Long Post - apologies up front.
I was in very much the same situation around January of this year. My good old Davis Vantage Pro (not Pro 2) had finally bitten the dust and was no longer reliable. It had been online since February 2003 with the 2 instances of shipping it off to California for refurbishment, repair, and general going over and replacement of parts that needed it. Each of those trips cast me about $140 ($115-$120 for bench fee, plus shipping and insurance). I didn't mind - it was a ROBUST and well design semi-professional level weather station. I didn't push the wifi range capabilities as my console was always less than 100 feet from the sensor suite. I utilized an old data logger cable with a USB to RS-232 9-pin adaptor for my desktop computer, later a dedicated laptop computer. I used Virtual Weather Station (VWS) for my software to upload to the internet and was uploading in Rapid Fire mode to WUnderground and PWS sites. Late last year, the remote sensor suite would die during the evening and reading online, I realized the capacitor had failed, the magnetic reed switch for the rainfall detector had also failed. I contacted Davis and was told, "We don't service that model anymore, but we can give you specs on the parts you'll need for replacement." Well - I ordered the parts, replaced them and the station worked again - for about a week, then 'something else' broke. I looked at a new Davis set up - with a new data logger cable, and was looking at a price of around $600. I'm retired now (since 2015) and while not 'broke', I just couldn't justify $600 for a weather station that I had to send the console in for firmware updates (DST changes require that), and be forced to have the console sit next to my laptop, and run an additional program for uploads to the internet, AND worry about updates to VWS, AND Windows and hope that nothing went wrong.
----- So I started looking around AFTER I thought about these important guidelines or purchasing factors. 1. The Davis console is very '80's' in nature - backlit LCD screen with a '2nd function' button to view additional data. 2. It has to be near a laptop and connected via a data logging cable 3. If Windows hiccups or there's a power outage, my system goes down and upon power restoration, it may or may not restart, reboot, reload correctly and find the wifi signal and commence uploading to the internet again. 4. The only way I can see my weather station is to look on the laptop, the console (local in-house), or go to WUnderground and see if my system in uploading. 5. My console sits out in my hobby room, with the laptop and isn't easily viewable - especially at night. And to top it all off, since 2003, my interest in a lot of DATA coming in, to be analyzed and studied on charts via VWS has waned. I just want the weather, on a console I can see easily, and at a single glance get all of my data in a nice aesthetically pleasing manner. I do NOT want to be tied to a laptop, I don't want to pay for a data logger cable ($140), and I'm not all that anal about data accuracy (down to 0.01 inches of rain in a 24-hour period of time - I live in Florida - it rains a LOT, 0.01 inches doesn't mean anything to me when we'll get a 2-inch downpour in 30-minutes sometimes).
So I started searching - and I came across the Ambient WS-2000 system. I looked at the specs, read the reviews, and THEN I contacted "Ed" at their customer/user support email address and asked this question - "Is this as good as my Davis Vantage Pro?" - I got an answer within 12-hours - and he said: "This system is not as 'robust' as the Davis Vantage Pro, or their Pro 2 model but it's accurate while it's working." That made sense to me because the WS-2000 cost about 40% of what the Davis Vantage Pro2 costs. AND if there is a problem outside the warranty period, 'plug & play' replacement parts are available - and if it's REALLY broken - the entire sensor suite can be replaced - for $80!! Wow!! - So what I would spend to send my sensor suite off to California for service, I can REPLACE my Ambient WS-2000 sensor suite - TWICE.
I got the unit - and was THRILLEd with the console - Color screen, high resolution, everything I need to see in one place without having to touch it.
The sensor suite feels almost 'toy-like' when compared to the Davis Vantage Pro2 - BUT it has additional sensors at no cost of UV and "Sunlight Strength" (my words) to let you know the watts/meter (squared) currently being felt. I replaced the Davis sensor suite with the WS-2000 and put the console in my den where everyone can see it and my signal strength is fine - about 100-feet. The Davis console indoor temperature, humidity, and barometric pressures are sensed BY the console. That's good if your console is where you sit and live most of the time - mine was in the hobby room because of the accessory laptop requirements. The WS-2000 has a separate sensor for temp/humidity/pressure that you can put anywhere in the house and it communicates with the console. The outdoor sensor suite has the rest of the data coming to the console - and HERE is where there was better news for me - you can buy additional 'sensors that will communicate with the console - up to 8 additional sensors! They're available for just over $8 EACH ........ the console will 'cycle' through them, or you can leave it on any of them and then cycle through yourself. I put an additional sensor in my attic, and one on the enclosed/covered back porch - good to know if you want to sit out there - and in Florida, the 'in the shade temperature' is MUCH different from the 'in the sun' temperature.
Connectivity - the console has it's own wifi receiver that you connect to your home network. It uploads immediately to Ambient, and if you punch in your WUnderground information (station ID, etc.) it uploads to WUnderground - and the WUnderground icon is seen on the console - easy!!
Firmware updates are available as a file from Ambient - you download it, transfer it to a MicroSD card, power down the console, plug the card in and turn the console back on - it conducts a firmware update right then and there. If you want to collect data - you do NOT need a computer and a data logger cable - you need a MicroSD card - plug it in and it records all the data to the card - continuously. You can pull it out and it's in a /CSV format so you can drop it into Excel and have at it. Not concerned about power outages, restoration cycles anymore - the console plugs into the wall and there's no 'stream of units/programs' that need to power back up as well. The unit comes on - finds the wifi and starts uploading again to WUnderground, Ambient, and PWS (I have accounts at all three places).
Customer support - holy cow - I joined the Ambient Weather Facebook page and there's a VERY active group there that INCLUDES the folks from Customer Support and Service. Ed is always answering questions and providing links to help you with any issues you might have. I've seen people make VERY good suggestions about enhancements to the system and there's a firmware update a few days later - it's an active, well-read group and the tech support folks LISTEN and ACT in a large majority of the cases - it's pretty amazing.
SOOOOO - in conclusion - I was a Davis Vantage Pro user for 16 continuous years and moved to an Ambient WS-2000 for 40% of the cost of a new Davis system, got rid of the laptop, moved the beautiful color console to the den where we can all see it, have continuous updates to WU and Ambient, can do firmware updates very simply, and collect data should I want to do any storm analysis. I have additional sensors outside my home, and I know that if I have a problem, customer support is THERE, as well as a very knowledgeable user support group AND Ambient has a KILLER app for iPhone and Android that will display more information in text, data form, AND charts for you. I can look at the console and tell immediately if it's uploading and maintaining good comms with my wifi router.
Honestly - I should have made the move years ago ................ It's actually FUN to have a weather station again.
