The Govee Bluetooth Meat Thermometer is a six channel unit that can be remotely monitored via a free Apple or Android app. It comes with six probes that can be left in the food or the cooker.
Each probe is 5.5″ (14cm) long and has a 39″ (1m) braided cable, a little on the short side for outdoor barbecue work. A plastic spool is provided to store each probe when not in use. The probes are rated to IPx7, meaning they are immersible in up to 40″ (1m) of water, but I’d avoid that if past experience is any indicator.
The main unit has a large backlit display that shows the current temperature of the probes as well as the upper and lower alarm limits. It has a hanger bracket and a small foot on the back that inclines it for easy reading. There is no IP rating stated for the unit; I wouldn’t leave this out in the rain.
Settings for the temperature scale and the alarm limits are set via the app only. You can choose from pre-set doneness levels or set your own temperature limits. Personalized settings can be named for future reference. You can set upper alarm limits, lower alarm limits, or both. The main unit will beep and the alarm setting will blink when a limit is exceeded.
The app displays the temperature of each probe on the main screen. The user can select a given probe to see its detailed settings. A graph on the lower half of the display shows the current temperature vs. time and the alarm limits. When an alarm is triggered, the app can make a sound, vibrate, or both. There are no timer capabilities. I found the app intuitive and cleanly designed.
The “instruction manual” is on the thin side, with some humorous translations from Chinese to English. However, the unit and the app are easy enough to navigate that this won’t be a serious shortcoming. There is only an e-mail address if support is required; no telephone or snail-mail address is provided. No warranty is explicitly made in the instructions.
Most of us will never need six channels, but having the extra probes is comforting, especially at the price. The build quality is above average. Overall, I liked this unit. It’s a clean design that provides the desired features without a lot of extraneous bells and whistles. I would like to see longer probe cables, more complete contact information, and better moisture immunity, but it still gets a Silver Medal.
