Weather Link IP-Does it HAVE to be connected to a ROUTER?

[Elembytes]

Hi:

Does the WeatherLinkIP have to be connected to a ROUTER or can you just connect the fire wire to the Vantage Vue Console and to the Firewire on my laptop?

This manual says, "The WeatherLink IP data logger provides you with the same archiving features as a serial or USB Data Logger  but also automatically uploads your Vantage Vue Console to a web server provided by Davis Instruments. 

So, until I am ready and wanting to connect the WLIP to the Internet shouldn't I be able to connect directly to my laptop and pull data anyway? 

I really don't have $$$ to buy a Envoy now and like having my console on my kitchen table. Router is in a back bedroom. 

Anyone with insight here can help me?  THANK YOU!

Reid

[mulveyr]

Hi:

Does the WeatherLinkIP have to be connected to a ROUTER or can you just connect the fire wire to the Vantage Vue Console and to the Firewire on my laptop?

This manual says, "The WeatherLink IP data logger provides you with the same archiving features as a serial or USB Data Logger  but also automatically uploads your Vantage Vue Console to a web server provided by Davis Instruments. 

So, until I am ready and wanting to connect the WLIP to the Internet shouldn't I be able to connect directly to my laptop and pull data anyway? 

I really don't have $$$ to buy a Envoy now and like having my console on my kitchen table. Router is in a back bedroom. 

Anyone with insight here can help me?  THANK YOU!

Reid

There's no firewire connector on the WLIP - it's got an ethernet connection, and that's it.  And while you might be able to connect it directly to your laptop's ethernet port, you'd need a crossover ethernet cable, as well as the knowledge to set up the networking appropriately so that your laptop could access the WLIP correctly.

Do you have WiFi?  If so, and you don't want to buy an Envoy, you can get WiFi extenders fairly cheaply that allow you to connect a single wired ethernet device to an existing WiFi network.  They're generally used with older game consoles that don't have wifi capability built in.  You could use  the extended with the WLIP at your console.  A little unwieldy, but usable.

[Elembytes]

OOPS- yes, I meant Ethernet Connection- Well that explains why I cannot just plug the ethernet cable directly into my laptop and pull the data that way. 

Yes, I have a wireless router (LinSys) in my home here.   How or what exactly would I need to plug into the WLIP at the console to get it onto the Network WITHOUT having an envoy? That could save me $$$$  Good idea if it works!!! 

I was really hoping to just download to my laptop but if I can get the signal from the console in the kitchen to the wireless router cheaply compared to buying and Envoy that would be WONDERFUL!

Thank you for your help and insight!

Reid (:>)

[Elembytes]

It's not really a WiFI extender that I need- because those seem to just boost signals for the router.

I need something to connect to the WLIP to send the signal to the router in the back room =

The WiFI extenders you mentioned are still $35.00 to $100.00 or more so if they are that expensive maybe I should just get a Envoy? 

I'd hate to have to buy another console and use the "RETRANSMIT" to get it back to the router area.

Any other ideas?

Reid

[mulveyr]

OOPS- yes, I meant Ethernet Connection- Well that explains why I cannot just plug the ethernet cable directly into my laptop and pull the data that way. 

Yes, I have a wireless router (LinSys) in my home here.   How or what exactly would I need to plug into the WLIP at the console to get it onto the Network WITHOUT having an envoy? That could save me $$$$  Good idea if it works!!! 

I was really hoping to just download to my laptop but if I can get the signal from the console in the kitchen to the wireless router cheaply compared to buying and Envoy that would be WONDERFUL!

Thank you for your help and insight!

Reid (:>)

If you want to go that route, you'll need to look for a device commonly known as a "wireless bridge" - you can Google for them, though here's an example of one on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-WNCE2001-Universal-Internet-Adapter/dp/B003KPBRRW/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_0  As I mentioned, they're generally for use with devices that have a wired ethernet connection when you don't want to run a network cable.

So what you'd need to do is to connect the WLIP to the console, and then connect the console to the bridge.  The WLIP should then be visible on your network like any other device.

However, there is likely to be a fair amount of setup to get the bridge working with your network in the first place.  You'll probably need to hook it up to your PC first and run a configuration program where you tell it the name of the network, your wifi password, the IP addresses to use, and so it.  That will vary between whatever device you end up using, so it's not going to be just plug-and-play.  

[dalecoy]

You'll never have to use "retransmit".

Another possibility is to do "Ethernet over powerline".  For one example, this device:  http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Powerline-200-Adapter-Kit/dp/B0036R9YA6/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1326059723&sr=1-3-fkmr0

[Elembytes]

After all this I think I'll just buy the Wireless Weather Envoy 6316 since I can get it for about $127.00-hate to spend that much more on top of already buying the WeatherLinkIP but it will make my life easier and get me on the Internet too and keep my console in my kitchen where I like it. 

Sure wish Davis would sell a complete unit somehow making it easier for everyone than buying the Weather Link IP ($200) and then needing a Envoy for another $130- expensive stuff just to play with data and get data out there for others to see and use.

Thank you to everyone for their help and assistance in this.  Decision making and problem solving is always FUN! 

Reid

[johnd]

Sure wish Davis would sell a complete unit somehow making it easier for everyone than buying the Weather Link IP ($200) and then needing a Envoy for another $130- expensive stuff just to play with data and get data out there for others to see and use.

Not 100% sure as to exactly what you'd like to see, short of giving each console a WiFi connection (which probably isn't going to happen any time soon because it would conflict with the flexibility of the data architecture that Davis use). As things stand and using cabled Ethernet connections, you will shortly have two choices of uploading data to weatherlink.com:

1. Use WLIP and have the console/logger close enough to a network connection

2. Use a serial or USB connection to a PC and have that PC close enough to a network connection (but there'll be a small annual subscription for this wl.com option and you'll obviously need to keep the PC running 24/7 to have continuous data uploads).

So in either case you need proximity to a cabled connection OR set up your own WiFi bridge.

[d_l]

2. Use a serial or USB connection to a PC and have that PC close enough to a network connection (but there'll be a small annual subscription for this wl.com option and you'll obviously need to keep the PC running 24/7 to have continuous data uploads).

I hate to see that coming.  As it stands now, I think Davis is exhibiting upload capacity shortages at certain peak times yet again!  When an upload is delayed, the WLIP seems to be "fixated" on completing it and doesn't allow a Meteohub to LOOP or a local download of archival data.

More users uploading to Davis without capacity expansion means more upload delays.  The price tag of the WLIP has tended to limit the weatherlink.com user base.

[johnd]

As it stands now, I think Davis is exhibiting upload capacity shortages at certain peak times yet again!  When an upload is delayed, the WLIP seems to be "fixated" on completing it and doesn't allow a Meteohub to LOOP or a local download of archival data.

Must say that I haven't noticed this personally, but maybe I'm not using a WLIP configuration where it would be very obvious.

But on any wl.com overload more generally: The load is going to increase because the Connect product should finally launch within a few months and this new WL v6 option to upload to wl.com is coming (though on annual subscription of perhaps $30pa in the US AIUI, which will perhaps limit its uptake to some extent). So I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the user base for wl.com rise to 20 000 before too long and perhaps up further from there. It will therefore potentially become a notably large worldwide network uploading live weather data in a common format.

One would hope that Davis have taken precautions to make the wl.com server infrastructure scalable and that they do resource the server appropriately. Certainly if they're going to be relying more on a subscription model in future then there would be some incentive for them to ensure that customers are kept happy with response times etc.

[d_l]

John, if you only download your archival data directly from wl.com, you should never notice a problem, except on occasion the data could be slightly more than one hour delayed (certainly less than two hours behind). Whenever I think a WLIP is having a delay uploading, I'll check its current page at wl.com and usually it can be 15-20 minutes behind the other WLIP's update times.

There are at about 7500 users now.  That isn't even quite double the level when Davis did the last capacity upgrade and server IP move that was a bit of a problem for a few days.  I hope they up scaled the potential capacity at that time so that future expansion is more transparent to the end user.

[Elembytes]

Sure wish Davis would sell a complete unit somehow making it easier for everyone than buying the Weather Link IP ($200) and then needing a Envoy for another $130- expensive stuff just to play with data and get data out there for others to see and use.

Not 100% sure as to exactly what you'd like to see, short of giving each console a WiFi connection (which probably isn't going to happen any time soon because it would conflict with the flexibility of the data architecture that Davis use). As things stand and using cabled Ethernet connections, you will shortly have two choices of uploading data to weatherlink.com:

1. Use WLIP and have the console/logger close enough to a network connection

2. Use a serial or USB connection to a PC and have that PC close enough to a network connection (but there'll be a small annual subscription for this wl.com option and you'll obviously need to keep the PC running 24/7 to have continuous data uploads).

So in either case you need proximity to a cabled connection OR set up your own WiFi bridge.

Personally, I think if you buy an Envoy you should be able to include the logger of choice and weatherlink software and be done with it. This bit of buying the logger and software and then having to possibly buy an Envoy is a hassle. If David simply improved it's products like APPLE inc. did and make things extremely easy for the end user it would be nice.  You can tell all this weather link software etc. is written by old DOS type of people.  Sad to see in this advanced technology era we live in.  My viewpoints for sure.  Thank you! 

[Bushman]

While I agree that WL is old and DOSy, I spent a couple of VERY FRUSTRATING hours on the weekend trying to  get an Ipod working with a new account.  Holy mackeral - what a PITA.  The instructions on the Apple site do not match the screens/messages.  Clearly Apple is outsouring some of this stuff.  Ease of use my buttocks.

[johnd]

Personally, I think if you buy an Envoy you should be able to include the logger of choice and weatherlink software and be done with it. This bit of buying the logger and software and then having to possibly buy an Envoy is a hassle.

Is it really such a hassle to think of specifying two separate parts? Let's think about this:

There are four possible wireless Vantage console types that people might buy: VP2 standard; Envoy; Envoy8X; Vue;

And seven possible logger types (eight if you include the 6520 Mac variant).

So would you rather see 26 SKUs listed (to account for all combinations, excluding any incompatible ones) rather than 11? Then there are various cabled VP2 console combinations. I know which solution I think is simpler!

And why do Macs have to be so unintuitive? But perhaps we shouldn't go there 

[SlowModem]

While I agree that WL is old and DOSy, I spent a couple of VERY FRUSTRATING hours on the weekend trying to  get an Ipod working with a new account.  Holy mackeral - what a PITA.  The instructions on the Apple site do not match the screens/messages.  Clearly Apple is outsouring some of this stuff.  Ease of use my buttocks.

I bought an iPod a couple of years ago.  Then I had to download iTunes (try downloading a 92 MB program on dialup!).  After two years of tinkering with it, I still hate iTunes.  I had trouble converting wmv and avi files to files that ipod could read.  And you have to get the album art from the apple store (if they have it, which they rarely do).  It's too proprietary for my tastes.

I ended up getting a MS Zune.  I like the program a lot better and it reads windows video files much better.  Unfortunately, right after I bought a zune, they quit making them (that's the story of my life).

So, I feel your pain with the ipod.  Good luck.

[dalecoy]

Personally, I think if you buy an Envoy you should be able to include the logger of choice and weatherlink software and be done with it. This bit of buying the logger and software and then having to possibly buy an Envoy is a hassle. If David simply improved it's products like APPLE inc. did and make things extremely easy for the end user it would be nice.  You can tell all this weather link software etc. is written by old DOS type of people.  Sad to see in this advanced technology era we live in.  My viewpoints for sure.  Thank you! 

Please correct me if I have the sequence of events wrong:
A bit over a year ago, you bought a Vue - including the Vue console, but no logger.
Very recently, you bought an IP logger.  Then discovered that it needed to be plugged into a router.
Rather than connect your console/IPlogger to your router, you've decided to buy an Envoy for $127.  And use that with the WLIP you bought.
...but you would prefer to buy an Envoy+WLIP for $327.