Topic: I would love suggestions on what to buy!

[ferrene]

I am looking for a weather station to monitor my orchard remotely.

Maybe not a full on station, I don't need to know everything.

I'd like something that requires very little attention, is dependable, very hardy (lasts outside in the weather) and reasonably priced.
I am mostly concerned with rainfall and measuring how much has fallen each day and being able to reference the history of inches that have fallen, but extra info would be a bonus.
I also need something that can connect to cell towers and upload the information so I can access the history of rainfall remotely via a cell phone application or website; that will not kill me with the monthly cell connection fees.
Finally a camera I can add that will allow me to see stills or time lapse video of the property.

I need something that is easy to install. All in one, turn key.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 - Welborn

[davidefa]

Ecowitt has this 4G ws6006 weather station, limited expandability.
Can't say anything about durability.
Davis weather station are known to live longer, highly expandable, but are on a different price range

[wxperson]

Hi,

Depending on your budget, you might want to consider the Ambient WS-5000 or WS-2000.  Both can be checked on Amazon.

Once the station's hub is connected to the internet (via wifi), you can view the data anywhere you have a connection to the internet (or on the included console).  The hub connects to the station wirelessly using its own protocol.  The range is up to several hundred feet (from the station to the hub) depending on how many walls it has to go through.

I personally have the WS-5000 because I wanted an ultrasonic anemometer.

Regarding your comment
"I also need something that can connect to cell towers and upload the information so I can access the history of rainfall remotely via a cell phone application or website; that will not kill me with the monthly cell connection fees."

I'm not sure what you are trying to say here.   If you house/location has an internet connection... it will use that to upload the data to the Ambient servers.   At that point you can access it via a PC or phone app.   If you are out and about... your phone will use your cell data service to display the data on the ambient server (your station).   Connection bandwidth should not be an issue.

Hope that helps.

George
Marietta, Georgia

[ferrene]

Thank you WXperson both seem like nice options but I'd like to place this in the middle of a field where I cannot get wifi but I can get a cellular connection. I don't believe either use Cellular to connect.

[ferrene]

Hi davidefa. thank you!
This seems like a reasonable option. I do have access to power. I wonder if this can be connected to AC.  Ill check it out. thank you!

[johnd]

Standard answer to this for serious applications like crop-growing would be a Davis Enviromonitor station with the solar-powered cellular gateway. See https://www.davisinstruments.com/pages/enviromonitor . EM is a very flexible and there are a couple of hundred different sensors that can be attached to an EM node, eg the Teros soil moisture/temperature sensors from Meter or leaf wetness and PAR sensors.

These systems aren't cheap relative to the hobbyist market for simple weather stations, but are very cost-effective against other professional solutions.

[CW7491]

The KestrelMet 6000 is another option. It’s formerly a Rainwise station but has been rebranded as a Kestrel after Rainwise was acquired. https://kestrelmet.com/kestrelmet-6000-cellular-weather-station

[ferrene]

Thank you CW7491 and johnd. I really appreciate the suggestions.
I'm researching now. Thank you!