Pro 575 temp and WiFire issues, solutions??

[hoffrossman]

Hey guys. I just bought a 575 and tried to cook ribs, which were undercooked and then later that day I tried a brisket that was also undercooked. I'm almost certain, from reading other people's posts that my smoker is not achieving the temperature setpoint I designate on the controller. Display says it stays within + - 10 degrees, but I think the reading is much lower. 20, 50 or even 100 degrees lower as I raise the temp. It seems this is a common problem for this smoker. Also I am trying to connect my smoker via a mobile hotspot and it keeps kicking it off not allowing me to update firmware, to possibly help with temp issues. So, has anyone had success in getting these 575s to work correctly with a new probe, or controller? And also, is it even possible to connect via a mobile hotspot, or MUST I be connected to a regular WiFi signal. Thanks in advance!

 

[hoffrossman]

So after much back and forth with traeger reps and troubleshooting, I'll be returning my 575 for a previous model I think. As it turns out, you(or me in this case) can only use this grill if you have WiFi connected. Unfortunately, internet isn't readily available where I live and cost a lot monthly. Also, it has been confirmed that my mobile hotspot itself is not enough to connect to the grill. I would need a router(that costs more money) and a data plan to bring the bandwith(or speed, whichever) high enough to allow this connection. Since my traeger was bought with the older firmware, right out of the box it wasn't going to work correctly. I'm disappointed and feel like traeger needs to let people know that you absolutely must have WiFi available to use these new grills properly. Say I took my grill to my neighbors, updated it and everything is fine. Then 6 months later I have to haul it back for another update. Basically the tech said these updates are similar to phone updates and they are necessary once they are pushed out.

 

[pkitch]

It really is a disgrace that they seem to continue to ship grills with bad or wrong software that significantly impacts function like this.

I think to clarify - you need the connection in order to update your firmware. Once you have the correct firmware your grill will work just fine without an ongoing connection. Seems like you have already made your decision, but if you were to stick with (a correctly working) D2 Controller has much better accuracy temp ramp up and stability. Hope it all works out one way or another.