Home weather station suggestions

[bdhsfz6]

Internet connection makes it easier to see how yours is reporting vs others nearby.

Aside from being able to monitor weather conditions while away from home, I had no real interest in an internet connection either. It turns out, the National Weather Service does.

I've been a weather spotter for the local office of the NWS for four decades. At one of the meetings I regularly attend, I happened to mention the internet connection I have with my Davis station. I live in a fairly remote location and it turns out, they were very interested in my data. I gave them the link and they monitor it regularly.

 

[kawaiiitakko]

I'd love to like it. I love the no moving parts side of it. However, around here, it appears to be less than accurate. I have neighbor who has one and his readings are at odds with basically all of the nearby weather stations. I had rather hoped that firmware updates might have improved things for him, but not so far. I will say he was an early adopter.

I had my Davis Vantage Pro 2 overhauled at the factory after 17 years of great service. In that time, I had replaced the solar/ battery pack once, and I had upgraded the rain cone to their bird free version, but that was all. The cone spikes really helped keep leaves out of mine. The overhaul price was very reasonable for what amounted to a basically new weather station, and the turn around was only a couple of days, though I'm sure that fluctuates with the demand of taxi company near me.

All the best,

Peter

I'm looking for a good home weather station. I looked at many units on Amazon and the choices are overwhelming. Many of them get somewhat poor reviews and it seems that many of these units only last a year or so at most. I don't care about cost as long as the device works reliably. My main requirement is that there needs to be an indoor display (I don't want to rely on an app to see the weather information).

 

[B7510HSD]

I'm looking for a good home weather station. I looked at many units on Amazon and the choices are overwhelming. Many of them get somewhat poor reviews and it seems that many of these units only last a year or so at most. I don't care about cost as long as the device works reliably. My main requirement is that there needs to be an indoor display (I don't want to rely on an app to see the weather information).

Davis Vantage Pro 2 is what I suggest like others here I have had mine well over 15 years now. If you shop the web you can get them below MSRP.

 

[bdhsfz6]

+1 on the Davis Vantage Pro 2. I've had mine for almost 35 years now, with very little trouble.

There are wired and wireless units available and both come with a fully customizable color display

 

[Oaktree]

I'm looking for a good home weather station. I looked at many units on Amazon and the choices are overwhelming. Many of them get somewhat poor reviews and it seems that many of these units only last a year or so at most. I don't care about cost as long as the device works reliably. My main requirement is that there needs to be an indoor display (I don't want to rely on an app to see the weather information).

I'm a little disappointed with the Ambient unit we have. It's maybe 3 years old, and it looks like the indoor display is failing. Several segments of the LCD display are non-functional, and the "buttons" for changing settings are becoming increasingly flakey.
I say "buttons", but they aren't in the traditional sense...there's no tactile feedback when you press one. I opened it up to see if they might benefit from cleaning, but the circuit board for that was solidly glued in place and I couldn't get it off.

I do like the fact that everything is done via the display, no remote software needed.

 

[ponytug]

@kawaiiitakko While you can buy less expensive stations, I'd buy my Vantage Pro 2 again in a heartbeat. The Davis systems were developed here for commercial use in farms in California, and the ruggedness and reliability shows. The strength and reliability of the radio link is, I think, impressive.

Regardless of the brand you end up buying, I think that choosing a good location will improve the quality of your measurements. E.g. on an open area on grass, with the anemometer up to 30', if you can manage it.

All the best,

Peter

 

[bigtiller]

I'm looking for a good home weather station. I looked at many units on Amazon and the choices are overwhelming. Many of them get somewhat poor reviews and it seems that many of these units only last a year or so at most. I don't care about cost as long as the device works reliably. My main requirement is that there needs to be an indoor display (I don't want to rely on an app to see the weather information).

My Davis Vantage Vue has its own monitor and it is not as expensive as the Vantage Pro 2. But you may like the Pro 2 better. It has a monitor also.

 

[Spike56]

I

I'm looking for a good home weather station. I looked at many units on Amazon and the choices are overwhelming. Many of them get somewhat poor reviews and it seems that many of these units only last a year or so at most. I don't care about cost as long as the device works reliably. My main requirement is that there needs to be an indoor display (I don't want to rely on an app to see the weather information).

I have an Ambient WS-2902.Have had this station about 10+ years without issues. For the price, I found this suites my needs perfectly. Now if you are a real serious weather guru, the Davis units seem to be the best ? But they are pricey.
Looks like it's on sale now for 169.99 !

Ambient Weather WS-2902 Smart Wifi Weather Station with WiFi Remote Monitoring & Alerts

Ambient Weather's best-selling Personal Wi-Fi Weather Station, the WS-2902, allows you to monitor your home and backyard weather conditions with a brilliant, easy-to-read LCD color display. Monitor indoor and outdoor conditions, including wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, UV, solar...

ambientweather.com

Good Luck !

 

[Grumpycat]

Davis Vantage Pro 2 is what I suggest like others here I have had mine well over 15 years now. If you shop the web you can get them below MSRP.

Bean counting a Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus at $1375 is required to have the features of the $350 Tempest. The Davis includes an LCD display the Tempest lacks, but who doesn't have an old tablet laying around?

Spiders found my old AcuRite and it got to the point I was disassembling it every month to clean out cobwebs which locked up the fan and rain measuring teeter-totter. The Tempest has no moving parts to have this isssue.

 

[Popgadget]

I have a Tempest and a Davis vantage pro 2, both mounted on the same pole.
The Tempest is the 4th one and the pressure sensor doesn’t work any longer. The rain is inaccurate compared to the Davis , the other readings are in the ball park. I wa an early adopter, and they were all free replacements, except for my time to swap them, but when the pressure sensor failed, the only option the offered was to buy a whole new station.

The Davis is approaching 30 years old, it has had some maintenance in that time, but the overall cost of ownership is probably lower than the Tempest.

I like the simplicity of the Tempest, but while much improved from the first one,it’s still a work in progress in my opinion.

My Tempest is still online KPAPERPA48 on WU. the Davis is KPAPERPA3