Stoker ethernet not working when outside temp cold?


 
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phil g

New member
I have been having a problem with my stoker ethernet not working when I start my early morning cooks.

At first I thought it was my ethernet bridge, and I got a long ethernet cable and everything worked that day after I connected that.

I got a different bridge, from a different company, and it worked.

But then on Christmas day I set up my Stoker with the new bridge and I could not get connected. I then got out my long ethernet cable and it still did not work.

The stoker was working cycling as needed. But I could not get to the web page, or get connected with Stokerlog :-(.

The outdoor temperature was about 40 degrees. Then about two hours and the outdoor temp warmed up the ethernet worked! (I had not changed anything when it started working). I then switched back to the wireless bridge and it worked too!

So this makes me think I have a Stoker where the ethernet does not work when it is cold.

Has anyone else noticed anything like this?
 
Yep, I have the same problem. It's not the Stoker that doesn't like the cold, its the wireless router/bridge.

I keep my Stoker box and wireless bridge in a plastic rubbermaid box with a lid. I then put a heating pad in the bottom of the plastic box and put the electronics on the heating pad (set to low). This keeps the electronics warm enough and I don't lose the connection to the bridge. I just have to watch it as the morning comes and the outside temps get warmer. If the electronics get too warm, they stop working again too.

Luckily, even if the router/bridge stop working due to the cold temps, the Stoker box never skips a beat and it still maintains the smoker temp.
 
Like I said... I tried a cable and that did not work either. So I am pretty sure the problem is with the Stoker. Good to know at least one other person has seen the same problem.

Phil
 
Steve: obviously you need a second Stoker to regulate the temperature of the rubbermaid box that is holding the first stoker...
 
Strange - I have been cooking lately both during the day and overnight in temperatures at or below freezing with no loss of connection.

I keep my Stoker and Airport Express in a tupperware.

Mark
 
That is good news. I may have to call Rock's BBQ and see if they know about this. In a product I built years ago once we had ethernet problems and it turned out to be related to a capacitor connected to the ethernet chip. So perhaps it is something that simple.
 
I routinely use hardwired Ethernet connection to stoker at freezing temps or even lower with no problems. Have not heard anyone else having problems either.

Commercial components (as opposed to mil spec) are rated at 0 degree C (32 F) up to 80 degrees C. So I say something is wrong if your unit does not work down to freezing at least.

Here is something to try. Look inside the jack on the stoker to make sure all the pins have the same tension and are not stuck up. And check the cable too to make sure the connector is sound. It is possible that it is a loose connection.
 
I checked the pins and all look fine.

When I was having this problem I first assumed I had not connected the ethernet cable correctly. So I looked on the back of the stoker and the link light was on, but the activity light was not working.

I sent a message to Rock's BBQ, but no reply yet.
 
I would call John.Although I did recently email him and got a response.If I had an problem I would call to get a quicker response.Took about a week through email.
 
Just as another datapoint, an unused probe in the cabinet where my Stoker lives read 8F last night and no issues with connectivity using a NetGear powerline adapter.
 
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