Buying guide
Napoleon Prestige PRO 500 Smart
Choose automatic temperature control or manage each burner yourself.
The decision
Do you want help managing the heat, or only checking it?
The current Napoleon Prestige PRO 500 Smart lets you choose a cooking temperature in its automatic modes, follow food-probe readings and return to independent burner control when the meal calls for different heat zones. Its touchscreen and Napoleon Home app bring those functions together on a grill that also includes infrared searing and rotisserie equipment.
Think about how you like to cook. A longer indirect cook gives temperature management and probe monitoring a clear job. A meal that needs several heat zones may be the moment to choose manual control. Smart gives you both approaches in the same grill.
The reason to consider Smart
You use both direct and indirect cooking and want a defined temperature target, probe readings and alerts in one system. You also value the ability to switch back to manual burner control for a meal with different heat zones.
The detail to settle first
Choose the current Prestige PRO 500 Smart generation and the fuel that matches your supply. Earlier PRO 500 grills have different controls and equipment, so compare the actual configuration you are ordering.
Look at the controls
The screen is the beginning of the difference.
The current Prestige PRO 500 Smart, its controls and cooking equipment.
The touchscreen offers Direct, Indirect and Manual cooking modes. Direct mode automatically adjusts the main burners to maintain a selected 320–580°F target. Indirect mode adjusts specific burners for a lower 220–380°F target, with food placed away from a lit burner beneath it. Those are different cooking arrangements, not merely two names for one thermostat setting. In automatic operation, the indicated burners are manually ignited and their knobs set as directed; changing a knob away from the required maximum setting returns the system to Manual mode.
Automatic control also responds when the lid opens. You still manage food placement and turning, while the system handles burner adjustments for the selected temperature target.
What Smart actually changes
Three ways to work with the same grill.
| What changes | Control choice | Practical consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic Direct | Main burners adjust to a selected 320–580°F target | Useful when you want the main cooking surface working around one selected temperature. |
| Automatic Indirect | Specific burners adjust to a selected 220–380°F target | Useful for food placed over the unlit part of the cooking area. |
| Manual | Independent burner-knob adjustment with powered auxiliary functions available | Useful for deliberately different zones rather than one preset automatic target. |
| Traditional bypass | Manual core grilling without digital gas control | The manual gives a separate procedure, including operation during a power outage. |
| App connection | Wi-Fi provisioning, with Bluetooth available afterward | Plan initial setup and network coverage; Bluetooth does not remove that first setup requirement. |
| Supplied probes | Three wired probes listed in the current manual | Follow several food temperatures with the supplied wired probes; check compatibility before adding wireless accessories. |
| Current selected price | $3,849.00 | Shown for the selected propane PRO 500 Smart. |
A target temperature and a food-probe reading answer different questions. The target tells the system how you want to run the grill; a correctly placed probe follows the food. Neither is a guarantee that every item on the grate is ready at the same time. The hood gauge and touchscreen can also disagree without indicating a fault: the manual explains that one reads ambient air inside the grill while the touchscreen uses a probe below the cooking grids.
The Hearth Outpost view
Useful automation should support the way you cook.
We like the ability to choose how much assistance a particular meal needs. Automatic indirect cooking has a clear role for a longer cook, while manual control remains useful when different foods need different zones. That flexibility is more persuasive than connectivity for its own sake.
We would still compare the complete cooking equipment. The dedicated infrared side burner, rear rotisserie burner, included rotisserie kit and lighting make this a broader outdoor cooking station. If most meals are quick direct grilling with hands-on adjustments, temperature-target cooking may add less to your routine. We would put more weight on whether you will use the indirect mode, probes and supplied rotisserie than on having another app.
Owner feedback covers the Napoleon Prestige PRO family, including earlier grills and newer connected models. We put the most weight on what it says about searing, construction and service support, and would talk through the exact Smart setup with you before ordering.
Ratings cover the Napoleon Prestige PRO family.
What owners say
Prestige PRO owners describe satisfying searing, rotisserie flexibility, useful lighting and substantial cooking grids. Feedback also includes assembly adjustments, ignition or heat-control trouble, and experiences with parts and support. Reports on newer smart controls are mixed; older grills’ longevity does not establish how the current electronics will age.
Setup and ownership
Plan the connection before the first meal.
The Napoleon Home app requires an account and initial Wi-Fi provisioning. The manual says Bluetooth connectivity becomes available after provisioning. Check coverage where the grill will actually sit, not only from inside the house. The touchscreen gives the system a useful local interface alongside the phone.
The traditional bypass arrangement is not the same as selecting Manual on the screen. Bypass disables digital gas control; the manual explains how to use core grilling functions during a power outage. Powered lighting and other electronic functions still depend on power. Read that procedure before you need it.
Choose propane or natural gas to match the intended supply. The current cart grill must not be integrated into built-in or slide-in construction. If the project needs an island head, choose the corresponding built-in product rather than planning to remove this one from its cart.
Complete initial setup at the grill, including the propane tank scale where applicable. Cooking modes and burners are activated locally; the app cannot start cooking remotely. Read the separate bypass instructions before using them: the high-temperature shutoff is disabled in bypass mode.
Beyond the app
The cooking hardware still has to earn its space.
What comes with the PRO 500 Smart
- Four main burners with a 28 × 17¾-inch main cooking surface
- Infrared side searing burner and rear rotisserie burner
- Included high-capacity rotisserie kit
- Three wired temperature probes listed in the manual
- Hood and storage lighting plus illuminated control knobs
Check before adding extras
- Exact fuel configuration and the corresponding supply connection
- Compatible griddle, smoker or charcoal accessories for the intended cooking method
- Protective cover separately scoped to the current model
- Supported wireless-probe accessories versus supplied wired probes
Do not count the warming rack and other secondary surfaces as additional main-grate width. Similarly, a list of supported cooking methods does not mean every accessory for those methods is included. Start with what you actually want to cook and build the equipment list from there.
Shop the PRO 500 Smart
Continue with the exact configuration.
The card selects the current PRO 500 Smart in propane. Natural-gas and larger PRO 665 Smart configurations are also listed on the product page. This guide addresses the PRO500VX generation, not an older Prestige PRO 500 sharing the name.
Warranty and documents
Strong cooking-system coverage, with clear electronics terms.
The current manual lists lifetime limited coverage for stainless-steel cooking grids and tube burners, along with listed structural components. Stainless sear plates and the stainless infrared rotisserie have 15-year terms. Electrical components have three-year coverage, while the infrared bottom/side burner has a five-year term. That distinction is especially relevant when choosing a connected grill: the cooking hardware and electronics are not covered for identical periods.
- Stainless grids and tube burners
- Lifetime limited
- Electrical components
- 3 years
- Infrared side burner
- 5 years
Before ordering
A few details worth settling first.
Let’s find the right fit for your project.
Tell us whether you mostly sear, cook indirectly or use a rotisserie. We can help decide whether the PRO 500 Smart’s additional control is worth building into your outdoor kitchen plans.
Speak to an Expert
Good questions
A clearer choice.
Is Smart Mode only a wireless thermometer?
No. The current manual describes automatic Direct and Indirect modes that adjust burners to maintain selected temperature targets, as well as probe monitoring and app connectivity.
Can I use Bluetooth without setting up Wi-Fi first?
The current manual says the device must initially be provisioned using Wi-Fi. Bluetooth is available after that provisioning step.
What happens during a power outage?
The manual provides a Traditional bypass procedure for core manual grilling without digital gas controls. Powered electronic features still require power. Read the procedure and its limitations before using it.
Does the app mean I can leave the grill unattended?
No. The operating instructions require appropriate attendance and safe use. Temperature management, notifications and shutoff features do not replace that responsibility.