Author Topic: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018  (Read 7148 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline jas340

  • Senior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 92
    • Lone Pine Ranch  Horseshoe Bend, Idaho  USA
New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« on: December 05, 2017, 08:58:12 PM »
These look interesting. A couple of glaring short comings but they have potential.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/weatherflow-smart-weather-stations/x/17814315#/

Offline CW2274

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6731
    • Conditions @ CW2274 West Tucson-Painted Hills Ranch
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2017, 09:13:10 PM »
They pushed this here a year or so ago and were pretty much shot down.

Offline jas340

  • Senior Member
  • **
  • Posts: 92
    • Lone Pine Ranch  Horseshoe Bend, Idaho  USA
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2017, 09:53:56 PM »
Good to know. I almost pulled the trigger on getting a set! I will wait for reviews coming out after April 2018 . Thanks

Offline CW2274

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 6731
    • Conditions @ CW2274 West Tucson-Painted Hills Ranch
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2017, 10:08:58 PM »
As far as I'm concerned, any "weather station" that can't be put into direct sunlight is not a true "weather station". Practical day long shade in my area is non-existent.

Offline nincehelser

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3337
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2017, 11:00:59 PM »
Good to know. I almost pulled the trigger on getting a set! I will wait for reviews coming out after April 2018 . Thanks

Vreihen and I are both early backers.  We've received our "Air" units, but are still waiting on the "Sky".

I haven't messed with my "Air" unit yet.  (I've been testing other things.  :grin: )  I was actually going to set it up tonight, but forgot about it until now. Vreihen has been experimenting with the network abilities of his, though.  He's posted some comments in another thread.

I'm mainly interested in the haptic rain and ultrasonic wind technology, but that's part of the "Sky", so I'm still waiting.

Where to put the "Air" has been an issue for me, though.  It should be placed where it won't be adversely affected by direct sunlight, but I don't have many places at my Texas location that qualify.  My north-facing front porch would work, but I have to lock it down somehow so it doesn't walk off.  It does have a couple of hardware attach points for that purpose.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

If you do need a radiation shield, they suggest this one: http://a.co/f3IhWnt   I'm not planning to spend $50 on that, though.


Here's a photo of the "Air".  I'm not sure what the symbol of the front is supposed to mean.  Maybe "no sun"?  Documentation is sparse and I see no explanation.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]


Here's a photo of the wifi dongle that attaches to your wireless network.  There's no option for wired ethernet.  They give you a USB cable to power it, but they don't supply a USB wall adapter.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]


Well, I'm off to the store to buy batteries for this thing.  The "Air" runs on 4 AA batteries and they suggest you use Energizer lithiums.

(Edit:  All my photos turned out sideways.  Sorry about that.)
« Last Edit: December 05, 2017, 11:23:48 PM by nincehelser »

Offline nincehelser

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3337
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2017, 02:45:15 AM »
Just finished setting up the Weatherflow Air.

I had to twist the bottom of the Air off to insert the batteries.  The docs said it was tight, and they weren't kidding.  I had a heck of a time trying to get the bottom back on, too.  I had to wedge it down on the kitchen counter and really twist it to get proper alignment.  I guess that's to ensure a water-tight seal, but I'm not sure why that's necessary for the base of the unit.  Maybe they're concerned water will get into the base and throw off the humidity reading?

Software setup was buttery smooth.  I just had to load the Weatherflow app on my iPhone and follow the instructions.  Unlike other modern gadgets, I didn't have to screw around with a custom WiFi network setting in my phone.  Apparently things just communicated auto-magically through BlueTooth (no pairing needed).  All I had to supply was the 4-digit serial number on the bottom of the WiFi dongle.

It shares to wunderground, too.  That was extremely simple to set up.  I just entered my wunderground user account login and password into the Weatherflow app, and it magically set up all the details on wunderground itself, including creating a new station ID.  It was really slick.

The only setup "flaw" is that it gave me an Austin station ID instead of a Round Rock ID like my other weather stations, but I guess that's not a huge deal.  My place backs to a street that is the border between Austin and Round Rock as far as the post office is concerned, so it's not terribly surprising that it happened.

The only other odd thing I've noted so far is that the Air temperature sensor seems *VERY SLOW* in responding to temperature changes.  It was first set up in the house at 68 degrees.  Then I put it out on the porch.  It's been about a half-hour and it still hasn't reached the outside temperature of about 40 degrees.  It's presently reading 45 degrees.

Here are the public links to the station if you're interested:

https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/2932
https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KTXAUSTI1322#history
« Last Edit: December 06, 2017, 02:48:03 AM by nincehelser »

Offline weather34

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1068
    • https://weather34.com/homeweatherstation
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2017, 06:32:55 AM »
good afternoon


I have both the air(8 months) and sky(week) units .

the second generation of the air units are somewhat different and particular attention was paid to improve lightning sensor and better ventilation however like
all weather station hardware it is always beneficial to add a radiation shield or aspirator be it a home made or purchased ready made , so even if you have the funds to buy a trusted Davis and you reside in a climate that has lengthy periods of hot extreme conditions then you will have to apply the same options at a cost or DIY..

take the time to find the optimum position for the air model mine is positioned under the apex (I don't know what you call it in the US) of the NORTH FACING balcony roof . temperatures are acceptable during the summer periods (here in istanbul we have lengthy hot periods 25-38 usually begins in May and ends in august-september is horrendous.. ends November sometime ).like all weather hardware it benefits from a reasonable wind flow for cooling .

the sky unit I can't reveal much its still under a testing period but you will be impressed particularly where the rain sensor comes into play, it is far more sensitive than a tipping method trust me , it detects rain the moment it begins yet the measurements of accumulation balance out comparably to my main station with the traditional tipping method .

wind again its more sensitive and detects the minimal flow of wind the update rates are 2-3 seconds

uv/solar like most common fixed method it is positioned horizontally .

viewing the data no restrictions , dedicated apps , dedicated API , web socket , UDP and do what I did a few months a ago use a ddwrt capable router and redirect the data any local server or hosted server .all you need for this method is a simple GET php script and dump the data to a text file.

it is viewable live here https://smartweather.weatherflow.com/share/1200/grid

I use the UV/Solar/Lightning output from both units on my website as the WMR300 has none of these capabilities https://weather34.com

I can't reveal anymore as changes may happen or may not .. but this is not a NETAMO do some home work on the company Weatherflow itself you may be pleasantly surprised of the history and knowledge and there current network of professional (is that the right word) hardware installations around the USA.

mine is not positioned optimally unfortunately I have to wait another week before I can mount it on a mast away from the main station ,current position is just a temporary method but fully exposed as you can see below I'm quite high above any street level and nearby obstacles the sea view is 270 degrees aprox.




air sensor north facing 90% shade



if I can answer any questions I will honestly based on my on going experience with it and not base them on assumptions.

Brian

« Last Edit: December 06, 2017, 07:58:29 AM by weatherist34 »

Offline vreihen

  • El Niño chaser
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1216
  • K2BIG
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2017, 06:34:09 AM »
The nicest feature so far is that they are sending live observations over the local IP subnet from the Hub via UDP broadcast.  It is child's play to grab the data and import it into your weather software du jour, via this published API.  I cobbled together an ugly weewx station driver, and it has been working flawlessly on a test weewx instance.

My Air is mounted horizontally on the north wall of my detached garage, with the intake vent facing down towards the ground.  I have seen pictures where other people have mounted them upside-down hanging from an open porch roof or eave, but seeing the air intake vent picture that you posted above makes me hesitant to try that.  I suspect that running it horizontal will mess up the antenna polarity on the lightning sensor, but that's what I have the indoor Acu-Rite one for in my case.

In terms of accuracy, the temperature has been tracking within 0.4F against my solar fan-aspirated Acu-Rite 5-in-1 up 20 feet in the air on a mast under most conditions.  The humidity seems to always be significantly higher, but that is probably a result of the height difference and that the north side of my detached garage faces a wetland.

I experimented with leaving the Air out in the sun, as well as hacking up an Acu-Rite tower sensor solar shield.  The shield helped a little, but the north wall has been perfect (WU gold star and everything!).

This is the first and only online group funding campaign that I have ever participated in, solely because WeatherFlow is a real weather company who already operates a network of marine sensors and wants to break into the consumer/prosumer PWS segment.  Yes, they are behind a year in their original shipping promises, but I can see the work that they are doing and their rigorous QC goals at this price point.  I have faith that they will be shipping the Sky units in the next 3-4 months, and no doubt that they will deliver an awesome PWS once they work a few final kinks out.....
WU Gold Stars for everyone! :lol:

Offline Glenn

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 418
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2017, 09:35:52 AM »
Very interesting design with regards to how it measures wind and rain. Pretty cool.
Acurite 5 in 1 Pro+
Southern VT
Connecticut

Offline weather34

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1068
    • https://weather34.com/homeweatherstation
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2017, 10:47:58 AM »
This sheds a bit more light on it https://weather34.com/homeweatherstation/wf34.html without getting into the technology , it’s a work in progress article and when permitted I will add additional info and comparisons. I’ve since relocated the SKY unit to its own mast above the roof .

Anyway it is cool and somewhat a refreshing approach to the traditional stuff we have been accustomed to over the years . Personally I like it very much and I’m interested in innovation and cleaner approaches.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2017, 10:50:47 AM by weatherist34 »

Offline GaryFunk

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 20
    • fSoft, Ltd
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2018, 11:56:12 AM »
The WeatherFlow community is now open. You can follow this link to join.

https://community.weatherflow.com/t/1100-smart-weather-stations-on-google-maps/124?u=garyfunk

Offline ggsteve

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 583
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2018, 07:14:25 PM »
I am interested in these but I think they're gonna get their butts sued off by Bloomsky.

Offline nincehelser

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3337
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2018, 07:28:52 PM »
I am interested in these but I think they're gonna get their butts sued off by Bloomsky.

WeatherFlow sued by Bloomsky?  Why?

I can't see any similarity.

Offline Aardvark

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 2305
  • Tonto to Lone Ranger : "never take off mask.
    • turned off
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2018, 07:57:31 PM »
I am interested in these but I think they're gonna get their butts sued off by Bloomsky.

WeatherFlow sued by Bloomsky?  Why?

I can't see any similarity.
Maybe they will give Bloomsky competition. Since last year , nothing has come out. Bloomsky is kind of one of those "Yup, its yours."    I wonder if with this  new station, you have to through an app or can access the data directly.


Offline ggsteve

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 583
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2018, 08:15:09 PM »
Bloomsky sells the Sky2.  Do you really think Bloomsky wants Weatherflow marketing a product called "Sky"?

Offline nincehelser

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 3337
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2018, 08:27:28 PM »
Bloomsky sells the Sky2.  Do you really think Bloomsky wants Weatherflow marketing a product called "Sky"?

I'd guess not, but any lawsuit could be quickly resolved with a name change.

I'm not sure names like "sky", "air", and "storm" can even have legal protection in this situation since they're typical words used to describe weather.
« Last Edit: January 29, 2018, 08:30:23 PM by nincehelser »

Offline vreihen

  • El Niño chaser
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1216
  • K2BIG
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #16 on: January 29, 2018, 08:57:36 PM »
I wonder if with this  new station, you have to through an app or can access the data directly.

You can use their app, access your data from their web-based API calls, integrate with automation systems such as IFTTT, and even grab the live observation packets as they are UDP broadcasted on your local IP subnet (which works *really* well and should be done by EVERY station manufacturer).

https://weatherflow.github.io/SmartWeather/api/
WU Gold Stars for everyone! :lol:

Offline ggsteve

  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 583
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #17 on: January 31, 2018, 08:22:28 PM »
Another thought.  Does anyone have an idea what the "haptic rain sensor" will do with snow?  It would be cool if it could measure snow precipitation accurately in real time.

Offline vreihen

  • El Niño chaser
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1216
  • K2BIG
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #18 on: January 31, 2018, 08:47:45 PM »
It has no way to measure snow...not even after it melts.....
WU Gold Stars for everyone! :lol:

Offline bdh

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 35
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #19 on: April 27, 2018, 12:45:16 PM »
This was posted a few minutes ago on their Indeigogo web page I ordered one and am looking forward to testing it out hard to beat the price and very open to customize with other software :grin:



WeatherFlow: last chance to order April 30.
The WeatherFlow Smart Weather Station pre-order campaign on Indiegogo is ending at midnight Pacific Time on Monday April 30. Don't wait, this is your last chance to order at discounted rates. Please help us spread the word to anyone you know who needs a great weather station. Hint: your father-in-law. 

Much appreciated.  - the WeatherFlow team

PS - we have begun the shipping process. Busy confirming addresses, boxing and bundling orders at the factory, ensuring smooth logistics for international delivery. You will receive an email with tracking information once your package is shipped.

Offline davefr

  • Senior Contributor
  • ****
  • Posts: 195
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #20 on: April 29, 2018, 03:11:18 PM »
Interesting product but lack of a console kills the deal IMHO.

I want something I can quickly glance at when I'm at home.

Using a cell phone/mobile device is fine for remote monitoring but when at home I don't want anything I have to get, turn on, connect to, log on, open an app, touch, etc. 

They need a semi-permanent/always on display option like the Accurite consoles.

« Last Edit: April 29, 2018, 03:17:05 PM by davefr »

Offline bdh

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 35
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #21 on: April 29, 2018, 03:23:11 PM »
I have plenty of android tablets laying around the make pretty sweet displays, instal a app to turn display on when camera senses movement if you are worried about burn in.

Offline vreihen

  • El Niño chaser
  • Forecaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 1216
  • K2BIG
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #22 on: April 29, 2018, 07:02:04 PM »
They need a semi-permanent/always on display option like the Accurite consoles.

Like this?  (Note the Acu-Rite console hanging below the cheap Android tablet):



$49 for a full color weather station console, whereas the cheapest B&W console in the parts section of Acu-Rite's web store is $69.  Having both mounted one above the other, I can tell you which I look at more and it isn't the Acu-Rite.....
WU Gold Stars for everyone! :lol:


Offline davefr

  • Senior Contributor
  • ****
  • Posts: 195
Re: New wireless weather station shipping in early 2018
« Reply #24 on: April 29, 2018, 07:21:20 PM »
I don't care what the console is as long as it summarizes the data, is always on, easily viewable and can be setup in a semi permanent location.

Logging onto a mobile device and opening apps wastes too much time compared to a quick glance.

 

anything