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Very disappointed with Thermoworks Smoke Gateway

OhioEgger
OhioEgger Posts: 943
in Off Topic

I was one of the early buyers of the Smoke Gateway and it was great at first. Cumbersome to set up, but once it was going I liked the capability. But I didn't use it for quite a while, and when I tried to use it recently it couldn't connect to anything. I went through the troubleshooting guide on their website about ten times, but no luck at all.

So I called them for tech support. It was still just within the 2 year warranty. The tech support guy spent about 20 minutes on the phone with me and walked me through a number of steps, but started giving me a hard time because he didn't believe what I was telling him. "No, it doesn't do that." "You must not be able to tell the blue light from the purple light" "No, it can't behave that way."

Finally he gave up and had me send it in (at my expense). They claimed there was nothing wrong with it, worked perfectly, and sent it back. Of course, it's behaving the same way as before I sent it in -- utterly useless.

Since they claim it's perfect, I can't even get a refund. I'm so annoyed I'll probably never buy anything from them again, and I used to be one of their biggest fans (because of the Thermapen).

Cincinnati, Ohio. Large BGE since 2011. Still learning.
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Comments

  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380

    Did you perhaps change your router and/or router password in the interim? There are quite a few things that could explain your problems even if the Gateway is itself functioning properly.

    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • OhioEgger
    OhioEgger Posts: 943
    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2424017#Comment_2424017

    No. Anyway, after the first attempt failed I did a factory reset on it and started from scratch.

    Cincinnati, Ohio. Large BGE since 2011. Still learning.
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  • BugFreak72
    BugFreak72 Posts: 246

    Did that work?

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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2424028#Comment_2424028

    Factory reset on what - your Gateway or your router?

    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • mahenryak
    mahenryak Posts: 1,324

    I'm sure that you or the tech would have caught this but FWIW I was reading on a post from a different site that the app needs location permission, and possibly other permissions.

    LG BGE, KJ Jr, Smokin Bros. Premier 36 and Pizza Party Bollore



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  • Retired RailRoader
    Retired RailRoader Posts: 980

    Make sure you’re trying to connect to the 2.4 GHZ band of your router and not the 5 GHZ. The gateway will only connect to the 2.4 band.

    Everyday is Saturday and tomorrow is always Sunday.
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  • alaskanassasin
    alaskanassasin Posts: 8,158

    total shot in the dark here, my smobot wouldnt connect so I called, he said do you have a HP printer, yes, unplug it while setting up the smobot.

    It worked, I plugged printer back in and they both work fine.

    South of Columbus, Ohio.


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  • dannys
    dannys Posts: 165

    I bought the gateway but never set it up. I'm OK with just using the remote that it comes with - I don't need what the gateway provides. I wish I had thought about that before I bought it.

    While we are on a ThermoWorks rant. I bought a timestick trio. Or as I like to call it, the best way to kill a battery ever invented. I replace the battery and the next time I go to use it, the battery is dead again. It's happened 3 times now, I'm finally through with it and it is going in the recycling.

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  • kjs
    kjs Posts: 111

    @OhioEgger what you described is exactly what I am experiencing minus I haven’t taken the time to call customer service. Very frustrating. And I thought I was going to be a loyal ThermoWorks guy based on my earliest experience.

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  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,855
    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2424229#Comment_2424229


    I have a Trio and I've never used it. I don't know how to operate it. The timer on my oven is still working fine, though I rarely time anything other than baking.

    NOLA
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  • rekameohs
    rekameohs Posts: 264

    Sounds like you may have a gotten a newer person in their Tech Support group. The "it doesn't do that" comment just means that the Tech has not seen that error before. Do they have a Level 2/3 Support person available? The fact they have similar color lights that can be confusing sounds like a design defect (or the purchasing group got a better price on blue & purple lights !)

    ****

    So I called them for tech support. It was still just within the 2 year warranty. The tech support guy spent about 20 minutes on the phone with me and walked me through a number of steps, but started giving me a hard time because he didn't believe what I was telling him. "No, it doesn't do that." "You must not be able to tell the blue light from the purple light" "No, it can't behave that way."

    Raleigh, NC
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 16,199
    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2424168#Comment_2424168

    That... is weird! 😯

    ___________

    "When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."

    - Lin Yutang


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  • ryantt
    ryantt Posts: 2,545

    This is unfortunate, as they have always provided a good level of support to my daughter and I. I would suggest that you call in again and explain what’s happening and see if a different tech could help.


    Best of luck,

    Ryan

    XL BGE, KJ classic, Joe Jr, UDS x2 


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  • MaskedMarvel
    MaskedMarvel Posts: 3,202

    Yeah that really sucks.


    I called about probes that went bad - out of warranty - and they sent me replacements for free.


    Sorry for your experience they should definitely be making things right.

    Large BGE and Medium BGE
    36" Blackstone - Greensboro!


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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831

    I don’t know if she can help, or even if she still works there, but you might try contacting Amber Bowcut (amber@thermoworks.com). She was extremely helpful to me on a couple of occasions in the past. It’s been 7-8 years though. Worth an email.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • OhioEgger
    OhioEgger Posts: 943

    Update:

    I decided to give it one final try before throwing the Gateway in the trash.

    I had already deleted the app from my phone, so I downloaded a fresh copy and went through the tedious setup process again. Amazingly, it worked.

    So the problem was not in the unit but in the app. It must have gotten corrupted and the new copy worked properly.

    But my beef with Thermoworks still stands. I described the situation in detail to the tech support guy (how the app would just give a "Working" screen and freeze forever) but he blew me off ("That's not how it works") and walked me through a completely different sequence. He should have at least told me to delete the app and replace it with a fresh one.

    Cincinnati, Ohio. Large BGE since 2011. Still learning.
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