BockBurner
New member
Hey everyone! I was super stoked to get my Costco Show Special put together and start smoking. Those dreams were quickly extinguished though, after trying to get it hooked up to the app. I am fairly techy and handy. I build my own computers, set up networks, do a lot of technical and architectural drafting in AutoCAD, and I'm a furniture maker.
I put the Traeger together, which was fantastic. No matter how simple something is, writing build instructions is really really difficult and Traeger knocked it out of the park with packaging, instructions, and material quality.
Plugging it in and synching it to the app, though....wow...that's a whole other issue. I spent 3 hours on it myself going through the process over and over, trying different things out, tweaking the process, working on my own network trying to fake out my iphone with different signals from the mesh network, deleting and reloading the app, and on and on. Nothing worked.
NOTE: I have a Netgear ORBI Mesh Network Router.
Got on the phone with the Traeger Customer Service and while she was nice enough, she did break the news that Mesh Networks and wifi6 is not compatible because Traeger has no way to talk to any devices on 5ghz. She had no solutions for me either. Since there is no 'switching off' of the 5ghz signal, the only reliable way to do this is to set up a 2.4 network.
Ultimately through MUCH trial and error, this was my fix:
1) I bought a cheap router that I could separate the 2.4 and 5ghz.
2) Unplugged my current router
3) Plugged in the new router
4) Logged in and named the 2.4ghz EXACTLY THE SAME as the 'old' network, leaving the 5ghz the default Netgear name.
5) Made the password EXACTLY THE SAME as the old network
6) Installed the app on a previous generation device (for some reason, it didn't like my new iphoneX)
7) Went through the same setup protocols MANUALLY (not the QR code version)
8) Got the app and the Traeger to finally work together, download updates, and synch up.
9) Back to the iPhoneX and logged in and got it seeing the Traeger there too.
10) Unplug the new router
11) Unplug the Traeger
12) Set the 'old' router (the new mesh wifi6 system)
13) Reset the modem
14) Reset the router
15) Plug the Traeger back in, switch it on, and push the button to light up the screen
16) Verified on my iPhone the it was working, and VIOLA! Since it had learned the 2.4 network as the same name and password, it still worked on the mesh signal. It just couldn't do the initial setup on it.
Its JUST THAT EASY folks.
All in all, it was about 9 hours with three different Traeger Reps, two NETGEAR reps, and a trip to Best Buy.
I've got 30+ devices of all sorts on my network. Old ones, new ones, 2.4, 5.0, wired, smart ones, dumb ones, all kinds of different manufacturers, appliances, cameras, USB, recording equipment, mobile stuff, yadda yadda yadda....lots of stuff. And I have NEVER seen something like this. It is absolutely bananas that their protocol is this difficult. It works now, but holy cow.....
I smoked a turkey on it and was really pleased with it. I'm glad I was persistent and patient enough and didn't just return it.
On a side note: I just installed the pellet sensor today. It that took all of 5 minutes and it worked flawlessly.
I look forward to using it for years to come and NEVER EVER making changes to my network name.
Jerrod
I put the Traeger together, which was fantastic. No matter how simple something is, writing build instructions is really really difficult and Traeger knocked it out of the park with packaging, instructions, and material quality.
Plugging it in and synching it to the app, though....wow...that's a whole other issue. I spent 3 hours on it myself going through the process over and over, trying different things out, tweaking the process, working on my own network trying to fake out my iphone with different signals from the mesh network, deleting and reloading the app, and on and on. Nothing worked.
NOTE: I have a Netgear ORBI Mesh Network Router.
Got on the phone with the Traeger Customer Service and while she was nice enough, she did break the news that Mesh Networks and wifi6 is not compatible because Traeger has no way to talk to any devices on 5ghz. She had no solutions for me either. Since there is no 'switching off' of the 5ghz signal, the only reliable way to do this is to set up a 2.4 network.
Ultimately through MUCH trial and error, this was my fix:
1) I bought a cheap router that I could separate the 2.4 and 5ghz.
2) Unplugged my current router
3) Plugged in the new router
4) Logged in and named the 2.4ghz EXACTLY THE SAME as the 'old' network, leaving the 5ghz the default Netgear name.
5) Made the password EXACTLY THE SAME as the old network
6) Installed the app on a previous generation device (for some reason, it didn't like my new iphoneX)
7) Went through the same setup protocols MANUALLY (not the QR code version)
8) Got the app and the Traeger to finally work together, download updates, and synch up.
9) Back to the iPhoneX and logged in and got it seeing the Traeger there too.
10) Unplug the new router
11) Unplug the Traeger
12) Set the 'old' router (the new mesh wifi6 system)
13) Reset the modem
14) Reset the router
15) Plug the Traeger back in, switch it on, and push the button to light up the screen
16) Verified on my iPhone the it was working, and VIOLA! Since it had learned the 2.4 network as the same name and password, it still worked on the mesh signal. It just couldn't do the initial setup on it.
Its JUST THAT EASY folks.
All in all, it was about 9 hours with three different Traeger Reps, two NETGEAR reps, and a trip to Best Buy.
I've got 30+ devices of all sorts on my network. Old ones, new ones, 2.4, 5.0, wired, smart ones, dumb ones, all kinds of different manufacturers, appliances, cameras, USB, recording equipment, mobile stuff, yadda yadda yadda....lots of stuff. And I have NEVER seen something like this. It is absolutely bananas that their protocol is this difficult. It works now, but holy cow.....
I smoked a turkey on it and was really pleased with it. I'm glad I was persistent and patient enough and didn't just return it.
On a side note: I just installed the pellet sensor today. It that took all of 5 minutes and it worked flawlessly.
I look forward to using it for years to come and NEVER EVER making changes to my network name.
Jerrod
Last edited: