The item(s) contained in this review have been provided gratis by The BBQ Guru. This was done with the understanding that the manufacturer may request correction of any factual errors, but may not otherwise dictate the content of this review. We keep the donated items for the purpose of any future testing, and for our occasional personal use. No other condsiderationss, financial or otherwise, were given.

Introduction

Most readers should already be aware that BBQ Guru is probably the biggest and oldest name in electronic BBQ temperature controls. When gadgets and gizmos started connected to the internet via WiFi, BBQ Guru brought out the CyberQ WiFi model, but like so many of the "WiFi" devices, it suffered from the fact that getting it to work so that you could monitor your cook from anywhere was pretty tricky for the common user. You had to learn how to log into your router and manipulate functions like DHCP Reservation and Port Forwarding.

Features

Here is a list of features and specifications for the CyberQ Cloud unit from the BBQ Guru web site:

• Automatically and constantly controls your grill cooking temperature with oven-like precision
• Monitor up to 3 food temperatures (ships with 1 food probe)
• Share, track, control, and record cooks
• Graphing capabilities of your cook temperatures
• Share cooks on social media
• Comment on other cooks
• Upload photos of your cooks
• Get notifications sent to your phone or email to alert you when your food is done
• With an Amazon Alexa-enabled device, BBQ’ers will be able to ask questions like, “Alexa, ask CyberQ Cloud, what is the temperature of food 1?”
• Because of its precision, your charcoal burns more efficiently, lasts longer, and saves you money
• Ships with 1 six-foot pit probe and 1 six-foot food probe
• Ships with 12 volt - 2 amp Power Pack

Here is a list of other features and specifications:

• Temperature Probes - Up to 3 food probes and 1 pit probe
• Pit Temperature Probe - Type T thermocouple probe with 72" stainless steel-braided cable.
• Food Temperature Probes - Type T thermocouple probes with 72" stainless steel-braided cables.
• Probes good up to 500°F (260°C)
• Probes/cables smoke and moisture resistant, not submersible.
• Open Lid Detect
• Ramp Mode
• Timer-based temperature hold and other actions
• Power Glitch Safe - Continues running at the saved set temperature when power returns.
• Food Temperature Alarms - Lets you know when your food reaches your target temperature.
• Pit Temperature Alarm - Lets you know if your pit temperature strays too far (configurable), from your target.
• CyberQ Cloud unit dimensions: 5⅞" x 3⅜" x ⅞"
• Unit weight: 8¼ oz
• Ingress Protection rating - IP54
• Pit Set Temperature 32°-475°F (0°-246°C)
• Food Alarm Temperature 32°-475°F (0°-246°C)
• WiFi Hot-Spot mode allows direct connection with smart devices.
• WiFi "Cloud" mode allows for remote control and monitoring anywhere with internet access.
• LCD 2x16 display with brightness and contrast controls.
• 5-button keypad for data entry and selection.
• 10 cubic feet per minute (CFM) blower with damper for most cookers.
• Power pack supports 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz
• 23 different blower adapters available for connecting to a world of cookers.

Compared To Other BBQ Temperature Controllers

Like most other temperature control systems, the CyberQ Cloud system is blower-based, controlling airflow through the cooker with a blower. Features like the display, keypad, number of temperature probes is comparable to other controllers. It provides a complete set of features like Open Lid Detect, Ramp Mode, and Timer-based actions that are missing from some other controllers. It is also paired with a feature-rich website www.ShareMyCook.com that, in addition to remote control and monitoring, provides sharing of recipes and cooks with other users.

The Basic System

The basic CyberQ Cloud package comes with the following items:

• The CyberQ Cloud control unit
• 12 volt power supply
• 1 thermocouple food probe
• 1 thermocouple pit probe with alligator clip
• Cloth pouch
• Universal stand
• Printed Quick Start Guide
• Printed recipe booklet

If you have purchased a temperature controller from BBQ Guru before, you may already have these items. If not, when you order your CyberQ Cloud, you must also purchase:

• Pit Viper 10 CFM blower
• Blower adapter for your cooker

A Few Observations About The Components

The CyberQ Cloud innards are housed in a plastic case which is rated to IP54 (Ingress Protection rating) which means it has partial protection from dust ingress and is protected from water splashed from all directions. In other words, keep it protected from hard rain, and don't submerse it. The temperature probes all have braided stainless steel insulation and are smoke and moisture resistant, but again not submersible. The new Pit Viper blower is described as "moisture resistant." The new plastic case certainly will better resist the intrusion of moisture into the blower than the original blower's stainless steel plate. And with the air intake on the new blower being more covered, there should be less chance for splashing rain enter from below in a heavy rainfall. In general, everything feels sturdy and well built.

The System Unit

The CyberQ Cloud unit is a small plastic box about 5⅞" x 3⅜" x ⅞" and weighing 8¼ oz. The case houses the electronics and has the display and control buttons on the front. The display itself is 2½" x ⅝" and is a backlit 2 x 16 character LCD display. There is no dedicated power switch, per se, as power can be turned on and off the the center round button or by plugging and unplugging the power cord. The back of the unit has two studs for mounting the unit on the provided universal mounting plate. The unit has connections for power, the blower, a pit temperature probe and three food temperature probes.

Controls

The front panel controls consist of a 5-button keypad:

• Center Button - Functions as an "Enter" key. Also serves as an on/off button.

• Left and Right Arrows - When changing values, moves the cursor left and right from digit to digit. Also used to move between System, Control and WiFi setup menus.
• Down and Up arrows - Scrolls up and down between menu items, changes values when altering settings, pressed together and held will enter/exit System Setup menu.