PWS for HS4?

[Rupp]

Thanks for that, Rupp. Reading that confirms other reviews that I've read that the wind sensor has issues... and the response from the WF employee, IMO, kind of side-stepped the issue and tried to deflect to the eventual issues one would have with the Davis.

I just get the feeling the ultrasonic sensors in this level of PWS is not ready for primetime. While sensors with moving parts will eventually have mechanical issues, it seems to me they are more accurate during their useful lifespan.

I agree. My Davis Vantage 2 Pro Wireless unit is 13 years old and is still ticking along. The fan has stopped in the Fan-Aspirated temp pergola but otherwise all items still work. It's starting to look rough but these things are very expensive. I may go back with a Vantage Vue when I replace this one.

[Uncle Michael]

Here's a good article on comparing the Davis VP2 and Weatherflow.
https://community.weatherflow.com/t/...omparison/2293

I have not collected data at that frequency, but what I have agrees quite well with this excellent analysis.

My data show somewhat better agreement between the two devices for Temp and RH at moderate values than at extremes. I suspect those will be more variable from one device to another. Without a NIST standardized measurement, though, it's not possible to determine which device is closer to "truth". The agreement I see more than satisfies my needs and expectations, though.

I don't have any rain data yet, and because my data points are further apart my wind data are too limited to draw a conclusion other than the two devices are in rough agreement. (There is no indication that WF detects lower velocity wind than Davis in my data. They differ in both directions.)

[wpiman]

Which model of theirs are you using? From looking at their website, seems they have "traditional" instrumentation and newer ultrasonic stuff.

I have the 1550. For like $150 it does what I want. I use the data to load into MCS Sprinklers to figure out evaporation rates...

[ewkearns]

This is one of those posts I never thought I'd make, but I've had a change of heart...

I live near NYC, a major metropolitan area. There is an abundance of online weather data, Accuweather, The Weather Channel, NOAA, etc, etc... My EcoBee thermostats also pull in weather data and forecasts.

My problem is out of all the above mentioned weather data sources, NONE of them agree with each other, at any point in time I'll get a different temperature from each of them. Further complicating things is that I live by the ocean, so my weather can be different from folks a few miles north on the main land. We have our own micro-climate, we're warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, depending on whether the wind is coming off the ocean or not.

If I'm going to be able to make any sane climate decisions for home automation I need data that is consistent/realistic for my actual home location. So I'm considering buying a personal weather station, one that could integrate with HS4.

I've done some preliminary research... but it seems there's both good and bad reviews for any product in the <$400 range. I don't want to invest a lot since I don't live in the wilderness and like I said I have access to metropolitan weather data... I'd just like it to be more accurate for my house.

Are there any PWS products that you've been happy with? Most important to me is wind (speed/direction), temp, UV index.

My situation is similar to yours, living on a river, next to the ICW, just inside the barrier islands, and adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. I've been happy with my Ambient Weather WS-2902. You may want to look at the WS-5000, too. Understand that you may want some other sensors to add to the original package. If somebody wants to argue that Davis is higher quality, I won't beg to differ, but I've been pleased with mine and my pocketbook is a little heavier than it might have been. The only outage I have had is attributable to some small bird that poops like a rhino. Get the bird spikes with the initial purchase.

I suspect that in high-density housing, you are going to be challenged with siting your new equipment properly and I suspect that is why there are diverging reports, locally. I have a neighbor about 2 blocks away and ours track very closely. 5 miles away? Not so much.

[TC1]

My situation is similar to yours, living on a river, next to the ICW, just inside the barrier islands, and adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. I've been happy with my Ambient Weather WS-2902. You may want to look at the WS-5000, too. Understand that you may want some other sensors to add to the original package. If somebody wants to argue that Davis is higher quality, I won't beg to differ, but I've been pleased with mine and my pocketbook is a little heavier than it might have been. The only outage I have had is attributable to some small bird that poops like a rhino. Get the bird spikes with the initial purchase.

I suspect that in high-density housing, you are going to be challenged with siting your new equipment properly and I suspect that is why there are diverging reports, locally. I have a neighbor about 2 blocks away and ours track very closely. 5 miles away? Not so much.

Thanks for the feedback, I've been looking at the WS-2000 because it supposedly gives you the option of measuring soil moisture using add-on probes (the 2902 doesn't offer that according to their website).

I'm staying away from units like the 5000 because I've yet to read anything that conclusively says the new ultrasonic sensors are reliable across all the conditions one is likely to encounter (low- and high-end winds, rain/moisture on the sensor throwing off the readings).

Even with the bird spikes, I've got dive bombers around me....

[Thedude]

I'm in N.Y. as well and I'm using this free service https://openweathermap.org/ plus their free API plus Big6 plug-in for HS4 to get my weather info. Pretty accurate.

[TC1]

I'm in N.Y. as well and I'm using this free service https://openweathermap.org/ plus their free API plus Big6 plug-in for HS4 to get my weather info. Pretty accurate.

I just checked that site and it's too macro, they only breakdown weather by county in southeastern NY. I'm just outside NYC by the ocean and my weather can be dramatically different than NYC.

[rmiles7721]

More than the $400 range but I swapped out my old weather station when I moved to a new house back in December, purchased the Ambient Weather WS-5000 along with a few extra sensors. Pretty stellar results for me so far.

[TC1]

More than the $400 range but I swapped out my old weather station when I moved to a new house back in December, purchased the Ambient Weather WS-5000 along with a few extra sensors. Pretty stellar results for me so far.

The only thing I'm apprehensive about getting a unit like the WS-5000 is the accuracy and useable range of the ultrasonic wind sensor. I've read user feedback of phantom wind readings at low speeds and according to specs it only goes up 89 MPH... and I live in an area susceptible to hurricanes and Nor'easters.

[racerfern]

TC1 I suppose it would be nice to be able to record wind speeds over 89mph, though I'm not sure what good that data would be. I have an inkling we're just about neighbors (I'm in Baldwin) at the head of canal so I'm probably subject to your conditions as well.

[Dan-O]

I have an Ambient WS-2902C that I grabbed from Amazon. I installed the Ambient Weather plug in and it works great.
I use the wind speed for HS to decide to turn the Christmas yard blow-ups when the gusts get too much.

[wpiman]

I live near NYC, a major metropolitan area.

Never heard of it. Anyone else?

[TC1]

I have an Ambient WS-2902C that I grabbed from Amazon. I installed the Ambient Weather plug in and it works great.
I use the wind speed for HS to decide to turn the Christmas yard blow-ups when the gusts get too much.

The more I research/read/shop around I'm leaning towards that or the WS-2000. They seem like a good value and well reviewed.

[langenet]

I believe it's the same as the ws-1550-ip less the console which I have now for a few years. Works great for me along with the ambient weather plugin.

[racerfern]

I got the Weatherflow Tempest and installed easily enough. For those using WF are you using Weatherflow Local or regular Weatherflow?