Weather Station Hardware > Weather Web Cams

WeatherLink Live vs. Weatherbridge

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Popper:
Hello:
Newbie here, getting ready to purchase Vantage Pro2 which comes packaged with WeatherLink Live.
I want flexibility as to where I publish my data in addition I would like to add a WebCam.
Anyone one have experience/preferences between Weatherlink and WeatherBridge?
Not sure if selling point but WeatherBridge supports WebCams?
Should I just keep Webcam separate?
Don't want to lock my self into Davis if it they kill flexibility?
SOOO Confusing...HELP!!!!
And Thank You, can't wait to get live on-line!

galfert:

--- Quote from: Popper on January 05, 2021, 09:18:51 AM ---Hello:
Newbie here, getting ready to purchase Vantage Pro2 which comes packaged with WeatherLink Live.
I want flexibility as to where I publish my data in addition I would like to add a WebCam.
Anyone one have experience/preferences between Weatherlink and WeatherBridge?

--- End quote ---
Get both WLL and a Meteobridge. Notice I said Meteobridge and not WeatherBridge. The WeatherBridge is nothing more than Ambient's version of the Meteobridge. In fact when you boot up an Ambient WeatherBridge nothing in the software says WeatherBridge....it just says Meteobridge everywhere just as any other Meteobrige would. The perk of getting the Meteobridge from Ambient (which they call WeatherBridge) is that it includes a $100 license to be able to upload data Ambientweather.net.

I think a better option than Ambient's WeatherBridge is to make your own Meteobridge. All you need is a Raspberry Pi 4B (2GB RAM), and an approved SD card. I know that just saying that right there may turn a lot of people off that might think that they don't have the skills to pull off anything to do with a Raspberry Pi. But fear not. It really is extremely simple. You will not need to know anything about Linux to pull this off. If you can download a file from the Internet (the Meteobridge image file), and then use the free image copy tool called BalenaEtcher it will simply ask you for the image file and the location of your SD card and it will copy the image to the SD card. You then power up the Raspberry Pi with this SD card and it boots up and it is all ready for you to use. Just open your browser and go to http://magicip.meteobridge.com and you'll see the Meteobridge software and web menu system. It's cake!

Benefits of the Raspberry Pi Meteobridge are several.
- It is faster in normal use plus it boots in 1 minute
- It is more reliable as the TP-Link hardware if pushed to hard will just reboot (then you have to wait 3 minutes)
- It doesn't freeze during menu changes
- It has more features like data logging, and graphs and more (every MB PRO feature except Meteostick RF and LCD)
- It has built in Weather 34 web interface running locally
- It has plenty of free RAM unlike the TP-Link hardware that is really starting to push the limits of the software with +92% used up.

Con's
- You have to build it (but it is easy)
- No Ambientweather.net license built in - But you can add it for $100 (optional)
https://ambientweather.com/amwevwamweac.html
- I suppose more expensive but you are getting a much better product

From my experience and others when you have technical problems with the Meteobridge software you will still need to deal with Smartbedded (the software developer company) and not with Ambient. Ambient will have no clue...and they will just be a middle man relaying messages or they may just tell you to go to Smartbedded for support. Ambient doesn't have the knowledge to really deal with too many Meteobridge issues beyond some basics.


--- Quote ---Not sure if selling point but WeatherBridge supports WebCams?

--- End quote ---
Yes it supports 1 webcam. Just about any web cam that has a still image URL to pull an image from. Of you can pull the image and then have the Meteobridge pick it up from your computer or server.


--- Quote ---Should I just keep Webcam separate?

--- End quote ---
This is novice question that makes no sense. This question isn't applicable. The webcam is always separate. You don't plug in a webcam into the Meteobridge. Rather the Meteobridge needs to know the IP address of your webcam with the URL that you provide for reference. The Meteobridge does not use USB webcams.
 

--- Quote ---Don't want to lock my self into Davis if it they kill flexibility?

--- End quote ---
Locked into Davis???? Davis stations are also expandable. People have replaced anemometers and rain gauges with non-Davis brands. If you also get a Meteobridge it will work with other brands of weather stations. In fact it will even work with more than one station brand at a time as it will handle multiple stations simultaneously. A common thing to do is to have a Davis station with extra sensors from Ecowitt with the GW1000 gateway device as it supports a multitude of optional sensors.

Popper:
WOW, thanks for that response, very comprehensive!!!
Again, I am newbie, so forgive me if miss-spoken.
Why buy both WLL and Meteobridge, don't they both basically perform the same function on transmitting data from ISS to internet?
Many other things I will not get into and waste your time, you are obviously way more advanced than I.
Thanks again,
Chris

galfert:
Where the WLL can send data to the Internet is very limited. The power of the WLL is that it performs the function to allow other software to also get the data to then be sent to many other places.
https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=41053.0

But even though the WLL can send data to WU and CWOP it only does so every 15 minutes (on the free Weatherlink.com plan). Whereas if you connect a Meteobridge (or other software) to the WLL then these software on your local network can get more timely live data to then upload to WU every 5 seconds and to CWOP every 5 minutes. And this upload is direct and not via Weatherlink.com. So if Weatherlink.com ever has problems then WU and CWOP upload would suffer. But if your Meteobridge (or other software) sends data to WU and CWOP then it is direct and cuts a middle-man out and thus besides being more timely is also more reliable. Not to mention the multitude of other places that you can then also send data to.

davidmc36:
I have never enjoyed so much, learned so much, since I got the Meteobridge.

I got a console at the time with the station as I like it on the desk. Different devices can hook to it and feed WU, Meteobridge etc. But it is sure not required.

Had I known about WLL at the time I may have foregone the wired ISS and console.

Ya sure can't go wrong with WLL and Meteobridge.

Actually, now that I think about it I bought the station amd WiFi Logger which gets you on many internet places , then added the Meteobridge later.

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