“It's been crucial to have a great digital thermometer at home in these times, and this one takes the cake! My children's' schools require that we temp them before leaving our house and this thermometer has been a breeze, and having an app to go along with it has been nice as well. It appears to be as accurate as our previous thermometer which is great! I received this ear thermometer from the Stellar Product Testing Panel.”
“I received this thermometer from Stellar Product TestIng Panel to try. Once it arrived we immediately downloaded the app and followed the very easy to understand instructions to set up the thermometer. The kids got a kick out of picking their own picture for their profile. We immediately took everyone's temperature. You get an instant, accurate temperature sent right to your phone to log on your profile. Then you can answer two questions about symptoms and you are done. The thermometer took a second to get used to. I kept turning it on in the ear then I would get an error message. You are supposed to turn it on then hit the button in the ear. Other that that it is a great tool to have in our health kit.”
“This thermometer works super quickly compared to other brands that I've tried and the readings are really close/consistent when taken multiple times. Best features: no covers to buy and lights up to read in the dark. Cons: the tip is a little large for tiny baby ears (fine for toddlers and older kids). The app is great for adding the whole family and easily switching between kids to keep track of temperatures and providing a time stamp. I would recommend this for the speed and accuracy. I received this product from the Stellar Product Testing Panel, and I will be recommending it to my friends.”
“If you want a simple, low-tech thermometer where you input the sensor and output a few numbers... this is not your device, really. But if you're a little more high-tech and you want a thermometer that will 1) retain your readings so you can see how a person's temperature changes over the course of an illness 2) retain your readings so you can see any patterns of temperature over a longer period of time through both illness and healthy times 3) allow you to differentiate between people of different ages and 4) provide personalized feedback on care and suggestions to pursue different tiers of medical advice (call your doctor vs see your doctor vs urgent/emergency care), then THIS is your one-stop shop for the thermometer that will give you peace of mind.
Before you can even use the thermometer, you need to connect it to the app. (The thermometer will even say APP on it.) You'll need a little bit of time to do this, and "middle of a fever" is not that time. This thermometer is best purchased when you're healthy, to allow you the time to set up the thermometer, establish the app and profiles, and get familiar with how to use it without the added stress of a sick family member. Once this is done, however, it is extremely simple to use it, even on a wiggly child who absolutely does not want a temperature taken. The readings are quick (almost instantaneous, with a beep to let you know you've done it) and the lit display with large-print numbers is easy to read, even in the middle of the night without corrective lenses. The design of the Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer is comfortable and visually appealing.
With regard to the app: you are able to view your "Local Illness Risk," which has been helpful for us when traveling (with COVID-unvaccinated young children, and also would be helpful during winter respiratory season). You are able to set temperature-taking reminders specific to one or more profiles, and I set profiles for my family of five with no issues. You are also able to join a school group, which I opted NOT to do at this time, but may do in the future. The timeline feature of each profile is extremely helpful when you are tracking illness and contacting your health care provider, and you are also able to log symptoms and any treatments you give at the time of the high temperature. Especially with multiple children, this feature is invaluable - and I even have profiles set up for myself and my partner, so it's also helpful for adults!
One thing that frustrated me is that the thermometer needed to be connected to the app for best results. Unlike my toothbrush, which can brush remotely and then update the next time the app is opened, one really must open the Kinsa app and select a profile before using the thermometer. I would have appreciated that feature with the thermometer, because I feel like it's an important one when you may not necessarily have your phone handy (or are using it to entertain a grumpy sick child).
I will absolutely emphasize that I've had this thermometer for about a week. I have NOT had the opportunity to test it through sickness. However, I have had the opportunity to use a previous version of a Kinsa thermometer, and I have passing familiarity with the guidance one receives when there is a higher than normal temperature reading. I found these features to be extremely helpful when speaking to my doctor or reflecting back on our last illness, as it was simple to scroll through prior readings (labeled by date/time) rather than relying on memory or a scribbled list of temperatures and times.
I was able to test and review this thermometer thanks to the Stellar Product Testing Panel, and I look forward to continuing to use this thermometer - especially during times when we are ill!”
“The Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer is a breeze to setup; the bluetooth connection was seemless. It has one button to turn it on and take the temperature. I did sometimes accidentally turn it off instead of taking the temperature because of this thought. The temperature is taken quickly, so you can quickly get the temperature even from my wiggly 1 year old without issue. My 5 year old was easily able to use it on himself and his brother too. The kids love the look of it, so they are excited to get their temperature taken. The temperature is recorded in the app immediatly, and you can select the person it's associated with. I love that it gives advice depending on the temperature. The advice is pretty comprehensive and clear. Really makes it easier since before I would have googled and checked multiple websites. Even better is that they keep track of the temperatures. You have a history so you can keep track of what's normal for your kids and when the last time they had a feve and what the temperaure was. I did have some issues with "low" temperatures repeadedly, but after checking the Kinsa website, I was quickly able to troublshoot. It was my own error and havnen't had this issue since. You need to pull the ear diagnally back (they state it as "up and back" which maybe is clear to most but confused me). They have a video showing you how to do it which is worth a million words. Thanks to the Stellar Product Testing Panel for providing me with this thermometer to test and review!”
“We have used our fair share of thermometers and as far as basic functionality, the Kinsa Smart Ear thermometer does the job but that alone doesn't make it stand out. It was quick and easy to take a temperature, and comfortable in the ear for both us (parents) and our toddler. The temperature reads were precise and consistent making it a reliable thermometer. What really makes it stand out is the connectivity with your smart phone and the tracking features within the app. When Stellar Product Testing Panel asked us to test this thermometer, the connectivity to an app made me really excited, but I was even more impressed with the app than I had expected. The app was easy to install and quick and easy to sign up for an account. First, I got to make profiles for each family member with their age and gender (and a little icon to serve as their picture, they did a good job with cute little icons, getting the unicorn made our toddler very excited!). Every time you take a temperature using the thermometer it is tracked with a date and time. You can also record symptoms, any diagnosis, and medications given/taken. These features are so helpful. When your child is really sick it can get confusing and even dangerous if you don't take good notes on the temperature readings and most importantly the times when medication was given. The Kinsa made it really easy to record these things, even in the middle of the night on low sleep, it's a few simple taps. This functionality is my favorite feature, when my little girl is ill and I am running on empty I am very paranoid that I didn't record the times medication was administered, and that can be so dangerous. Being able to track it here put my mind at ease. You can also write notes and set reminders. All of these features are also very nice for doctors visits, you have a clear record of all temperatures, etc. which helps doctors appointments go more smoothly. There is nothing over complicated in the app, it is very straight forward, which I appreciate. I highly recommend the Kinsa Smart Ear thermometer, it is easy to use, reliable, and makes tracking temperatures and meds very easy.”
“Thanks to the Stellar Product Testing Panel for providing me with this ear thermometer. I really like how this thermometer gives a fast reading for squirmy kids, has a soft comfortable tip, no filters needed, lights up for convenience, and has an app to log temperatures. However, this thermometer is NOT accurate by almost a degree compared to another thermometer I own, known for its accuracy. I took my temperature at rest with the kinsa and got 97.9 when my other thermometer read 98.5. My 3.5 year old son likes that it's blue and easy for him to hold though. The app is easy to download and set up profiles and I like that you can also input symptoms, medications and other information. I also like that you immediately get an app notification with your temperature reading to easily link to a profile. Overall, I liked this thermometer but dislike how inaccurate it is. As a nurse, temperature accuracy is a must for me so I'll stick to my old thermometer.”
“Using the Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer was very easy to set up and use. You simply insert batteries, download the app onto your phone, and make sure they are linked. You can set up profiles for everyone in your family who might use this thermometer, which I love. It keeps all the data for you so you don't have to write anything down (comes in VERY helpful when you have a fever and are watching for it to break and track how long they have had it). The app has this amazing feature that will ask you simple questions about why you are taking your child's temperature, and try to help navigate the next steps to take (for example, my child had a slight cough but no fever, the app suggested to have child drink fluids and take a steam bath to help loosen anything causing the cough), whether you can treat the symptoms at home, if you need to call your doctor or if you need to head to an urgent care. I did find that the thermometer read lower temperatures than my other thermometers (comparing with another ear, forehead and rectal for my 1yr old). This was especially true for my 1yr old, which I'm guessing had to do with her being so petite - but it also read low on my 2 1/2yr old and myself. If I had concern for an actual fever then I would have double checked with another thermometer. I truly loved how the app worked with the thermometer but my overall favorite feature of the app was that it stores all the data for you that you input for each person. We, fortunately, did not have any illness during this trial but I know from past experience of illnesses having to have that record of when symptoms started, what the temperatures were and writing it all down and then remembering to take to the doctors is a LOT, especially with a sick child then in toe. This takes all the work out and gives you a literal timeline of everything the doctor will need! As I mentioned before, with the temps reading lower it might not be the most accurate data but I do love the theory behind it!
Thanks to the Stellar Product Testing Panel for providing me with this ear thermometer.”
