Hi guys, I've had my kettle for 7 or so years and will get the Summit charcoal soon. I want to up my game by getting a temp controller like the Billows or BBQ Guru or something like that, and the choices are overwhelming. Here are my main concerns-
I like technology and I have a lot of smart stuff in my home, but those are all from major companies. I read a post from someone in another thread bringing up the possibility of the company going down; maybe I'm being overly anxious about that, but I can't rule it out. Or more frequently, the internet goes down. For the ones that use wifi/bluetooth and a phone app, what does happen if the internet is down? Can the controller/fan still be used manually without the smart connection (just no app monitoring)? Or is the whole unit literally useless? If so, I might splurge and get the Fireboard + Pit Viper or the Smoke + Billows.
Of the more affordable ones ($200ish) without internet/app tracking, I'm looking at the Smoke/Billows vs BBQ Guru DigiQ DX3. One disadvantage of the DigiQ is that I don't believe it comes with a remote so I can't check the status when I'm inside the house.
On a broader point, it seems the Billows fan is just on or off, while the Fireboard and BBQ Guru models can run a fan at variable speed. How important is this? Most home HVAC units are single speed (like the Billows) and I sometimes wish I had a variable speed HVAC unit. Does this cause wider temperature fluctuations?
While I'm at it, are these electronic controllers really THAT much better than a Tip Top Temp that costs $40? I already have a regular thermometer so I just need something to control the temp.
I like technology and I have a lot of smart stuff in my home, but those are all from major companies. I read a post from someone in another thread bringing up the possibility of the company going down; maybe I'm being overly anxious about that, but I can't rule it out. Or more frequently, the internet goes down. For the ones that use wifi/bluetooth and a phone app, what does happen if the internet is down? Can the controller/fan still be used manually without the smart connection (just no app monitoring)? Or is the whole unit literally useless? If so, I might splurge and get the Fireboard + Pit Viper or the Smoke + Billows.
Of the more affordable ones ($200ish) without internet/app tracking, I'm looking at the Smoke/Billows vs BBQ Guru DigiQ DX3. One disadvantage of the DigiQ is that I don't believe it comes with a remote so I can't check the status when I'm inside the house.
On a broader point, it seems the Billows fan is just on or off, while the Fireboard and BBQ Guru models can run a fan at variable speed. How important is this? Most home HVAC units are single speed (like the Billows) and I sometimes wish I had a variable speed HVAC unit. Does this cause wider temperature fluctuations?
While I'm at it, are these electronic controllers really THAT much better than a Tip Top Temp that costs $40? I already have a regular thermometer so I just need something to control the temp.