Third party home weather station software

[oosik]

I'm getting a Davis Vantage Pro 2 weather station. It will download weather data to my Apple computer via their USB WeatherLink and its software. I've read that the software that comes with the Mac WeatherLink unit is a bit long in the tooth. There are many third party weather management software programs available.

Weather Underground list the following as being specifically designed to work with Apple High Sierra Operating System.

I wonder if anybody is using any of this software and what is your opinion of it.

Weather Display
Weather Snoop 4
Weather Cat 3
Weather Tracker

Thank you for any info and/or advice.

 

[B7510HSD]

I'm getting a Davis Vantage Pro 2 weather station. It will download weather data to my Apple computer via their USB WeatherLink and its software. I've read that the software that comes with the Mac WeatherLink unit is a bit long in the tooth. There are many third party weather management software programs available.

Weather Underground list the following as being specifically designed to work with Apple High Sierra Operating System.

I wonder if anybody is using any of this software and what is your opinion of it.

Weather Display
Weather Snoop 4
Weather Cat 3
Weather Tracker

Thank you for any info and/or advice.

I have been using Weather Display on my site for many years now It is updated often and Brian has been great on support they have a forum you can post too and get most anything answered you need!! It does have many more features than I use but they are there if you desire! You can try it for so many days to see how you like it! here is a link to the forum they have a section just for Weather Display.
Weather-Watch.com - Index

 

[oosik]

B7510HSD - I think your suggestion to run a trial version may be the best way so see what works best. You aren't kidding - there are a LOT of features that I probably will never use either.

Thanks for your comments.

 

[B7510HSD]

B7510HSD - I think your suggestion to run a trial version may be the best way so see what works best. You aren't kidding - there are a LOT of features that I probably will never use either.

Thanks for your comments.

I tried many different brands of software before I settled on this one and glad I did for the most part it has been very reliable for my web site! If there is a problem Brian usually has a fix within a day or less!

 

[cqaigy2]

Another + for Weather Display. Brian is great to work with.

 

[oosik]

I got the Davis Wx station and installed it yesterday afternoon. None too soon - it started raining about 9pm and has not let up.

FWIW - I downloaded Weather Display and finally had to offload it. Basic problem - Weather Display is too far out of date to properly communicate with High Sierra 10.13.5. I'm now trying Weather Snoop 4 and Weather Cat 3.

I'm monitoring the current weather and graphing 24 hour projected weather patterns in ALL the small town in Ea WA - from the Canadian border to our border with Oregon. All these weather software programs are heavy into short term wx projection and graphing wx trends.

It very obvious that any of these software programs will have a lot of features that I don't need.

I'm still not convinced that I want to transmit the data I collect to programs like NOAA, Weather Underground, etc. Being tied to a satellite for internet service and having a finite limit to my access - I wonder how much of my time would get tied up in these data collection and transmission activities. I read where one of these programs required that your computer remain on and running 24/7.

 

[cqaigy2]

I thought the Weather Display software talked directly with the weather station hardware.

I can see why you wouldn't want to use up your data plan, upload data to someplace on the internet. It will be interesting to see what you end up with.

 

[oosik]

cqaigy2 - you know, now that I think on it - that's what I thought also. Communication between 3rd party software and whatever is on my wx station. What I was getting - numerous drop down/pop up memos saying WX Display was not compatible with High Sierra 10.13.5. Brother - I hope the learning curve for all of this is a gentle slope. I'm just getting in to this and I can feel the water is already up to my chin.

I see that I can set every thing RE: WX that is known to man. There is something about either sampling or display or download that I've yet to comprehend. It would not be bad at all if the WeatherLink stored the data and during my bonus period ( 2am til 8am ) sent it to somewhere like Weather Underground or NOAA. What will not work is being up on the internet 24/7. That would use up my allowed access very rapidly.

So...... I now have three third party software programs loaded, and on trial. Weather Snoop 4, Weather Cat 3 and Weather Tracker. Plus the software that comes with WeatherLink. Even the service tech at Davis Industries acknowledged that their software with WeatherLink was a little dated. That may be exactly what I need - dated software for a dated guy.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...for $5-$6/ month you can open an account with a web server provider and upload and display just about anything you want...the account will also have a mail server with unlimited e-mail alias accounts...

find an open source WX display script and hack it to your own liking...PHP is really easy to learn and is provided on most all web server accounts...

you can basically create your own personal "cloud"...you can do this with or without a domain name...

Very easy to create directories that require ID and password for personal documents etc...

Actually I've seen accounts for as low as $4/month...

 

[B7510HSD]

Typically when you send data to say NOAA or Wunderground they want data anywhere from every 15 minutes to every 30 minutes so a connection 24/7 would be required. Weather Display will talk to your weather station directly and the data logger needed to connect to the PC will store data while PC is off then when you fire Weather Display up it downloads the data to the PC.

 

[oosik]

OK - that is what I was wondering. The software - WeatherLink - communicates with the weather station and the data logger will store the information. So when I turn my computer on the the data logger ( WeatherLink in my case ) will download historical stored weather data to my computer. Then if I have third party software - Example - Weather Snoop 4 - I can download this data to any other weather group on the internet.

I can see the rub. Any internet group - NOAA or Weather Underground - wants current data, not historical data. So transmitting data to NOAA every 15 minuets would mean being up and on the internet 24/7. It means some other internet provider - not a satellite based provider.

 

[B7510HSD]

Correct mines sends files to my web site every 10 seconds!!

 

[oosik]

Soooo..... I've off-loaded Weather Snoop 4 and Weather Cat 3. Either they are too complex or I'm technically ignorant - or a little of both. They may come into play at a later date as I trudge up the learning curve.

I currently have Weather Tracker loaded up and its just my speed. Pretty simple - no exotic finger curls or passwords - just the facts man, just the facts.

I've gone to Weather Underground several times in the last week. The on-site blog has some disturbing rumbles regarding the Underground.

I wonder if anybody using Weather Underground has current information on any troubles. What I seem to be hearing is - slow response to questions raised - slow response to needed fixes - - This could just be the rumblings of the "dissatisfied few" or a developing trend.

 

[B7510HSD]

Here are a few sites you may want to read in your free time. Many have been upset with Weather Underground for quite some time now.
Weather-Watch.com - Index
WXforum.net - Index

 

[oosik]

Thanks Steve. Man - its still colder than a snakes underbelly over here. An hour ago - 35 now - a blazing 41. I will visit and read on those two sites.

I rode Harleys for years - wife's present to me on my 55th birthday - brand new '98 FXDL, Low Rider. Two years ago I gave it to my son - idea being, I'm too old to ride. The gentle winds of spring blew - - I'm back with a 2017 BMW R1200GSA.

Reason for the BMW - got tired of the constant Blatttttttt of my turn-out exhaust. I can actually hear the wind and the song birds when riding the BMW.

 

[B7510HSD]

Thanks Steve. Man - its still colder than a snakes underbelly over here. An hour ago - 35 now - a blazing 41. I will visit and read on those two sites.

I rode Harleys for years - wife's present to me on my 55th birthday - brand new '98 FXDL, Low Rider. Two years ago I gave it to my son - idea being, I'm too old to ride. The gentle winds of spring blew - - I'm back with a 2017 BMW R1200GSA.

Reason for the BMW - got tired of the constant Blatttttttt of my turn-out exhaust. I can actually hear the wind and the song birds when riding the BMW.

Well at least you are still riding I just gave mine up 2 months ago My knee has been giving out without warning and I didn't want to be in "THAT" situation so I thought I better hang it up. I will have too stick to the dunes on my quad!!

 

[oosik]

I've got a Polaris ATP(all terrain pickup) - no dunes - used almost 100% for maintenance of multiple items around the property here.

If this local weather ever warms up - I hope to ride again - some warm summer day. I DO NOT enjoy riding and having all my joints hurt from the cold.

 

[oosik]

FWIW - this last weather tracking software - Weather Tracker - seems to be just about right for me. Its easy to instal, no additional downloads required, no special finger curls or passwords - it takes the data received by my display module and makes an easy to understand web page with it.

It easy to scroll thru the data and graph historical data of each parameter as you move thru.

If I choose this software its a one time cost of $40.

 

[B7510HSD]

Good deal glad you found what you needed!

 

[oosik]

Yes - with the combination of the software package that came with Weather Link and the 3rd party software - Weather Tracker - I should be good for quite a while. There certainly are a lot more complex/intense packages out there if the need ever arises.

BTW - thanks to everybody for their knowledge and help. Its been a pleasant journey to date.