Temperature control is a very important aspect of a successful fermentation. Since fermentation is an exothermic process (ie. creates heat) - temperature control is vital to ensure off flavours associated with high fermentation temperatures are suppressed - leading to a better tasting final product.
One of the most common methods homebrewers use to control fermentation temperature is to put their fermenter into a fridge - allowing the fermenter to be cooled to keep fermentation temperatures in check. The challenge with this process is monitoring the temperature of the wort in the fermenter and controlling the fridge accordingly - as leaving the fridge powered on all the time would see temperatures drop outside of the optimal temperature range for most yeasts and result in stalled fermentations when the yeast get too cold.
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| Inkbird ITC-308 Wifi temperature controller display |
Thankfully, Inkbird have a product that meets these needs and is packed full of great features - the Inkbird ITC-308 Wifi temperature controller.
We've been using ours for several years now and have had excellent results with it and wanted to share out knowledge and feedback on this product.
The unit itself is a made of sturdy plastic, with a simple screen showing the current temperature (PV), set/target temperature (SV), heating and cooling indicator lights and buttons for "Set", "Up", and "Down". There's also a dedicated hole at the top so the display can be mounted onto a simple screw or hook which is a simple, yet great addition.
Connected to the main display unit is the temperature probe. This can be dropped into your thermowell (if your fermenter has one), or otherwise can just be taped directly onto the side of the fermenter (which is the method we have always used). If you go with this method then make sure you put something covering the outside of the probe (like a sponge) to stop the ambient air from affecting the temperature reading. It is not designed to be submerged into liquid/wort directly so this is definitely not recommended. The length of the temperature probe cable is more than sufficient which gives great flexibility in terms of where the display unit can be kept or mounted.
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| Inkbird ITC-308 Wifi temperature probe taped to outside of FermZilla fermenter |
The last thing connected to the main display unit are the power sockets - clearly marked with "heating" and "cooling" which make this unit truly plug and play. When the configurable temperature thresholds are reached, power is sent to either the heating or cooling outlets which will then power on whatever device is connected. Make sure you get the model with the correct sockets for your country/region though.
Getting the unit going is simple enough by using the Inkbird Smart App (available on iOS and Android devices), and pairing the device with your phone. Using the app, you then configure it to join your wifi network which leads us to one of the first limitations of this device - it's only compatible with 2.4GHz wifi networks. Not a particularly big deal at the moment with most modem/routers supporting both 5GHz and 2.4GHz, however it's only a matter of time until 2.4GHz is phased out completely which will lead to this particular model becoming obsolete. Hopefully a 5GHz compatible version will be released in the near future to address this.
The app itself is very good and intuitive to use. You can configure all the settings and thresholds for your unit through the app. There are values for high and low target temperatures, as well as difference values - which represent the difference between the actual reading and target reading that it takes to trigger the power output. For example, if I have a low temperature value of 20c, and a cooling difference value of 1c, cooling will kick in when the temperature probe returns a value of 21c. You're also able to enter values for refrigeration delay so prevent issues with fridge compressors being turned off and back on too rapidly (which can lead to compressor damage/failures). You can also recalibrate the unit if the temperature being displayed is inaccurate, and switch between celsius and fahrenheit values.
Another great feature of the app is that it also works when not connected to your wifi network meaning you can check the current temperature reading from anywhere in the world - so long as you have an internet connection on your phone.
Also included in the app is historical graphs showing temperature readings every 15 minutes for the past 7 days. These readings can be exported in a CSV file from your mobile device so you can plot the readings onto a graph like the example below.
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| An example temperature graph made from a CSV exported from the Inkbird Smart App |
Unfortunately there's no other method you can use to connect or monitor the temperature of the unit - including from a computer or standalone web interface - the only way is through the mobile app which we found a little disappointing. The ability to integrate with 3rd party apps like BrewFather would be hugely beneficial and hopefully another feature that could be included in later releases.
The price point of the unit is very strong - generally selling for well under AU$50 which represents very good value for money.
Pros
- Simple, sturdy plastic design
- Clear, easy to read display
- Convenient hole for mounting on a screw/hook
- Mobile app for monitoring and configuration that still works when your phone isn't on the same wifi network as the temperature controller
- Affordable
- Plenty of length on temperature probe cable
- Historical data can be exported to CSV file
- True plug and play with standard power sockets
Cons
- Only compatible with legacy 2.4GHz wifi
- Instructions are vague
- Historical data only kept for 7 days
- Can only be connected/managed via Inkbird wifi app - no capability with web browsers or other 3rd party add-ons/API's
We'd highly recommend the Inkbird ITC-308 Wifi for anyone looking for a good temperature controller. We're also hopeful of an updated version being released in the future with 5GHz wifi capability and more capabilities to integrate with other systems (instead of just the Inkbird app).
If you're after a more advanced temperature controller, it's also worth checking out our review of KegLand's RAPT Temperature Controller as well.
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