Davis Pro2 data reporting question

[dalecoy]

oh, it was not clear that you only were briefly running those programs (so they could get past history data)

And it still may not be clear.  Let's check - because we may not be speaking the same language:

... I previously installed the Weatherlink software that Davis said to install so that it could communicate with the WLIP.  I normally do not open it.  I also have the VWS software I installed this week, but do not keep it open unless I check conditions, after which I close it. I can open either one of the programs and the data is current and will display the past 30 minute logs (Weatherlink) for several hours and VWS will display data for the past several hours as well. .....

Without actually doing it on your PC....

Please tell us exactly what you do to "close" a program, and what you do to "open it".

Also (without trying it) - you say when you open WeatherLink the data is current.  When you open it, does WeatherLink show you a message about downloading data?  Or is the data just there, all the time?

I'm not trying to be critical - just trying to make sure that we all understand precisely what you are saying.

[wmcatty]

To open a program, I simply click on the icon on my desktop.  When I am through using the program, I "X" out on the top right corner of the page and the program closes.  When I go to my weatherlink site, sometimes the information is old as compared to my console display and the white lettering at the bottom is now in red (indicating data is not being received).  I just checked it a few minutes ago and my data had been received and posted a few minutes ago.  I then checked WU and it said my station had stopped responding and the data was last received over 3 hours ago.  I then went back to weatherlink.com and checked my uploads...for some reason, my station information/passwords for CWOP and WU had been deleted.  I reentered the information and reset the page...now both are reporting current data.  I am not at home, but cut off the desktop before I left the house about 3 hours ago.  When I go to my weatherlink page, the data and the time it was received are right there after I sign in (@ the My Weather tab).  When I open weather link, I have to wait a few seconds after I hit the download data...it is not displayed until I do that.  On VWS, the data is displayed after the program is opened and it obtains the data from the logger...usually about 10-15 seconds. That is all I know for now.

[dalecoy]

Thank you.  That's clear now.  I wanted to be sure that I understood.

So, please keep on not clicking on the desktop icons, so we can test the "software" theory.

[dalecoy]

... and checked with weatherlink.com...my data is now flowing.

Unless I missed an outage somewhere, that's 18 hours straight that data has been getting to WeatherLink.Com

What's the record length of time, since this problem started occurring (roughly 14 days ago)?

[wmcatty]

About thirty hours was the longest delay.  It went out at 4:14 Friday and did not list the current data again until 8:00 AM this morning...which is about the daily norm.

[Weather Display]

is there a pattern to the data not working/working?
(I had hinted at that before)
your last statement seems like there is a pattern?
as that might be a clue

[dalecoy]

About thirty hours was the longest delay.  It went out at 4:14 Friday and did not list the current data again until 8:00 AM this morning...which is about the daily norm.

Excuse me.  Please check the date/time on this posting from you:

Weather Display, I just powered down the router and console again, and checked with weatherlink.com...my data is now flowing. ...

That's from Friday.  Evening.

[wmcatty]

There is no particular pattern with regards to when the data stops, but is probably 55-60% in the early mornings (right before and after midnight).  Last night I powered down the unit and data flowed for about 3 minutes, after which time I went to bed.  This morning, it still showed no data received since 4:14 PM on Friday,  then I rebooted the system again and it has been working all day.  Do I need to do anything with regards to WL or VWS software, other than not open them until the new console arrives?

[Weather Display]

when you say until you rebooted the system...what are you actually rebooting?

[wmcatty]

The console and the router.  Disconnecting power from both and waiting about 2 minutes before re-connecting.

[dalecoy]

There is no particular pattern with regards to when the data stops, but is probably 55-60% in the early mornings (right before and after midnight).  Last night I powered down the unit and data flowed for about 3 minutes, after which time I went to bed.  This morning, it still showed no data received since 4:14 PM on Friday,  then I rebooted the system again and it has been working all day.  Do I need to do anything with regards to WL or VWS software, other than not open them until the new console arrives?

Oh.  Well, we didn't know you had rebooted the system this morning.  It's strange that you say the data was flowing OK after 10 PM last night, but now shows it wasn't getting data from 4 PM until this morning.

What exactly do you mean by " data flowed for about 3 minutes"?  How were you checking that?  I would guess that you used your browser to access WeatherLink.com, and observed the time of last update, but that's a guess.  

What exactly do you mean by " it still showed no data received since 4:14 PM on Friday,"?  In particular, what is "it".  Is "it" your archive data on WeatherLink.com, or something else?

Of course, I can't see your archived data on WeatherLink.com, so I can't examine details.  All I can say is that, every time I looked today, your WeatherLink.com showed the correct time.  

I do note that I didn't ask you to quit using WeatherLink and VWS until about 9 AM today, so perhaps (?) you used them between last night's reboot and 9 AM today.  No, you do not have to do anything with regard to WL or VWS, except to just not use them at all for the next couple of days (or until the WeatherLinkIP upload quits).  The idea is to demonstrate that the WL and VWS software are not causing a problem - which means that we would observe the WeatherLinkIP failure when WL and VWS have never been used.

[wmcatty]

My weatherlink weather page indicated that the last data received was at 4:14 pm on Friday, but the only time I checked it was immediately after rebooting the console and verifying the data was downloaded to my weatherlink software.  I will not open the two weather programs and check it in the morning, as I have to get ready to drive about 4 hours home now. If my weatherlink.com page quits tonight, I will post the time it said it last received data.  I have checked sporadically all day at both WU and WL, and data is getting posted without any problems.  I did have the WL software running last night and early this morning, but it has been off since I left the house this morning. Again, thanks to you both for the help.

[dalecoy]

Off Topic, but probably related

 I did check on WU a few minutes ago and it had my data updated at 9:00pm, but Weatherlink.com said my last data was received at 4:14pm this afternoon.  It seems to me that Weatherlink.com is the primary server and uploads to WU, so I do not know why there is such a discrepancy in times of reporting. 

I'm guessing that you have VWS configured to also upload your data to WU.  Having two things trying to send data to the same place is a recipe for confusion.

[wmcatty]

No Dalecoy, I did not enable that function as I was under the impression that the WL software would do that when I registered at Weatherlink.com and set up my account to upload to WU and CWOP.

[dalecoy]

My weatherlink weather page indicated that the last data received was at 4:14 pm on Friday, but the only time I checked it was immediately after rebooting the console and verifying the data was downloaded to my weatherlink software.  I will not open the two weather programs and check it in the morning, as I have to get ready to drive about 4 hours home now. Again, thanks to you both for the help.

OK, thanks.  

So, you didn't actually know that data was not flowing to WeatherLink.com at the 10PM last evening when you said "I just powered down the router and console again, and checked with weatherlink.com...my data is now flowing. ..."

I understand.  And perhaps you are thinking that if the data is being downloaded to your WeatherLink.com software (which you verified), then it is also being uploaded to WeatherLink.com.  That is not the case, but it's an easy thing to mistakenly conclude.

Perhaps you can understand why I'm being rather picky to ask what you exactly mean when you state something.  IANAL, but perhaps sometimes I may sound like one.

[dalecoy]

No Dalecoy, I did not enable that function as I was under the impression that the WL software would do that when I registered at Weatherlink.com and set up my account to upload to WU and CWOP.

OK, then I have no explanation for how WeatherLink.com got data to send to WU, between 4:14 and 9:00 PM.  Sorry for the off-topic posting.

[Weather Display]

one thing I would like to know:
in the morning, first check your data on weatherlink.com
to see if its updated or not
before you do anything else....

[wmcatty]

I just checked weatherlink.com and the  current weather conditions data indicated a last report at 1:39AM (5 hours ago).  WU says the same.  No software running yesterday after 9:00 AM power reboot of the router and console...in fact, I went out of town after that and the pc was shut down most of the day until I got home around midnight. Nothing else will be done on my end until I hear back from you all. 

[dalecoy]

I just checked weatherlink.com and the  current weather conditions data indicated a last report at 1:39AM (5 hours ago).  WU says the same.  No software running yesterday after 9:00 AM power reboot of the router and console...in fact, I went out of town after that and the pc was shut down most of the day until I got home around midnight. Nothing else will be done on my end until I hear back from you all.  

Yes, I see that the WeatherLink.com feed quit.  The main screen indicates that the last update was at 1:36 AM.  I can't think of anything else to do before the new console arrives.  As far as I'm concerned, you may feel free to reboot things, use WeatherLink and VWS software (preferably not simultaneously), etc. etc.

A few stray questions:  Was your PC running at 1:39 AM?  If so, what applications might it have been (automatically or manually) running that require a lot of data being sent or received from the internet?  

Grasping at straws:  did anything else "unusual" happen around 1:39 AM.  Like the telephone ringing, or a lightning strike, or ......

[wmcatty]

I checked WL when I got home and all was well.  No PC or software was running after that.  Everything powered down, as I knew that there was a storm front coming through and heard the thunder and saw lightning many miles away...nothing came too close to my place, and no other unusual events took place.  I will go through the process of rebooting the console and will let you know in a few minutes.

[wmcatty]

I just rebooted the console and checked WL immediately...everything is flowing fine now.  I have to attend some depositions this coming week so I will not be at home to reboot the console everyday this week...and I really do not want my wife "helping" me out with this issue, so I will just monitor it daily until the replacement console arrives later in the week.  One question though:  If my data stops flowing for 4-5 days, will I have to sign up again at WU or CWOP again when I get the replacement console installed next weekend?  I have noticed that as far as WU, when my station is not responding they will display a red "this station not responding" notice on my station page and if I check under the local weather station tabs, my station is not listed.  Just curious, but do not go to any extra effort to find out if you are not sure.  Thanks again Dalecoy.

[Weather Display]

another question if I may
when you check the weatherlink.com web site in the morning, there was nothing you had to do with your router to get internet access?
i.e there was internet access via your router (that your WL IP data logger is using)?

i.e how do we really know its not the router that is the problem
what model/make router?
i.e another test to try is to just reboot the router only, and then see if the data starts flowing again

[wmcatty]

The router has been checked by my ISP tech dept. and they said it was working fine.  It is a Westell A90.  There has never been a problem with internet access when I turn on my pc in the mornings.  I can open my Weatherlink.com site immediately and about 50% of the time the data is current, and 50% of the time it has posted a "last received" notice on my current conditions on the bottom of my page.  In fact, my ISP gave my router its own static address this week when he got through testing it.  I was out of town and he was on the phone with my wife at the house and had her going through all the motions to verify it was working.  The next time it goes down, I will try the router only.  Thanks

[dalecoy]

Your router has a static address, but have we/you ever given your WeatherLinkIP a static address?

[wmcatty]

I simply used what the weatherlink software detected when it first connected to the WLIP, as the software said it found the WLIP and had an address attached.  I did not enter any new/additional addresses.