Wired, Wireless and Built-In Probes Compared by Type
Probes differ mainly in how the reading travels from the food to you. There are three common arrangements: a wire to a display, a radio link, and a port built into the grill. This page describes each by type. It doesn't rate any product.
Wired probes
A wired probe has a metal tip connected to a display by a flexible, heat-resistant cable1. The probe goes into the meat and the cable runs out of the cooker to the readout1.
The display can be a separate unit that sits nearby. It can also be the grill's own control panel, if the grill has a probe port.
What limits a wired probe:
- Cable length. The display has to be within reach of the cable.
- Where the cable exits. It has to leave the cooker without being pinched by the lid or touching hot parts. Check what your maker's manual says about routing it.
- Heat rating. The cable and plug have a limit, which the maker states for each product.
Built-in probes
Many pellet grills have a probe port on the control panel. The meat probe plugs straight into the grill, and the grill's own screen shows the reading. In effect it's a wired probe whose display is the grill itself.
The grill controller also reads a separate chamber sensor. That one measures the grill temperature and feeds the controller, which can start or stop the auger2. The difference between the two is set out on its own page.
Some grill makers also offer Wi-Fi controls that allow remote monitoring of the grill2. Which probes a given grill accepts, and which plugs fit, is set by its maker, so use what your own manual lists.
Wireless probes
A wireless probe has no cable to the display. Wireless types are made so that the display doesn't have to be close to the oven1. The reading is sent by radio to a receiver or a phone.
Many of these use Bluetooth, a short-range radio standard. Bluetooth is only one possible radio link. Check your product's manual to see which it uses.
What limits wireless range
A maker's range figure is usually measured in the open. Real conditions are different.
- Walls and obstacles. The actual range of a link depends on both devices and on the air and obstacles in between3. Indoors, wall attenuation and signal reflections make the range far lower than line-of-sight ranges3.
- Battery condition. The effective range varies with propagation conditions, material coverage, antenna configurations and battery conditions3.
- Probe position. Where the probe and the receiver sit changes the link. Your manual may give placement advice for your model.
If a wireless probe keeps dropping its link, the first things to check are the distance, what stands between the two devices, and the batteries. Then check the manual.
Comparison by type
| Type | How it connects | Main limit |
|---|---|---|
| Wired to a separate display | Heat-resistant cable | Cable length and routing |
| Built into the grill | Probe port on the control panel | Only the probes the maker lists |
| Wireless | Radio link to a receiver or phone | Distance, obstacles, battery |
Number of probes
Models also differ in how many probes they handle. Single probe models are usually the cheapest, but they can only monitor one section of the meat1. Multiprobe models usually can connect 2–8 probes1. More probes let you watch several pieces, or several spots in one large piece.
How to place them is covered on Where to Place a Probe in Meat.
Cited material
- Meat thermometer, Wikipedia
- Pellet grill, Wikipedia
- Bluetooth, Wikipedia
Keep reading
How a Meat Probe Works: Sensors, Wires and ReadoutsWhat's inside a meat probe, and how a sensor, a cable and a display turn heat into a number you can read on a pellet grill or a handheld unit.
Grill Probes and Meat Probes: What Each One MeasuresA pellet grill reports one temperature for the air and another for the food. Here's what each probe measures and why the two numbers differ.
Where to Place a Probe in MeatWhere the probe tip should sit in roasts, poultry and patties so the reading means something, and what makes a reading misleading.