Weber Connect App Trial: A Pitmaster Club Exclusive!

[barelfly]

Well, was nice having the Weber Connect last night. I still didn’t sleep much, as I normally don’t on overnight cooks in fear of something going wrong. But, was nice to check on the temp by rolling over to grab the phone. Things were moving along nicely, the device stayed connected to the app/phone all night.

But at about my 330am check….hmmm that’s interesting..why are the temps much lower than the last check???? And there is the fear! The Smoker went out. I run an electric smoker and the heating element went out is my guess. After powering down and trying again, the Auber control box works but heating element wouldn’t kick on. So…the butts got individually wrapped into serving pans and into the oven to finish. And that’s the nice thing about being able to see the graph here, knowing when the temps started to drop and seeing the time.

I just turned off the oven with the butts hitting 200-201 and being jiggly. So added the ambient probe (#4 in the photo) to monitor the holding temp for the next few hours until I get everything pulled and into a cooler to head to the brewery for the party.

last night I had the thought of battery issues - after nearly 12 hours, it’s at 60%, so puts that worry to rest. My initial thoughts on this device and app - nice for someone who has not had this level of geekiness for temp monitoring before. For what I was doing, I never thought I needed the graphing and such. But it’s cool to see. I’m also pretty happy with the blue tooth range on this. Once I get the WiFi figured out, I’ll curious to see if I can monitor temps away from the house the way you can on the Anova when connected to WiFi.

[Alan Brice]

That is a great recovery! Lil CYA goes a long way. (What if, What if, What if!) Good one.

[luvthemstillers]

First off, let me say how impressed I am with all the footage Weber put together for the video instructions in the app. That being said, I got a chuckle out of the instructions calling for wearing BBQ mitts, while showing a bare handed person completing the step.

[Huskee]

That's their new skin-tight skin-tone mitts.

[Red Man]

I’m probably missing something obvious here, but when I go to the link posted by Huskee I can’t figure out how to log in. I don’t have an account and don’t see how to create one.

[jfmorris]

Ok - then maybe make a Weber account on their main website first, using the same email you use for the Pit?

[Red Man]

I created an account on Weber.com. I got an email thanking me for registering. When I use that email to try and log in it says there’s no member with those credentials. When I choose “forgot password” I don’t get an email with a link to reset the password. 🤷🏻♂️

[ryfar]

Hey folks, Ryan from the Weber Connect Software Team here.

Are you hitting https://beta.weber.com to sign up? That's the place to start.

The Beta site doesn't use your weber.com credentials because it's a whole different system than our main site.

ry

[Huskee]

Can anyone else who's done this help Red Man above ^ ?

[barelfly]

When I click on the link, it takes me directly to my account. I had to download the app and I went from there. I actually did things backwards to start. I used the QR code that came in the box to get the download, but then went back and did the update to ensure I had the beta app. From there, it has been ok.

Also the TestFlight app has to be downloaded as well, but I dont think that makes the Weber connect app….

Redman

[barelfly]

Red Man - i just downloaded the app to my iPad to see what I could find. Have you tried to connect the device to your app? I wonder what would happen that way? With the update yesterday, I’m curious if the account creation was removed somehow?

Let me keep looking.

[barelfly]

Red Man - do yo have the Test Flight app downloaded as well?

Any where and everywhere, I don’t see an area to create an account on the app.

[ryfar]

Hi,

There's no need to create an account on the Weber Connect app. It doesn't have accounts.

If you want to get involved with the Weber Connect Beta program, go to https://beta.weber.com and sign up there. That'll get you logged in to a site that has links to download the beta apps.

Sorry it's a little indirect, but there's a lot about the iOS and Android beta systems we don't control.

ry

[barelfly]

There was also an additional update for the Beta app that came down yesterday for those participating.

[BBQPhil]

I had the same issue, but went back to Huskee's links and clicked on the first one, not the second. Registration for the released app doesn't work for the test app.

[Red Man]

barelfly I downloaded test flight based on your suggestion, but don’t see how it can help. It just asks for an invitation redeem code. I downloaded the app linked by the QR code that came with the hub. I don’t see anywhere to create an account. My hub does connect. Neither the first or second links provided by Huskee do anything for me. I’m a bit confused though because Huskee said the way to confirm you have the beta version is if the recipe section has a search bar. I do have a search bar. I didn’t do anything special that would get me the beta version though. I have app version 2.1.0_1016.

[barelfly]

I think the update that occurred wiped this out somehow then. I dug around multiple areas, and on my iPad that was not connected and the issues pointed below are the reason. I’ll see if I can provide a bug ticket on the app, although, we are supposed to get notifications via email for tickets, and I Haven’t received any from what I created this weekend.

[jfmorris]

Red Man I am not sure what is going on. I feel like Weber had made an account in their beta portal for me, since it seemed to know my email, and I just had to do a password reset to get in.

Are you using your phone to go to the links that Huskee gave? It may make a difference. I did it initially on my computer, got in, but realized I could not download the beta app unless I was doing it from my phone. The download button pulls it down using TestFlight. There is no code to redeem.

That said, you are in fact using the same version I am testing via TestFlight. 2.1.0 build 1016, which it appears was pushed to the public App Store 1 day ago. We just get new releases a few days early via TestFlight.

The biggest reason for you to be in the beta site is that it is how you can report problems and read instructions.

[jfmorris]

I've not actually cooked anything on the grill with the Weber Connect app, but have done several "fake" cook i.e. trial runs using the app here - burgers, and then a pork loin. I find some things confusing:

1. On the burger recipe, they show a probe in one of the burgers in the video, and a step says put a probe in a burger, but they do not give you a chance to select which probe is in the burger, and they don't show the temp on screen for any probes during the cook session - just a count down timer for when to flip the burgers, when to take them off.

2. On the pork loin recipe, it asks you which probe is in the pork loin. However, it doesn't show you the cooker air temp probe once the cook starts - just the meat probe as a graph, which a set point at which they will ask you to flip it over or go indirect I think.

All in all, I am slightly underwhelmed by the app, as while the device has 4 channels, they sure don't seem to give you a way to use them effectively when following any of their recipes - just when doing it all manually.

Has anyone else noted these things? Should I go whine about them in the Weber Connect beta website?

[Max Good]

We regret the confusion. Members who are still unable to get started - please confirm you're using our latest instructions below: Instructions to PMC members for testing Weber’s new app.

1. If you haven't done so already, visit https://beta.weber.com to create a new account for the connect.weber.com site. That's the only way to create an account on connect.weber.com, for some technical reasons.
2. *PLEASE NOTE: For anyone who has already tried to log in to connect.weber.com and failed, please try going through https://beta.weber.com to create your account.
3. On your iPhone or Android device go to: connect.weber.com
4. Login
5. Scroll down to two red buttons. Select iOS or Android.
6. Install Beta Version even if you already have the current version of Weber Connect on your smart phone. Open it. You can confirm you have the new Beta Version if the Recipe Page includes a search field at the top:

Pair your smart phone with your smart Weber device. For help, go back to: connect.weber.com

Click on the menu bars in the upper left. A drop-down menu provides a lot of info.

Select How-To & Info for help. Note the other selections. Ask A Question, Give feedback and Report a Bug puts you in direct communication with Weber’s software team, although they likely won’t respond immediately. Use those three selections early and often.

Weber’s team is constantly testing the new app, so they will handle specific tests. Rather than give our Pitmaster Club members a list of tasks to perform, Weber asks that you play around with the app as much as you can. You don’t always have to actually be cooking to test. Dry runs are encouraged. The more you test, ask questions, give feedback and report bugs, the happier Weber will be.
Weber will supply a survey towards the end of the 60-day period, which will start on May 30 to accommodate the shipping timeline. Members can fill out electronically. Testers can share their feedback at any time as they play with app through the beta link.

[jfmorris]

Huskee there is no link to create an account, which is one of the things Red Man was saying. I looked myself. I just went to it on a computer that I have not logged into connect.weber.com from, and there is no place to create an account - there is a "forgot password" link. He tried that with his email, but got no password reset. I feel like that is how I got into it the first time was using my email and the password reset link.

[Huskee]

jfmorris Ahh, thank you I missed that.

[ryfar]

Hi Max Good, I'd just like to add a Step 0 to your list above, which would be:

0. If you haven't done so already, visit https://beta.weber.com to create a new account for the connect.weber.com site. That's the only way to create an account on connect.weber.com, for some technical reasons.

For anyone who has tried to log in to connect.weber.com and failed, please try going through https://beta.weber.com to create your account.

[Max Good]

Thanks Ryan!

[Red Man]

Thanks for everyone’s help with this! I followed ryfar ’s link to create an account and it worked. It’s pretty strange that I’m the only one that had this problem, but oh well.

My ambient probe seems to not work very well. I need to try plugging it in about 5 times before it starts reading. I tried different ports and it followed the probe, so the hub is good. Huskee any chance of getting a warranty replacement on something that was free? 😁

[jfmorris]

Note that if you have any Thermoworks probes someone found that those work with the Connect hub. I imagine most with that style plug will.

[jfmorris]

So, I have a question for you other testers out there that are also using the Connect hub.

I did a guided cook using the app's recipe for boneless skinless chicken breasts, using my own seasoning instead of the salt/pepper in the recipe, but other than that, following it to the letter. I started by putting probe 1 on the grate, to monitor grill temp, but even though the dome was 350-400, the grate temp was apparently well over 600, as that channel shutdown. When I pulled the probe out, and it started cooling down, it read again. So I don't think I killed the probe. I hope!

Anywhere, here is the weirdness. When you start the recipe, it asks you which probe is in the meat, I told it channel 2, and it goes on. Once things start, it seems that instead of showing the temperature on the Connect Hub, something in the app overwrote the display with a timer of some sort. Most of the cook it just sat there saying "20:00". I couldn't press on the hub to get it to switch back to temp either - or if it switched, it wouldn't stay. At the end of the cook, it changed to show "0", at the time I was told to pull the meat. Again, showing an expired timer to me is not as useful as showing the TEMPERATURE, on a thermometer!

I was just wondering if anyone else had observed this behavior on the Connect app and hub, when following a guided cook. If I do a manual cook, the hub displays the temp channel I want by pressing on the top (the entire body is a button).

Right now, I find the following issues if using the recipes in the app:

1. The recipes take over the screen and ONLY show the meat probe temp. It's hard to get back in the app to see the cooker temp, then get back to the recipe that is running.

2. The recipes apparently overwrite the display on the Connect Hub with a timer that doesn't necessarily countdown, since mine was stuck at "20:00" the entire cook, then jumped to 0. It had no relation to timers I saw on the screen in the app.

That's about it for now. While I like the idea of the guided recipes, they need to show the temp of ALL connected probes when running a recipe onscreen, and I would prefer they leave the display on the Connect hub device showing temperature. I have to wonder if they reach out and change the display on a Weber grill that has this technology built in.

[luvthemstillers]

I've noticed on the recipies I've run that the hub seems to default to the timer for whatever the next step in the recipie happens to be. However, it will briefly cycle to the probes to show a change in temperature. I've not seen it "freeze" on a particular time like you experienced jfmorris. I've seen it readjust on the fly based on temperature changes in the protein.

[jfmorris]

luvthemstillers maybe I just missed it changing. The folks over on the beta website connect.weber.com explained to me how to change the display on the hub to be time to go, temp, or cycling between both - its all a setting in the app.

[BBQPhil]

Where are further comments about this being posted?

[Huskee]

This is the topic for comments about this.