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Update on CyberQ WiFi vs Stoker WiFi

First, thanks everyone for your comments on my post.  I just finished ordering the Stoker WiFi , upgraded the cords to 6 feet, and ordered an extra food probe.  I'm sure the CyberQ WiFi would have been good as well, but I decided to go with the Stoker.  Seems like it is well liked.  Can't wait to use it for the holidays coming up.

Comments

  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564

    Don't forget to download the "Stokerlog" software then setup a twitter account solely for your Egg.

    If you have a Container Store close by, they have many clear containers if you think you may use it in wet conditions. I will see if I can find a few pics of the setup.

    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • Im very close to ordering one of these.  Please let me know how the setup goes and how well it works on your first cook
  • Tbonez3858
    Tbonez3858 Posts: 102
    edited November 2013
    I received my stoker a few days ago. I'm extremely impressed by the quality and extremely unimpressed with the device software and documentation. I'm in the technical field (specifically networking) and this box is a nightmare. I ended up going through THREE wireless access points before the stoker found one it "liked" even after setting them in an open mode. The stoker would connect, I could telnet to web servers IP in port 80 but i couldnt hit the web server from a web browser in about 80% of the instances.. In the few instances that i did hit the web server, after dozens of attempts, it would stay connected for a short while and drop off. I have about 40 devices on this network so I am positive it has nothing to do with my wireless network or IP/subnet settings. There are multiple post on this problem and it appears the only solution is to find an access point this box likes and set it up in a very basic bridge mode. Due to that I ended up having to use bridge mode to get it working and not my normal wireless router. In as much as my current topology will work its not what I had planned. Get ready to reboot the box after every setting because they dont take effect until after a reboot. The documentation is awful for this device. I ended up watching a mix of videos, reading the on line PDF and reading what little was sent with he box. I haven't read a manual in over a decade for a technical device because I've configure thousands at work. Most technical devices have some level of logic but not this one. It's change, reboot, unplug, visit this web page with an extension, save, reboot, unhook, reboot, reboot, reboot, go to another web page to change passwords, etc, etc.. ALL of his SHOULD have been easy with quick IP settings on the the physical box and then hitting a SINGLE web page for the REST of the configurations. The access point I have from back in 2003 has this type of menu and there is literally no excuse outside of poor planning and development that a box in 2013 should have such an awful user interface. There really is no excuse and if i wasnt technical I would have given up and sent the box back. I would never accept this type of product delivery outside of the fact that this is a tiny niche market. The product, once you get past the nightmare configuration, works exactly as advertised and appears to be a solid product. I feel confident in the product quality and I'm sure I will have many years of great service. This box will go down as one of the worst software implementations I've ever experienced and I've had a bit of experience with poorly written code, bugs and delivery.
  • thailandjohn
    thailandjohn Posts: 952
    edited November 2013
    I have had my Stoker for a few years and have been using it connected to wi-fi from the beginning without a problem.....I am not a technical person, I have a IMac, iPhone and an iPad and I have my Stoker connected to an Airport Express......I monitor my Stoker remotely using either the Stoker Status or BBQ Monitor.....I am cooking Pork Butts now and will be leaving my house for a few hours and will not worry about my temps because of the Stoker
  • Tbonez3858
    Tbonez3858 Posts: 102
    edited November 2013
    I have had my Stoker for a few years and have been using it connected to wi-fi from the beginning without a problem.....I am not a technical person, I have a IMac, iPhone and an iPad and I have my Stoker connected to an Airport Express......I monitor my Stoker remotely using either the Stoker Status or BBQ Monitor.....I am cooking Pork Butts now and will be leaving my house for a few hours and will not worry about my temps because of the Stoker

    If you search around you will find that there are several access points that many have been successful with and the airport express is one of them. There is a linksys that many people have had good luck with...another words you got lucky. I haven't seen any clear documentation or list regarding which routers work and which ones won't. I have no clue technically what is causing this device not to work with some access points. Many people are having to run Tomato or DD-WRT code on their access points to get the stoker to work. In the end the airport express isn't a cheap access point. I would have been very unhappy if I had of had to add another $100 to my total purchase to get the stoker working. I luckily got an old wireless hub to work. It's wide open (no security), no other devices on it and it works perfectly 100% of the time. What I do find funny is that it's the EXACT same configuration I was running on all my other access points down to the IP range, SSID, etc...This access point works and the rest do not.
  • trout1
    trout1 Posts: 104
    edited November 2013
    @tbonez You have me concerned now. I wish I new this before I ordered. It looked like many people were pleased with it.
  • Tbonez3858
    Tbonez3858 Posts: 102
    edited November 2013
    I was in the same boat as you...Everything I read was positive until I ran into to issues. I started researching and found a great deal of information on the topic. I will say that once you've gotten it up and running its a GREAT piece of gear. It has very solid construction and the third party software is better than the competition (or at least in my opinion). You may get lucky or you may struggle with it. I want to say it will be worth it in the long run but I'm still fresh off of the frustration. I'm not bragging but I'm very technical and I can't even imagine going through the experience of setting this thing up if I didn't know all of the tricks of the trade and troubleshooting steps. Maybe you will get lucky and if not they have a good return policy that you can send it back...There is a set of youtube videos on how to set it up that are CRITICAL in my opinion. The videos helped me get stoker log up and I wish I had found them earlier. These videos arent mentioned in anything that is sent with the product and found them only by visiting youtube and searching. Be prepared for every step to be non-Intuative and be prepared to step back twenty years in regards to a user interface. Dont stress because you will probably be lucky, plug in and be up and running in five so give it a shot. That wasn't my experience, however. I will admit that I came out of the gate trying to setup a more technical configuration. It wasn't until I went back to the very basics did I get it to work...The basic configuration is really not to configure ANYTHING on the device. Use DHCP to get your IP address on the Ethernet interface and then use the web browser to configure wireless. Use DHCP on the wireless and no security protocol. That's how I got it to work. Anytime I tried to assign a static IP address the device didn't want to work and in most instances wouldn't save the IP address after a reboot. If you treat this device as if its as dumb as a rock you will probably have a good experience.
  • I received my stoker a few days ago. I'm extremely impressed by the quality and extremely unimpressed with the device software and documentation. I'm in the technical field (specifically networking) and this box is a nightmare. I ended up going through THREE wireless access points before the stoker found one it "liked" even after setting them in an open mode. The stoker would connect, I could telnet to web servers IP in port 80 but i couldnt hit the web server from a web browser in about 80% of the instances.. In the few instances that i did hit the web server, after dozens of attempts, it would stay connected for a short while and drop off. I have about 40 devices on this network so I am positive it has nothing to do with my wireless network or IP/subnet settings. There are multiple post on this problem and it appears the only solution is to find an access point this box likes and set it up in a very basic bridge mode. Due to that I ended up having to use bridge mode to get it working and not my normal wireless router. In as much as my current topology will work its not what I had planned. Get ready to reboot the box after every setting because they dont take effect until after a reboot.

    The documentation is awful for this device. I ended up watching a mix of videos, reading the on line PDF and reading what little was sent with he box. I haven't read a manual in over a decade for a technical device because I've configure thousands at work. Most technical devices have some level of logic but not this one. It's change, reboot, unplug, visit this web page with an extension, save, reboot, unhook, reboot, reboot, reboot, go to another web page to change passwords, etc, etc.. ALL of his SHOULD have been easy with quick IP settings on the the physical box and then hitting a SINGLE web page for the REST of the configurations. The access point I have from back in 2003 has this type of menu and there is literally no excuse outside of poor planning and development that a box in 2013 should have such an awful user interface. There really is no excuse and if i wasnt technical I would have given up and sent the box back. I would never accept this type of product delivery outside of the fact that this is a tiny niche market. The product, once you get past the nightmare configuration, works exactly as advertised and appears to be a solid product. I feel confident in the product quality and I'm sure I will have many years of great service. This box will go down as one of the worst software implementations I've ever experienced and I've had a bit of experience with poorly written code, bugs and delivery.

    Now im very happy I went with the CyberQ. The only scare was on first boot it didnt want to work via wifi. 2nd boot and since its been flawless.
    Near San Francisco in California
  • baychilla said:
    I received my stoker a few days ago. I'm extremely impressed by the quality and extremely unimpressed with the device software and documentation. I'm in the technical field (specifically networking) and this box is a nightmare. I ended up going through THREE wireless access points before the stoker found one it "liked" even after setting them in an open mode. The stoker would connect, I could telnet to web servers IP in port 80 but i couldnt hit the web server from a web browser in about 80% of the instances.. In the few instances that i did hit the web server, after dozens of attempts, it would stay connected for a short while and drop off. I have about 40 devices on this network so I am positive it has nothing to do with my wireless network or IP/subnet settings. There are multiple post on this problem and it appears the only solution is to find an access point this box likes and set it up in a very basic bridge mode. Due to that I ended up having to use bridge mode to get it working and not my normal wireless router. In as much as my current topology will work its not what I had planned. Get ready to reboot the box after every setting because they dont take effect until after a reboot. The documentation is awful for this device. I ended up watching a mix of videos, reading the on line PDF and reading what little was sent with he box. I haven't read a manual in over a decade for a technical device because I've configure thousands at work. Most technical devices have some level of logic but not this one. It's change, reboot, unplug, visit this web page with an extension, save, reboot, unhook, reboot, reboot, reboot, go to another web page to change passwords, etc, etc.. ALL of his SHOULD have been easy with quick IP settings on the the physical box and then hitting a SINGLE web page for the REST of the configurations. The access point I have from back in 2003 has this type of menu and there is literally no excuse outside of poor planning and development that a box in 2013 should have such an awful user interface. There really is no excuse and if i wasnt technical I would have given up and sent the box back. I would never accept this type of product delivery outside of the fact that this is a tiny niche market. The product, once you get past the nightmare configuration, works exactly as advertised and appears to be a solid product. I feel confident in the product quality and I'm sure I will have many years of great service. This box will go down as one of the worst software implementations I've ever experienced and I've had a bit of experience with poorly written code, bugs and delivery.
    Now im very happy I went with the CyberQ. The only scare was on first boot it didnt want to work via wifi. 2nd boot and since its been flawless.

    If you ask me today I would probably say I would go with the Cyberque wifi. I may have a different tune after I use it a few times and experience the software. The after market software, in my opinion, is where the stoker really shines...We will see as the stress of the technical issues fade, however. I have a REALLY sour taste in my mouth right now because there is no reason in 2013 a product should be coded like this. The cost in making the software functional would have been a fractional more expensive and made a world of difference for 99% of he user base that's going to purchase this product. You should not have to feel like you've completed a 24 hour marathon to hook something as simple up as a wireless device...
  • Goodness gracious, this is why I went with DigiQ. Greyhound craps on my big yellow extension cord at least I can see it.  My hat does goes off to you guys who are willing to step out and attempt the wi-fi route.  I'm clearly not that smart and get way too hungry.  Good luck.
  • Tbonez3858
    Tbonez3858 Posts: 102
    edited November 2013
    Goodness gracious, this is why I went with DigiQ. Greyhound craps on my big yellow extension cord at least I can see it.  My hat does goes off to you guys who are willing to step out and attempt the wi-fi route.  I'm clearly not that smart and get way too hungry.  Good luck.

    I have a pool about a mile from my house..My goal in the summer was to float around and keep check on my pit. At this point it doesn't look like that is going to happen or at least not until I pony up and buy a wireless access point that will work while doing port forwarding. The access point that i actually got to work is so old that it doesn't have port forwarding which is a deal breaker for Internet access....I guess I will drop another $100 in the spring on another access point...I love my Egg but its starting to be like a boat - break out another thousand. I guess I'm lucky to have first world problems like this :)
  • bigguy136
    bigguy136 Posts: 1,362

    Tbonez3858,

    I'm sorry you are having such difficulty with your set-up and there will always be those who do have problems. I'm not a network guy but I do work a lot with computers doing design work. I got my stoker before the wireless patch was ready so I used an access point. After the wireless patch was ready, I had no problem getting onto my wireless network. I moved my grill area farther away and I was getting a weaker signal and had my access point doing nothing so I hooked it back up in client mode. It is perfect.

    I'm using a ZyXEL wireless N router and access point. I'm very happy with everything.

     

    Big Lake, Minnesota

    2X Large BGE, 1 Mini Max, Stokers, Adjustable Rig

  • I understand your frustration now.  I have the impression you know what your doing, you are gonna do just fine.  Get this, I actually got rid of both my boats.  Take care.
  • Im not a fan of bringing work home. So having to go through waps till I found one that worked would be a big no go. I would l Iike better charting software for the CyberQ but it looks like dev stopped a year ago. The current logging software requires an unlocked device which isnt happening unless im there to babysit it.
    Near San Francisco in California
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684

    As much as I love technology, I have no use for a WiFi enabled fan controller.  The whole purpose for me is to set it and forget it.  If the temp controller does it's job, I have no reason to get notifications that it turned the fan on.  My thinking: "BFD......it did what it was supposed to do.....why do I need to hear about it??"

    I don't ramp up, ramp down, nor change the temp very much during a cook.  If I need to raise lower the temp, I walk out the backdoor and adjust the temp on the controller.  It would take me longer to do that on my phone/computer than it would to turn a knob.

    I love temp controllers--I am a dealer for several.  But In my experience, I would rather have 3 simple units for 3 pits, than ONE very complex unit running 3 pits.  I just want it to maintain a set temp--that's it.

  • 4Runner
    4Runner Posts: 2,948
    My Stoker was plug and play. No issues. Remote access comes in handy when you need to slow down or speed up a cook. I have done this on numerous occasions.
    Joe - I'm a reformed gasser-holic aka 4Runner Columbia, SC Wonderful BGE Resource Site: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm and http://www.nibblemethis.com/  and http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipes.html
    What am I drinking now?   Woodford....neat
  • baychilla
    baychilla Posts: 387
    edited November 2013

    As much as I love technology, I have no use for a WiFi enabled fan controller.  The whole purpose for me is to set it and forget it.  If the temp controller does it's job, I have no reason to get notifications that it turned the fan on.  My thinking: "BFD......it did what it was supposed to do.....why do I need to hear about it??"

    I don't ramp up, ramp down, nor change the temp very much during a cook.  If I need to raise lower the temp, I walk out the backdoor and adjust the temp on the controller.  It would take me longer to do that on my phone/computer than it would to turn a knob.

    I love temp controllers--I am a dealer for several.  But In my experience, I would rather have 3 simple units for 3 pits, than ONE very complex unit running 3 pits.  I just want it to maintain a set temp--that's it.

    When Im at work AND cooking the wifi is essential.  Being able to slow down or speed up cook is the bees knees*.

    *yes there was someone around to watch out for fire - but thats all they were there for.
    Near San Francisco in California