Inkbird Wifi Smart Temperature Controller, Up to 50% off ($32.5)

[UndeadFred]

Well, in the 10 minutes I got it to work after fiddling with it for an hour and a half it was-- okay.. the app interface is a tad bit clunky. But since then, though it always gets a solid "WiFi" icon on the unit on a power cycle-- and it does it quickly-- I see Status: Offline on the Inkbird site.

The good news, I suppose is that if you press and hold the middle button on the unit it at least works as a cool (or heat) only controller that you can actually set by using the middle and right buttons. So it's not a brick when it doesn't work with WiFi. It also has the most accurate temperature of any controller right out of the box. I wonder is the sensor isn't the NTC thermistor that is used on the other units.. maybe it's a DS1820 or another sensor.

I'm amazed by reports of it actually working for people. Have they run it for days or hours on end?

I might try re-pairing it one more time, but it took 4 tries and like 35 minutes both times I got it working and then both times it ran about 10 minutes before losing connection.

One comment I should state is that either the short antenna (which I think has a temperature sensor in it too) or the long temp probe has to be plugged in to the unit for the WiFi to work at all. That threw me about the time of my first post.

I hope it works for you. There isn't much else I can do with it, knowing little to nothing on how the App works.. I am tempted to use Wireshark to look at the access point, but that's a lot of work, really. I suspect the device really is an ESP8266 device, it sure seems to work like some of the ones out there...

I suspect if I were at their lab in China the thing would work beautifully.. but from a rural DSL line in America it is too dicey to work reliably the way it is architected.

 

[TorMag]

Well, in the 10 minutes I got it to work after fiddling with it for an hour and a half it was-- okay.. the app interface is a tad bit clunky. But since then, though it always gets a solid "WiFi" icon on the unit on a power cycle-- and it does it quickly-- I see Status: Offline on the Inkbird site.

The good news, I suppose is that if you press and hold the middle button on the unit it at least works as a cool (or heat) only controller that you can actually set by using the middle and right buttons. So it's not a brick when it doesn't work with WiFi. It also has the most accurate temperature of any controller right out of the box. I wonder is the sensor isn't the NTC thermistor that is used on the other units.. maybe it's a DS1820 or another sensor.

I'm amazed by reports of it actually working for people. Have they run it for days or hours on end?

I might try re-pairing it one more time, but it took 4 tries and like 35 minutes both times I got it working and then both times it ran about 10 minutes before losing connection.

One comment I should state is that either the short antenna (which I think has a temperature sensor in it too) or the long temp probe has to be plugged in to the unit for the WiFi to work at all. That threw me about the time of my first post.

I hope it works for you. There isn't much else I can do with it, knowing little to nothing on how the App works.. I am tempted to use Wireshark to look at the access point, but that's a lot of work, really. I suspect the device really is an ESP8266 device, it sure seems to work like some of the ones out there...

I suspect if I were at their lab in China the thing would work beautifully.. but from a rural DSL line in America it is too dicey to work reliably the way it is architected.

Mine has been going solid now for a month of two, the only hiccup being when we had a power outage and I had to go through the PITA of reconnecting the wifi. It did hold the temp settings through the power outage.

 

[m1k3]

Got mine today. Android did not work (LG-V480 tablet) but iOS (iPhone 5S) did.

With Android I got "Failed" when trying to enter the router/password.

Edit:
Made an unboxing video when it arrived (I just happened to be getting the GoPro camera ready for the MTB ride today):
https://youtu.be/N7ufGjg2wl4

 

[TorMag]

Got mine today. Android did not work (LG-V480 tablet) but iOS (iPhone 5S) did.

With Android I got "Failed" when trying to enter the router/password.

Well that just shows which OS is better.....

 

[UndeadFred]

I reluctantly resurrected my iPad Mini and sure as $hit the Apple app works. But I couldn't log into the same email address as on the Android. The smart arsed comment above irrespective, this proves that an API and technical documentation needs to be released, unless Inkbird want to make their money by selling software and not the hardware. If the design was GPLed there would be interfaces for BrewPis by now. With more information I could probably diagnose the Android apps problem. The trick part of getting the SSID and password works, what doesn't is the app to their server. The fact I couldn't log out in the Android app and that my password appears to be different from device to device is pretty indicative...

 

[TorMag]

I reluctantly resurrected my iPad Mini and sure as $hit the Apple app works. But I couldn't log into the same email address as on the Android. The smart arsed comment above irrespective, this proves that an API and technical documentation needs to be released, unless Inkbird want to make their money by selling software and not the hardware. If the design was GPLed there would be interfaces for BrewPis by now. With more information I could probably diagnose the Android apps problem. The trick part of getting the SSID and password works, what doesn't is the app to their server. The fact I couldn't log out in the Android app and that my password appears to be different from device to device is pretty indicative...

Better to be a smart arse then a dumb arse.

 

[UndeadFred]

Even on the Apple App, working is relative. It is fairly buggy as well. The graph stops working after a short bit. And I suppose later on the App will set up profiles like you would have with a STC-1000+.. But right now having the same settings that the controller has plus displaying only on an iOS device of the temperature, since the graph crashes, doesn't really make the app all that value added. I think a local Web interface would be better, it would work on any device and would allow that data to be accessed and used for something. Again.. Opening the API up would make this useful. The controller itself seems solid, including network access.. But the design of the UI doesn't even make sense.

 

[TorMag]

Even on the Apple App, working is relative. It is fairly buggy as well. The graph stops working after a short bit. And I suppose later on the App will set up profiles like you would have with a STC-1000+.. But right now having the same settings that the controller has plus displaying only on an iOS device of the temperature, since the graph crashes, doesn't really make the app all that value added. I think a local Web interface would be better, it would work on any device and would allow that data to be accessed and used for something. Again.. Opening the API up would make this useful. The controller itself seems solid, including network access.. But the design of the UI doesn't even make sense.

Totally agree, the app is almost useless. At least you can see the temp and change it from the app.

 

[brew703]

I could never get mine to connect. A new one arrived today so will try and mess with it over the weekend. If it doesn't connect, then will send back for a refund. Don't need another controller that isn't WIFI capable.

 

[UndeadFred]

Here is the thing with that device--- And I'm guessing because the technology is hidden and I don't want to pop into it to see the parts and void my warranty on it (yet). If I saw a ESP8266EX chip or module in it that would confirm it... This is my theory on what is going on with these...

I believe it comes up as a (hidden SSID) access point when you hold the WiFi button down. On Android it needs multicast and network access point changing privileges (it likely does on Apple but it's not as neatly spelled out on that side).

Once the phone/tablet/app connects, it programs the router SSID and Password to the controller, probably the Inkbird username and password and address of the Inkbird server (if they did it right), and it connects to the internet and the WiFi indicator goes solid, probably when the link to the router is connected. Alternatively the solid indication might be when it connects to Inkbird's server, which is probably also sent to the controller through the app (I hope it isn't hard coded).

Then the App simply talks to the server at Inkbird which relays commands to the controller. It just so happens that on apparently most if not all Android devices that the App itself only gets usually as far as setting the controller's info without errors (which crash pieces of the app like logging out!) and then it doesn't work after that. But the pairing to the internet of the device works and that is why I claim it is solid. If you have the solid wifi symbol, the device is hooked to your router.. if you go into the router control panel you can verify this easily.

I am guessing on the device being a hidden Access Point on startup but that is typically how those Internet of Thing chips are set up, usually not hidden though. I am also guessing on the connection going through Inkbird's server but that seems likely as on my one router that blocks wifi clients from talking to each other internally it still seems to work on the Apple device, but I've not run it for any length of time to 100% verify that.

So.. if you are getting the solid WiFi indication, the controller is connecting to the internet, I'm 99% sure of that. If it doesn't work from there, then it's just that the App is really broken. You could hold out in the hopes that either Inkbird fixes the apps or provides technical info to the rest of us so we can BrewPi the buggers, or whatever.

 

[m1k3]

Totally agree, the app is almost useless. At least you can see the temp and change it from the app.

Agree, it is handy to see what the temp is currently while I am cold crashing or doing a free rise (while I am away from home). It is not so handy when fermenting since it just shows that the fermentation is being controlled in the range selected (which is what you would expect).

It would be nice if the graph worked. It appears that the graph only works while I have the app open. Every time I come back to the graph it is blank.

It would also be nice to know how often and long the connected device has been cycling. I don't think you can even tell if it is currently powering the connected device... you would just have to infer that it is outside the set temperature range (and outside the short cycle setting).

 

[TorMag]

It would also be nice to know how often and long the connected device has been cycling. I don't think you can even tell if it is currently powering the connected device... you would just have to infer that it is outside the set temperature range (and outside the short cycle setting).

That is one thing that they could do to make it real handy. It would be great to see the data points of when it started and stopped and the temps.

 

[UndeadFred]

If you are using it for an internet connected thermometer, you can literally do that with that ESP8266 part I referenced, a Dallas DS18B20 thermometer for less than $10, and a few dozen lines of code, though. I wouldn't tie up a controller for that. I plan on such a project to monitor my input and output temperatures of my counter flow chiller so when I do I'll post the code and hookup somewhere.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

It was nice to get it for half price, but, since I already have several temp. controllers, I was only getting this for the wifi capability and that doesn't work. Another STC 1000 would have been a better choice, though I have more of those than I am using.

Maybe, if the software updates, I'll try it again.

 

[Varroa]

Hmm, I sent the money to the email days ago but I have not gotten a response yet.

 

[inkbird]

It was nice to get it for half price, but, since I already have several temp. controllers, I was only getting this for the wifi capability and that doesn't work. Another STC 1000 would have been a better choice, though I have more of those than I am using.

Maybe, if the software updates, I'll try it again.

Sorry for the inconvenience caused for you.

1. Please follow the steps mentioned in this link and make sure yours is right or not again.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=7575890&postcount=1

2. After the above operation, you won’t connect it. Please connect in different routers to check whether your router is OK or not.

3. Give us your router and cellphone models and your current cellphone system version. We need to filter some information to improve our unit.

If still has problem, PLS PM us.

 

[Tombsy]

Can you use this product to control a 1500w or 1800w element?

 

[m1k3]

Can you use this product to control a 1500w or 1800w element?

15A x 120V = 1,800 watts

Yes, that's the max rating.

 

[m1k3]

Woke up today, 800 miles from home and decided to cold crash. I'm pretty happy with the Inkbird WiFi controller.

I can't imagine how I would live without out it now.

It's nice to be able to check/adjust the temp while away.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

Has anyone, using the android app, had this connect? Ever? Under any conditions?

 

[Finlandbrews]

Is it available now for European market?

 

[ArcaneXor]

Has anyone, using the android app, had this connect? Ever? Under any conditions?

No.

 

[dfborn]

Just getting around to trying mine out. It seems to connect (the wifi symbol on the controller goes from flashing to solid) but the app hangs at "Configuring Wi-Fi". Any suggestions?

 

[armenianbrewer]

I only just recently connected the device to my newly bought freezer (nothing inside of it yet) but it appears to be working just fine. It does overshoot my cool temperature it appears, not sure if that's because of lack of air flow or thermal mass in my empty 7.2 cubic feet freezer or what.

Also, it has an area to select a compressor delay, what is the purpose or use for this and are there any recommendations or keeping it at 0 sufficient?

I had my controller set to cool, with a temp range of 38 to 36 and it would turn on right away when the controller read 38 but it seemed to take a little time before shutting off when the temp got below 36.. the temperature controller read 32.x before turning off on nearly every cycle.

Is there any recommendations on temperature range to set for a keezer?

 

[milll36]

looks cool

 

[h083221]

Hi all ... I have gone through most of the posts regarding the C919, and I see it is very intermittent as to whether or not it works. That be as it may, I bought one anyway ... I'll just use it as a stand alone controller until I have time to fiddle with it, or until Inkbird releases a new version for Android.

Question for InkBird: Do you EVER plan on releasing an update to the Android App?? I see only one person who has ever got the Android APP to connect ... for a little while anyway. I also see the Playstore link is still on your website, but the latest Android version is still 1.0 released in May 2016!!

It doesn't seem like much work is being done to resolve the connectivity issues and make this a decent product for use. You do know that you could sell a lot more of these if the Android APP actually worked as advertised!!

 

[oylerck]

I'm in the top 50 right?

 

[inkbird]

I'm in the top 50 right?

So what's up now?

 

[inkbird]

Hi all ... I have gone through most of the posts regarding the C919, and I see it is very intermittent as to whether or not it works. That be as it may, I bought one anyway ... I'll just use it as a stand alone controller until I have time to fiddle with it, or until Inkbird releases a new version for Android.

Question for InkBird: Do you EVER plan on releasing an update to the Android App?? I see only one person who has ever got the Android APP to connect ... for a little while anyway. I also see the Playstore link is still on your website, but the latest Android version is still 1.0 released in May 2016!!

It doesn't seem like much work is being done to resolve the connectivity issues and make this a decent product for use. You do know that you could sell a lot more of these if the Android APP actually worked as advertised!!

Yes. Android APP is not improved. Because there are many versions for Android cellphone systems. It is difficult to improve and get the features together.

 

[h083221]

I believe your answer was "Yes" to updating the APP. Any idea of when you think the update will come out?