Inkbird Wifi Probe Thermometer (Honest) Review (IBBQ-4T)

The Inkbird Wifi IBBQ-4T Thermometer has a few worthy features worth highlighting.

I’ve used many thermometer probes since I created content around meat curing and smoking in all its forms.

What got me interested in this Wi-Fi thermometer is its simplicity (small compact, simple – hey it’s just a thermometer come on) and also I was getting some other Inkbird products (which I’ll mention below). Specifically, temperature and humidity plug then controllers for a new meat curing chamber.

But I also love to do low and slow smoking and other smoking and cooking projects where the thermometer was and is applicable.

First up, I couple of short summaries about what I think and the review of this product. Then I will highlight details about what I thought and how I used it, as always I will try to be as impartial/neutral as possible.

Inkbird Wireless Probe Thermometer Review

The Inkbird Wifi IBBQ-4T true wifi thermometer performs to a reliable standard, temperature accuracy is consistent. The 4 color-coded probes allow many probe projects, it is also water-resistent. 2.4Ghz Wifi connection to a router allows you to leave home and still see data, which is logged in a graph on the app.

This is a ‘network’ capable temperature probe.

The market has a few of these that are true Wi-Fi, and what I mean by this, is that they connect to a wireless router at your home and then you can log in to the thermometer via a smartphone app (iOS or Apple).

It gets a little confusing because some thermometers claim to be Wi-Fi but actually they just have a direct connection from the thermometer to your phone via Bluetooth. They do not allow you to leave the wifi network area and still main monitoring.

Review in Detail

Here is a Table Summarizing my Review of the Inkbird IBBQ-4T:

Characteristic	Rating
Reliability	A
Battery Life	A
App & Functionality	A
Design/Weatherproofing	B

(These links below are Amazon affiliates, so I get a commission, but it doesn’t affect the price for you)

Grab it from good Amazon here.

Reliability of the Inkbird Wifi Probe

Probably one of the most important factors when it comes to a temperature probe, especially if you are cooking for many hours like with BBQ indirect smoking.

And after about a dozen meaty projects, I did come to the conclusion that this unit was “the business“.

When I was making pulled pork, I was on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or my 4G phone data connection. It was always telling me what was going on, we actually went out foraging for some wild mushrooms in a park nearby and the connection was solid to keep an eye on it.

I was looking at the data logging graph on the app, showing me how quickly the temperature was increasing.

I actually made a rough estimate of how long it would take, therefore how long we had to forage. Basically, I timed it so we got back 5 to 10 minutes before it hit target temperature, helpful use of technology.

Other projects using this temperature probe for cooking and checking temperature versus other devices (like the temp and humidity controllers) have so far highlighted a reliable product.

Reliability is probably the key factor when you do a bit of research about the other offerings for Wi-Fi temp probes on the market, that aren’t up to a decent standard.

Even though Inkbird isn’t the most well-known brand around, this design seems to tick most of the boxes.

They had a previous I-BBQ model, but this one seems to be upgraded in many aspects.

Inkbird has been producing the controllers for at least 5 years I think.

Recharging the Inkbird IBBQ-4T

A lot of the other wifi thermometers I’ve seen have a docking system, this Inkbird IBBQ is more minimalist and has a built-in battery and a reversible USB-C type charger.

To give you an idea of how long the charge lasts when I made pulled pork, after eight hours of operation it still had a 60% charge.

So for a small compact multi-probe thermometer that was actually quite surprising.

As I read through the instruction manual (now) to confirm I’m not making it up, they say the battery should last 26 hours without a backlight once it is fully charged.

It takes about 4 hours to charge the battery. When the battery gets to 20% charge it starts flashing the symbol on the unit, when you think about it that should still give you another 3 to 4 hours at least without the backlight on (so no need to panic during the cook).

I accidentally left it on in the kitchen drawer overnight accidentally, and it was surprising that it was still at 80% in the morning!

Inkbird App & Usability

The system runs through the app unless you only want a temperature reading.

The design of the unit is pretty minimalist and straightforward as well.

As you can imagine all you’re doing is setting the temperature either using some of the shortcuts for the different types of meat. Or you can custom set it for that specific type of doneness you want for pulled pork for instance.

There are two ways of connecting to the app, there is a full separate instruction for these. Just to point to note only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi is supported. I was trying to connect to the 5 GHz Wi-Fi home and it doesn’t work and is not supported. (Pretty sure most home Wi-Fi routers have 2.4 options?!)

I’m a practical geek are not sure why that is.

Here is a quick 1 min video to see the interface of the Inkbird Temperature Controller.

Features

Magnetic and Minimalist

Not over or under-engineered even though this device has 4 color-coded temperature probes (both ends coded which helps), it’s compact and minimalist which I actually really appreciate.

The old saying less is more in some cases applies.

Having a magnetic backing was useful, so you’re able to stick it on something vertically or on a magnetic flat surface which I’ve used to my gas grill on one of the side shelves and it doesn’t get knocked around.

Presets or Customized Temperature Targets

As you see in the video, the pre-sit internal temperatures are useful, but quite often I will be using the customized dial. Literally, you just dial it in and set it on whatever probe you want.

You have to set on app, there is only 1 button on the unit for on, off, or back-light.

Constructive Feedback About the Inkbird Wifi Controller

If there was one suggested improvement it would be the plugs that go over the four probes. I can imagine myself easily tearing off the small bits of rubber that the plugs have down the bottom.

I haven’t pulled them too hard but they just feel like a tug could rip with off (at least I’m aware of my faults).

The Type C USB charger on the top of the unit also has a weatherproofing plug of course (the unit is water-resistant, not submersible) that you have to just push quite firmly to make sure it’s in.

Overall these are really minor aspects and I might just be nitpicking.

You also get 2x grill clips for grill level temp probing.

Or grab it from good old Amazon here.

Other InkBird Products I Use

The temperature and humidity plug-and-play controllers are what I use for meat curing, these are the IHC – 200 and the ITC 308 which also got Wi-Fi models recently.

Basically, I plug my old secondhand fridge into the temperature controller and it turns on and off the fridge to keep the temperature around 50°F or 11°C for making pancetta, lonza or drying out some cold smoked bacon!

For the humidity controller, I plug in a humidifier which keeps that moisture up around 70-75%, this helps long-term dry-curing projects immensely.

Both the controllers have 2 plug-in sockets for increase or decrease via an appliance through a sensor I place in the fridge!