This article covers how to fix direct pairing, or probes pairing straight to a phone or tablet without the benefit of the range-extending charging dock.
About Direct Probe Pairing
Direct probe pairing is when probes pair straight to a phone or tablet when it should connect to the charging dock (which then connects to the smart device). We want the probe to connect to the dock first because that is what enables the extended range.
How to Identify Direct Probe Pairing
Direct probe pairing can happen with the following MEATER products:
Symptoms of direct probe pairing may vary, depending on which product you have
MEATER Plus & MEATER SE
- The LED on the dock will blink red, even if the probe shows as connected in the MEATER app.
- The connection will start to drop out well below the expected range.
MEATER Block
- The probe will show a spinning circle on the MEATER Block screen, even if it shows as connected in the MEATER app.
- The connection will start to drop out well below the expected range.
Common Causes of Direct Probe Pairing
Direct pairing may occur in the following situations:
- The MEATER app was opened on the smart device before the probe connected to the dock.
- The connection strength to the smart device is stronger than the connection to the dock.
- If a probe has multiple devices available to connect to, it will automatically grab the strongest connection, which may be the phone or tablet.
- If a probe has multiple devices available to connect to, it will automatically grab the strongest connection, which may be the phone or tablet.
Diagnosing Direct Probe Pairing in the MEATER App
On the MEATER app Dashboard (the main screen showing all available probes), there is an icon just above and to the right of each probe temperature dial. This icon changes depending on how the probe is paired.
Directly Paired
When the probe is directly paired to the app, the icon will look like a phone with a house symbol in it.
Properly Paired
When the probe is paired correctly to the dock, this icon will be a dock that matches your MEATER model.
Fixing a Probe Paired Directly to a Smart Device
Resolving direct probe pairing is simple, though it varies based on the MEATER product.
MEATER Plus or MEATER SE
Try the following steps:
- Put the probe in the charger.
- Turn off Bluetooth on the phone or tablet. Disabling Bluetooth will keep the probe from being able to connect with the app.
- Take the probe out of the dock, and wait for the LED to blink green.
- Turn Bluetooth back on, and check the MEATER app Dashboard to make sure it shows the dock icon (see the image in the "Diagnosing Direct Probe Pairing" section above).
MEATER Block
The very first thing to check is that Allow Pairing MEATER Block Probes is turned off. To do this, on the home page go to Account (represented by your initials in the top right) and then select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom. The option should appear as a toggle in that section.
If this doesn't happen, try the following steps:
- Put all 4 probes in the dock, then press the power button to turn the charger off.
- Turn off Bluetooth on the phone or tablet. Disabling Bluetooth will keep the probe from being able to connect with the app.
- Boot the dock back up in Wi-Fi mode, and wait for check marks to pop up next to all 4 probes.
- Turn Bluetooth back on, and check the MEATER app Dashboard to make sure it shows a dock icon (see the image in the "Diagnosing Direct Probe Pairing" section above).
If all 4 probes are still showing spinning circles after trying this, see Probe-to-Charger Connection - MEATER Block for further steps.