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ThermoWorks launched their long awaited wireless temperature probe today, and it has some of the best specs in the industry. It’s a big leap forward for what wireless probes can do, thanks to their proprietary technology.
RFX Wireless Technology
The biggest differentiators for the RFX MEAT wireless probe are it’s range and connectivity, which have historically been complaints for wireless probes. The RFX wireless technology works differently though to change the game on what a wireless probe can do.
The secret is in the frequency that RFX operates in. Frequency is another way of saying the number of cycles per second in a wave. A way to visualize it is at the beach if you had narrow waves crashing into the shore very quickly, one after the other, that would be a high frequency.
A low frequency would be if the waves were wider, and crashed into the shore at a lower rate. The lower frequency waves when it comes to signal transmission can crash through barriers easier without signal loss. As you can see in the above picture from ThermoWorks’ website, that means they won’t get absorbed by the lid on your smoker or the walls on your house.
With the frequency that the RFX works at, it’s been tested to work up to 659 feet away in a smoker with a lid closed. It maintains that connection by working with a Gateway that will then use WiFi to put the information in the cloud and onto your phone.
Features and Specs
- Retail price of $168 (check price) – available for pre-order
- The probe lasts for 50 hours on a 10 minute charge, so you aren’t stuck waiting for your probe
- You can use over 50 probes at a time in case you’re cooking for a whole football roster
- IP69K water resistance rating means that it’s dishwasher and deep fryer safe
- Thin probe tip to make sure your steak doesn’t look like a donut
- Has four temp sensors in the tip with an accuracy of +/- 0.9 degrees F, for accurate cooking results
High Ambient Temp Capability
Another big difference with the RFX from other wireless probes is it has a high ambient temp rating. With a max temp of 1,000 degrees F, it’s maximum temperature is up there with the MEATER 2 Plus. That may not matter if you’re just cooking barbecue, but you’re grilling, you need those high temp ratings.
Release Info
For those that want the ThermoWorks RFX MEAT Wireless Probe, you’ll have to wait a little longer. It will start shipping in early September, but initial quantities will be limited, so get in on the pre-order.