ThermoPro TempSpike Review: Budget Meater Alternative?

The new TempSpike is ThermoPro’s response to the barbecue community’s desire to go fully wireless. With competitors like MEATER, The MeatStick, and Yummly, it was inevitable that ThermoPro would launch their own fully wireless probe option, but did they hit the target or miss the mark?

I recently got to try out the new TempSpike by ThermoPro. Today I’m going to cover the pro’s and con’s and let you know if it’s worth your time.

First impressions and specifications

When I unboxed the TempSpike, I was immediately impressed with the sleek packaging. A simple black box, emblazoned with the ThermoPro logo. The box is durable enough to be used for future storage and could easily be stored in a kitchen drawer, barbecue kit, or cabinet.

The booster is constructed from a thick plastic, making it heavy duty but lightweight. The probe itself is made of metal and carries a bit of weight to it. It is a very sleek design and feels well-crafted. The manufacturer notes that it is IP67 rated waterproof. 

ThermoPro TempSpike specifications:

Thermometer Range	500 ft
Internal Temperature Range	14°F to 212°F
Ambient Temperature Range	14°F to 572°F
Maximum Timer	23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds
Price	Check Latest Price

The TempSpike consists of two components: the actual wireless probe itself and the booster/charger. The booster connects to your phone (both Apple and Android apps are available) and the probe connects via Bluetooth to the booster.

To charge the TempSpike, you just need to ensure the probe is locked into the charger and then ThermoPro supplies a USB cable. While I have not tested it enough to confirm the actual battery life, ThermoPro claims the booster will remain charged for up to 3 months.

There are LED lights integrated in the booster that notify you of both the connection to the probe and also the battery life of both the probe and the booster. There is also a button located on the booster that will allow you to silence notifications during the cooking process if you don’t have your phone in hand.

What I like: 

What I don’t like:

Cooking with the TempSpike

With a similar design to other wireless probes on the market, the TempSpike is very easy to use. All you have to do is insert the probe into the thickest part of your meat and keep the booster within 500 feet to maintain connectivity.

I actually left the booster on my kitchen counter indoors, about 250 feet away from the grill in my backyard. I had zero issues maintaining a connection throughout my cook, which surprised me.

I’ve used other fully wireless probes in the past and had connection issues with almost every cook I did. For example, I have a Meater+ probe and I don’t even use it anymore because it gives me connectivity issues every single time I cook with it. I think that MEATER is probably ThermoPro’s biggest competitor in this space, so it was nice to see that they improved some issues I’ve had with other brands. 

The initial set up of the probe is extremely easy to navigate. You simply plug the charger in and let it come to a full charge (the light will stop blinking when it is fully charged), then download the TempSpike app and let it guide you. Once the device is charged it only takes 2-3 minutes to connect it to your phone/the app and you are ready to cook.

The TempSpike has two thermometers integrated into its design. There is the tip of the probe (the side inserted into meat) that will measure the internal temperature of your food. There is also a thermometer on the end of the probe that will measure ambient temperature during your cook. 

I found this feature to be helpful because it would notify me if and when I needed to check my grill. You can set both a minimum and maximum ambient temperature right in the app. If your grill/pit gets above or below your set temperatures, an alarm will go off and notify you that you need to check your grill. It’s a nice feature because it makes cooking even more hands-off. 

ThermoPro launched a new app on both the Apple App Store and the Android app store that is made specifically for use with the TempSpike. It is not the same app that they offer for their other devices, which I found to be a bit annoying because I had to download two separate apps for the same brand’s products.

The TempSpike app

The TempSpike App is very simple to download and access. When you open the app for the first time, it asks you to ensure that your TempSpike is fully charged prior to pairing the booster with the app.

Once your TempSpike is charged, simply remove the probe from the booster and follow the directions in the app to guide you with pairing. Pairing the device took all of about 10 seconds.

The design of the app is extremely basic but functional.

While I like sleek design, I was really more focused on whether it did the job I needed it to do – which it does. The app allows you to control multiple devices at the same time. So, if you purchased multiple TempSpikes you could use them all simultaneously, which is a fantastic function. It also offers category settings for your cooks.

The app offers all of the major meat categories: beef, fish, lamb, pork, poultry, etc. If it is a meat that can vary in temperature based on preference (e.g. a rare steak versus a well-done steak), the app gives you options to choose from and includes the corresponding temperature.

One thing I noticed is that if you are cooking pork, it will not allow you to set the temperature to less than a medium temperature (160°F).

While this was relevant historically, the USDA now states that pork can be cooked to a temperature of 145°F without risking foodborne illness. I was unable to set the probe to 145°F inside of the Pork setting, which I did not care for. 

On a positive note, you are able to set your own custom temperature settings in the app so it essentially solves the problem. You can also make notes for each temperature setting and set alarms to go off throughout the cooking process (e.g. “Go Spritz Your Brisket Now”). 

Final thoughts

Overall, I would say the TempSpike is definitely a strong contender in the fully wireless probe category. It works just as well as other, more highly priced items (e.g. Meater+). The only place where it is really lacking is in the functionality and aesthetic of the app itself.

If you are looking for a fully wireless probe and want more flexibility in your barbecue, I recommend checking out the TempSpike. I found the probe to be accurate, easy to use, and it has a solid design.