Kamado FB500-K 500-WiFi Smoker Controller (Kamado)

Although the box was sealed, there was an empty space where the fan should have been located.... I will be returning it. Supplier speedily rectified this problem, supplying a replacement fan, so I have upgraded my original review.

This is a really great device, once set up it will maintain the temperature set unit the fuel runs out. this enables long overnight cooks without having to check the BBQ every couple of hours.

I am a fan of this unit, however I am running into a problem. I am not an internet newbie, and have about 5 computers at home, along with several wifi devices. I have been doing computers for the last 40 years or more. The manual portion of the controller works very well. It seemed to keep the temperature in my Pit Boss egg to within a few degrees. I had set it for 350 and it never moved more than a few degrees in either direction. When I raised the lid on the unit, the temperature probe dropped by at least 50 degrees. But when I closed it, the temperature slowly raised by up again. It did not run the fan needlessly but waited for some time before adding a little bit of air. So there was no overshoot at all. I tested it from 200 to 350 and it always stayed very constant. If you start out at a high temperature, it will take some time for it to come down in the egg. So it is better to cook at a low temperature, then when you need a higher temperature, then raise the temp on the unit. Why I am giving it 3 stars is that no matter what I do, I cannot connect to it from an android phone, a laptop, or any pads, whether they be android or apple. It simply does not put out the signal that I can find. I even used a signal scanner for the wifi and nothing at all. I tried it using the automatic method, and the manual method. Nothing. I did email their support and will see if they can help, but as of yet, they have not replied. I will give it a few days and then return the item to Amazon if they do not help at all. Edited: the wifi was not responding. I tried to get it on manually. Would not. So I sent an email off and within hours it was answered and Marcus emailed me back from Flame Boss. Talk about customer service..So we worked through the problem. It turns out it had the wrong IP address programmed into it for their server. We changed it and after a few more attempts it connected. Then it automatically updated, and is now rock stable. Marcus was wonderful, and very courteous. I do have a lot of experience with computers (over 40 years) and the internet. so working with him was easy, but if I did not have that experience, it still would have been easy. He even offered for a quick return, but I turned it down to see if we could get if fixed together. I had even run a program to look at the signal strength, and there was none at the beginning. After fixing the server IP number, it turned on and ran great. Granted, I had an earlier revision number for the firmware and software, and that was causing the problem. I had earlier filled out a ticket to return it with Amazon, and they also gave me no grief. Gave me a return label immediately. Now I do not have to. And Marcus even stated at the beginning, go ahead and use it for the weekend and then when I get time, send it back and they would replace it. What a generous offer. And he would find out the problem and respond to me and let me know the failure. Now that is very good customer service. So he and I talked and he told me some tips to using it, how to cook the best ribs and chicken wings, and then sent me recipes! And this was on a Saturday morning during the weekend! I could just call Marcus and talk to him all day about bbqing! What a pleasant gentleman. I am 71 years old and he never talked down to me at all. He made me feel right at home. So go ahead and splurge with this company. It is a great product and they make things very right!

This thing is perfect for my kamado. Easy setup and install. Plugged it in, opened app, entered code done. It updated itself. Was cooking in 10 min. More products need to put at least this much effort into their app. Clean interface, features and their controls are obvious. No crashing. Quick account setup. Works with cloud, local or direct. The guys who made the amazon phone app could learn something here.

I used a flame boss for 15 years. I have one and easily move the motor to either my Medium or Large Green Egg, whichever one I'm using for the evening. I never have to worry about temp control. I can check the temp right at the Egg, or on my phone if I run to the grocery. I seldom check it on my phone, cause I know its working. My original Flameboss was a Model 200. It failed so I bought a new one. No complaints there, it was under cover, but outside for 15 years. My new Model 500 has a nicer case and a better stand. When I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised with the new design. Had a little trouble with software, I think because I had old software on my phone. Called support and a friendly fellow (who was in the US, yeah!)(after 5pm, yeah!) got me going quickly. OK, what's the picky gripe? The Model 200 provided display of the Egg temp, meat temp, and fan speed right on the unit. The fan speed is great feedback for knowing how much to open the top vent. Well, the Model 500 does not display the fan speed on the unit. Instead, they added display of two more meat temps (extra probes required). The fan speed is only displayed on the phone app. Man, when I'm done for the day and grilling, ain't no one interrupting me on the phone. I leave the phone in the bathroom after my shower! I suppose its a picky gripe. I can usually guess the top vent opening. Now if I miss, the temp rises or falls, and I readjust. The Flameboss makes the Egg pretty forgiving of the vent setting anyway. Great product. Thanks folks.

Works terrible, always overshoots and is more of a pain then just doing it manually. You have no ability to manually control it, if it things it needs 100% fan to get it up 10C get ready to spend hours trying to fix its mistake

I've run my BGE naturally aspirated for about 7 years thinking I would never adapt it. I should have converted YEARS ago. This Flame-Boss has made a world of difference in the use of my egg, and now allows me to start a mid-night cook and actually go back to bed reasonably quickly. The WiFi has been flawless, and rock solid. Strange how I can both monitor it, and manage it while shopping for dinner supplies. The DeWalt 12v battery adapter works GREAT with a simple barrel plug adapter that one can make. Or buy a barrel plug to barrel plug cable. I am yet to even get a single LED on the battery to go out with my longest cooks, so time of cook has not been an issue. Strongly suggested to power the rig up before you need it (morning of, etc.) so that any updates can happen without delaying your cook. Once it's updated, its ready to roll. Truth be told, outside of the first time use, the updates are really only 3-5 minutes on the top side. It's a good idea to have a spare set of sensors in the drawer as the ones that come with it, and would be used are going to have limited life, certainly if you overheat them by mistake. But compared to other branded devices, the costs of these sensors are relatively cheap as there are lots of off-brand sensors available.