Review: Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer

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Review: Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer

Postby Chops » Thu Jan 17, 2019 2:22 pm

I searched the forums for this product and didn't see it mentioned, so I figured this could be my first contribution as a newly joined member. There's a link to the product at the end of this post. Here goes:

Despite seeing some negative reviews on Amazon, I ordered one of these back in November 2018. I bought it direct from the manufacturer through their website. Shipping was free, and the unit arrived via FedEx 6 days after the order was placed. It came with the base unit (with 9v battery), 1 dual-sensor probe, and a USB cable with electrical adapter - all of which was packed in a nice foam-lined zippered case. I'll cover each component of the Loki system below.

Base Unit
The base unit runs on a 9v battery, or plugged in via the USB cable and electrical adapter. It is a spherical unit with a rubber-feel exterior and flattened bottom. It is just a bit smaller than a baseball. The bottom contains the on/off button along with a strong embedded magnet that allows you to mount the unit to any magnet-compatible surface. Just above the bottom is a recessed panel with 4 color-coded receptacles where you plug in probes, and the mini-USB receptacle for supplying the unit with power. Horizontally encircling the circumference of the unit is a thin semi-opaque ring that emits light of various colors corresponding to operational events such as being turned on or reaching a target temperature. The unit is designed to be monitored on your smartphone using the companion smartphone app. Connecting your phone to the unit is done wirelessly via either wifi or bluetooth. Using bluetooth means your phone needs to be within bluetooth range of the base unit. Using wifi means the base unit needs to be within range of your wifi router. If you choose the wifi option, you can monitor the base unit from your phone remotely through the internet.

Dual Sensor Probe
The dual sensor probe is long metal rod containing a sensor at the pointy tip for measuring internal meat temperature, and a sensor at the opposite end of the rod for measuring ambient temperature inside your smoker/grill. A long metal-braided teflon-covered cable connects the probe to the plug that attaches it to the base unit. At the end of the metal probe where the cable is attached is a little round handle that makes it easy to hold the probe while inserting or removing it from meat.

USB cable and Electrical Adapter
The USB cable and electrical adapter is like what you typically get for charging your smartphone. It's standard USB stuff; nothing proprietary. The cable is a good 6 feet long.

Smartphone App
The smartphone app is available for free from the Android or Apple app store. Downloading and installing it went without a hitch. Configuring a connection to wifi was much the same as I've experienced for other wifi devices. You just need to enter the password for your router's network ID (SSID). Loki remembers the connection info, so you don't have to redo it each time you use it. As far as features go, the app has the basics covered. You can see the meat and ambient temperatures of each probe in an area-graph format displayed over time. The display area is color coded so that it corresponds to the color-coded receptacle that the probe is plugged into. You can select a view that shows data for one probe, or a view that shows a summarized display with all probes. Temperature data is read frequently enough to seem real-time. You can set alerts for each probe to let you know when the desired meat temperature is reached. You can also set alerts for when the ambient temperature of a probe goes below or above thresholds that you specify. There's also an option you can enable to be alerted when Loki detects that the meat temperature has stalled. The app also has suggested settings for different types of meats that you can select as a starting point and tweak as you see fit. The only issue I've noticed with the app is that I've gotten a pop-up message a couple of times saying that it's stopped working. But when I bring up the list of running apps on my phone, it's still there, and I can switch to it and everything seems fine (i.e., no data loss).

Usage
I've used this unit several times now and I am very pleased with it. However, I've never used the bluetooth function for monitoring it because I much prefer the flexibility of wifi. For a long smoke, I can monitor temperatures from the app on my phone while the wife and I enjoy a beverage at the local watering hole. (In fact, the last time I used it, it alerted me about a drop in ambient temperature while we were away having lunch. I raced home to find that I had forgotten to top off the pellet hopper before we left, and it had run out.) The meat temps it measures are pretty consistent with my hand-held probe thermometer. The ambient temperatures are typically a little higher than the control panel on my pellet smoker shows, but not enough to bother me. I've also learned over time that it's preferable to use the unit while it's plugged directly into an electrical outlet via the USB cable. (Yep, the battery died on me once.) This is not an issue for me since my pellet grill already requires electrical hook-up.

Other Reviews
If you look at the reviews for this unit on Amazon, you'll see that some folks were not so pleased with the Loki. Some complained of wifi connectivity issues; I haven't experienced that. Others complained that multiple probes report unacceptable variance in ambient temperatures across the probes in the same grill/smoker; I suspect that the variance is true because temps do vary at different spots within many smokers/grills. Maybe these folks don't realize that.

Conclusion
I can only vouch for my experiences, which have been very good. I briefly considered other options before going with the Loki. I decided against buying a new wifi-enabled controller for my pellet grill because I didn't want to be limited to just having wireless capability with the pellet grill. With the Loki, I can use it how and where I want. I also considered a few other wireless thermometer products, but the Loki just had the right mix of features and price for me. Also, it just looks friggin' cool. 8) In closing, I will state that I am not affiliated in any way with the makers of this product, and I was not asked/enticed/paid to write this review.

If you're interested, read more about it here: https://www.lokiproducts.com/

God Bless :texas:
I started with nothing, and I still have most of it.
* Camp Chef SmokePro DLX PG24 Pellet Grill w/Sear Box
* Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer
* "Heavy D” Stick Burning Heat Diffuser

God Bless :texas:
oldusedparts USER_AVATAR
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Re: Review: Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer

Postby OldUsedParts » Thu Jan 17, 2019 3:12 pm

Thanks for the actual consumer report, Chops. If you don't mind me asking, what did you end up paying for yours TT&L :?: :salut:
I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death. William Barret Travis - Lt. Col. comdt "The Alamo"
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Re: Review: Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer

Postby Chops » Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:30 pm

OldUsedParts wrote:Thanks for the actual consumer report, Chops. If you don't mind me asking, what did you end up paying for yours TT&L :?: :salut:

Howdy OUP. My total cost was $129. I think it may have been on sale for the holidays when I bought it. Looks like the current price is $149. BTW, I later ordered a couple of extra probes for $19 each. I believe that was also a sale price since they're currently listed at $24. Shipping was $5 for the probes. If any of you out there is thinking about purchasing a Loki, and you think you might want an additional probe or two, my advice is to bite the bullet and order it all together to take advantage of the free shipping on orders over $100. :salut:
I started with nothing, and I still have most of it.
* Camp Chef SmokePro DLX PG24 Pellet Grill w/Sear Box
* Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer
* "Heavy D” Stick Burning Heat Diffuser

God Bless :texas:
oldusedparts USER_AVATAR
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Re: Review: Loki Smart WiFi Meat Thermometer

Postby OldUsedParts » Fri Jan 18, 2019 6:00 am

Thanks, Chops :tup: :salut:
I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death. William Barret Travis - Lt. Col. comdt "The Alamo"

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