Meater Probe
Wireless Meat Thermometer

Introduction
The MEATER wireless smart meat thermometer first came to our attention in September 2015 as a project on Kickstarter. Now that it's finally here, we have had a chance to get our hands on one to play around with it and give you our impressions.

What is the MEATER Probe? It's the first truly wireless, meaning wire-free, meat thermometer. And in case you still don't get it, it means there is no wire between the probe that is stuck into your meat inside of your cooker and the device outside your cooker that displays the temperature information. How does it do this? By using Bluetooth LE, also known as Bluetooth Smart, to communicate with a smart phone or tablet running the MEATER app.

And you ask again, how does it do this (without burning up the electronics)? Oh, they are very clever, they are. By enclosing all the temperature-sensitive components inside the portion of the probe which is stuck into the meat, that's how. That portion of the probe will never get much above the temperature of your meat, so neither will the electronics. The rest of the electronics that make up the MEATER Probe which can tolerate the higher temperature of your cooker reside higher up in the shaft of the probe in the portion which is exposed to the high heat of the cooker.

What does this mean for cooking meat? Well, no more wires, obviously. No more kinked wires. No more fried wires. And imagine what this could mean for users with rotisseries: no more opening the cooker, stopping the rotisserie and using a handheld thermometer to check the temperature of the meat. And the use of a smart phone or tablet makes the data available via your wifi network and the internet.

So, there are a number of interesting aspects to the MEATER probe. Let's look at it's features and see how it performs.

Specifications and Features
The MEATER Probe consists of three components, the probe itself, the charger and the MEATER app. Here are some features and specifications from the MEATER web page:

For the probe:

• Stainless steel construction
• Water resistant design, dustproof, and easy to clean
• Wireless up to 33 feet (10 meters): Bluetooth LE connection to your smart device
• MEATER Sense™: 2 temperature sensors in 1 probe
• Internal temperature sensor range: 212°F (100°C)
• Ambient temperature sensor range: 527°F (275°C)
• Rechargeable Battery: Lasts 24 hours of continuous cooking between charges
• 2 hours to charge a drained probe to 80%
• Dimensions 130mm x 7mm (6mm diameter) / 5.1 x 0.28 (0.24 diameter) inches
• Weight 10 grams / 0.35 ounce
• 1000+ battery usage/recharge cycles

• Stores and charges the MEATER probe
• Modern design, made with real wood (bamboo, actually) to match any kitchen or outdoor decor
• Charges your MEATER probe up to 100 times using a single AAA battery
• LED indicator to show charging and pairing status
• Magnetic backing to attach the charger to any metallic surface like your refrigerator
• Dimensions 157mm x 37mm x 28mm / 6.2 x 1.5 x 1.1 inches

• Monitor the internal and ambient temperature of your food in real time
• Select the meat type, cut type, and desired cooking result and the app will automatically set the target temperature
• Receive audible and visual notifications when your food is ready
• Finish Time: Provides a countdown timer or actual time when the food is expected to reach the target temperature.
• Add custom notifications and timers so you can plan and have total control of your cooking experience
• Enable Meater Link and Meater Cloud
• Available for iOS and Android smart devices
• No web browser access, app only
• Alexa/Echo enabled

A Photo Tour of the MEATER Probe and Charging Block
So let's take a look at the MEATER Probe and charger. It arrives in a sturdy little cardboard box.

First, a look at the front of the MEATER Probe in the charging block. There are a few things to notice. Here we see the probe installed in the charger block. While it is in the charger block, it is turned off and its internal battery charges from the AAA battery in the charger block.

To the left you can see the electrode which forms one end of the charging circuit. At center, you can see the test button and light which tells you if the AAA battery can still charge the probe. If you press the button and the green light comes on, you are good to go.

Here you can see the other electrode which completes the charging circuit.

Now, to the back of the charging block. In the photo on the left you can see two silver discs on either end of the charging block. Those discs are relatively strong magnets that allow you to affix the block to any magnet-friendly surface. In the photo on the right, we have removed the cover of the battery compartment. You can see the AAA battery which does all the charging of the probe. The two smaller silver discs on either end of the cover are again magnets that hold the lid in place.

Next, let's look at the MEATER probe itself. Physically, the probe is about 5.1 inches long. The shaft of the probe is just under ¼ inch in diameter, while the upper end is a square that is 0.28 inches on a side. The probe weighs about 0.35 ounces.

Below from left to right, we have photos of the probe's tip, the line that marks the minimum insertion point, and the ceramic housing and metal tip. The minimum insertion line is very important. All the heat sensitive electronics are located between the tip of the probe and this line. By inserting the probe into the meat up to this point, you ensure that the electronics inside don't get any hotter than the temperature of your meat. That's why you can place the probe into a very hot cooker without damaging the electronics. The sensor for the meat temperature is located below this line, about ⅓ of the way up from the tip. The ceramic portion of the probe houses the ambient temperature sensor (what most of us would call the pit sensor) as well as the Bluetooth antenna. The metal tip above the ceramic serves as one of the connections to the charger and is also connected thermally to the ambient temperature sensor. (The other connection is the metal shaft of the probe.)

Usage Rules and Warnings
The MEATER website is filled with information about using your MEATER Probe. We have pulled out some of the more important-sounding rules, limitations and warnings here:

• You must insert the probe at least to the safety line etched on the shaft, what we have referred to as the "minimum insertion line." The temperature-sensitive electronics and the meat temperature sensor are located between the tip of the probe and this line. The temperature-sensitive electronics must be contained in the meat you are cooking to protect them from high temperatures. Failure to do this will damage the electronics. And obviously, the meat temperature sensor must be inside the meat in order to accurately sense the temperature of the meat.

• Don't insert the ceramic part of the probe into the meat. The ambient or pit temperature sensor is located inside the ceramic portion of the probe and will be unable to sense the ambient temperature if it is being influenced by the temperature of the meat.

• Don't use in a microwave or pressure cooker.

• Don't drop on a hard surface.

• The probe is not dishwasher safe, so hand wash.

• The probe is water resistant, not water proof, so don't submerge the probe in water.

• The maximum temperature for the food temperature sensor (and also the electronics housed with it) is 212°F / 100°C.

• The maximum temperature for the ambient/pit temperature sensor is 527°F / 275°C.

• Don't allow any part of the MEATER probe to touch a hot cooking surface.

• For improved Bluetooth range, keep the MEATER probe at least 2 inches from the inside surface of your cooker.

• If the probe battery is below 50% when you start a cook, you will get a warning on the app. When the battery charge falls below 20%, you will get a low battery warning.

Bluetooth Range
One critical aspect of the MEATER Probe is the range of the Bluetooth communications. What good is a wire-free thermometer if you can't stray more than a few feet from your cooker before losing your connection? MEATER claims to have up to a 10 meter (33 feet) range. Of course we had to verify this and we found that the MEATER Probe actually does quite a lot better under ideal conditions.

The Bluetooth signal radiates most strongly out to the sides of the probe, and less so out of the tip. In other words, you will get the best signal if the probe is vertical and your smart device is off to the side. Placing the probe in a horizontal position means a slightly weaker signal. We tested line of sight distance with with both orientations using an iPhone 6.

• The best case is just a straight line of sight between the probe in the vertical position and a smart device. We found that we could maintain a steady connection up to 106 feet away. When we moved the probe to a horizontal position, the range dropped slightly to 92 feet.

• Next, we placed the probe inside a ceramic cooker, a Kamado Joe BigJoe. Due to the placement of our cooker and the geography of our yard, we could only get 92 feet away from the probe. With the probe in the vertical position, we could maintain a solid connection at 92 feet. With the probe in the horizontal position, the connection stayed solid to around 85 feet.

• But, you say, what about a metal cooker? Well, we have one of those just for tests like this! We placed the probe in a horizontal position inside a Weber Smokey Joe and then added the lid. Yes, we did. And we were able to maintain a connection up to 39 feet.

• Next, we placed the probe in a horizontal position inside of our kitchen oven with the door closed. Due to the layout of this house, we could only measure the range of the signal as it passed through a refrigerator and a wall. In this situation, we could maintain a connection up to 30 feet.

• To get silly, we tried placing the probe in an All-Clad stainless steel/aluminum sauce pan with the lid on (12 feet). We also wrapped the probe in a single layer of heavy duty aluminum foil (6 feet). So in theory, you could have the probe in a piece of meat, wrap the whole thing up in foil, and still be able to connect to the probe if your phone was right next to your cooker.

• Finally, when we were cooking a pork butt with the probe inserted horizontally into the meat and the lid of the kamado-style cooker closed, we measured a 70 foot connection range, again, line of sight.

Line of sight vertical	106 feet
Line of sight horizontal	92 feet
Inside ceramic cooker vertical	> 92 feet
Inside ceramic cooker horizontal	85 feet
Inside metal cooker horizontal	39 feet
Inside kitchen oven horizontal	30 feet
Inside stainless steel sauce pan horizontal	12 feet
Wrapped in heavy duty aluminum foil horizontal	6 feet
Inserted into pork butt inside ceramic cooker horizontal	70 feet

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