Need to update your seasoning sticky for the digital and wifi controllers.

[Dave in AZ]

the programming is NOT very logical, and the guide booklet needs a massive edit.  I just got the 3.5D wifi, it came with like 40 pages of instructions.  1st paragraph tells you to turn smoker on to 250 and let it season...
... in small print on page 37 it tells you how to change controller from default program mode, to manual mode so you can set 250!!  Really?  You make me read 37 pages and take notes so I can turn the thing on and do your step1??  PUT THAT ON FIRST PAGE IN SEASONING PARAGRAPH!
Very disorganized and poorly written flow instructions.  Absolutely needs a GETTING STARTED QUICK GUIDE, telling you how to turn the dang thing on and season it.

All the pictures of what should be on the screen on line1 or line2, are NOT in fact what shows up on my screen.  After it took me 2 hrs reading and highliting to figure out how to set the thing to 250 to season, I seriously started to regret not buying one with just a temperature dial...

How about a link on page1, "here is a YouTube video on how to program it"?
Your instruction flow should be:
O. Setup-- attaching wheels, cord holder, temp probes, grates, smokebox
1.  How to use smoker in Manual mode, set a temperature and check your watch, like every oven ever prior to 2000 or so.  Easy to get started and season smoker!
2.  How to use the digital program mode, up to program 6 steps.
3.  How to set the End Step for each of your 6 possible steps, either TIME or FOOD INTERNAL TEMPERATURE.
4. How to use the WIFI / App to control your smoker instead of red box on top
4A.  Installing app on phone
4B.  Connecting Wifi to smoker and phone app so they talk
4c. Using the app

 

[LarryD]

The Auber (the makers of the controller on the Smokin-It digitals) software and documentation are atrocious.  I will continue to urge Steve / Smokin-It to form a partnership with Thermoworks and ditch Auber.

 

[OldeSmoker]

It was cumbersome to program when I first got my 3DW, but it didn’t take long to learn how to operate it.

 

[old sarge]

This video is pretty simple to follow for setting the smoker to time or temp for the newer controllers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMhNO_iliyM&t=154s

 

[Dave in AZ]

Thx David.  I tried to find a YouTube vid with good directions, but everything was exterior view fluff or unboxing reviews from folks who didn't use it yet...

 

[lcdearman]

Maybe I am missing something, but if you have the wifi model, can't you just use the phone app? I have an external Auber with wifi and while the phone app isn't perfect, it isn't that hard to use. Aren't they the same?

 

[Dave in AZ]

Sure you could use the phone app...  if you wanted to read 20 pages of phone app, then the pages for connecting your wifi, then pages for troubleshooting wifi connection, then pages to see what happens after program1 if you dont set more...
You could discover it needs a 2.4ghz network, and your home system is all 5ghz, so you could get sidetracked redoing your router network like I did...
You could then discover not all routers work, and that your 3 mesh home router system using older routers with open source DDR installed to extend network, conflicts with smokinIt wifi...
You could mess around for an hour or two turning off close extender routers so 3.5d would grab the acceptable new 2.4ghz network from other side of house...

OR...
There could be Good well written directions.  You could just turn on The smoker in 1 minute to 250 degrees, and have it be seasoning and usable, while you spent 3 or 4 hours reading the poorly organized guide to figure out your phone app.

Trying to use the wifi app initially, took me 30 min searching for Temp1 probe as it is mentioned as required for programs and app to function, but no diagram shows probe1, not mentioned anywhere else in book, and ports on back are labeled 2 and 3.  Nowhere in instructions or setup does it discuss hooking up probes to 2 and 3.  Now youre tryung to read 40 pages to see if probe1 is a typo and they mean probe 3. After reading all 40 pages, you are left to assume probe1 must be inside the machine already, hooked up, but then why are there directions telling you that tthe controller won't turn on and work if you don't have probe1 hooked up? Nowhere does it send you to Auber as the controller for more info, or tell you to read auber here.  Any videos are apparently under a guy named Larry's youtube, who maybe is just some smoker owner posting vids which is absolutely what it looks like when on youtube searching for info, or maybe he is the owner... who knows, none of that is listed in the user guide, how would anyone know to look for Larry on youtube.  All pictures of screens have 00000 overprinted which blocks out most of the actual display, so I'm guessing at what half of the display is.  How to go from programming to manual mode is referenced on page 1, but instructions arent until like page 30, and then they are listed as something else, not the "manual mode" referenced earlier but are called "switch between multi step mode and single step mode", and then sub listed as System Config > program mode.

My point in all the above is not to get a suggestion, but to illustrate how poor the directions and writing are.  I eventually figured it out, and watched a few Larry vids linked to me.  But putting every customer through this dissatisfying process could be avoided with a few hours editing.  There is a decent sticky for older models, thus my suggestion to update it to also provide info for newer digital and wifi models.

 

[old sarge]

Good concerns.

 

[LarryD]

You could discover it needs a 2.4ghz network, and your home system is all 5ghz, so you could get sidetracked redoing your router network like I did...

Don't forget that it will fail if your phone is on the same WiFi, but using a different SSID.  So, pretty much, mess up your phone wifi config to make it match the out-dated Auber config.  Once it's actually configured it's totally OK to put the phone back to its original configuration.

 

[Dave in AZ]

Don't forget that it will fail if your phone is on the same WiFi, but using a different SSID.  So, pretty much, mess up your phone wifi config to make it match the out-dated Auber config.  Once it's actually configured it's totally OK to put the phone back to its original configuration.

Good point.  I got lucky and missed that because I shut off other SSIDs.