is the most important), but how hard is it to make the Smoke IT app mirror the same increments as the dial on my KC Combo (pb1285kc) ? Is there a trick or did they make the app temp ranges different for some brilliant reason. Also...with the grill set to the dezired temp of 275°, the app defaults to showing 250° as the "set" temp. Scratching my head on why they'd consider this to be "close enough for govt. work".

 

[Mike From R.I.]

My app on the phone does that too.

 

[Steelheader1974]

I think when the app asks if u can set ur smoker to 225 and say no I think it gives u 10 degree increments. I think it only asks that if it was updated or deleted and reinstalled. I could be wrong tho.

 

[Redoctapus]

I had the same issue this past weekend.
The smokeIt app is way underpar compared to other apps. The app is basic stuff.
I do not mess with the app for the first 4-5 hours. I set temp manually to 165° and let it smoke. Next I had to set temp manually to 220°. I noticed stall temp being reached so I wrapped butts and raised temp to 250°. At his point I used the app to sound an alarm at 203°.
GMG let's one set unlimited steps- time/duration and temp, then it can be set to hold at whatever temp until service.
It so allows calibration of probes. I have a nice GMG and a nice Pit Boss PBV5. Give em time...

 

[diversification]

Ok, I thought I was going crazy here. Based on my experience over the course of the year with this app and the Laredo 1000, plus hours of troubleshooting, including numerous calls to both Pit Boss and Smoke IT support, I think I FINALLY know what's happening (even though the Support folks won't really admit to it.)

Simply put, it appears to be an oversight (or laziness) by the app developers. My belief is that updates to the discrete temperature settings displayed in the app have not been properly updated to reflect the increments possible with the newer line of grills, including the KC Combo Platinum or Laredo Platinum. The newer grills can be set to S, 180, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300 and so on, whereas the older models only has settings of S, 250, 300, 350, and so on. It seems that the app developers failed to update the app with the proper temp settings for the newer units, which frankly is a pretty glaring design flaw.

It's not clear to me whether this issue is present in both the Android and iOS app, but I can say with certainty that it is an issue on the Android variety. If you want it resolved, I encourage you to reach out to both the PitBoss Support number, and the Smoke IT support number and explain the issue, and request that the developers fix this oversight. Based on my own experiences with these support teams, you'll likely be given some sort of excuse, or given troubleshooting tips like cleaning your temp probe, updating the app, deleting and reinstalling the app, and the list goes on.

In reality, this seems to be a developer issue and is not something that any amount of troubleshooting will fix. I'd urge you all to keep calling and messaging Pit Boss and Smoke IT til they finally agree to update the app correctly.

 

[Redoctapus]

Ok, I thought I was going crazy here. Based on my experience over the course of the year with this app and the Laredo 1000, plus hours of troubleshooting, including numerous calls to both Pit Boss and Smoke IT support, I think I FINALLY know what's happening (even though the Support folks won't really admit to it.)

Simply put, it appears to be an oversight (or laziness) by the app developers. My belief is that updates to the discrete temperature settings displayed in the app have not been properly updated to reflect the increments possible with the newer line of grills, including the KC Combo Platinum or Laredo Platinum. The newer grills can be set to S, 180, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300 and so on, whereas the older models only has settings of S, 250, 300, 350, and so on. It seems that the app developers failed to update the app with the proper temp settings for the newer units, which frankly is a pretty glaring design flaw.

It's not clear to me whether this issue is present in both the Android and iOS app, but I can say with certainty that it is an issue on the Android variety. If you want it resolved, I encourage you to reach out to both the PitBoss Support number, and the Smoke IT support number and explain the issue, and request that the developers fix this oversight. Based on my own experiences with these support teams, you'll likely be given some sort of excuse, or given troubleshooting tips like cleaning your temp probe, updating the app, deleting and reinstalling the app, and the list goes on.

In reality, this seems to be a developer issue and is not something that any amount of troubleshooting will fix. I'd urge you all to keep calling and messaging Pit Boss and Smoke IT til they finally agree to update the app correctly.

I have experience with three different brands of smokers and the apps for each. PIT BOSS has a lot of catching up to do. With GMG any degree can be set i.e. 202F. Cooking can be done in an infinite number of steps; 2 hours at 167F, then 8 hours at 232F and then after how ever ma y steps there is a 140F hold setting.
Somebody needs to get out of the office...

 

[Sparky]

I too have the KC Combo and I have given up on using the app.

 

[diversification]

Question for you guys that experienced this app issue. Are you using iPhone or Android? Based on what I'm hearing this could potentially be an Android-only problem, which would not be all that surprising. It seems that Android apps frequently seem to lag behind the iPhone version.

Interestingly when I reached out to support recently, their response wasn't even miscellaneous troubleshooting tips, but rather an insistence that the app should NOT be able to set specific temperatures below 250. When I pressed as to why they believed this, they indicated that they didn't believe any grill controllers allow it either, and that S (aka Smoke) is a setting that encompasses all temps up to 200, therefore making 250 the first specific set-temp available. Obviously it was a bit startling to hear that this person seemed to have almost no awareness whatsoever of the grills that we own, and I tried to advise them that there appears to be a breakdown in communication and training somewhere in the company, because I've consistently been met with similar cluelessness whenever I contact their support team. They're very friendly, attentive, and willing to help in any way they can, but it seems that their knowledge of the grills may be fairly lacking. I don't know if that has something to do with these particular ones being a Walmart-only variety or what, but it's not very inspiring to hear these types of responses.

Regardless, I think this further support my conclusion that the issue with the [Android] Smoke IT app refusing to recognize 180, 200, 225, and 275 is indeed likely due to the fact that many of the other Wifi models do not have these set temps as selections (which... is kinda surprising given that a lot of times pellet grills need to be set lower in order to avoid cooking too quickly.)

I have experience with three different brands of smokers and the apps for each. PIT BOSS has a lot of catching up to do. With GMG any degree can be set i.e. 202F. Cooking can be done in an infinite number of steps; 2 hours at 167F, then 8 hours at 232F and then after how ever ma y steps there is a 140F hold setting.
Somebody needs to get out of the office...

It's disappointing to hear that there's such a dramatic difference between Pit Boss and the competition. I guess perhaps they have to reduce costs somehow since they're trying to undercut the competition, but it's tough to justify wanting to buy anything else from them when I encounter this type of thing. As with many things it seems like "buy once, cry once" may apply with these smokers.

 

[Redoctapus]

I too have the KC Combo and I have given up on using the app.

I have a PBV5 COMP and I do not use the app either. I use myb4 channel Solis or my 6 channel Fireboard to monitor my smoke temps and unternal temps.
Maybe we could do a go fund me page to buy the techies a GMG unit to play with.
I do love my PBV5 in manual mode!

 

[920cody]

If your controller goes by 10 degree increments manually, but goes by 50 degree increments via the IT app, simply delete the grill and add a grill that goes by the 10 degree increments. I have the Pro 1100 combo series. The controller that comes with the grill goes in increments of 50 degrees. I changed out the controller to a Pro 1150 controller that goes in increments of 10 degrees. I readded the grill to the IT app as a Pro 1100 combo and it still registered only 50 degree increments. I deleted the grill and re-added as a Pro 1150 and it now allows me to control the grill via the app in 10 degree increments and also as a bonus, gives me the full use of the 4 probe ports! Everything works great now!

 

[Glove Medic]

I’m having a similar problem with my new Legacy WiFi controller that I installed on my 1100 Proseries. On the app it goes from the smoke setting to 250 degrees skipping past 200 and 225 that I can select on the controller. I am also having the WiFi connection issues many others are. The app maker is trying to find a solution. I have an iPhone by the way.

 

[diversification]

If your controller goes by 10 degree increments manually, but goes by 50 degree increments via the IT app, simply delete the grill and add a grill that goes by the 10 degree increments. I have the Pro 1100 combo series. The controller that comes with the grill goes in increments of 50 degrees. I changed out the controller to a Pro 1150 controller that goes in increments of 10 degrees. I readded the grill to the IT app as a Pro 1100 combo and it still registered only 50 degree increments. I deleted the grill and re-added as a Pro 1150 and it now allows me to control the grill via the app in 10 degree increments and also as a bonus, gives me the full use of the 4 probe ports! Everything works great now!

This isn't a fix all unfortunately. I've tried literally every single possible troubleshooting measure short of switching to iOS. This also may not affect Pro controllers in the same way it affects the Platinum series of grills sold exclusively at Walmart. I'm planning on making a dedicated post about the issue soon. Hopefully Pit Boss will take notice, because to this point they've been pretending the problem doesn't exist.

EDIT: Ok, well I just noticed that they (AGAIN) changed to a completely different app (at least for Android) that's just called "Pit Boss." I guess I'll see if they fixed anything, but the early reviews on the Play Store leave a lot to be desired. Yikes.

 

[Bgist]

I've got the grill dialed in at 275° for some Texas style spare ribs, but the app temperature increments skips from 250° to 300° with nothing in between. The app DOES accurately monitor the current temp (which is the most important), but how hard is it to make the Smoke IT app mirror the same increments as the dial on my KC Combo (pb1285kc) ? Is there a trick or did they make the app temp ranges different for some brilliant reason. Also...with the grill set to the dezired temp of 275°, the app defaults to showing 250° as the "set" temp. Scratching my head on why they'd consider this to be "close enough for govt. work".

My grill will not stay anywhere close to set temp. If I set at 259 it goes from set to 300+ and will be on the lower side at 200. It will not set anywhere close to what I set temp at. Any help will be great. Temp flucttuates +~100 degrees.