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FlameBoss 200 Reveiw

BearQ
BearQ Posts: 174
Got my hands on the new wireless Flame Boss pit controller at the Toronto Eggfest thanks to Dicksons whom imported some into Canada. I've been resisting a controller on my pits for a few years as I wanted to learn control without them, however in the end I'm a gadget guy and the Flame Boss 200 had all the features to entice that part of me and a pretty good price comparatively in the market. I had my first opportunity to try it out on a brisket cook and thought I'd share my first impressions with ya'll eh. 

I like the overall look of the unit, it's uncluttered & has all pertinent information on one screen that is backlight for easy reading in the dark. You can adjust pit temp there and other screens allow you to set a timer for various cook staging requirements, set the meat done temperature and optionally instruct the unit to lower the pit temp once the meat reaches done. It has an open lid feature that detects a sudden change in temp and prevents the fan from ramping up, you can see this in the chart below at about 8:50 also a picture shows "Open" indicated on the home screen. You need to close the Egg right down as far as air flow, my DFMT daisy wheel was open about the width of a dime and was too much as you can tell from the chart. When the fan was controlling the temp it was dead on the set point, when the egg got to hot from to much air coming in, the fan output was zero, I need to close it down more next time so the fan can do all the work.
And now for the cool stuff.
The Wifi set-up was very simple, I entered my wifi password and it connected & reached out & registered with the FlameBoss server. The unit once connected will display a pair of numbers
The first set is read only and you can give that out to friends whom can log into www.myflameboss.com and see your cook progress real time, the second pair is a read write key that allows you to not only keep an eye on your cook but also change the pit temp, set the done alarm temp and instruct the unit to lower the Pit temp when food is done (You can see the blue set point change once my meat hit 190 on the chart) from anywhere you have access to the Internet. I tested this and it worked as advertised. You can setup the unit to text you when the meat is done, I did not test this yet.

Overall I like the unit and had fun sharing my cook details with like minded friends. I anticipate using this for more long cooks when I also want to get out and do other things during the cook.

Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
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Comments

  • bluebird66
    bluebird66 Posts: 2,717
    Thanks, been thinking hard about getting one.
    Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket and various Weber's
    Floyd Va

  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,944
    I have a FlameBoss 100 and love it.  If mine died tomorrow I would get a 200 without hesitation.

    It just works and works well.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684

    I am supposed to get my first order of them today......already sold three.  I've been using mine for the last month and it's great.  It never loses signal with the wifi and held the temp dead nuts.  I used to be against the WiFi units because they were so hard to get set up, but with this thing logging itself in to its own server, it solves the problem.  I tried it using my phone as a hotspot, that worked to for the competition guys.

    As with any temp controller, you should undershoot on warm up or get the Egg stabilized then strap on the controller.  With the cool ceramic and the fire being stoked, it's really easy to get a ripping hot fire and then when the ceramic catches up, the fire is too hot.  Some temp controllers will slow down as they approach set temp, but it's easy to overshoot if you're not careful.  With any of these, use them to maintain temp or keep the fire from going out.

    If anyone wants to log into mine, just send me an email and I'll give you the details.  It's pretty easy to change temps and set everything up.

  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
    @stlcharcoal PM sent
    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    edited June 2015
    This looks pretty neat.

    I have questions:
    Did it come with the LBGE adapter? Do they have a SBGE adapter?
    What's the rating on the fan? 5 cfm?
    Can it be expanded to control multiple eggs?
    And it can be accessed from anywhere, right? Not just when I'm logged in to my home network?

    Thanks for the review!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    caliking said:

    I have questions:
    Did it come with the LBGE adapter? Do they have a SBGE adapter?
    What's the rating on the fan? 5 cfm?
    Can it be expanded to control multiple eggs?
    And it can be accessed from anywhere, right? Not just when I'm logged in to my home network?

    Yes, they come with both adapters.

    Not sure on the fan, but it seems like more than enough to power the XL. 

    They only control the one egg for now.....not sure if they have plans to expand on that.

    You can access it with any internet connection through myflameboss.com.  You don't have to log into your home network.  This thing talks straight with FB's server via any wifi connection (home network, hotspot, public access, etc.)  You enter the Wifi password into the unit, so as long as you don't have some sort of login screen or "acceptable use agreement" screen like at hotels, hospitals, etc, you should be good to go.

    Sent you my password, so check it out.

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @stlcharcoal - thanks for the password.

     I read that you can share your FB link with folks so they can follow along, but can the owner also control (adjust temp, adjust the blower, etc) remotely?

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • I called FB customer service, but am waiting to hear back from them so I thought that maybe someone here could guide me.

    I received my FB a few days ago and tried to set up the wifi this afternoon with no success. My network is recognized by the device, but I'm never taken to the screen that shows my device ID. AFAIK, I don't have a password on my WiFi as every other device in my house just automatically connects. Any suggestions would be appreciated.  

    Thanks.


  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684

    caliking said:
    @stlcharcoal - thanks for the password.

     I read that you can share your FB link with folks so they can follow along, but can the owner also control (adjust temp, adjust the blower, etc) remotely?

    Yes.  You can share the device number for them to view the cook.  Once you claim the device number by signing up for a username/password, you have to log in using those credentials to make any changes.

    If you signed in using my username/password, you'll see the little pencil to change the temps and set alerts.  If you log out and just view the device, you'll see the same screen, but without those little buttons to edit the temps.

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Got it. Thanks for letting me play around with it.

    And damn - your shop is hot!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • I called FB customer service, but am waiting to hear back from them so I thought that maybe someone here could guide me.

    I received my FB a few days ago and tried to set up the wifi this afternoon with no success. My network is recognized by the device, but I'm never taken to the screen that shows my device ID. AFAIK, I don't have a password on my WiFi as every other device in my house just automatically connects. Any suggestions would be appreciated.  

    Thanks.



    According to SWMBO, there is a password on the network. Unfortunately even after entering it on the FB when prompted, I'm still not able to get on.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    One of the things that got me was my failure to put the -> behind my password.  When you scroll though using the menu button you should see the password you entered followed by an arrow.  The arrow the other way serves as the backspace <-.
  • One of the things that got me was my failure to put the -> behind my password.  When you scroll though using the menu button you should see the password you entered followed by an arrow.  The arrow the other way serves as the backspace <-.

    Thank you for your suggestion. I am doing that to no avail. I just got off the phone with Michael Collins, which speaks to their customer service commitment, and although the issue still persists I'm confident that it will be resolved. I'll be contacting him later.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    I'm sure you've checked this, but those passwords are case sensitive too.
  • Big_Green_Craig
    Big_Green_Craig Posts: 1,578
    I've had mine for some time now. I love the ability to connect to WiFi and monitor my cook from the office. 
  • BearQ
    BearQ Posts: 174
    @EggcitedinNJ  my FlameBoss did the same as yours on my Belkin wireless router, have a look at your wireless router under the DHCP settings and you should see all devices that are leasing an IP from your wireless. For reasons I still don't understand the FlameBoss would not lease an IP. (You should see a MAC beginning with 08:00:28) after testing on a different wireless network, I changed my router to a D-link I had hanging around and no more problems. I figured it was the Belkin so I didn't include this part in my review.
    Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
  • I'm sure you've checked this, but those passwords are case sensitive too.

    Good thought. My password, however, is all numbers.
  • BearQ said:
    @EggcitedinNJ  my FlameBoss did the same as yours on my Belkin wireless router, have a look at your wireless router under the DHCP settings and you should see all devices that are leasing an IP from your wireless. For reasons I still don't understand the FlameBoss would not lease an IP. (You should see a MAC beginning with 08:00:28) after testing on a different wireless network, I changed my router to a D-link I had hanging around and no more problems. I figured it was the Belkin so I didn't include this part in my review.

    Thanks I'll look into it.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    I'm sure you've checked this, but those passwords are case sensitive too.

    Good thought. My password, however, is all numbers.

    LOL.....mine too. I kept forgetting so I made it all numbers.
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    Two things I've noticed (besides the -> that stlcharcoal explained for entering your network password)

    1) The face plate for the blower doesn't fit my large very tightly. If it wasn't for the cover holding it in place, it would fall out ... bout an eighth inch gap at the top.  I think that's an opportunity for too much air leakage.  I grabbed the sliding steel adjustment clip from my DigiQ and that tightened everything up great.

    2) I kept missing the obvious when setting up the unit.  MyFlameBoss.com kept showing me the temps and everything, but wouldn't show me the "pencils" for controlling temps from the computer.  When I checked my profile tab it showed that no unit was associated with my profile ... that's funny 'cuz I thought the website had all my info.  Finally figured out that I had to go to the profile tab and ADD my unit.

    Questions: Does anyone know if the raw data can be downloaded after a cook is completed?  Or, are we limited to a screen print of the cook?  How do you end a cook ... simply shut the unit down?

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684


    1) The face plate for the blower doesn't fit my large very tightly. If it wasn't for the cover holding it in place, it would fall out ... bout an eighth inch gap at the top.  I think that's an opportunity for too much air leakage.  I grabbed the sliding steel adjustment clip from my DigiQ and that tightened everything up great.

    You're using a blower.....no need to worry about air leaks when you're forcing the air in.  Even when the fan is off, it's still a lot easier for the fire to suck air through the stopped fan.  This is why the ramp down function to kill the fire completely is almost impossible on the BGE--it's just too efficient.

  • BearQ
    BearQ Posts: 174
    @Jeepster47 I don't believe you can download the data as it is right now. The website will show you your history by date. I'm hoping that functionality will continue to be developed in time. I personally think they should develop the ability to name the cooks in addition to the date and be able to attach notes to each cook for historical documentation.
    Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    Nice, I think the best feature of this is the cloud service they have. Getting WiFi controllers setup on a home network for remote control is probably the most challenging step for those that don't have a network background. This takes care of that and makes it simple.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • BearQ
    BearQ Posts: 174
    @DMW the cloud service is what got me off the fence, I like the idea of controlling my pit from work. More robust than having to be restricted to your home network to see the charting.
    Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
  • cssmd27
    cssmd27 Posts: 345
    The only concern I have about the Flame Boss server kind of acting like the home base is that it requires them to maintain it indefinitely.  If they were to decide to move in a different direction for future controllers or, God forbid, they would go belly up, the wifi functionality would be gone.  Am I correct in that assumption?

    Regardless, I'm a buyer today.  I'm assuming there will still be support for this for at least a couple of years and likely much longer.  The worst case scenario would be that it would still be fully functional at the controller level even if the wifi/web based functions were not, right?

    Is there a [reasonably easy] way to make it exclusively local and not use the Flame Boss server?
    Dallas (University Park), Texas
  • BearQ
    BearQ Posts: 174
    Yes it will function as a controller without the wifi connected. I'll test tonight after work to see if it's listening on TCP 80 & accepting local connections or not. If not this could be possibly added to a future firmware revision.
    Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
  • BearQ
    BearQ Posts: 174
    @cssmd27 I scanned the FlameBoss for open ports and got none so at present you cannot connect locally to the device.
    Barrie,Ont.,Canada.
  • cssmd27
    cssmd27 Posts: 345
    Thanks BearQ.  Clearly, your tech skills are beyond me other than a big picture understanding.  But, maybe a software update at some point changes things?  Speaking of that, is there a way (that you might know about) for the software to be updated?
    Dallas (University Park), Texas
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    BearQ said:
    @cssmd27 I scanned the FlameBoss for open ports and got none so at present you cannot connect locally to the device.
    Thanks @BearQ - Good to know it's not for me. I like being able to have local access and control. Then again, I'm not the majority and would choose more options vs simplicity.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    edited June 2015
    BearQ said:
    @cssmd27 I scanned the FlameBoss for open ports and got none so at present you cannot connect locally to the device.

    I talked with FB's owner about this today as it intrigued me.  He said it's pretty easy to get it to point to a different server, but making it accessible the other way would be harder.  Not sure what it would do to the warranty or anything like that, but you might give him a shout through the website if that's something you are truly interested in.