New Pitboss Grills App

[Mark H.]

I would also totally ignore the bluetooth. Mine connects without ever having connected to bluetooth

For the initial setup, bluetooth is needed for communication between the app and the grill, because the grill cannot connect to wifi without the wifi password being stored in the grills memory. Once the password is stored in the grills memory via bluetooth, the grill will now connect to wifi every time it's plugged in. No bluetooth needed.

 

[Slider]

Sorry, that is just not true. I connected, and connect, without once turning on Bluetooth. Not once. Try it

 

[jaijason]

Yeah, the delete your account thing is definitely broken. Eventually you start running out of email address to try, because your previous email address never gets deleted.

i had to create a new email account cause i had none left. New account just for the smoker. Don't understand that business model. I love the smoker, but the app is a killer. I would not recommend pitboss to anyone nor will I purchase another one. And its only because of the app.

 

[Mark H.]

i had to create a new email account cause i had none left. New account just for the smoker. Don't understand that business model. I love the smoker, but the app is a killer. I would not recommend pitboss to anyone nor will I purchase another one. And its only because of the app.

Did you ever get it to work?

 

[LVSmoker]

Why are there no settings between 250 and 300? It's so ridiculous I have to go out to the grill to manually set it to 270 or 280. It's really easy to do. Just add another item to the array.

 

[GeorgiaBoy]

Something to try. Make sure grill is unplugged. Open app and click on grills. Click on the little pencil in the top right corner. Then click on the little trash can in the right hand corner and delete your grill from the app. Exit the app. Now go plug in your grill. Don't need to turn it on, just plug it in. Turn on Bluetooth on your phone and open the app. Click on grills and click on the little plus sign in the left hand corner and add your grill. When the app finds your grill, the app will name your grill (it's the last 4 characters of the grills mac address). Leave it that way for now. Now that you're connected Bluetooth, see if you can connect to WiFi.

Well, I finally got around to following the steps you outlined. It connected to bluetooth. It indicated that it also connected to WiFi. But when I try to control the grill, the app prompts for a firmware update. The update bombs out at 7%. So my issue may have more to do with the firmware update than connectivity.

Next week, when I have the time and energy, I'll call Customer Service again!

Thanks again for your suggestions!

 

[Mark H.]

Well, I finally got around to following the steps you outlined. It connected to bluetooth. It indicated that it also connected to WiFi. But when I try to control the grill, the app prompts for a firmware update. The update bombs out at 7%. So my issue may have more to do with the firmware update than connectivity.

Next week, when I have the time and energy, I'll call Customer Service again!

Thanks again for your suggestions!

Sounds like you're close, if you got your grill to connect to your wifi. When I was first trying to set up mine, my update also failed, and I never saw the prompt again, but was eventually able to get wifi working. I believe the update eventually happens in the background, once the grill is connected to wifi.
Try this next time. Make sure the app is closed all the way. Not running in the background. Turn off bluetooth, because you don't need it, now that your grill has your wifi password stored in it's memory via bluetooth. Unplug your grill. Restart your router. Restart your phone. Again make sure bluetooth is off. Now go plug in your grill and start it, to see if the wifi icon on the controller screen is on steady. If it's flashing, give it a minute or two. Once the wifi icon is on steady, you know it's connected to your wifi.
Now open the app and click on grills and wait to see if it shows your grill connected to your wifi. If it does, you should be able to control your grill. If it prompts for update or doesn't work, keep doing this process over again. I believe it will eventually start working. Also, once it starts working, it seems to work every time thereafter.

 

[GeorgiaBoy]

Sounds like you're close, if you got your grill to connect to your wifi. When I was first trying to set up mine, my update also failed, and I never saw the prompt again, but was eventually able to get wifi working. I believe the update eventually happens in the background, once the grill is connected to wifi.
Try this next time. Make sure the app is closed all the way. Not running in the background. Turn off bluetooth, because you don't need it, now that your grill has your wifi password stored in it's memory via bluetooth. Unplug your grill. Restart your router. Restart your phone. Again make sure bluetooth is off. Now go plug in your grill and start it, to see if the wifi icon is on steady. If it's flashing, give it a minute or two. Once the wifi icon is on steady, you know it's connected to your wifi.
Now open the app and click on grills and wait to see if it shows your grill connected to your wifi. If it does, you should be able to control your grill. If prompts for update or doesn't work, keep doing this process over again. I believe it will eventually start working. Also, once it starts working, it seems to work every time thereafter.

Thanks, I'll give that a try!

 

[GeorgiaBoy]

Why are there no settings between 250 and 300? It's so ridiculous I have to go out to the grill to manually set it to 270 or 280. It's really easy to do. Just add another item to the array.

Yeah, their development team needs some serious help! At least you have a 270 or 280! I can't even do that if I'm at the grill. LOL. Mine (Nav 850GW) goes from 250 to 300 with nothing in-between. Still trying to make the app connect so I have to go to the grill anyway.....for now!

 

[Florida boy]

I have a pb pro series vertical smoker I can’t get it on my Wi-Fi network I disabled my 5 ghz network so I’m only running the 2.4ghz I have iOS devices with the app. It connects Bluetooth but not Wi-if. I have a strong signal next to my smoker I’ve used my iPad to check because it does not have cellular just Wi-Fi. When you go to the screen to look for your network you can’t scroll down to look for your network it acts like it is frozen also when your on the screen to enter a grill name it won’t allow you to enter the serial number.I have tried deleting the app many times and reinstalling it on both devices I’ve tried deleting smoker and researching for it many times on both devices. I’ve tried doing a hard restart on my smoker as per pit boss customer care but I can’t tell if a hard restart is even happy what else can I do?

 

[robertbreisacher]

Hello,
As you probably already know PitBoss have been launching their new App for Android and iOS devices!
I'm one of the app developer and I'd like to give you a quick list of issues/questions you might have and solutions/answers:

• I'm getting a lot of server errors or the app get stuck loading: Unfortunately we had some issues with our server just after launch that caused all these problems but they have been fixed and the app should be working fine now.
• I'm not able to login or reset my password: Unfortunately the new app is completely separate from the old SmokeIT app; as such you will not be able to use the same account, but if you already have an account on pitboss-grills.com then you can use that one, or you can create a new account (even using the same credentials you have been using on SmokeIT).
• The app doesn't see my grill: Make sure you have bluetooth enabled and (if using android) location enabled, also make sure you are close to the grill (I’d suggest within 5ft for this initial setup). Also if you own more than one grill, make sure only one is plugged in while adding them to the app.
• Cannot connect my grill to WiFi network: If you cannot see your WiFi network on the app, first make sure you are not too far from your router, one way to do that is by staying with your phone next to your grill and see if you can connect to the WiFi network with your phone. If the WiFi network is in range but you still cannot see it listed there might be two possible reasons:
  1) there are other WiFi networks with a stronger signal that your grill is detecting, in this case you will still be able to connect by using the last option in the grill list that reads ">> Enter manually << and in this case you'll have to enter all details like the network name and the password manually.
  2) your WiFi network is configured to only work in the 5Ghz mode; the 5GHz mode is a "new" high performance mode that works great with devices that requires high bandwidth like laptops, phones or tablets, but is not ideal for IoT devices like your grill because it requires more power and more resources to be used so your grill will not be able to connect to a 5Ghz network, but don't despair, your router can be configured to work both in 5Ghz and 2.4GHz at the same time, leaving you the benefits of the high speed 5GHz and allowing you to connect many IoT devices, unfortunately the settings needed to be changed depends on your router, the easiest way to change those settings is probably to contact your provider and ask them to enable the dual band mode.
• The App is asking me to update my grill, do I have to do it?: Yes you need to update your grill in order to control it with our new app, the update process is pretty simple and you only need to leave your phone close to your grill with the app open for 5 to 15 minutes (if you were able to connect the grill to wifi the process will be faster, otherwise it will be slower, but in any case shouldn't take more than 15 minutes)
• I have updated my grill, can I still use SmokeIT ?: No, after you have updated your grill you will not be able to use it with SmokeIT anymore, but hopefully you will enjoy our new app a lot more and you will never want to go back to SmokeIT
• Will the app sends notification when temperatures are reached?: Yes you will receive notification when the grill reach the set temperature or when probes reach the set temperatures, but be aware that for best reliability of this feature is better to connect your grill to WiFi.
• Can I connect the same grill to more than one phone/tablet? Yes you can connect your grill to as many devices as you want, and you will receive notifications on all your devices! Also you can control your Grill from multiple devices at the same time!
• Can I connect more than one grill on my phone ? Yes you can connect more than one grill, and you can control them all together from the same phone/tablet.
• Some/all temperature settings i have on my grill/smoker are not available in the app: We designed the new app to mirror the same exact temperature settings you can set on your grill, so it's very important to select the correct grill/smoker model when adding it to the app. If you selected the correct model but you are still seeing different temperatures please let us know so we can investigate the issue ! If you selected the wrong model you need to remove the grill (click the pencil icon in the "grill" card, and then use the "trash" button in the top-right corner) and add it again!.

If you encounter other issues please let us know!
Last but not least, if you like the new app please don't forget to give us a nice rating, and if you are encountering issues please let us know and give us a couple day to fix it before giving a bad rating !
Thank you, we hope you enjoy our new app!

I HAVE TRIED TO CONNECT TO THE APP NUMEROUS TIMES. I contacted Pitt Boss Technical support, and all I got was a runa round. They said they are aware of the poblem, however, there is not an easy fix. They suggested I may have a bad controller. This controller has never worked to connect to the app. Apparently, I will not be able to get it fixed. Pit Boss will not supply a new controller and have not provided any resolution. I guess the warranty and customer service means nothing

 

[Mark H.]

I HAVE TRIED TO CONNECT TO THE APP NUMEROUS TIMES. I contacted Pitt Boss Technical support, and all I got was a runa round. They said they are aware of the poblem, however, there is not an easy fix. They suggested I may have a bad controller. This controller has never worked to connect to the app. Apparently, I will not be able to get it fixed. Pit Boss will not supply a new controller and have not provided any resolution. I guess the warranty and customer service means nothing

I feel bad for you. One thing you might try is if you know someone with an android device, have them download and install the app, turn on bluetooth, plug in the grill and see if they can at least see the grill via bluetooth. If that doesn't work, you have to keep calling Pit Boss customer service. Don't give up until they send you a new controller. You paid a premium price for that grill and it's wifi function.

 

[Cagrant3]

Hello,
As you probably already know PitBoss have been launching their new App for Android and iOS devices!
I'm one of the app developer and I'd like to give you a quick list of issues/questions you might have and solutions/answers:

• I'm getting a lot of server errors or the app get stuck loading: Unfortunately we had some issues with our server just after launch that caused all these problems but they have been fixed and the app should be working fine now.
• I'm not able to login or reset my password: Unfortunately the new app is completely separate from the old SmokeIT app; as such you will not be able to use the same account, but if you already have an account on pitboss-grills.com then you can use that one, or you can create a new account (even using the same credentials you have been using on SmokeIT).
• The app doesn't see my grill: Make sure you have bluetooth enabled and (if using android) location enabled, also make sure you are close to the grill (I’d suggest within 5ft for this initial setup). Also if you own more than one grill, make sure only one is plugged in while adding them to the app.
• Cannot connect my grill to WiFi network: If you cannot see your WiFi network on the app, first make sure you are not too far from your router, one way to do that is by staying with your phone next to your grill and see if you can connect to the WiFi network with your phone. If the WiFi network is in range but you still cannot see it listed there might be two possible reasons:
  1) there are other WiFi networks with a stronger signal that your grill is detecting, in this case you will still be able to connect by using the last option in the grill list that reads ">> Enter manually << and in this case you'll have to enter all details like the network name and the password manually.
  2) your WiFi network is configured to only work in the 5Ghz mode; the 5GHz mode is a "new" high performance mode that works great with devices that requires high bandwidth like laptops, phones or tablets, but is not ideal for IoT devices like your grill because it requires more power and more resources to be used so your grill will not be able to connect to a 5Ghz network, but don't despair, your router can be configured to work both in 5Ghz and 2.4GHz at the same time, leaving you the benefits of the high speed 5GHz and allowing you to connect many IoT devices, unfortunately the settings needed to be changed depends on your router, the easiest way to change those settings is probably to contact your provider and ask them to enable the dual band mode.
• The App is asking me to update my grill, do I have to do it?: Yes you need to update your grill in order to control it with our new app, the update process is pretty simple and you only need to leave your phone close to your grill with the app open for 5 to 15 minutes (if you were able to connect the grill to wifi the process will be faster, otherwise it will be slower, but in any case shouldn't take more than 15 minutes)
• I have updated my grill, can I still use SmokeIT ?: No, after you have updated your grill you will not be able to use it with SmokeIT anymore, but hopefully you will enjoy our new app a lot more and you will never want to go back to SmokeIT
• Will the app sends notification when temperatures are reached?: Yes you will receive notification when the grill reach the set temperature or when probes reach the set temperatures, but be aware that for best reliability of this feature is better to connect your grill to WiFi.
• Can I connect the same grill to more than one phone/tablet? Yes you can connect your grill to as many devices as you want, and you will receive notifications on all your devices! Also you can control your Grill from multiple devices at the same time!
• Can I connect more than one grill on my phone ? Yes you can connect more than one grill, and you can control them all together from the same phone/tablet.
• Some/all temperature settings i have on my grill/smoker are not available in the app: We designed the new app to mirror the same exact temperature settings you can set on your grill, so it's very important to select the correct grill/smoker model when adding it to the app. If you selected the correct model but you are still seeing different temperatures please let us know so we can investigate the issue ! If you selected the wrong model you need to remove the grill (click the pencil icon in the "grill" card, and then use the "trash" button in the top-right corner) and add it again!.

If you encounter other issues please let us know!
Last but not least, if you like the new app please don't forget to give us a nice rating, and if you are encountering issues please let us know and give us a couple day to fix it before giving a bad rating !
Thank you, we hope you enjoy our new app!

I had absolutely no problem with the old app and connectivity: wifi and Bluetooth. Unfortunately I agreed to the app upgrade and haven’t been able to connect since - spotty wifi and no Bluetooth whatsoever. Customer care sent me a new controller. I swapped it in, and now I don’t even get wifi. I’ve given up.

 

[Cagrant3]

I had absolutely no problem with the old app and connectivity: wifi and Bluetooth. Unfortunately I agreed to the app upgrade and haven’t been able to connect since - spotty wifi and no Bluetooth whatsoever. Customer care sent me a new controller. I swapped it in, and now I don’t even get wifi. I’ve given up.

UPDATE: just as I figured - got a new phone. Deleted the app, reinstalled the app, opened the app, wouldn’t connect, uninstalled my unit from the app, closed / opened the app. Went thru the “new install” procedure and low & behold, this new phone connected. The updated app ruins older phone connections - but customer care will never agree to that.

 

[Mark H.]

UPDATE: just as I figured - got a new phone. Deleted the app, reinstalled the app, opened the app, wouldn’t connect, uninstalled my unit from the app, closed / opened the app. Went thru the “new install” procedure and low & behold, this new phone connected. The updated app ruins older phone connections - but customer care will never agree to that.

Really like the wifi feature. Glad you got it working.