Author Topic: Links to my reviews: Ecowitt GW2000 gateway, WH31 temp./hum. ,WH51 soil hum.  (Read 819 times)

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Offline Antonio_di

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I have published 3 simple but long reviews of Ecowitt components on the Dutch site "Tweakers.net".
I got a request of a "fellow Tweaker" to change these Dutch reviews a little bit.
This in such way that reading these reviews with the Chrome browser and setting Chrome to translate these Dutch web-pages to English, would eleminate all "really wrong translations". Reviews contains a lot of photo's.
Sometimes the automatic translation produces "Broken English" (NL: Steenkolen Engels), but I left this unchanged as it is NOW (25-march-2023) correct for understanding what is written and translated to English.
So set your Chrome browser to translate Web pages from Dutch (Nederlands) to English before you click on below links.
Of course you can read it in Dutch too! :-P :shock:
Hopefully these reviews are usefull for the readers. Could be you see equal products (different frequency) with an other brand name in "your" country.
https://tweakers.net/productreview/299476/ecowitt-gw2000-gateway-lan-wifi-with-barometric-temperature-humidity.html
https://tweakers.net/productreview/299480/ecowitt-wh51-grond-vochtigheidsmeter.html
https://tweakers.net/productreview/299478/ecowitt-wh31-multi-channel-2-in-1-temperature-and-humidity-sensor.html

Groetjes, Antonio   

PS,
How to set Chrome for translation:
https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/173424?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
« Last Edit: March 25, 2023, 06:23:07 PM by Antonio_di »
Ecowitt GW2000, 3 WH31, 1 WH51. Data from a W65 Model Unknown Brand, from the Neighbors.

Offline Gyvate

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Hi Antonio,

interesting publication - you invested a lot of time there - a tremendous amount of work  [tup]

I'm wondering who the target group for this publication might be ...
Probably IoT users ? Looks like that to me as Home Assistant plays a big role in the review.
A few (+/-small) corrections I have to suggest (maybe you didn't fully read our MUST READ thread  ;))

1. Ecowitt is NOT a reseller of Fine Offset Ltd. but it's their retail customer branch.
Resellers are e.g. Weatherspares in the UK; rebranders and resellers e.g. Ambient, Misol, Pantech, GARNI or Froggit

2. calling the reset button size a disadvantage sounds a bit strange to me - I agree that one can discuss about design (you like it or you don't like it) - but, on the contrary, it's much easier to press that big button than to fiddle with thin screwdrivers or staple ends for reset.

3. it is not correct that the gateway "forgets" its calibration data with a normal reset (or power-cycling); only with a factory reset this is the case.
This is imho not a disadvantage but a wanted effect - in general in computer science. The only data the gateway forgets over a normal reset/power-cycle is the max gust value of the day. It starts over again after a reset.

4. I find it strange that you say not to recommend the GW1000 - it's no longer sold anyway, but as a displayless console (gateway) in can do everything the successor model GW1100 can do - except that it doesn't have a webUI/webserver inbuilt due to too little RAM/ROM. Technically the GW1100 cannot not do more than a GW1000 in terms of receving sensors, processing sensors and posting sensor values etc. When a GW1000 posts e.g. to HA via the custom server, you can only see the difference by the device name posted.

5. saying "router network" in the app comparison is imo not a very precise wording (you may argue that I'm splitting hairs ...) - the proper term would be rather local network (subnet) - if you have a more professional router, you can have several subnets managed by the router (or a layer 3 switch), but they will usually not know each other - neither would WS View Plus - WS View Plus has to be connected to the same local network subnet.

6. I'm not sure if your description of different device types and the registration at e.g. Ecowitt.net are fully correct
there are in a way two types of devices: devices which (possess the local Ecowitt Gateway API and because of that) can display live data and others which can't. Both device types can publish data at different weather services -via the device list you can access either the live data display, device configuration or setup of weather services (when the device has the Ecowitt Gateway API) or only weather services (device/console without Ecowitt Gateway API) - all consoles with a display and inbuilt configuration features.
you can tell the device type from the device list entry (console name or WiFi firmware name)

7. your views on data security are surely debatable - imo things need to be looked at in a  differentiated manner depending on context.
And - weather data is not data protected by the GDPR in the EU. Everyone has to take their responsibility what data they want to share and what not - be it on weather sites, personal homepages or social media.

8. I'm not sure what the remark regarding reliability and trust when ordering directly from Ecowitt is supposed to mean.
- the amazon web stores (which are Ecowitt web stores !) also get their stock good from China
- weatherspares in the UK receives their Ecowitt products from China
- the reseller all get FOSHK/Ecowitt products from China
so what's the issue or concern ?
by the way - if something gets lost (what so far is very rarely reported), Ecowitt always replaces/refunds - no other case known
and - Ecowitt are in spite of an only one year warranty on theri products very customer friendly also outside that period
(just a personal remark - about 60% of my weather stations with a lot of extra sensors have come directly from Ecowitt/China - there were virtually never either issues with the delivery nor with the quality)

9. with all your concerns regarding data security, recommending Google Chrome as a browser (for translation) seems to me very strange given the knowledge what all metadata they (Google LLC or Alphabet Inc) are using by you only connecting to a website, especially with their own products.
I preferred to use a not so metadata hungry translation tool (and much beyond the capabilities of Google translate): deepl.com  8-)

So, all in all, a very nice review imo mainly for people interested in HomeAssistant or IoT users in general who are ready to deep-dive into the matter.  [tup]
you may want consider my comments/suggestions 
WS2350 1.6.7, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.5,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3283/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline Antonio_di

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Hi Gyvate,

Thanks you for your detailed and constructive response [tup]. I could comment on a few points now, mainly because you are right about them. However, I will try to go through all the points thoroughly and then I will give a response as solid as your’s. This can take up to a week.
Ecowitt GW2000, 3 WH31, 1 WH51. Data from a W65 Model Unknown Brand, from the Neighbors.

Offline zoomx

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Only few questions...

Quote
No/limited security

This is the same for all common weather station brands. If you use rtl_433 (a common radio decoder for PC using an USB radio dongle) in 433MHz and 868MHz you can find a lot of transmitters. For example tire pressure sensors.
A realiable ecryption technology cannot be done with the small, low power MCU used in such sensors.

Quote
You need a specific-868Mhz receiver for meaningful use.

No brands make radio sensor that works with other brands.

Power consumption of WH31 LCD screen is very very low. It is the same technology used in quartz wristwatch that is always on and uses small battery that last for years.

Quote
This multi-channel WH31 Sensor is not suitable for uploading its information to all weather websites via a Receiver. The WH31 Sensors info can be uploaded to the ecowitt.net weather website.

All weather websites ignores extra sensors.

Offline Antonio_di

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Let me first state: I am happy with the Ecowitt products not only with the measurement results, the many possibilities you have with the data, but also satisfied with the used digital implementation (including not encrypted locally). But there always room for improvement :grin:.

Here under, first my response to Gyvate’s comments/suggestions on/to my post and review(s), which have the same numbering as Gyvate’s comments/suggestions above.

The Tweakers.net site, where I published the 3 Ecowitt reviews, does not have people with a great/main interest in the Weather/Weather-station stuff. The reviews there are for the IoT people and especially for Home Assistant as there is an Ecowitt integration for Home Assistant.
The Home Assistant population does like to know more technical details. So your assumption is correct. But still, also on this forum I see sometimes very technical posts and people who know more about these (technical) details. I also see Ecowitt is doing more in the IoT world (your post of Facebook concerning beta-testing for Valve and Power-plug of Ecowitt on this Weather forum).

1) I corrected in all 3 reviews that Ecowitt is the "retail customer branch" of Fine Offset Ltd, so Ecowitt is not a re-seller.

2) My wife touched the GW2000 "reset button" while cleaning and called me in panic. She had not seen it was a button. Nothing happened as she did not press it long enough. My son (26 years) touched the button to see what it does (why not!) and he did press it long enough to cause a factory reset :-P :evil:.
In my opinion a factory/fabric-reset (= hard-reset) button is normally designed to avoid accidentally using it and this button to my opinion therefore is wrongly designed. The button has no function-name (the "Ecowitt" brand is on it) and you would even think its not a button at all. Sorry to say:  your argument for the easy use without tools, does not count for me. If there are "easy to reach/push" buttons involved in a factory reset it normally to push 2 buttons at the same time for some time to get the factory reset done. If the last thing is not the case: hide this button.

3) If I understand you correctly, you mean with your "calibration data" the "cumulative daily/weekly/monthly rainfall counters"(now abbreviated to CRFC) and with your "normal reset" you mean a "soft reset / restart of the device", including such one due to power off/on/outage (your power-cycling).
I checked my notes of the tests I did and there it was written unclear what would happen with a power off/on/outage of the GW2000 (mixed up with Home Assistant smart home connection test).
To be sure, I tested the power off/on/outage of the GW2000 again.
You are right the CRFC keeps there value after a power outage, as this will lead to a "soft reset / restart of the device".
I corrected my GW2000 review on this point and also added a picture of the set to zero after a power off/on/outage of the "max Daily Wind Gust” visible in Home Assistant.
 
The "reset or reset button" as Ecowitt describes the Factory/Fabric reset (=hard reset) does sets the CRFC to zeros as you too confirmed.
The issue I have, is that normally a factory reset means: settings of the hardware are reset. The CRFC are functional values and these should not be touched bye such Factory/hard resets or you should be able to "backup/restore them / manually enter them again" in the GW2000. Also Ecowitt does not document the this well as far as I can see. Ecowitt only writes:"Press reset button 5 seconds to enter setting”. I can not find more documentation.
Strange thing is that in the GW2000/GS90 German/English document of Ecowitt, Ecowitt does describe the factory reset of the GS90. Nothing of a factory reset concerning the GW2000! 

4) When writing the Review of the GW2000, the GW1000 was still for sale in the Netherlands and the price was the same for the GW1100. I did not mention that the GW1000 is bad. But for me the builtin Web-server in the GW1100/GW2000 enables a far better user interface on a PC/laptop via the WebUI/browser then using the App on a smartphone.  I wrote in the review: I certainly would not recommend the GW1000 because the GW1100 has as little bit more, namely the extra Web-server and this at the same price!

5) I cannot find the string “Router network” in my review. Not in the NL text and not in the EN google translated text, neither in the (to)-Deepl translation text. I did change “home network” to “LAN home network” in all reviews to make things more clear. Sub-net and/or VLAN I do not use in this “Simple” review. But it is correct what you state.

6) I think I describes it correctly in Dutch (as you describe it here). The English translation is somewhat less accurate with Deepl and with the Google translation (Broken English, Pidgin English, Steenkolen Engels).

7) As far as I no, weather data from your own weather-station on your own property is not specifically covered by the GDPR. Everybody may measure the climate on public space. But as this (electronic) data is not absolutely anonymously, when I see the weather-station in your garden and can pick up the signal. For the GDPR then the anonymously goes above “everybody can measure weather data”. As such, according to the GDPR the producer/factory of this product should protect  (data of) the product, e.g. by encryption. As you mentioned, there is also your own local responsibility and that is also written in the GDPR. But again Ecowitt does not specify the 868/915/433MHz wireless signal is NOT encrypted as far as I could see (so people don’t know!).  So Ecowitt at least/possible lacks to inform a possible buyer about these specifications.   
Ecowitt promotes the Indoor use of the WH31 and as I wrote in my review, a burglar could possibly derive from this WH31 if somebody is at home or not. On the Ecowitt.net the default for the WH31 is to publish it publicly. It would be far better to change this default to “not publish publicly WH31 data” (private). Of course you yourself can put the WH31 on “private” (only for you to see) on the Ecowitt.net.

8. Nice to hear you have positive experiences with the shop.ecowitt.com.
I wrote in my review you can order at shop.ecowitt.com  “if you trust” the site. As I myself have NO experience with this site, I with this statement leave it up to the buyer, that's all.  I do not write shop.ecowitt.com is good or bad, you have to sort it out yourself.

9) You are totally right about Google. They collect everything of everybody, legally and not legally.
But this is a public review and Google already knows I wrote it and may also know I translate it with their tools. As I share your concerns about Google, I put a remark in the review that people could use also Firefox with the TWP add-on (is still by default Google translate) or (in)Deepl addon for translation in e.g. Firefox.  I compared the Google and Deepl translation and unfortunately to my opinion Google does a better job in translating my reviews and also it is more user friendly as you can read the whole long review with one click “translate this page”. The “free” Deepl is limited in number of words. The Deepl is useful to compare the original text with the translation with there standard 2 columns, that nice. 

Here under,  my response to zoomx remarks/suggestions:

Thanks for reading my review and for your the remarks/comment/explanation about the MCU’s and the Display (Ecowitt WH31).  I have added to the WH31/WH51 reviews that their measurement data can only be uploaded to the ecowitt.net weather-site (not to others).

I myself hope that 868/915MHz Z-wave-LR (very long range, star-network) will become the future standard, especially now Z-wave Alliance allows other producers to make z-wave chips and hopefully they will become cheaper :lol:.
The mesh-network Z-wave(-plus) is also 868/915Mhz. Zigbee has also an 868/915MHz, but it is not used to my knowledge, only the  mesh-network 2,4GHz.  Z-wave and Zigbee are encrypted and require a handshake to pair components. The Ecowitt does not have this encryption/pair, with the advantage that you can receive the signal on more that 1 device.
     
Gyvate & zoomx:
Thanks again for your detailed comments and suggestions, with which I could improve my reviews. [tup] [tup]
Ecowitt GW2000, 3 WH31, 1 WH51. Data from a W65 Model Unknown Brand, from the Neighbors.

Offline Jonesy

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Thank you and I appreciate you reviews. My experience about the WH51 soil moisture sensor.
I have been operating two WH51 sensors, one out in the garden without watering but open to the weather and one in a pot plant under cover.
The WH51 in the garden after about five months started to drain batteries every few weeks although it still gave readings. I replaced it with a new sensor a month later and it has be working fine since for about six months. I would like to disassemble the faulty WH51 as I wonder if a decent conformal coating has been applied to the PCB for extra protection to moisture ingress on the circuitry. I did have the latest version of WH51 that comes with the rubber boot to install over the battery cover.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2023, 04:58:13 AM by Jonesy »

Offline Rover1822

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Quote
I would like to disassemble the faulty WH51 as I wonder if a decent conformal coating has been applied to the PCB for extra protection to moisture ingress on the circuitry. I did have the latest version of WH51 that comes with the rubber boot to install over the battery cover

I lose about 2 a year, although it does appear the newer ones are lasting longer.

As far as taking it apart, I have done that, in my cases, I did not spot anything discernible as an issue with the board. There was water ingress and rust. Also, as patient as I was trying to disassemble the units , at the end, there was no way I was going to be able reassemble them. The plastic is glued and even being very careful with a heat gun, well,  just no chance to result in a working unit afterwards.
Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

Offline zoomx

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I repeat again that the cons about encryption and extra sensor are in common with every weather station, not only Ecowitt.
I don't know a sensor that uses handshake and I don't know any weather service that uses extra-sensors. They ignore also the internal temperature and humidity.

Offline Gyvate

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I repeat again that the cons about encryption and extra sensor are in common with every weather station, not only Ecowitt.
I don't know a sensor that uses handshake and I don't know any weather service that uses extra-sensors. They ignore also the internal temperature and humidity.
@zoomx
with the exception of Ambient Weather and Ecowitt Weather (and there may be others)  8-)
WS2350 1.6.7, GW1000(3) 1.7.7,WH2650 WiFi (2) 1.7.7 (test/backup), GW1100 2.3.1, GW2000(3) 3.1.1, HP2551 1.9.5,5.1.5;HP3500 1.7.2,WS3800 1.2.8, WN1910 1.2.3,WN1980 1.2.3;
Ecowitt WS90(2)1.3.5/1.4.0, WS80(2)1.2.5, WS68, WS69, WH40, WH31, WH31-EP, WN30, WN34L, WN35, WH32, WH32-EP, WH32B, WH57 [Lightning], WH41 [PM2.5], WH51, WH45, WH55
MeteobridgePro(2)[test,prod] 5.8 Mar 01 2024, 15185 - Blake-Larsen Sun Recorder - RPi4/weewx 4.8.0/4.10.2/CumulusMX 3283/Meteobridge RPi4B-2GB(3169)
Barani Meteoshield Pro, MetSpec Rad02 - Ecowitt 5763,34418;WU ISAARB3(WH4000SE),ISAARB22(HP2553), http://meshka.eu

Offline zoomx

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@Gyvate
I am talking about other sites like Wunderground, Awekas, Windy....
Antonio_di wrote that extra sensor are ignored by sites other than Ecowitt and Ambient and this was a cons.
I wrote that usually other sites like Wunderground ignore at all extra sensor.
Only sites that are mantained by the builder, like Ecowitt, take in account the extra sensor they sell.



Offline Rover1822

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Almost true, WU, will allow you to send data  for air quality, if you but a specific, unit, the purple job.

But on anything else, I agree

 
Ambient:
  WS-2000
  PM 2.5(2)
  WH31B(2)
  WH40E
  WH31P
EcoWitt:
  GW1100
  GW1000(4)
  WH31(2)
  WH57
  WH51(12),
  WH40
  WH5360B
  WN34S
  WittBoy WS90 + GW2000
  WS90 (other one) + GW1100
Personal Sites: Weather Cam

 

anything