ThermoPro TempSpike TP961: 150 m wireless Bluetooth probe

The TempSpike TP961 is a fully wireless temperature probe: there is no cable between the tip and the unit, and it talks over Bluetooth to a repeater (the listing calls it the "Booster") that runs on 2 AAA batteries and to the TempPro app on your phone. The listing sells it as TempPro and says ThermoPro is now TempPro, with the same mission and the same products, and that the box may carry either brand. It advertises Bluetooth 5.2 and a 150 m range.

What matters for a kamado is the two sensors in a single probe: one reads the inside of the food, from -10 to 100 °C, and the other the cooking chamber, from -10 to 300 °C. The listing gives a core reading in 3 seconds with a deviation of ± 1 °C. So one probe tracks both the meat and the air temperature near it, without routing a cable through the lid gasket. That is exactly what is annoying about a wired probe in a kamado. To understand which value to read, the guide to thermometers and probes for kamado explains it patiently, and the glossary defines internal temperature.

Where and how it is used: you push it into the thickest part of the piece, away from bone, and the piece sits on the grate with the kamado set up for direct or indirect cooking depending on the dish. In a reverse-seared tomahawk it tells you the core has reached the target before you move it to the hot zone. The 300 °C ceiling on the ambient sensor covers a low-and-slow smoke or a roast at 200-250 °C with room to spare, but not a full-blast sear. The listing does not publish the limit of the probe body or handle, so do not leave it next to live coals at more than the temperature it declares. A note of technical judgement, not from the listing: the 150 m figure is for open space, and a closed ceramic lid weakens the signal, so keep the repeater close to the kamado.

Against its rivals in the catalogue, its natural comparison is the Meater Plus, also wireless. Here the alert does not rely on the phone alone: according to the listing, the repeater beeps as well as the handset. Against a wired probe such as the ThermoPro TP25, it loses channels (there is one probe here) but gains ease of setup.

Catches in the listing: it is a single probe, the listing does not explain how the probe is powered or how long it lasts. Amazon also lists second-hand units on the same page: if you want it new, make sure the option you pick says "New". Otherwise the listing declares the probe waterproof to IP67 and dishwasher safe, so cleaning it after the cook is no problem. With 4.2 out of 5 across 1,292 Amazon reviews it has reasonable backing, without being outstanding. We have not handled it: this is a reading of the listing plus technical judgement.