Who's Upgrading 700->1250?

Hilbe

Well-known member
Messages
314
Location
Fishers, IN
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
  2. Bullseye
I'm heavily considering it. I mostly want it to check my accessories fit and the little things here and there that are upgraded. What's everyone else thinking?

Wonder how much I could get for my 700 with front folding shelf and sear kit...
 
I've already seen 1 locally up for sale. I can't help with price because this person is selling one they literally just got, it is still in the box. They said RT wanted a 15% restocking fee so they are selling for what they paid. They are ordering the RT-1250. I didn't see any reason to upgrade. I figure anything I want I will probably be able to buy once all the new demand wears off and they have plenty of stock. The only thing that might be nice to have but probably can't upgrade is the wireless. It would be cool if it was in a slot like a laptop and was easy to upgrade.
 
I have a new 700 with the removable large rack and front shelf. If I upgrade my 700, it'll be for a substantial upgrade, to the BFG. The 1250 might be nice and new, but it's not worth wasting money on a minor upgrade.
 
I've already seen 1 locally up for sale. I can't help with price because this person is selling one they literally just got, it is still in the box. They said RT wanted a 15% restocking fee so they are selling for what they paid. They are ordering the RT-1250. I didn't see any reason to upgrade. I figure anything I want I will probably be able to buy once all the new demand wears off and they have plenty of stock. The only thing that might be nice to have but probably can't upgrade is the wireless. It would be cool if it was in a slot like a laptop and was easy to upgrade.
Selling for what they paid? No thanks, considering the warranty doesn't transfer.

As for the WiFi, you could probably get that by swapping the controller. Although I'm not sure why that's desirable, considering the short range of 5 GHz. Now if they made it so firmware could be updated over-the-air, that would be something to consider.

I do like the improved design of the front shelf and the second rack. (And deleting the light - it was a nice idea in theory, but less effective than I hoped for.) But that's not enough for me to bite at the current prices.
 
Although I'm not sure why that's desirable, considering the short range of 5 GHz.

Because the 5G spectrum is less polluted. Everyone's bluetooth device, cordless phone, and neighbor's AP will cause less interference.
 
Because the 5G spectrum is less polluted. Everyone's bluetooth device, cordless phone, and neighbor's AP will cause less interference.
Not a compelling argument in my opinion. It's not like these grills are streaming 4K video - they hardly use any bandwidth. And for a lot of people, their 5 GHz signal won't reach to their cooking location anyway.
 
Selling for what they paid? No thanks, considering the warranty doesn't transfer.

As for the WiFi, you could probably get that by swapping the controller. Although I'm not sure why that's desirable, considering the short range of 5 GHz. Now if they made it so firmware could be updated over-the-air, that would be something to consider.

I do like the improved design of the front shelf and the second rack. (And deleting the light - it was a nice idea in theory, but less effective than I hoped for.) But that's not enough for me to bite at the current prices.
I wouldn't be surprised if the wifi setup on 2.4ghz isn't their No 1 issue. It was a pain for me and I actually know a little bit about networking. I'm betting most people that buy these go into panic mode if it doesn't work after downloading the app. It is frustrating knowing I have a house full of 2.4ghz only devices like light bulbs and I've never had one not connect on the first try. It was probably an hour long process getting the RT-700 going.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the wifi setup on 2.4ghz isn't their No 1 issue. It was a pain for me and I actually know a little bit about networking. I'm betting most people that buy these go into panic mode if it doesn't work after downloading the app. It is frustrating knowing I have a house full of 2.4ghz only devices like light bulbs and I've never had one not connect on the first try. It was probably an hour long process getting the RT-700 going.
I agree that RT could improve the setup experience. You're exactly right that other smart devices already make it easier (bulbs, switches, vac, and more in our home). But I expect folks will have signal range issues on 5 GHz - they already do with 2.4 GHz. Maybe I'm wrong, we'll see. Maybe RT will start bundling range extenders with the grills.
 
I agree that RT could improve the setup experience. You're exactly right that other smart devices already make it easier (bulbs, switches, vac, and more in our home). But I expect folks will have signal range issues on 5 GHz - they already do with 2.4 GHz. Maybe I'm wrong, we'll see. Maybe RT will start bundling range extenders with the grills.
I'm assuming band steering can be used and it can switch between the signals depending on which one is the strongest.
 
I'm holding out for WiFi 6e support, and the whole new spectrum of bandwidth! Ok, that's not really true, since my Bull connects just fine on 2.4 (helps that I work for a very large networking equipment provider, and anything I can't figure out, I have multiple colleagues I can call who can make WiFi do tricks like Cirque du Soleil.) :) Lots of nuances to good WiFi performance, the chipsets are only a piece of the puzzle.

As others have commented, not enough difference for me to move from the 700 to the 1250, though I would be looking hard at the 1250 as a new buyer.
 
Not a compelling argument in my opinion. It's not like these grills are streaming 4K video - they hardly use any bandwidth. And for a lot of people, their 5 GHz signal won't reach to their cooking location anyway.

Yesterday my neighbor to the left has over 71 devices connected on 2.4G. My channel utilization is over 75% before I add any clients to my network. It is literally unusable before I even get to add a single client. The other two non-overlapping channels are marginally better, but by-in-large they're unusable.
 
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I'm assuming band steering can be used and it can switch between the signals depending on which one is the strongest.

Exactly. Using 2.4 and 5G gives customers more connectivity options. It's not like they're replacing 2.4G with 5G, you offer both. It makes setup easier for more people, not fewer. It's literally a dollar or two more, from a chipset perspective. Everyone's home router or AP, since 2009 or so, when 802.11N offered dual band, already supports it.

If you already used band steering, and were on 5G, then your grill setup was a pain because the app wouldn't let you configure the SSID.
 
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What's everyone else thinking?
Personally, the upgrade would not be worth it for me as I already have most of the improvements on my RT-700. Front shelf, interior shelf, connect to WiFi just fine, Heavy-D deflector, I added a wiring harness cover, and I have a Bullseye if I want to hit 700 degrees. Which I don’t even use on the Bullseye any more as 500 degrees and a sear plate is as hot as I need. I believe that only leaves the aux 120v outlet, which I actually would use. In my conversations with recteq I might in a very small way have contributed for the 1250 having this feature. I occasionally use an induction burner on top of the side shelf, and a built-in plug would be nice. Oh, forgot about the drip shield, that would be nice also even though my grill have the seal.
 
I don't think that I will "upgrade" to the RT-1250. The single bottom shelf seems to not allow for the sear plates on one side and rack on the other. Tie downs not a big deal, no light not a big deal, second rack (have one), wire loom (did it), cast iron diverter plate (did the mod), front shelf (have it). Nothing here is worth the upgrade in my opinion. Now the BFG would be the upgrade to have.
 
I gave it a little thought. I don't see any point in pursuing it. I currently have the 700 with a comp cart, front shelf smoke box and I have the larger RT extra grate.

I thought I could purchase the 1250, put it in the comp cart, attach the smoke box and put the old 700 on the 1250 legs, clean it up and sell it.

But I bought the 700 when I knew I could have been fine with a 590 or even smaller. In the 20 months that I've had the 700, I've never used the extra upper grate. But the main reason I'm not inclined to "upgrade" is: I don't sear on a my 700, as I look at it as a dedicated smoker or "oven". That's another reason I haven't "upgraded" the auger. I bought the 700 to replace a 36" offset smoker. I don't do high temps in the 700, because I know I like my seared meats over direct open charcoal/wood fire, not because of the 700's limitations. I never seared a steak on my offset, although with enough fuel and effort, I suppose it would have done as well or better than a pellet grill. I have several other true "grills" where I can get direct charcoal/wood heat, as well as a gasser.

My perspective is; when you try to use one device to do everything, you compromise. So, I'm out
 
If you already used band steering, and were on 5G, then your grill setup was a pain because the app wouldn't let you configure the SSID.
My router uses 1 name for both bands. You can't have them different. The only way to change that is to replace the manufacturer's software with 3rd party software.
 
My router uses 1 name for both bands. You can't have them different. The only way to change that is to replace the manufacturer's software with 3rd party software.

IME, one quick workaround for that is to disable the 5G radio, connect your app/grill, then re-enable it. You just need the phone to be on 2.4G so the app will let you configure grill. You can re-enable it after it's done. Band steering only impacts clients capable of both bands.

Recteq's suggestion of having people reconfigure the SSID/Radios to get your grill online is crazy, it should have supported 5G from the start. At a minimum, it should have had an advanced config option to let the clueful push the wireless config.
 
I am with Greg Jones. I have all the same upgrades & on one of the FB forums, a guy is already looking to make the drip deflector for the lid. Once I have that all I would need is the Cast Iron Heat Deflector, and maybe add an outlet, and I will basically have the 1250. If I add an outlet, it will be a better outlet that came with the 1250 so IMO, its all good. If I were a first time buyer, I would probably go with the 1250 but since I am already vested, I'm good with the upgrades. In fact, the second shelf I have I like better than the shelf on the 1250.
 

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