The confusion is that the firmware that you read version 4.5.6 is not for the WS-2902A console. It is for the ObserverIP. That thread that mentions the firmware for the ObserverIP is also a thread that talks about using the WS-2902A outdoor sensor array with the ObserverIP as the console.
Some of the Ambient Weather (Fine Offset clones) have interchangeable components to create a new weather station with different capabilities. If you mix and match some of these components then you match what some complete kits get sold as with their own model name. But the components are still the same, so you can add components from a slightly different complete kit and end up with new capabilities.
The WS-2902A is two parts. The outdoor sensor array called WS-2902A sensor or also called Osprey sensor or WS-2902-ARRAY or also called WH65B. The other part is the console called the WS-2902A-CONSOLE.
For example:
- WS-2902A = WS-2902-ARRAY + WS-2902A-CONSOLE
- WS-2000 = WS-2902-ARRAY + WS-2000-C + WH32B
- WS-1900 = WS-2902-ARRAY + WS-1900-CONSOLE
- WS-1550-IP = WS-2902-ARRAY + ObserverIP + WH32B ....technically it doesn't come with the WH32B but you need to add it
So if you start with a WS-2902A but later decide that you want the functionality offered by the ObserverIP console you can add just that part and keep using your existing display also. So the thread you read about the ObserverIP firmware mentions the WS-2902A because it uses the same outdoor sensor array as what you have. The firmware is for the console parts only.
You can also create a station with parts that are not sold together...
For example:
WS-2902-ARRAY + ObseverIP + WS-1000-BTH (these parts never sold as a kit... thus has no complete model name)
This last example works but that configuration was never sold. It is basically a WS-1550-IP with a WS-1000-BTH instead of WH32B. So it is using the older version of the WH32B...which works....it just has older sensor but the signal it sends is the same.
And there is no limitation of how many of these components you can have. Some people started off with a WS-1400-IP which is:
WS-1400-IP = WS-1001-ARRAY + ObserverIP + WS-1000-BTH
Then those people when their outdoor array dies instead of replacing like for like outdoor array they can just buy a new WS-2902-ARRAY and they are back in business without having to buy a complete new station and they don't have to replace with the old sensor array that is now superseded by a newer better version which is the WS-2902-ARRAY.
I have the following components, and yes, they all work at the same time as one station with all these different parts:
WS-2902A-ARRAY + WS-2000-CONSOLE + WS-2902-CONSOLE + ObserverIP + ObserverIP + WH32B (yes 2x ObserverIP devices ...to run different firmware and capture data sent to other network server).
The following are just consoles. You can have any number of these with one WS-2902-ARRAY as you want:
- WS-2902A-CONSOLE
- WS-2000-CONSOLE
- WS-1900-C (same as WS-2902A-CONSOLE but no Internet capabilities...good cheap extra display)
- ObserverIP
* The advantage of having an ObserverIP is that it can then send data to a WeatherBridge which is an Ambient branded Meteobridge. You can also do other things with an ObserverIP like run it with old firmware that supports telnet (to modify internal WU server settings) and then send data directly to a WeeWx server without need of complicated network traffic interception. You can also run non-Ambient firmware on the ObserverIP like from Aercus (which works even though the frequencies are different).