Stampede Temp chart stop working once again

[Dan99]

Hi All For some unknown reason after 2 hrs the my temp chart stop working. Ten minutes later is working again but the 2 hrs data is missing.This has been happening lately every time I use the 590. Rec Teq has contacted me but the problem still exists..Please Rec Teq DON'T contact me unless you have found a fix for this problem. Any one else have this same problem?
Dan

 

[C. Keeper]

Hi All For some unknown reason after 2 hrs the my temp chart stop working. Ten minutes later is working again but the 2 hrs data is missing.This has been happening lately every time I use the 590. Rec Teq has contacted me but the problem still exists..Please Rec Teq DON'T contact me unless you have found a fix for this problem. Any one else have this same problem?
Dan

I didn't notice but will watch more carefully. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Hi All For some unknown reason after 2 hrs the my temp chart stop working. Ten minutes later is working again but the 2 hrs data is missing.This has been happening lately every time I use the 590. Rec Teq has contacted me but the problem still exists..Please Rec Teq DON'T contact me unless you have found a fix for this problem. Any one else have this same problem?
Dan

I'm new to the Recteq fam and have no insider info on the technical aspects of how this feature works but I have a couple of possibilities with varying end-user suggestions for resolution.

The first is that this table is stored on your device's app rather than the RT-590 itself. This means that the app and phone will need to have constant connection with the RT-590 which will also need to have consistent WiFi connection to maintain this table accurately. Some devices may put apps in the background to "sleep" in order to conserve resources and battery life. If this is the case you would need to make sure your device excludes the Recteq app from this "feature" of your device. This would explain the behavior you have described. Since I have only just received my first Recteq (also an RT-590 which I just built the other day) I don't have any first-hand experience to draw from to help narrow this down. All I have is a two-hour-table from my initial season burn-in and the table is complete.

The other option is that the RT-590 itself stores these tables (this would also makes sense since it needs them for purposes of automatic control) and then the app just polls the RT-590 and then displays the table in a user interface that makes sense visually. If this is the one then it doesn't make sense why there would be gaps and it would have to be reported to Recteq with whatever details they need (firmware version, device, WiFi, etc.) to resolve it within the firmware coding on their end.

As for your strong and somewhat odd demand of Recteq to NOT contact you w/o a guaranteed resolution... I couldn't disagree more. Not trying to ruffle any feathers since I'm the FNG here but I'd hate to see Recteq decrease their front-facing customer contact for fear of bothering a customer who has reached out for support. I'd MUCH rather have a customer care rep contact me too much than not enough. Following up to see if the issue was resolved (especially if it's an issue that could self-resolve or be resolved on the client side) is just good customer service. They're maintaining contact so you don't feel left in the cold and it's highly likely that the person contacting you doesn't have the answer but is checking to see if the person who does contacted you or if they can escalate it to the next person in the chain of command who can resolve it. I don't see this being a problem at all and if it bothers you that much, let it go to voicemail.


During an era when it's more and more difficult to talk to a human in customer service I'd hate for a company who's going that extra mile to get a bad rep for offering "too much customer service" if that's even a thing.

 

[Dan99]

Hi Rec Teq has called me numerous times with NO fix for the problem. So why call me, unless you do have a fix.I believe I'm NOT the only one with this same problem.It does come back 10 minutes later, but all my start info. is lost. Overall Rec Teq's customer service has been great!!

 

[Ostrichsak]

Hi Rec Teq has called me numerous times with NO fix for the problem. So why call me, unless you do have a fix.I believe I'm NOT the only one with this same problem.It does come back 10 minutes later, but all my start info. is lost. Overall Rec Teq's customer service has been great!!

If you want a customer service that doesn't ever call you I think you want a Traeger or Pit Boss. ROFL

If you're in the market for a car take a look at Tesla because they don't even have a customer-facing phone number anymore. They'll never call you. Ever. lulz

Joking aside, after having owned many other smoker manufacturers, I chose RecTeq because of their stellar customer service. Like I said, I've never heard of anyone complaining that customer service called them too much. That's a first on me. In the grand scheme of things it feels like #FirstWorldProblems

 

[Fhughes]

@Dan99 In general the only time I personally have seen issues with the temp chart is when they are having server side issues. That being said what @Ostrichsak said about phone settings is completely true. There are many apps I runs background app refresh “on” . Try looking at your settings to see if have something switched off

 

[Dan99]

Hi All Please read my #4 post.."Overall Rec Teq's customer service has been great!!. I'm NOT complaining about RT custom service, all I am saying "IF" you don't have a fix for this problem don't call me. I do believe I'm NOT the only one with this problem.
Dan

 

[gkaselak]

Dan -
I have a rt700 and I am experiencing the same problem on every one of the cooks I've done so far (only 4 but...). Thought it was only a me thing. I guess i need to open an issue with them to see if we can help to get to the root cause.
g

 

[C. Keeper]

Just a thought.... Have you checked the WiFi signal strength at the grill? How about signal strength where your phone is located?

I have one of the earlier Recteq controllers with external antenna on my Traeger and not aware of any issues.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I was also going to ask if your connection is being lost.

 

[Dan99]

Hi All My connection is strong. The only thing I lose is the Temp Chart after the 2 hr mark all the time then 10 minutes later he comes back, with a new start time.
Dan

 

[Dan99]

Dan -
I have a rt700 and I am experiencing the same problem on every one of the cooks I've done so far (only 4 but...). Thought it was only a me thing. I guess i need to open an issue with them to see if we can help to get to the root cause.
g

Hi We are NOT the only ones with this problem. There are more out there.
Dan

 

[MarkM]

I had the same thing happen, but only on long cooks like for brisket. I usually get a "request frequency limit error" associated with losing all of the early data and having the chart start over at a later time than the actual start time. One time, I also received a "no chart data available" error which then didn't display anything until quite a while later, again losing all the early data and starting over at a later time than the actual start time. I called RecTeq about it and they referred me to the app guy. He acknowledged that there are issues with leaving the chart frequency at a fast recording rate which I believe defaults to 30 seconds and suggested I try changing the recording rate to anywhere between 10 minutes and 30 minutes, at least on longer cooks. There's only a certain amount of memory designated for the data. I tried changing the recording rate to 15 minutes and that works. It no longer runs out of space for the data. The recording rate can be changed by going into the "units" option when viewing the temperature chart. There will be a frequency limit error when first starting it due to insufficient data to fill the chart at the selected frequency, but it doesn't lose any data after that. I don't know that it's affected by the strength of the wireless signal. I have excellent wireless coverage and don't normally have a problem with that. If I happen to lose the connection, it comes up with a different error saying it's not connected. I usually just have to back out of the app and start over again, but it doesn't lose any of the data due to being disconnected.

 

[Maule Guy]

Interesting thread!

Since I cannot see the temp chart when the grill is unplugged I am assuming the temp data is stored at the grill. Yes/no? Data is flushed when grill is unplugged. Yes/no?

Honestly had not gotten that far into the app, but now I know its there I will check on it.

Just for my information how does the data look? Is there a few degree swing noted between time points or are most of the points the exact same temperature? I would be suspicious of the latter as these grills have to change a few degrees over time.

Thanx
TD

 

[Waterboy]

I believe the data goes from grill to the cloud to your phone. It is flushed when you start your next cook. How the chart looks depends on how granular you set the intervals. For long cooks you will run out of data storage unless you set the interval units to 15 minutes. Even then you can run out on really long cooks.

here is an overnight cook I did a while back. The temp doesn’t move much if at all when you don’t open the lid. The interval for this cook was 15 minutes so there could have been some fluctuations that weren’t captured.

 

[SmokeZilla]

All;
This is not a new issue. It appears on the RT590 and the RT700. I have worked with RecTec’s Software-firmware/Integration rep and he/they have been promising a solution in the form of an updated app for some time (~ August 2020). My comments are limited to iOS 13-14.x. However, I am in the process of setting up an Android test box to see if this problem is platform unique or common. If any Android folks are out there, please let me know if you have seen this problem and which version A-software you are running. Initially, RT thought it might be a buffer overflow that created intermittent data packet loss but after some experimentation, I feel it is a data propagation issue as I have at least 100 gigs available on my devices (iPhone X and iPad Pro). If/when your data loss occurs, decrease the capture interval for the app to greater than 10 minutes (15 or 30 minutes seems to be the sweet spot, your results may differ) and it will refresh and show the complete cook timeline. If you really want a surprise, after it begins to dislpay correctly, change it back to a lower number and guess what? Your entire cook may reappear. Unfortunately, it may “time out“ again, if so, rinse and repeat. We can only hope the RT team can find a fix for this. I realize some industries think software and firmware have some magical properties but in the end, software QA and reliability testing should have identified this failure mode by now. In closing, I want to say I appreciate the time RT spent with me diagnosing the problem. Developing software is no easy task, as an Aerospace engineer, tracking down random glitches is like herding cats. They have been very supportive and professional with every conversation we have had. I think they will find a fix and considering all we are confronted with these days, this is minor inconvenience. As a work around (single point failures aren’t allowed in my career field) I purchased an inkbird 4 channel wifi temp monitor. it works great, restores my confidence, and lets me export my data after the cook is done. I can’t wait to put it in a drawer as soon as RT corrects the problem.

 

[Dan99]

SmokeZilla.. Thanks for the great info. Maybe some day RT will get it fixed
.
PS I now use my Fireboard when smoking on my 590..It rocks with keeping time & temps.
Dan

 

[NVCTUS_Smoking]

All;
This is not a new issue. It appears on the RT590 and the RT700. I have worked with RecTec’s Software-firmware/Integration rep and he/they have been promising a solution in the form of an updated app for some time (~ August 2020). My comments are limited to iOS 13-14.x. However, I am in the process of setting up an Android test box to see if this problem is platform unique or common. If any Android folks are out there, please let me know if you have seen this problem and which version A-software you are running. Initially, RT thought it might be a buffer overflow that created intermittent data packet loss but after some experimentation, I feel it is a data propagation issue as I have at least 100 gigs available on my devices (iPhone X and iPad Pro). If/when your data loss occurs, decrease the capture interval for the app to greater than 10 minutes (15 or 30 minutes seems to be the sweet spot, your results may differ) and it will refresh and show the complete cook timeline. If you really want a surprise, after it begins to dislpay correctly, change it back to a lower number and guess what? Your entire cook may reappear. Unfortunately, it may “time out“ again, if so, rinse and repeat. We can only hope the RT team can find a fix for this. I realize some industries think software and firmware have some magical properties but in the end, software QA and reliability testing should have identified this failure mode by now. In closing, I want to say I appreciate the time RT spent with me diagnosing the problem. Developing software is no easy task, as an Aerospace engineer, tracking down random glitches is like herding cats. They have been very supportive and professional with every conversation we have had. I think they will find a fix and considering all we are confronted with these days, this is minor inconvenience. As a work around (single point failures aren’t allowed in my career field) I purchased an inkbird 4 channel wifi temp monitor. it works great, restores my confidence, and lets me export my data after the cook is done. I can’t wait to put it in a drawer as soon as RT corrects the problem.

I appreciate the clarification. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of this ongoing problem until it happened to me - which is why I searched for these answers. I'm on my 3rd smoke with my RT700, which also happens to be my first long one. I went to bed and it was tracking fine - but when I woke up throughout the night to check things, my temp chart said "Offline - Data may be out of date". I changed the interval of time, but only after it lost it. I tried refreshing app and it still won't show anything

No worries, I'm awake now and can monitor the temps for the rest of the cook. Hopefully that remedy you've mentioned will happen soon. If not, I'll just keep all of this in mind for my future cooks.

Even with this hiccup, I'm still blown away by the performance, convenience and results of the smoker itself. Just little things we learn along the way I guess.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

All;
This is not a new issue. It appears on the RT590 and the RT700. I have worked with RecTec’s Software-firmware/Integration rep and he/they have been promising a solution in the form of an updated app for some time (~ August 2020). My comments are limited to iOS 13-14.x. However, I am in the process of setting up an Android test box to see if this problem is platform unique or common. If any Android folks are out there, please let me know if you have seen this problem and which version A-software you are running. Initially, RT thought it might be a buffer overflow that created intermittent data packet loss but after some experimentation, I feel it is a data propagation issue as I have at least 100 gigs available on my devices (iPhone X and iPad Pro). If/when your data loss occurs, decrease the capture interval for the app to greater than 10 minutes (15 or 30 minutes seems to be the sweet spot, your results may differ) and it will refresh and show the complete cook timeline. If you really want a surprise, after it begins to dislpay correctly, change it back to a lower number and guess what? Your entire cook may reappear. Unfortunately, it may “time out“ again, if so, rinse and repeat. We can only hope the RT team can find a fix for this. I realize some industries think software and firmware have some magical properties but in the end, software QA and reliability testing should have identified this failure mode by now. In closing, I want to say I appreciate the time RT spent with me diagnosing the problem. Developing software is no easy task, as an Aerospace engineer, tracking down random glitches is like herding cats. They have been very supportive and professional with every conversation we have had. I think they will find a fix and considering all we are confronted with these days, this is minor inconvenience. As a work around (single point failures aren’t allowed in my career field) I purchased an inkbird 4 channel wifi temp monitor. it works great, restores my confidence, and lets me export my data after the cook is done. I can’t wait to put it in a drawer as soon as RT corrects the problem.

Thanks for the post I missed it somehow originally.
It's an extremely rare occurrence for me to have this happen ( Android 11) but, it's nice to have an informative post. Some people only use forums to file complaints. I like posts when things are going well also...haha. Hopefully soon it's remedied for good. As you already stated this can be a very complex issue.

 

[C. Keeper]

Thanks for the post I missed it somehow originally.
It's an extremely rare occurrence for me to have this happen ( Android 11) but, it's nice to have an informative post. Some people only use forums to file complaints. I like posts when things are going well also...haha. Hopefully soon it's remedied for good. As you already stated this can be a very complex issue.

I'm happy to say that I haven't had any issues. I have one of the first Rectec WiFi controllers on my Traeger and installed a real antenna instead of the piece of wire that it came with.