Davis Pro2 data reporting question

[dalecoy]

3.  Please confirm that the version of the firmware on your WLIP is the latest version (yeah, I know you just got it, but...)

May I gently point out that you aren't very good at following directions (or reporting the results)?

It's rather difficult for us to help, because we aren't where you are, and there are lots of possible variables.  And it is certainly true that your problem is quite unusual (apparently few or no other people are experiencing it).  Why would it be "logical" for WeatherLink.Com to be rather reliably accepting data from  thousands of other users, but not accepting your data for long stretches of time, repeated over a number of days?

We understand your frustration.  But alienating forum participants who might be able to help you solve your problem might not be the best strategy.

Now:

Do the data outages seem to occur at approximately the same time, and for approximately the same duration?

During an outage period, have you tried doing a Web Download of data from WeatherLink.com?  If not, please try that when convenient.

During the outage period, are your other internet services working normally? 

What other web-based services do you have or use?  [Backup, netflix, torrent, seti, folding, etc...)

[wxtech]

OK folks - Wayne's WLIP is working!!     Check em out.  Let's hope it continues without breaks
http://www.weatherlink.com/user/wmcatty/index.php?view=summary&headers=0
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wxpage.cgi?call=DW8373&last=24
http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=KTXGATES4
Weatherlink.com is uploading to WU & CWOP every 15 minutes.  Yea!  I wonder who/what happened. 

[wxtech]

And it quit again after working for 5 1/2 hours.

[dalecoy]

And it quit again after working for 5 1/2 hours.

And yet the WeatherLinkIP stations at Cac Roc Ranch, Leaning Oak, CB Eddy TX, 6 SW Gatesville, and China Springs are still having their data accepted by WeatherLink.com.  Those are the 5 stations "surrounding" his station.

IANAL, but it seems almost unmistakable to me that the "outage" is somewhere between Wayne's console and the WeatherLink.com server.  Of course, this is only circumstantial evidence.  However, perhaps my 50+ years of computer experience qualifies me as an "expert".

So, the possibilities include the WeatherLinkIP (hardware, software, or setup); The cable to the router; The DSL router (hardware, software, or setup), the DSL filter(s); the cabling between the router and the demarc; the physical connections between the demarc and the central office; the dozens of logical connections from there to WeatherLink.com.

Easy things to check, by physical replacement - the Ethernet cable, DSL filter(s), and cabling between the router and the demarc.  Those are low probability, but I've seen flakey failures in all of those (particularly in cabling if there are cats or dogs that can brush against the hardware).

[Bushman]

He should try a tool like this  http://www.pingplotter.com/

[wmcatty]

Davis tech support called me this morning and said they had never encountered a problem like this, but think it may be in the logger itself.  Their servers were not encountering any problems, so they think it may be a problem with the logger communicating with the router. They are sending me a new WLIP today and want me to call them back next week when I receive it.  Thanks again for all the help.  

[dalecoy]

He should try a tool like this  http://www.pingplotter.com/

Could you supply the IP address that he should ping?

Does that IP address for WeatherLink.Com normally respond to a ping?

Wouldn't a traceroute be better?

[Weather Display]

is the room where the VP console getting very hot?
i.e does the data stopping coincide with high temperatures in that room
as I seem to recall a problem with high temperatures affecting the data logger itself

[Bushman]

He should try a tool like this  http://www.pingplotter.com/

Could you supply the IP address that he should ping?

Does that IP address for WeatherLink.Com normally respond to a ping?

Wouldn't a traceroute be better?

209.119.63.221  Pingplotter is a bt of a misnomer - it uses a numebr of net tools incl traceroute to show the IP path graphically.  Pretty neat freeware actually.

[Bushman]

Here's an example of a traceroute to weatherlink.com  (Note - pretty crappy results most times so I wonder how good that server upgrade in Febreuaury of this yar actually was)

209.119.63.221 is from United States(US) in region North America



TraceRoute to 209.119.63.221 [d1-77-3f-dd.static.davisnet.com]

Hop   (ms)   (ms)   (ms)           IP Address   Host name

 1       51      1      0         8.9.232.73     xe-5-3-0.edge3.dallas1.level3.net 

 2       1      1      1         4.69.145.76     ae-2-70.edge2.dallas3.level3.net 

 3       0      0      0         4.71.220.14     xo-communic.edge2.dallas3.level3.net 

 4       4      4      3         207.88.14.242     207.88.14.242.ptr.us.xo.net 

 5       47      46      47         207.88.12.46     vb12.rar3.la-ca.us.xo.net 

 6       48      42      42         216.156.0.142     ae0d0.mcr2.fremont-ca.us.xo.net 

 7       65      43      43         216.156.1.69     ae1d0.mcr1.fremont-ca.us.xo.net 

 8       105      106      109         209.119.75.242      - 

 9       Timed out      Timed out      Timed out               - 

 10       Timed out      Timed out      Timed out               - 

 11       Timed out      Timed out      Timed out               - 

 12       Timed out      Timed out      Timed out               - 


Trace aborted.

[dalecoy]

209.119.63.221  Pingplotter is a bt of a misnomer - it uses a numebr of net tools incl traceroute to show the IP path graphically.  Pretty neat freeware actually.

Just curious - is that (weatherlink.com) IP the one that is used for uploads of weather data, also?

[wmcatty]

Thanks alot for all the comments and suggestions, but when you are talking "traceroutes and pings", you may as well be speaking in a foreign language to me.  I would understand both about the same.  Davis tech said they had reviewed and tracked my data loss and their only thoughts to a possible solution is that the WLIP is either overheating or has communications issues in its circuitry.  My wife keeps the living room area where my equipment is located at about 74 degrees most of the time(and the ceiling fans are running so fast that the blades remind me of a helicopter rotor).  The router and console are on free standing end tables approx. 8' from one another...and there are no other lamps, heat sources near by.  Other than the data loss each day to Weatherlink.com, all of the data is being retained and uploaded to VWS software as it should be (without the data loss) and the console has not missed a beat.  I sure hope the new WLIP solves the problem.

[Bushman]

209.119.63.221  Pingplotter is a bt of a misnomer - it uses a numebr of net tools incl traceroute to show the IP path graphically.  Pretty neat freeware actually.

Just curious - is that (weatherlink.com) IP the one that is used for uploads of weather data, also?

According to Davis it is.

[Weather Display]

so you are running VWS at the same time?
maybe that is not releasing the port at times, to allow the upload to davis

i.e when the data to davis stops, as a test, exit VWS

[wmcatty]

No, the data problem started before I installed VWS on my new PC.  I did have Weatherlink installed initially, but the problems persisted even at times when my pc was turned off.

[Weather Display]

ah,another piece of the puzzle you can remove then I guess
re the heat thing, does the data logger itself get hot?
as I do know of one person who had trouble with a data logger overheating, and had to get a replacement

[wmcatty]

No, I just checked it and the console and both are as cool as can be.  One thing that Al mentioned to me last week was that the green led light on his WLIP flashed every 2 seconds.  Mine flashes once every 3/4 of a second and after 14 consecutive flashes, it flashes about 10 times very rapidly, then goes back to the once every 3/4 second...then repeats the sequence all over again. I have also been out of town for the past 3 days and my pc at the house was turned off during that time...and data was lost for 8-12 hours each day.

[wxtech]

No, I just checked it and the console and both are as cool as can be.  One thing that Al mentioned to me last week was that the green led light on his WLIP flashed every 2 seconds.  Mine flashes once every 3/4 of a second and after 14 consecutive flashes, it flashes about 10 times very rapidly, then goes back to the once every 3/4 second...then repeats the sequence all over again. I have also been out of town for the past 3 days and my pc at the house was turned off during that time...and data was lost for 8-12 hours each day.

Morning observation:  WLIP consists of two modules on ends of a short cable.  One end is like the serial/USB logger that plugs into the console expansion port.  The other end is like a large Ethernet receptacle and has a green LED.  Between the two is a large ferrite filter.  Total length is 5 inches.
My logger and connector with LED does not get warm.  It seems to always be at room temperature.
The green LED on the Ethernet receptacle does not flicker on any noticeable pattern.  It flickers in bursts of data indication similar to the LEDS on most routers.  It's just a busy LED with noticeable pauses.

[wmcatty]

As a last resort before the new WLIP comes from Davis this week, I called my telephone company again today and talked to their DSL tech support.  They checked out all the lines, routers, servers and finally decided to dedicate my Davis console its own ISP number through the router itself.  They rebooted the router...my wife rebooted the console...and I still have no data flowing to Weatherlink.com. for the last 10 hours.  It must be the data logger, as you folks have given me all the other possible scenarios that would effect the loss of data, which is what Davis tech support suspected after many hours of complaining/checking/verifying.  I hope to be up and running full-time by this weekend.  Glad to be a part of this forum...if not for you boys, I would have probably tossed the unit into the junk pile a couple of weeks ago!  Gracias from Central Texas where it is a cool 105 degrees right now and rain is something we have not seen in six months.

[wmcatty]

Two hours after my tele. company designated the Davis console its own ISP, my WU site still reports that data is almost 12 hours old.  I guess it is data logger hell for the next few days.

[wmcatty]

A quick update.  Got the new WLIP in from Davis yesterday and hooked it up according to power-down protocol.  Re powered the console and router...still no data flowing.  I changed the DID infor. on the software...still no data flowing to either Weatherlink.com or my PC now.  I checked the green LED on the logger and it was flashing as most LED's do, so I waited for a few hours and still no data being transmitted through the router.  I powered down the unit this morning and removed the new WLIP and looked at the elec. pins in the slot in the console to see if one of them was possibly bent or missing. Everything looked fine, but I had a nagging urge to get a large magnifying glass out and take a better look at the pins under magnification.  Then I saw it...a very, very tiny piece of black plastic  on the side of the lower left pin.  It was not removeable but was somewhat "bendable", so I gently pushed it out of the way of the connector, replaced the WLIP and re powered the console.  It worked, but the plastic part kept the WLIP from seating well and shims had to be used between the logger connector and the plastic cover on the back of the console to keep it from moving...but data is once again being collected and uploaded!  I called Davis and they are sending a new  replacement console out today due to the manufacturing defect.  But at least I now know where the problem is and the permanent solution without need for shims is but a few days away.

[wxtech]

I'm glad that you discovered the problem.  Davis will treat you right!

[wmcatty]

They already have Al.  And thanks again for all your help, both online and offline.

[Sigdigit]

I love stories with happy endings.  I also know the frustration of dealing with a tech problem that is out of your own realm of expertise.  So the logger is working correctly now with no dropouts?

[Weather Display]

I think that might be a rare manufacturing defect, or maybe rare that is causing an intermitant problem (rather than just not work at all)
looks like I good find!