Meater Block Buyer Beware ***UPDATE***

[WillRunForQue]

I'm another one of the lucky ones. My block and Meater+ both work perfectly. I did have to move my big smoker closer to the Wifi router, which was fine for the summer. Hope you guys get things worked out!

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I'm another one of the lucky ones. My block and Meater+ both work perfectly. I did have to move my big smoker closer to the Wifi router, which was fine for the summer. Hope you guys get things worked out!

Mine are working fine on WIFi

It’s now a BlueTooth issue. Using the unit on Bluetooth with no WiFi.

Yes some of us leave our houses and smoke in the wilds of the world where there is no WIFI!

With that said the BlueTooth won’t even work in my house with the Block right next to me, phone in one hand and probe in the other.

Then after going into Bluetooth and back to connected only certain probes will connect back in. Not all 4 it’s a $h!t show!

In our Dee to get things to work again o had to pull all batteries, shut down phone , reboot.

It’s pretty obvious it’s a software problem that needs to dealt with.

Unfortunately the developers of the software aren’t open to easy input when things don’t work.

 

[Misplaced Nebraskan]

Try it before you head out. Really pissed me off getting into the woods and it didn’t work. Nornthe the MEATER+ which is used before via Blue tooth.

solid advice. I'll try tomorrow before I head out.

Mine are working fine on WIFi

It’s now a BlueTooth issue. Using the unit on Bluetooth with no WiFi.

Yes some of us leave our houses and smoke in the wilds of the world where there is no WIFI!

With that said the BlueTooth won’t even work in my house with the Block right next to me, phone in one hand and probe in the other.

Then after going into Bluetooth and back to connected only certain probes will connect back in. Not all 4 it’s a $h!t show!

In our Dee to get things to work again o had to pull all batteries, shut down phone , reboot.

It’s pretty obvious it’s a software problem that needs to dealt with.

Unfortunately the developers of the software aren’t open to easy input when things don’t work.

out of wifi range!?!? what is this wilderness you speak of?!?

I am waaaaay overdue for a nature retreat. your last camping post hit me hard! been too long and need to rectify.

 

[dr k]

This sounds like a nightmare but a great place to remind folks to keep it simple. You don't need the friggin internet or high tech to smoke meat. I have a wireless thermometer myself but the simpler it is the better in most cases. So keep it simple folks. The more complicated it is the more opportunity there is for something to not go right. This coming from someone who spent their entire life in the high tech industry. Don't let them dazzel you with bells, whistles and gadgets that you just don't need. They just want your money.

I love my Mes smoker with PID but this summer I've revisited my Kamado charcoal Akorn with fantastic results. I have a lot of cherry, pecan, apple and pear small splits and chunks and haven't seen a smoke ring since 2015 and was surprised when it showed up with the Kamado. I like the Mes results the best since it's set it and forget it. I gave away my 700 sq inch charcoal brinkmann grill and this summer going through the kamado learning curve again since its my grill, 2nd smoker and pizza oven.

 

[86gn]

I purchased a Block this summer from the Meater website. Out of the box it wanted a firmware update but the upgrade kept failing. Eventually broke down and reached out to support through the contact page on their website.

Support replied and was helpful. It turns out that the phone (or tablet) running the app and the Block both must be on the same 2.4 GHz WiFi network for the upgrade. The firmware (1.0.16.2) loaded without any problem once I had both devices on 2.4. However many new routers don't distinguish between 2.4 and 5 GHz and my iPhone kept wanting to use 5 GHz so I pulled out an old 2.4 only router to make sure both devices were on 2.4 Ghz. I've since found the a way to create a dedicated 2.4 network with my home router but it is not as simple as most other brands of routers.

To use the probes with Bluetooth, I found I had to have the Block powered off. This way the probes would connect to the phone directly by Bluetooth. This option is off by default in the app so you have to go change the setting in the app to allow your phone to connect directly to the probes by Bluetooth.

After the update the Block could be used in standalone mode which still allows each probe to be set up and monitored from the Block buttons or in WiFi mode which uses the App to setup and monitor the cooking.

Interestingly, it appears that once a probe is programmed for a cook it is possible to switch between Bluetooth, WiFi, and Standalone modes and the probe will continue reporting with the settings it was last programmed.

 

[three2one]

I just got my Block from Amazon (thankfully it appears as it is probably going back). I am in the same boat as everyone here. Update fails and can't get beyond it. Even probes won't connect with block on or off. My Xfinity modem doesn't distinguish between 2.4 and 5 so I can't get the connection I need to do the update.

I am thinking about returning the block and getting the individual plus models. My question is how do they get the 165 ft distance without a block type setup? And do they work as advertised? Do they just have a stronger blue tooth antenna? Will they broadcast into the home while sitting inside the smoker? I don't need the whole 165 ft, just about 80 ft.

I have two standard Meaters which work just fine, but that 33 ft distance is extremely limiting.

I did get a FB Messenger response from Daniel at Apption Labs who suggested using a separate cell phone as a virtual hotspot to connect my iPhone to, getting off the home wifi. But unfortunately I don't have another cell phone to do that with.

 

[DocShadownix]

Honestly stay away from this company... after sending mine in for update, it is now AGAIN asking for update and stuck - won't update! It is an expensive paperweight. Ridiculous. Apption labs has HORRIBLE customer service.

 

[three2one]

Honestly stay away from this company... after sending mine in for update, it is now AGAIN asking for update and stuck - won't update! It is an expensive paperweight. Ridiculous. Apption labs has HORRIBLE customer service.

I was thinking about the update. Someone mentioned that they received an updated block directly from the manufacturer. Great, but what about the next update? Same problem creeps in and you are dead in the water again. Is it just 2.4 vs 5.0 ghz that causes this? It must function fine on 5.0 but can't update unless distinctly on 2.4.

 

[three2one]

I am happy to say that I got mine working. I have a Netgear extender that splits the wifi signals and I was able to connect my iphone to the 2.4 channel. Moved the block and phone next to the NG extender and did the update. Switched back to 5.0 on the phone and am now communicating with 4 probes. Haven't checked the distance or anything else. I am just happy to get a connection at this point.

And now I know how I can get the next update done if necessary.

I was just about to ship it back to Amazon.

 

[ross77]

I bought the Block about a month ago and updated it once. I've had no issues at all. I use it in WiFi mode and always set it next to the smoker. So far have had a solid connection. I only use 2.4ghz for all my devices as 5ghz just doesn't have the range and walls really shorten the distance.

 

[DocShadownix]

I was thinking about the update. Someone mentioned that they received an updated block directly from the manufacturer. Great, but what about the next update? Same problem creeps in and you are dead in the water again. Is it just 2.4 vs 5.0 ghz that causes this? It must function fine on 5.0 but can't update unless distinctly on 2.4.

That is exactly what happened to me, m8. Second update, back to a brick... :( :( Oh and I have tried updating it on 2.4...no go...just keeps resetting...starts the download then bam, resets.

 

[Csoklaski]

Hey everyone... I was an early investor in this product and waited forever to get it. When it works, it’s very convenient. My take is that the company doesn’t really care about customer service or what they release in software/firmware. I have been screwed by their updates twice now. You don’t realize you have to do an update until you go to use it. Then the update fails over and over.
SOLUTION / WORKAROUND
Connect the device that is running the Meater app to another devices Hot Spot. Then go through the process of also adding the Meater Block to that same Hot Spot. Then start the update and don’t touch the Meater Block until it’s done... that screen is super sensitive and my experience with other devices is that interrupting a firmware update usually renders the hardware useless. Once the update is finished, connect your device to the normal WiFi, and then connect the Meater Block to that same WiFi. It works great until the next update.
I would NOT RECOMMEND this product because of the company behind it. I am hoping for a reputable company to make a similar product and do it right.

 

[Csoklaski]

Uh oh...I just got my Meater Block yesterday and am running into the exact same problem with the update. This really sucks because I need to use it today. I had a Loki which was nice but i broke it on accident.

SOLUTION / WORKAROUND
Connect the device that is running the Meaterapp to another devices Hot Spot. Then go through the process of also adding the MeaterBlock to that same Hot Spot. Then start the update and don’t touch the Meater Block until it’s done... that screen is super sensitive and my experience with other devices is that interrupting a firmware update usually renders the hardware useless. Once the update is finished, connect your device to the normal WiFi, and then connect the Meater Block to that same WiFi. It works great until the next update.
I would NOT RECOMMEND this product because of the company behind it. I am hoping for a reputable company to make a similar product and do it right.

 

[ross77]

I don’t know. Maybe I’m the exception but I’ve had no issues with my Block. Updating or range or connectivity.

 

[Smokedmeateater]

SOLUTION / WORKAROUND
Connect the device that is running the Meaterapp to another devices Hot Spot. Then go through the process of also adding the MeaterBlock to that same Hot Spot. Then start the update and don’t touch the Meater Block until it’s done... that screen is super sensitive and my experience with other devices is that interrupting a firmware update usually renders the hardware useless. Once the update is finished, connect your device to the normal WiFi, and then connect the Meater Block to that same WiFi. It works great until the next update.
I would NOT RECOMMEND this product because of the company behind it. I am hoping for a reputable company to make a similar product and do it right.

YES!! That did the trick! I disconnected from the network I was connected to, did the factory reset on the MeaterBlock, set up my wife's phone to be a hotspot and connected to it (be sure to enable "Automatic" on Auto-Join Hotspot in Settings), and then set up WiFi on the MeaterBlock. The update downloaded and then installed on the MeaterBlock, and now it works like a charm!

Hopefully Apption Labs will provide a software fix for download that will allow it to download updates using a 5-Ghz router so I don't have to jump through this hoop in the future.

 

[ross77]

Does anyone know if the Block has 5ghz WiFi hardware? If not, a software update won’t add the capability. My WiFi router runs both 2.4 and 5 ghz.

 

[Csoklaski]

My understanding is that you need to be on 2.4. I don't know if it has 5.0 but it doesn't work, or that it doesn't have 5.0... Meater tech support says use 2.4 WiFi.

 

[ross77]

My understanding is that you need to be on 2.4. I don't know if it has 5.0 but it doesn't work, or that it doesn't have 5.0... Meater tech support says use 2.4 WiFi.

Well if your modem is dual band then setup a 2.4ghz network. It works better than 5ghz anyway. It doesn’t have nearly the range as 2.4ghz.

 

[worldbfreebase]

this is an issue with a lot of IOT's. They use a merged signal. You can log into your router and create an ssid for a 2.4 network and a 5 network.

The reason they have chosen 2.4 is it travels farther than 5 and is able to penetrate through obstructions better.

Anybody have any thoughts on the meatstick vs the meater block?