> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.themeatstick.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.themeatstick.com/v-forge-set/v-forge/wired-ambient-probe.md).

# Using the Wired Ambient Probe

The Wired Ambient Probe is the thin stainless probe on a 1 m cable that ships with every V Forge Set. It measures the temperature of your cooking environment — the air around your meat — separately from the meat itself.

## What it does

Your V Forge Set's Stick has **5 internal sensors** to track the temperature inside your meat — but no sensor for the air around it. The Wired Ambient Probe fills that gap: clipped at grate level, it reads your **pit/oven temperature** so you can watch the heat your meat is actually cooking in.

Because it sits right at the grate — not buried in cold meat — it tracks true pit temperature and reacts to lid-opens and fire changes faster than an in-meat sensor could.

## Where to clip it

| Where                                                           | OK?                                               |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| At grate level, 6–12 inches from the meat                       | ✅ ideal                                           |
| Hanging from the grill grate (not touching meat or grate metal) | ✅                                                 |
| Wedged into the grate's mesh, away from direct flame            | ✅                                                 |
| Touching the meat                                               | ❌ — you'll measure the meat surface, not the air  |
| Directly over open flame                                        | ❌ — flames spike the reading and stress the probe |
| Pressed against a hot metal surface                             | ❌ — you'll measure the metal, not the air         |

A small grate clip is the easiest mounting solution; many BBQ supply shops sell them for a few dollars.

## How to plug it in

Find the small square port on one short end of your WiFi Hub. The connector on the Wired Ambient Probe seats into that port. There's no separate power switch — the Hub powers the probe whenever it's plugged in.

## Seeing it in the app

The grate reading shows up **inside an active cook**, not before one. Once you start a cook, the ambient (cooking-temperature) reading on the cook screen is fed from the Wired Ambient Probe — that's where you watch your pit temp, and it's what the ambient high/low alerts and the cook-time estimate run on. With no cook started, or the probe unplugged, the cook shows internal temps only.

## Temperature range and accuracy

| Range                              | Accuracy                              |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **−4°F to 212°F (−20°C to 100°C)** | ±0.9°F (±0.5°C) — most accurate band  |
| 212°F to 392°F (100°C to 200°C)    | ±2.7°F (±1.5°C)                       |
| 392°F to 572°F (200°C to 300°C)    | ±4.5°F (±2.5°C)                       |
| Up to 716°F (380°C) sustained      | Probe tolerates this; accuracy widens |

For most BBQ/smoker cooks (225°F–325°F pit temp) the probe runs well within its accurate band.

## Cleaning and storage

See

{% content-ref url="/pages/DBiCbVbAQ5WUMbvTsSwt" %}
[Cleaning the Wired Ambient Probe](/v-forge-set/v-forge/cleaning-the-wired-ambient-probe.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}