Thermoworks RFX First Impressions

[jimboc22]

For anyone that has received the RFX meat from Thermoworks, please post your first impressions. Here's my take.

I received mine earlier this week but haven't had a chance to cook with it yet. From the looks of the packaging, probe, and gateway, it appears to be the quality I've come to expect from Thermoworks products. It was easy to connect to my wifi and pair the probe to the gateway. I tested its accuracy in an ice bath and boiling water and it checks out just fine, it matches the readings on my Thermopen. I will need to get used to the update intervals instead of instant/one second reads, but that's to be expected with this type of product so no big deal. The antenna is different, it's short and stubby not the long articulating antenna shown on the box and instructions. All said, I'm really excited to use it.

The gateway arrived at 60% and they recommend charging to full when you receive it. I left the gateway plugged in and charging for the last three days and the most it's gotten to is 90% then immediately drops to 88%. I am wondering what other's experience is with charging the gateway. I have a Signals, and the battery on it is horrid. I've gotten to the point where I just leave the Signals plugged in during cooks because sometimes it would last 12 hours, other times it would die after 4 hours or less even after being charged for 24 hours straight. Really hoping the battery tech is not the same as what they use for the Signals. Anyways, I'm going to actually use the RFX later today and will probably update on how fast the battery drains then.

Just curious what other people's thoughts are so far.

 

[Fraser]

Thanks for starting this thread! Yes, I’ve had ours on charger overnite, similar results; 88%. I’m currently leaving it on unplugged to drain it. It’s been transmitting 6 1/2 hours, 88% to 79%. Wondering if their charge indicator software is accurate.
Not a breaker, I didn't buy it for its battery meter. Just something to be aware.
Im looking forward to some cooks with it!

 

[dr k]

For anyone that has received the RFX meat from Thermoworks, please post your first impressions. Here's my take.

I received mine earlier this week but haven't had a chance to cook with it yet. From the looks of the packaging, probe, and gateway, it appears to be the quality I've come to expect from Thermoworks products. It was easy to connect to my wifi and pair the probe to the gateway. I tested its accuracy in an ice bath and boiling water and it checks out just fine, it matches the readings on my Thermopen. I will need to get used to the update intervals instead of instant/one second reads, but that's to be expected with this type of product so no big deal. The antenna is different, it's short and stubby not the long articulating antenna shown on the box and instructions. All said, I'm really excited to use it.

The gateway arrived at 60% and they recommend charging to full when you receive it. I left the gateway plugged in and charging for the last three days and the most it's gotten to is 90% then immediately drops to 88%. I am wondering what other's experience is with charging the gateway. I have a Signals, and the battery on it is horrid. I've gotten to the point where I just leave the Signals plugged in during cooks because sometimes it would last 12 hours, other times it would die after 4 hours or less even after being charged for 24 hours straight. Really hoping the battery tech is not the same as what they use for the Signals. Anyways, I'm going to actually use the RFX later today and will probably update on how fast the battery drains then.

Just curious what other people's thoughts are so far.

These two issues would be worth a call to Thermoworks. When they say to charge fully before using like all batteries and it gets to 90% max in 3 days and drops to 88% is strange if not in the manual. If the Pics on the box and manual don't match a brand new released product I'd want to know why. Also, while you have them on the phone (I'd want to talk to someone vs email) ask them about your horrid experience with the Signals battery based on your warranty. These seem basic and concerning to me. Did they print the manual and boxes before designing the therm? Wow. I look forward to the answers Thermoworks gives and with the Signals.

 

[DieselTech]

I don't have the RFX, sucker's released it shortly after I bought a Smoke X4.

But regarding the battery: Try running the battery down to 18-20%.

Then recharge the RFX.
Sometimes it take a couple discharge/charge cycles to bring the battery to life.

Also if it is charged thru a wall USB charger, try a different charger. Not all USB wall chargers are created equal.

Check the RFX Charger requirements & compare to your wall charger, if that is what it uses.

 

[jimboc22]

The battery levels after 6 hours...
Meat Probe (1 degree intervals) - started at 100% and is now at 20%
Gateway (60 second intervals) - Started at 88% and is now at 75%

The probe was in a tri tip in the fridge for 2 hours before going on the grill for about an hour, seared then rested for about half an hour. After that the probe has been sitting on my counter for the last three and a half hours.

The gateway should be fine at that rate so I'm less worried about it now. Real use scenario would be to have the probe set to 3 degree intervals for a long cook which would make it last longer, I was just curious how long it would last worst case.

Overall, I'm happy with it and feel it was worth the wait. It won't be used for every cook, but it does have some benefits over wired thermometers.

 

[jimboc22]

I don't have the RFX, sucker's released it shortly after I bought a Smoke X4.

But regarding the battery: Try running the battery down to 18-20%.

Then recharge the RFX.
Sometimes it take a couple discharge/charge cycles to bring the battery to life.

Also if it is charged thru a wall USB charger, try a different charger. Not all USB wall chargers are created equal.

Check the RFX Charger requirements & compare to your wall charger, if that is what it use

You may be on to something with the discharge/charge cycles, I'll be interested to see what it charges back up to. Maybe that's what was going on with the Signals, I honestly haven't tried using it unplugged after the first bunch of uses where I had all the issues. I'll have to test that too now!

As for charging the RFX Gateway, I used only the supplied wall charger and cable. The manual says specifically to only use the supplied USB-A to C cable and that it will NOT charge using USB-PD or C to C cables. They say a 5V charger will charge it full in 4 hours and 12 hours for a 12V charger.

 

[jimboc22]

These two issues would be worth a call to Thermoworks. When they say to charge fully before using like all batteries and it gets to 90% max in 3 days and drops to 88% is strange if not in the manual. If the Pics on the box and manual don't match a brand new released product I'd want to know why. Also, while you have them on the phone (I'd want to talk to someone vs email) ask them about your horrid experience with the Signals battery based on your warranty. These seem basic and concerning to me. Did they print the manual and boxes before designing the therm? Wow. I look forward to the answers Thermoworks gives and with the Signals.

I was planning to use the RFX a few times before calling. I used it today and the battery drain was pretty decent so I'm not too worried about it just yet.

I called them once about the Signals, but honestly just got lazy and didn't feel like calling back again, it was just easier to use it while it was plugged in. Their tech support is some of the best from any company I've ever had to deal with though. Probably why I keep giving them my money lol.

 

[DieselTech]

I was planning to use the RFX a few times before calling. I used it today and the battery drain was pretty decent so I'm not too worried about it just yet.

I called them once about the Signals, but honestly just got lazy and didn't feel like calling back again, it was just easier to use it while it was plugged in. Their tech support is some of the best from any company I've ever had to deal with though. Probably why I keep giving them my money lol.

Yes their customer service is top notch. I had a probe go bad:"my own fault"

They not only replaced the probe, but gave me a bag of candy.

 

[geek with fire]

You may be on to something with the discharge/charge cycles, I'll be interested to see what it charges back up to. Maybe that's what was going on with the Signals, I honestly haven't tried using it unplugged after the first bunch of uses where I had all the issues. I'll have to test that too now!

As for charging the RFX Gateway, I used only the supplied wall charger and cable. The manual says specifically to only use the supplied USB-A to C cable and that it will NOT charge using USB-PD or C to C cables. They say a 5V charger will charge it full in 4 hours and 12 hours for a 12V charger.

I've seen this with my Signals as well. First time I used it overnight, it went dead because I had it plugged into a USB-C PD all wall wart and didn't realize it wasn't powering it. I now just keep a USB A wart with an A-C cable in the smoke shack at all times. I'll do the same for the RFX gateway as well. I will certainly take note of the charging issues mentioned in this thread. But I don't trust batteries for anything other than a redundant backup.

 

[jimboc22]

Yes their customer service is top notch. I had a probe go bad:"my own fault"

They not only replaced the probe, but gave me a bag of candy.

I have an original Smoke and one of the ports went bad. It was out of warranty, but they fixed it anyway.

 

[chopsaw]

My signals came with a wall charger . It's a 12V output . I was told you need to use it to properly charge the Signals . It says on the plug " Use with Signals only " . The one for my phone says 9V output . I have others that say 5V output .

I use the 9V output one to charge my Temp Spike . It shows fully charged , lasts about 6 hours . If I'm going to use it on long cooks , I wait , and add it towards the end of the cook .

 

[schlotz]

Ok rfx arrived. Plugged it in. Blue light is on. Went to app hit add device selected Rfx gateway. The screen then shows the gateway but can’t do anything to continue the setup. So what am I missing?

 

[Fraser]

Ok rfx arrived. Plugged it in. Blue light is on. Went to app hit add device selected Rfx gateway. The screen then shows the gateway but can’t do anything to continue the setup. So what am I missing?

Make sure your app device is connected to 2.4Ghz, not 5Ghz. Gateway only operates on 2.4

 

[schlotz]

Make sure your app device is connected to 2.4Ghz, not 5Ghz. Gateway only operates on 2.4

Yup it’s 2.4. The app see’s my signals unit but won’t add the Rfx gateway.

 

[bwana_don]

Yup it’s 2.4. The app see’s my signals unit but won’t add the Rex gateway.

I am having the same issue. In my case I am using an Samsung SG21. Appears to be an issue with Bluetooth connectivity. Pairs just fine, at least according to my phone. Tried my wife's phone same issue. Can't get past the page where it says to turn on rfx-gateway. Tried her ipad, that allowed me to get past the first page and start doing the setup. Next issue is unable to connect to wifi. Using a vendor provider router that has auto sensing for 2.4 and 5. Tried using a phone Hotspot that is 2.4 only, no luck. Tried online chat, no response, then I found I was outside there support window, would be nice if the chat window showed their hours of support. Guess I will trying calling next.

 

[chopsaw]

The screen then shows the gateway but can’t do anything to continue the setup. So what am I missing?

These things can be maddening .
Just speaking in general ,, You might have to share your location to proceed .

 

[normanaj]

chopsaw very well may be correct about location sharing.

 

[bwana_don]

chopsaw very well may be correct about location sharing.

Location is shared in my case, "when using this application..." still unable to get past "power on" page.

 

[sawhorseray]

I GOT A FULL CHARGE BY USING THE USB PLUG THAT COMES WITH THE UNIT AND HOOKING IT INTO MY COMPUTER. I BOUGHT THE THING TO USE WITH THE ROTISSERIE ON MY KETTLE, WORKS GREAT, SPINNING A BONE-IN TURKEY BREAST THIS AFTERNOON. FOR LONG COOKS I USE THE TP-20 AND WIRES, NOTHING'S ON THE SPINNER LONG ENOUGH TO DRAIN THE BATTERY. RAY

 

[bwana_don]

Location is shared in my case, "when using this application..." still unable to get past "power on" page.

I took another run at it with the my wife's Ipad. Success with some caveats.
What I discovered:
1. The "Next" icon does not show up on my Samsung Galaxy S21 a little bit of the yellow of the is barely visible at the bottom of my screen, can't see any of the lettering for "next". Unable to tap on it.
2. I was able to connect the RFX gateway to the wifi this time around using my wifes Ipad and hitting the next button, connected as I assume expected, it had been plugged in all night and still only showed 86% charge.
3. Set up the ambient temperature probe. Hi alarm is defaluted to 165 and min alarm is set to 32. I guess I don't understand why these are the default settings for an ambient temperature probe as well as all the Meater probes. Hoping this makes sense later with cook set ups...
4. I can now see the RFX Gateway on my phone as well.
5. Adding the Meaters - the yellow "Next" button is more visible on my phone and can be pressed to add the meaters. Position of button on screen can be improved.
6. Continued setting up the meaters on the Ipad. I went with the 4 back. Pulled the first one out of it's charger touched it to the gateway and it activated. Went into settings and identified the color ring I put on it and named it Probe 1. Turns out you do not need to touch the probes to the gateway. As I pulled them out of the chargers they just started connecting. Probably 12 inches away. Wondering how far they can be away.
7. Sadly on the Ipad the ring colors do not show up on the device screen, had to go in and add the color to the name. I thought they really missed an opportunity on that one. When I looked at my phone it showed the colors of the ring.

Bottome line, rocky start in my opinion. Not sure how many people will have android phones with the same issue and unable to set up the RFX getway because of the "Next" icon placement. If I did not have access to an Ipad, I would not have been able to get it set up. The colors missing on the Ipad is an annoyance. Suspect there will be some updates to the Thermoworks application soon.

I am thinking they should come out with a wired ambient temperature probe that goes to a block with a battery and rfx tramsmitter. That would allow the use of the ambient temperature probe and not have to tie the RFX gateway to where the cook is occuring allowing in my case to get the RFX within range of my wifi. Seems like a simple option. Even better would be a display that the ambient temperature probe connect to at the cooking unit that would also show the meaters. I would pay for that option.