Best Wireless Meat Thermometer for (2025) Tested and Reviewed

Today we're putting 9 wireless thermometers to the test to see which is the best wireless thermometer for you.

Sometimes in outdoor cooking, the only thing that makes sense to use is a wireless meat thermometer. But what good is a Bluetooth thermometer if it can't perform the way you actually want to use it?

There have been several new models of wireless thermometers to hit the market in the last few months so this seemed like the perfect time to take a closer look at them side-by-side.

We're going to be looking at user experience, ambient temperature accuracy, real-world range tests, and whether the probes can survive high heat searing and even deep frying. This is going to be fun!

First, let's start by taking a look at the contenders.

Wireless Meat Thermometers

Chef IQ Sense

We have the 3 probe set that retails for $179.99, but this wireless meat thermometer is also available as just a single probe for only $79.99. Each probe has 3 internal sensors as well as 1 ambient sensor at the end. The probe diameter is approximately 4.8mm. The minimum insertion point of these probes is 2.37 inches.

Something unique about this thermometer is that the base unit has a speaker to provide audible alarms and verbal cues when applicable.

We found the app to be user friendly for those who may not be as knowledgable regarding target temperatures for different meats. Simply select the type and cut of protein, the method for cooking (oven, grill, smoker, air fryer, etc.) and it sets the cook up for you, giving you instructions on what to do if you need them. I like that the app is automatically set up to alert you 5 degrees before your target temperature to allow for carryover.

The app does include a predictive analysis feature giving an estimated time for the cook to be complete. However, in our experience, the early predictions were not accurate and the cook took considerably longer than it had initially estimated.

You can also view a graph of your cook, charting the changes in internal and ambient temperatures.

ChefsTemp ProTemp +

The ProTemp + comes with a single probe for $139.99 with the ability to sync 2 additional probes to one base unit. Each probe has one internal sensor and 1 ambient sensor, with a diameter of approximately 5.5mm. The minimum insertion point of these probes is 3.5 inches.

Setting up a cook in the ChefsTemp app is very similar to the ChefIQ. Select the type and cut of protein and it will suggest a recommended temperature, though you can adjust it manually if you prefer. The app does also offer predictive analysis, estimating the remaining time of the cook.

While the app does offer graphical data, we found it to not be very helpful the way it was presented. Notifications have to be set up manually for each cook.

The ambient portion of the wireless probe is about the size of a U.S. Quarter coin attached to the end of the probe. It's quite a bit larger than any other probe on the market, but that means two things. First, there's much more ceramic to heat up, meaning it will take longer to get to final ambient temperature in your grill or smoker. Second, once it's up to temperature, it won't be affected as much by temperature spikes since the entire ambient section will be pre-heated to the true ambient temperature.

Use discount code: BBQLAB25 for 25% OFF ChefsTemp sitewide

Combustion Predictive Thermometer with WiFi Booster & WiFi Display

For a retail price of $279, this package includes 1 single probe along with the WiFi Booster and Display. Each probe has a total of 7 internal sensors and 1 ambient sensor. The probe diameter measures approximately 4.8mm. The minimum insertion point on these probes is just under 2 inches.

The Combustion Inc. app utilizes a SafeCook feature to help you follow the USDA guidance for food safety.

It's quite a rarity to see 7 internal sensors in a probe right now. Some have only 1 internal sensor, but 7 is in a league of its own in today's market. You can see the temperatures of each sensor using the app advanced settings, and it's truly intriguing.

There might not be enough of a good reason to see all 7 sensors while you're cooking, but it does allow the Combustion system to determine the true center of a piece of meat on the grill. No matter how you put the probe into the meat, one of the sensors will be reading lower than the others, and Combustion is able to verify that sensor as the thermal center.

I can see the immense value in this compared to a thermometer that only has 1 internal sensor. If you miss the thermal center with a single sensor probe, there's nothing the system can do to help you. If you miss it with a 7 sensor probe, the software can adjust and keep you on track for the cook. This is one of the true benefits of the Combustion platform, and why I think you should give it a hard look before you decide to go another way.

Fireboard Pulse

The Fireboard Pulse is a dual band thermometer, using both Bluetooth and S1G (radio frequency) technology. A single Pulse probe has a retail price of $149. However, it should be noted that other Fireboard products (FireBoard 2 series, the FireBoard Spark, or any smoker with a Fireboard controller) will be required in order to utilize this probe beyond its Bluetooth capabilities. The Pulse has a single internal temperature sensor as well as an ambient sensor. The diameter of the probe at its widest point is 5.76 mm.

Much like the ChefsTemp thermometer above, the Pulse has a very large ambient temperature sensor attached at the end of the probe. There's a significant amount of ceramic to heat up, so the ambient temps will lag behind for the first part of the cook as the probe heats up.

The Pulse has a chiseled tip, which does make it easier to slide into a piece of meat. The width of the probe is wider than the height of the probe, so there is a bit of an oblong shape instead of the circular shape of many competitors. 

You can read more about our experience with the Fireboard Pulse wireless meat thermometer in our full review here.

Meater Pro

Formerly known as the Meater 2+, the Meater Pro retails for $129 for a single probe. Each probe has 5 internal sensors and 1 ambient sensor with a diameter of 5 mm.

The Meater Pro is a slick design, with a very small ambient sensor attached to the end of the probe. The tradeoff for this sleek design is that many users report varying degrees of accuracy when it comes to reporting ambient temps.

Another common complaint among users is the intermittent connectivity when the the probe is left in a piece of meat with the grill hood closed. Some seem to have more issue than others, but it's something to consider when you're selecting the right probe for you.

Meater's charger is also one of the smallest in the bunch. It's quite light and very portable, and I love that it includes magnets on the back. We keep our Meater Pro on the side of the refrigerator for easy access when we're cooking weeknight dinners for the kids.

Meatstick 4X

The Meatstick 4X is the second version of the Meatstick to be offered by the company. Meatstick 4X probes have 3 internal sensors and 1 ambient temperature sensor, and measure 6 mm in diameter.

There's an extender built into the base unit that claims a range of 650 feet as long as the probe is in range of the Xtender. You can add Wifi capability to the probe by adding the Meatstick Bridge as a part of your package. The bridge is a separate unit with an antenna that allows connection to Wifi networks, giving you unlimited range through wifi.

You can purchase Meatsticks in 4 different color variations so you know which probe you're working with when you have multiple probes on the grill or smoker. Battery life is up to 24 hours of continuous use according to the manufacturer depending on which set you purchase. The longest lasting charge is found with a single Meatstick, with others having longevity of 10-24 hours depending on the model.

The ambient sensor has a heat tolerance of 32-572° Fahrenheit, which allows the Meatstick 4X to be used when grilling and smoking. Searing will be a challenge for the Meatstick, so keeping the probe under 600° of heat at all times is a must to protect your investment.

The internal sensors have a heat tolerance of 32-212° Fahrenheit. That's enough range to be able to stick the probe into a piece of frozen meat and track it's level of doneness all the way up to 212°, more than high enough for a finishing temperature for smoked brisket.

You can purchase a single Meatstick 4X probe for $124.99. 

ThermoPro TempSpike Plus

The ThermoPro TempSpike Plus is the newest offering from the brand you see all over Amazon. The TempSpike probes each have 1 single internal temperature sensor and 1 ambient sensor. This is quite a bit less temperature monitoring positions than most competitors. This is a trade off for having one of the shortest probes with one of the lowest retail prices.

The brand claims 500 feet of range for the probe using Bluetooth 5.2 as the communication method.

The probe diameter is 5.2 mm, with a probe length of just a hair over 4 inches. The TempSpike is about an inch to and inch and a half shorter than most other wireless probes. The length can be a blessing and a curse. If you're after internal temperatures in more narrow cuts of meat, this probe can get it done. If you're after the temperature at the very center of a large pork butt, you may not have the length to get there with this particular probe.

The app for your mobile device has the ability to notify you both audibly and with vibration for temperatures that you set with each cook.

The ambient probe has a thermal range of 14-572° Fahrenheit and an internal probe limit of 14-212° Fahrenheit. There are other probes on the market with a higher top end limit, but you're going to potentially pay more for that capability with other brands.

The ThermoPro TempSpike Plus now retails for only $89.99 for a single wireless meat thermometer.

Thermoworks RFX Wireless Starter Kit

The Thermoworks RFX wireless system uses radio frequency technology to achieve incredible wireless range. The starter kit includes one wireless MEAT thermometer probe as well as the RFX GATEWAY receiver and a wired ambient temp probe. The single probe starter kit retails for $168 and additional probes can be purchased for $89 each. Each RFX Meat probe has 4 internal temperature sensors and NO wireless ambient sensor.

There has been much debate as to whether a wired ambient probe was the right move for Thermoworks with the RFX Meat line. Every other probe at the time of this writing uses on-probe ambient temperature sensors to monitor air temperature. Thermoworks decided to use a wired air temp probe that connects to the RFX Gateway. As long as you plan on keeping your gateway close to your cooker, using a wired probe isn't much of an issue... unless you bought a wireless meat thermometer that you want completely wireless in all aspects. We'll unpack this more below, but this is one of the huge differentiators between Thermoworks and every other brand at this point in time.

The probe diameter measures 5.4 mm with a length of right at 4 3/4 inches. The minimum insertion line for the internal meat probes is located 3 inches from the tip of the probe. If you're hoping to use the probe for something less than 4 inches wide, you might run into limitations with the minimum insertion depth.

The RFX MEAT boasts a temperature limit of 1000°, meaning this smart meat thermometer can handle pretty much any cooking situation you can throw its way. There aren't many probes on the market at the moment that can withstand searing temperatures, but the RFX Meat is designed for smoking, grilling and searing.

You can learn more about our experience with the RFX Wireless system in our full review here.

Typhur Sync Gold Dual

The Dual Sync Gold is the first sub-1G thermometer from Typhur. If sub-1G is new to you, it's a low frequency radio wave transmission that has a much greater range than standard Bluetooth. You'll find the same transmission types in the Fireboard and Thermoworks probes, making this a pretty exclusive club.

The brand claims that there is a range of 3,000 feet for this unit. That's 10 football fields in range, but it's important to note that this is unobstructed range. When you add buildings and wireless interference to the equation, range will become more limited.

I've come to assume that all thermometer testing must be done out in the desert with nothing around for miles. I can just imagine testers standing out in 120° heat walking around trying to get the best testing numbers that we'll never see at home. Ok, rant over. Back to the stats.

There are two probes included in the Dual Sync Gold, and they have 5 internal temperature sensors and 1 ambient sensor. The internal probe sensors have a temperature range of 32-221° Fahrenheit and the ambient is safe to use between 32-932° Fahrenheit.

You can control the settings on each probe from the supplied base unit, which is a standout feature amongst wireless probes. There is an app available to use as well, but the ability to control high and low settings for each probe from the base is a feature worth considering.

The Typhur Sync Gold Dual retails for $229 The probe diameter measures 5.6 mm.

Best Wireless Meat Thermometer Tests

High Heat Sear

Wire free thermometers generally mention 2 different temperature ranges. The first is the temperature range of the internal sensors (the part of the probe that gets inserted into the meat you're cooking). We found this range to be really consistent across all of the various probes, setting a limit of somewhere between 212° and 221°F. As long as you've inserted the probe into the piece of meat correctly, that limit should never really be challenged .

The more important temperature range to pay attention to is the ambient temp limit. Not all wire free thermometers can handle the high temperature sometimes experienced with direct grilling. 

For our high heat sear test we inserted the probes into 1" thick NY Strip steaks seasoned with our Essential Equation rub, set each app up to tell us when the steak reached a target temperature of 120°F, and placed them on our American Renaissance gas grill set to high. We cooked the steaks 4 at a time, rotating and flipping them every 90 seconds or so. 

We got alerts on the Meatstick app as well as the TempSpike app during the cook advising that we should remove our food from the heat because we had reached the 572°F limit of those probes. When that happened we just repositioned the steak to try to avoid the intense flames and we were able to keep things working until the meat reached our target temperature.

No permanent damage was done to these probes and they continued to function just fine for the remainder of our tests.

Ambient Temperature Accuracy

Ambient temperature accuracy has been a pretty hot topic in the wireless thermometer world recently. Most wireless meat thermometer probes have an ambient temperature sensor at the end of the probe. Thermoworks shocked us all when they released their brand new RFX MEAT without an ambient sensor, requiring the use of a wired probe to monitor ambient temperature. 

Their reason for this was that it's virtually impossible to get an accurate ambient temperature reading that close to the food because the cold meat acts as a heat sink. Since they knew that any ambient sensor they could put in the wireless probe would be inaccurate for the first half of the cook, they unapologetically left it out. They took the hard stance "If it can't be done right, we're not going to do it." And they've gotten some backlash on this decision from plenty of people who apparently would prefer to sacrifice accuracy for being truly wireless.

But just how inaccurate are the attached wireless ambient temperature sensors?

We cooked a pork butt with all 8 probes (the Typhur Sync Gold had not arrived yet) inserted. We set up a wired ambient probe on the left side and another on the right side of the grill. We also set up the RFX wired ambient probe in the middle of the grill a couple of inches from the pork butt. We tracked the ambient temperature range for 11 hours as it smoked overnight.

What we discovered was that for the first 3 hours of the cook none of the other ambient sensors came anywhere close in accuracy, sometimes being as much as 50° off from the actual grate temperature. It took 7 hours before any of the truly wireless thermometers were able to beat the RFX in accuracy.

So whether we like it or not, apparently Thermoworks wasn't that crazy for keeping their ambient temperature monitoring wired and separate from the wireless probe. As it turns out: you can be completely wire-free OR you can have accurate ambient temperature readings through the entire cook; but you can't really have both.

Range Tests

While researching these probes, we found the manufacturers' data on wireless range was all over the place, depending on if they tested obstructed or unobstructed. I don't know about you, but I'm really only interested in real world applications that are always full of obstructions.

To test the range of each of these thermometers we established 7 location scenarios.

One- 1 foot range through a closed pellet grill lid

For this initial test we lined up all 9 probes on the grate of our Weber Searwood 600 and closed the lid. With all of the base units and bluetooth range extenders sitting right on the side shelf of the grill, none of the wireless meat thermometers disconnected at this distance.

Two- 6 foot range through a closed pellet grill lid

Next, we moved the tray of base units and bluetooth range extenders to a distance of 6 feet from the pellet grill. At this distance we lost the Meatstick 4X and the ThermoPro TempSpike Plus.

Three- 2 foot range through closed pellet grill lid and wall of house

For the next wireless range test we brought the tray of receivers inside the house and set them down right on the other side of the wall of the house approximately 2 foot distance from the wireless probes inside the grill. At this distance we lost the Meatstick 4X and the ChefsTemp ProTemp Plus connections.

Four- Front porch through the whole house and a closed pellet grill lid

Next we went all the way through our house to the front porch, leaving both distance and several obstacles between the receivers and the probes. Only 2 meat thermometers stayed connected at this distance and it was no surprise that it was the Fireboard Pulse and the Thermoworks RFX MEAT with their use of radio frequency. The only thing we were a little surprised by was that we lost the signal of the Typhur Sync Gold in spite of its use of S1G technology.

Five- 1 foot range through a cast iron dutch oven and closed pellet grill lid

For our next series of tests we put all of the probes inside a cast iron dutch oven with a lid, placed that inside the Weber Searwood 600 and closed the lid, and left all of the receivers on the side shelf of the grill. The ThermoPro TempSpike Plus and Meatstick 4X both disconnected through the dutch oven.

Six- 6 foot range through a cast iron dutch oven and closed pellet grill lid

Next we ran the same test, only moving the receivers to a 6 foot distance from the grill. At this point we lost connection to several thermometers. The only thermometers that maintained connection through the dutch oven at this distance were the Fireboard Pulse, Thermoworks RFX MEAT, Typhur Sync Gold, and the Combustion Inc.

Seven- 1 mile obstructed

For our final range test we took the probes out of the dutch oven and returned the receivers to the side shelf of the grill and then drove about a mile away. At this distance, a Wi Fi connection is the only way we could remain connected to our probes. As expected, the Meatstick 4X, Meater Pro, and ThermoPro TempSpike Plus all disconnected since those are not Wi Fi meat thermometers.

Deep Fry Test

We personally don't do a lot of deep frying at our house, but we know from reading the comments on all the other wireless meat thermometer content we've done that there are a fair number of people out there who would like to use their probes in this application.

There is only 1 thermometer that we did not test in a deep fryer and that's the ChefsTemp ProTemp Plus because we thought it was only rated IP55 for water resistance. And since deep frying was not directly addressed on their website, we made the assumption that deep frying is not an approved activity for this thermometer. However, we have since been informed that the IP55 rating was for the base unit and not the thermometers themselves and ChefsTemp claims that their probes are able to be used in a deep fryer. Our apologies to ChefsTemp for excluding them from this test.

All the other probes we tested by inserting them into a half potato and dropping them into a 350° deep fryer for 4 minutes. All 8 probes passed this test just fine, with no issues.

Best Wireless Thermometer Video

Final Thoughts

How do you wrap up a test as massive as this? Allow me a few final thoughts about this test as I wrap my mind around everything we've done in the past few weeks here as we've been researching the best wireless meat thermometer.

The Fireboard Pulse and the RFX Meat were standouts in this test, and the Combustion was a close runner up. The only place Combustion failed was through the entirety of the house range test, but it performed fine for everything else.

For those of you who are trying to decide between the Fireboard Pulse and the Thermoworks RFX Meat... How do you feel about a wired external ambient probe? Personally, the external ambient probe has bothered me zero percent, but I know by reading the comments that some of you are very passionate about this topic. Depending on where you fall with the ambient temperature sensor being a part of the wireless system will largely make the decision for you.

That being said, the Pulse ambient sensor will take a while to be accurate because of how much ceramic is in the end of the probe. That ceramic won't heat up instantly, so be prepared for less accurate readings at the beginning of a cook.

If you're thinking about getting multiple probes, RFX is certainly the more economical choice because you can add additional probes for $60 less than the Pulse.

One huge factor to consider would also be if you are already in the Fireboard infrastructure. The thing about the Pulse is that if the probe is all you have, you're limited to only Bluetooth range. The real benefits of this probe come into play when they connect to other Fireboard products like the Fireboard 2 Drive, the Spark instant read thermometer, or any smoker with a Fireboard controller. If you already have one of those Fireboard products, it makes a ton of sense to go with the Pulse. 

For example, my Lone Star Grillz pellet cabinet uses a Fireboard controller. Look at this mess of probes that I have going here for this turkey cook. I needed way more than 6 probes for this cook, but wires were getting caught in the door handle, on shelves when I went to pull them out... it was just a mess. Since this grill is already Fireboard, it makes sense that I'll use Pulse wireless probes with it. I just need to order another 8-12 probes for large catering style cooks to make things easier.

If you're looking for a more budget probe for under $100, I don't think you could go wrong with the CHEF IQ Sense. You can get a single probe for under $100, and it's the value leader for me.

So, what do you think? What didn't we test or what did we get wrong? Let us know in the comments down below and let's talk wireless thermometers.