Wifi Troubleshooting
Congrats on either your WiFi compatible grill purchase OR your Alpha Connect controller upgrade! Follow the steps below to setup your account, connect your grill, adjust settings, troubleshoot and more. As always, thanks for your purchase! Now go smoke something…preferably food related…on our grill.
Have Questions?
Find answers to common questions and trouble shooting suggestions.
Click the topics below to read more about Alpha Connect.
If you still don’t find what you need, give our customer service a ring!
Downloading Your App
Visit Google Play or the iTunes App Store to download your app by searching for “Grilla Grills” or download the app by scanning either of these QR codes.
Account Creation
To create your Grilla Grills account, open the Grilla Grills application and fill out the account information.
Once finished, you will need to confirm your email account. Just open the email we sent to the address you’ve provided, click the blue “Verify Email” link, and you are all set!
* Note, you may need to check the spam folder in your email account for the verification email.
* Be sure to remember your password as the next time you use the app you will have to type in your credentials, after that the app will remember you.
Choosing Your Grill
Now let’s select your grill, the instructions may vary depending on which one you have. The WiFi enabled versions of each pellet grill will need a WIFI connection, and a bluetooth enabled smartphone or tablet.
* The Kong, Primate and non-WiFi enabled pellet grill options do not communicate with the application.
Grill Setup
Important: You will need to connect the grill to your WiFi, be sure to use the same WiFi network as your phone. If your router is a dual band router, you must make sure your grill and phone are connected to the 2.4Ghz signal. This will not work if you are attempting to use a 5Ghz signal to connect.
After successfully following the steps showcased to the right, you should see “OK” displayed on your grill control board. This means your grill is now paired to your phone. Finally give your grill a name and set its location to avoid confusion with other grills.
If your grill does not connect on the first try, power down your grill, unplug it, wait 60-seconds and restart the process.
Seasoning
This step is mainly for first time users. Anyone that’s upgraded from our PRO or ALPHA boards to our WiFi controller can skip this section because at this point you are probably a “seasoned” veteran.
When you set up your grill for the first time some steps need to be taken to clean and prime it for cooking. We recommend cleaning all removable internal components with soap and water to start. Don’t replace the internal components just yet. Next, we’ll prime the grill.
To prime your grill add pellets to your hopper until it is at least half full, turn your grill on and wait until you see the pellets dropping into the burn pot. If you see or hear them dropping in, turn off the grill and return your cleaned internal components to their set position. Turn your grill back on, set it to 450, and wait at least 45 minutes for the grill to complete it’s initial burn-in. Once finished, you’re ready to cook!
Basic Operation
Press the top leftmost button on your control board, this is the power button. The display should light up and show a default temperature of 250°F on PID mode (or any previously saved setting) and should be in the ignition state.
To power off, hold this button for 3 seconds. Your grill will display C5, meaning it is in cooldown mode. It will then countdown to C1 before it turns off.
Your WiFi enabled Grilla Grill also has a high-temperature cooldown mode. Shutting down the grill above 350°F will enter this mode and display C15 rather than C5.
Note: Be sure the grill is in a safe location and free of anything flammable near or on the grill before use.
Alpha Connect Features
Your new Alpha Connect control board has so many functions that we created the video below to help with the most common questions and general setup. Watch the entire video to get schooled on pretty much everything you need to know!
If you’re in a rush, or just want a refresher on a certain feature, feel free to fast forward to the timestamps we’ve listed below!
Troubleshooting
Controller Errors
FHI Error
This occurs when your meat probe reaches over 225-degrees Fahrenheit, the goal is to make you aware that your food may be burning. Watch this short video for more information on how to diagnose or troubleshoot this problem.
ERH Error
This occurs when your internal grill temperature reaches over 615-degrees Fahrenheit, the goal is to make you aware that your grill is much hotter than it can get naturally. Watch this short video for more information on how to diagnose or troubleshoot this problem.
ERL Error
This occurs when your internal grill temperature is beneath 150-degrees Fahrenheit for at least 10-minutes. The goal is to make you aware that your grill is much cooler than it should be naturally. Watch this short video for more information on how to diagnose or troubleshoot this problem.
Hardware Adjustments & Troubleshooting
Flameout
This occurs when the flame in your grill is snuffed out. This causes the temperature to drop, which prompts the control board to feed the fire, which inevitably leads to a burn pot overflowing with unlit pellets. This is almost always accompanied by an ERL error. Watch this short video for more information on how to diagnose or troubleshoot this problem.
RTD Temperature Offset
This setting gives you the ability to adjust the temperature output reading for the internal thermometer in your grill. This is not an adjustment that generally needs to be made. Only adjust this setting if you’ve seen consistent inaccuracies in the temperature reading of the grill.
Meat Probe Temperature Offset
This setting gives you the ability to adjust the temperature output reading for the meat probe you plug into the control board of your grill. This is not an adjustment that generally needs to be made. Only adjust this setting if you’ve seen consistent inaccuracies in the temperature reading of the probe included with the grill.
Auger Trim Settings
This setting gives you the ability to adjust the rate at which pellets are fed to your grill. This is not an adjustment that generally needs to be made. You should only adjust this setting if you’ve seen consistent issues with maintaining steady grill temperatures in significantly high, or low ambient temperatures.
Connection Issues
- Like the majority of other smart home devices, Grilla Grills Alpha Connect Controller is only able to connect to 2.4GHz networks. We chose this frequency as it provides a stronger signal over longer distances compared to 5GHz networks.
- During initial pairing of your WiFi and your grill, make sure of the following:
- Your phone is connected to a 2.4GHz WiFi network.
- If you can not separate your 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi networks, another solution is to purchase an inexpensive dedicated 2.4GHz router.
- If you are not sure what bands your network uses, please contact your internet provider. Grilla Grills does not have access to your network, and we cannot determine that information for you in most situations.
Phone switching network during grill connection process?
- Many modern phones will automatically switch to the network with the strongest signal. That may cause your phone to switch away from the 2.4GHz frequency to 5GHz before it finishes connecting to your grill.
To prevent your phone from automatically switching networks, try the following:
- Go to the phones WiFi network menu.
- Turn off “Auto-Join” so your phone doesn’t automatically switch networks
- Manually choose a 2.4GHz network and restart the grill connection process.
- If turning off Auto-Join does not fix the issue, go to your phone settings and have your phone “forget” the 5GHz network. Warning, this could possibly remove your ability to connect to that specific network from that device in the future.
Security Issues
These are additional ‘speedbumps’ you may run in to while attempting to setup your connection. If you have any of the following services/security measures/network issues you will need to contact your internet service provider for more information on bypassing or removing them in order to use the WiFi functions of your grill.
- Firewalls
- Transparent proxy
- VPN Utilization
- No DHCP server used on network
- 802.1X authentication enabled on network
- Any additional network security measure will not allow the grill and phone to connect.
Can’t find your router/network?
- The Alpha Connect Controller can only recognize network names with 32 characters or less.
- Keep in mind, spaces count for 3 characters.
- Try removing special characters
- !, @, #, etc.
- Example: “My grilla grills network name”
Steps to take before contacting Grilla Grills Customer Support
Verify that your grill is receiving a strong enough signal.
- Install a WiFi signal strength app and check the signal strength of the network you want to use for your grill.
Have you power cycled your router?
- Try unplugging your router and wait at least 10 seconds before plugging it back in.
- After plugging the router back in, allow it to fully come back online before moving forward.
Have you tried clearing the app memory cache on your phone?
- iOS (Apple)
- Delete and reinstall app.
- Android
- Depends on which device brand you have.
- Go to Device Settings or App Settings menu.
Is the grill’s setup WiFi network or SSID (Service Set Identifier or Network Name) visible in the device’s WiFi network menu?
- On you controller, try the following:
- Menu – WiFi Information
- If the grill is not currently connected to a network, you will see the setup SSID will be visible.
Tips & FAQ’s
What's the Difference between PID & Pro Mode?
Any Grilla Grills Pellet Smoker with an Alpha Smoke or Alpha Connect Control board comes standard with two cooking modes, Pro Mode and PID. Pro mode is Grilla Grills signature smoking setting. It will produce more smoke to flavor your food, but in doing so will slightly increase the temperature variance. PID mode is a cooking setting that gives you more control over your set temperature, but sacrifices a small amount of the smoke production to do so. Each mode has it’s benefits and drawbacks, experiment with both to create the perfect smoke session for your food!
Home Network & Grill Connection
How does my phone connect to my grill?
- Alpha Connect controllers connect to your phone through your your home WiFi network. After the initial setup, you’ll be able to access your grill from anywhere you have an internet signal through our smartphone application.
Grill Placement
Where should I put my grill for the best connection?
- Your grill should be as close to the router as you can place it.
- We recommend being within a 30ft. or 10m. range from grill to router.
- For the best signal connection face your Alpha Connect control board towards your router.
- Make sure your grill and router are on the same level. For example, don’t put your grill on the upstairs deck if your router is in the basement.
Keep these tips in mind when placing your grill:
- Thick masonry materials such as concrete or steel will reduce signal strength. This can be helped by moving the router out of the basement or placing your grill near a window in your home.
- If you can not move the grill or the router, consider investing in a network booster or extender
Account Deletion
To delete your Grill from the application, follow these steps:
- Tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the application.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the settings page.
- Tap “Remove Grill”
To delete your Account, follow these steps:
- Tap the 3 lines on the top left corner of your application.
- Tap “My Account”
- Tap “Delete Account”
Warning, you will have to create a new account in order to access the WiFi functions of your grill.