Inkbird and Fireboard are two very different thermometers. Both have several models, so in this article, I’ll break it all down for you to help you make a decision. The Fireboard thermometers are superior thermometers, however, you can’t go past the price of the Inkbird.
Inkbird Models. There are three Inkbird models available: The IBBQ-4T, the IBBQ-4BW and IBBQ- 4XS.
Fireboard Models. There are Fireboard models: Fireboard 2, Fireboard Drive, and Fireboard Pro. In this review, I’ll be concentrating on the FB2 and FB Drive. The FB Pro is more expensive, and designed for professionals such as caterers. The original Fireboard 1 is off the market.
The Fireboard is a thermometer that is built to last. The Inkbird is cheaper, but may not last as long. keep reading to find out why.
Price Difference
| Thermometer | Price |
| IBBQ-4T | $ 75 (check latest) |
| IBBQ-4BW | $120 ( check latest) |
| IBBQ- 4XS | $50 (check latest) |
| Fireboard 2 | $189 (check latest) |
| Fireboard Drive | $250 (check latest) |
Size Differences
| Thermometer | Dimensions | Display | Weight |
| IBBQ-4T | 3.4″ W x 3.4″ H x 1.5″ D | 53 x 35mm LCD | 5.8 oz/165g |
| IBBQ-4BW | 4.25″ W x 1.73 ” H x 3.15″ D | 70×40mm LCD | 6.45oz/183g |
| IBBQ- 4XS | 3.3″ W x 3.3″ H x 1.0″ D | 55.8 x 25.4mm LED | 12.8 oz/362g |
| Fireboard 2 | 4.4” W x 2.8” H x 1.1” D | 256 x 128mm LCD | 8 oz/226.8g |
| Fireboard Drive | 4.4”W x 2.8”H x 1.1”D | 256 x 128mm | 8 oz/26.8g |
Battery
| Thermometer | Battery Type | Operation Time | Charger |
| IBBQ-4T | 2000mAh Rechargeable built-in lithium battery | 26 hours | 4 hours via 5v 1A adaptor |
| IBBQ-4BW | 2500mAh Rechargeable Lithium Battery | 24 hours | 3.5 hours, USB Type-C |
| IBBQ- 4XS | 1000mAh lithium battery, Rechargeable | 20 hours | 2 hours, USB |
| Fireboard 2 | Li-Ion 4000 mAh Rechargeable | 30 hours | USB-C |
| Fireboard Drive | Li-Ion 4000 mAh Rechargeable | 30 hours | USB-C |
Probes
| Thermometer | Food Probes | Probe Inputs | Probe Size |
| IBBQ-4T | 4 food | 4 | 3.937 ft. cable. in. long probe. |
| IBBQ-4BW | 4 food | 4 | 3.937ft cable. 5.7 in. long probe |
| IBBQ- 4XS | 3 food, 1 oven | 4 | 4.9 ft. cable, 5.8 in. long probe, 4mm. diameter, 2mm. tip. |
| Fireboard 2 | 2 food, 1 oven/ambient | 6 | 6 ft. cable, 5 in. long probe, 90° angle, 4mm. diameter (food), 2.5mm audio connector, 2 1/4 in. long probe, 4mm. diameter (ambient). |
| Fireboard Drive | 2 food, 1 oven | 6 | 6 ft. cable, 5 in. long probe, 90° angle, 4mm. diameter (food), 2.5mm audio connector, 2 1/4 in. long probe, 4mm. diameter (ambient). |
I find the Inkbird probes need re-calibration. Compared to the Fireboard, which has quality probes which must much longer and a more durable. The Fireboard website sells spare probes in a wide variety for a 15 to $20.
The problem with buying cheaper thermometer like the Inkbird, you could end up paying more in the long run if you going through a lot of probes. I find many people have to recalibrate their Inkbird probes.
The Fireboad thermometers can run more probes than the Inkbird theremometers, however, Fireboard only ships 3 probes. You need to buy extra probes from the Fireboard website.
Measurement Range
| Thermometer | Measurement Range | Wireless Range | Wi-Fi Range |
| IBBQ-4T | 32℉ to 482℉ | Wi-Fi only | No Limitation |
| IBBQ-4BW | -4℉ to 482℉ | 50 meters / 150ft. | No Limitation |
| IBBQ- 4XS | 32°F to 482°F | 50 meters / 150ft. | No Wi-Fi |
| Fireboard 2 | -94 to 752°F | 200-300ft (unobstructed) | No Limitation |
| Fireboard Drive | -94 to 752°F | 200-300ft (unobstructed) | No Limitation |
Inkbird Connectivity. The IBBQ-4T is Wi-Fi only, and the 4BW is Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The older 4XS is Bluetooth only.
Unfortunately, the IBBQ-4T doesn’t work with a 5G router and you need both channels to connect. You can only use it if you’re on the same Wi-Fi network. So make sure it doesn’t switch between your roaming and your home Wi-Fi network.
INKBIRD 4BW – Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
This Inkbird model is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It sells for about $120 on Amazon, which is much cheaper than the Fireboard, which sells for about $250.
The Inkbird 4BW has four probes and connects via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You can then control the thermometer with your smartphone from any location where you’ve got a Wi-Fi connection.
The Inkbird arrives with a USB charger and it takes about an hour to charge for the first time.
The Bluetooth is easy to set up and so is the Wi-Fi.
Once you’ve set up the Wi-Fi and got to connect to your network, check the probes within an ice bath test to make sure the thermometer is calibrated.
The Inkbird 4BW probes are within one to two degrees, which is fairly accurate for a thermometer.
INKBIRD 4T
Charger. The Inkbird 4T has a USB type-C charging port, it has four probe ports, a USB charge cable which is 50 cm, and a probe with a cable.
Search the App Store or the Google Play Store for the Inkbird Pro App, and download it.
Your iOS device must be 10.0 or above to run the Inkbird App, and your Android must be able to run at 4.4 Android or above to download the Pro App.
Battery. The Inkbird has a rechargeable built-in lithium battery and is charged via the adaptor. The empty battery icon flashes at 20%, the battery icon stays still when charging. It takes about 4 hours to refill and the battery life will last 26 hours without a back light once fully charged.
Easy Setup. The setup process is fairly straightforward. All you need to do is connect to your Wi-Fi and follow the prompts.
Waterproof. The probes are not waterproof, so make sure you don’t submerge in water. This could lead to inaccurate readings. So dry the probes after wetting.
Temperature Range. The maximum temperature of these probes is 572° F or 300° C at a maximum temperature. Don’t put the probes directly into fire.
Warranty. The Inkbird 4T has a 12-month warranty.
What’s In The Box? Thermometer, USB cable, user manual, 4 probes, 2 x probe clip holder x 2, warranty card.
The Display. On the main dashboard, there is the current temperature in large font.
Presets. There’s a timer function. A graph button and the probe numbers. There are some presets meaning that you can preset your temperatures for specific cuts of mates such as beef, chicken, pork, etc.
Graphing. The Inkbird has a basic graph which displays on the app and gives you temperature changes that can be downloaded. Compared to the Fireboard, the graphing is very basic.
Probes. The probe cable is teflon with stainless steel mesh. The length is 120 cm or 3.9 ft. It’s not waterproof; the sensors are at the pointy end of the probe.
How To Connect The Inkbird 4T To Your Phone
Fireboard 2 – The Ultimate Thermometer
Six Probes. The Fireboard 2 is one of the best thermometers on the market. You can run six probes which allows you to measure the temperature of 6 pieces of meat at one time.
App Controlled. The Fireboard also allows you to connect to a phone app, which means you can monitor the temperature of your meat from anywhere where you have a Wi-Fi connection.
Graphing. The Fireboard has extensive graphing and data monitoring, which means you can watch live graphs of your cook with temperature and time graphs. You can also save all your cook session data on a cloud, take pictures which will go alongside the graphs.
Cloud Storage. The Fireboard Cloud is extensive and gives you access to a lot of great features.
Session Data. One of the major advantages of the Fireboard is the ability to access your cooking sessions. This is the best way to learn from our mistakes. Having access to cook history archives, browsing at old cook data is a great way to prepare for future cooks. The Inkbird doesn’t give you access to this detailed session data.
Ambient Probes. The Fireboard comes with a special ambient probe, which is thicker than a meat probe and a little shorter.
Food Probes. The Fireboard 2 ships with two standard meat probes and one ambient probe, the probes are really high-quality thermistor sensors, and have a temperature range of 572° F, but if you want probes that can withstand high heat, you need to buy the Fireboard Pro which has probes that will withstand 1,400° F.
Special Probes. The Fireboard website sells a variety of probes, such as Competition probes, which are small and ideal for smoking ribs. Standard probes are too big to sit in a rack of ribs. The small competition ribs probes are excellent. The Firebird website also sells sous-vide probes, which means you can immerse them in water and use them in sous-vide cooking.
Water Resistant. The Fireboard is water resistant, so it can handle a few splashes. It’s a powerful unit with a solid cover so it’s splash proof.
Temperature Range. The Fireboard has an operating temperature between 13 and 140° F.
The probe temperature range is between 0 and 572° F
The measurement range is between 0.94° F and 752° F
Battery. The Fireboard 2 has a 4000 mAh battery which should last approximately 30 hours, depending on how many alarms are going off and how often the data is uploading to the cloud. Charging is easy. All you need to do is plug in the USB-C cable.
Size. The Fireboard 2 is 4.4 in wide, 2.8 in high, has 1.1 in depth, and weighs 8 oz with an LCD screen on the display that measures 256×128 mm.
The probe cable size is 6 ft, which is long enough to extend from your grill to a side table.
Firebird Drive – Set-And-Forget
The next model up from the Fireboard 2 is the Firebird Drive, which is basically the same thermometer as the FB2, except it can run a drive a fan blower.
Fan Blower. The fan blower attaches to the vent of a charcoal smoker such as a Weber Kettle, a Weber Smokey Mountain, a drum smoker or a Big Green Egg kamado. The fan provides consistent airflow throughout the smoker, which gives you consistent temperatures and stability.
Drive Control. The Drive function and blower give you the ability to use the Fireboard Drive to actually control the temperature of your smoker, not just measure the temperature.
So this means you could be out and about, and increase the temperature of your smoker or decrease it.
The next model app is the Fireboard Pro. The only difference between the FB Pro and the FB Drive is the Pro has more advanced or higher quality thermometer probes.
The probes on the Pro can withstand a high rate that can handle pizza ovens. These features are designed for professionals, caterers, etc. The Fireboard Pro uses type k thermocouple thermometer probes which can withstand up to 1200° F.
