Topic: Acurite is blowing it

[davefr]

You don't add the dingle AND a wifi addition - they are one and the same.  You can plug either into the back of the console or the IP.  Or you could eschew the console totally and go MB Pro.

Thanks.  MB Pro looks interesting but the fine print says the wireless range from the Davis ISS drops down to only 300' (same as Acurite and Ambient).  And that $450 price tag is a bit stiff!!

[Bushman]

I agree - the MB Pro  has cool features, but more than I would pay.  Basic Metebridge is good:  new Nano is awesome.

[wase4711]

is there any way to get a solar/uv sensor aside from the davis 6162? I got spoiled with it on the acurite(even though it never was accurate) and now on my ws2000, which seems to be pretty accurate..
The uv is useful out here in the Arizona desert, and I would buy a VUE in a heartbeat, but you cant add uv to it

[Bushman]

Third party sensors can be integrated by SW like Weather Display

[wase4711]

Third party sensors can be integrated by SW like Weather Display

thanks, never saw that b4! 

[CW2274]

The uv is useful out here in the Arizona desert, and I would buy a VUE in a heartbeat, but you cant add uv to it

Like I stated before, I think UV is useless here because it's always off the scale. Save the bucks and get the VP2 over the Vue, soooo much more modular/capable.

[Bushman]

Third party sensors can be integrated by SW like Weather Display

thanks, never saw that b4! 

I have some 1-wire solar sensors FS. 

[radioman61]

I’m glad I’m not alone with my disappointment in the Atlas.  Say what you want...Davis is still the gold standard in the prosumer market.  Acurite really had the opportunity to be a player and pissed it away.  I was actually surprised at the price when the Atlas came out, expected something $50 - $100 more that would exceed the Davis.  That 2.5 second refresh rate for wind speed buys Davis an awful lot of concessions in other areas like the antique display and 25 year old connectivity options.

[wase4711]

The uv is useful out here in the Arizona desert, and I would buy a VUE in a heartbeat, but you cant add uv to it

Like I stated before, I think UV is useless here because it's always off the scale. Save the bucks and get the VP2 over the Vue, soooo much more modular/capable.

well, I am not sure my UV sensors are that far off; during the sunniest part of a clear day out here this time of year, I get readings of 5/6/7 on the UV scale, which seems pretty accurate, although I am not a scientist, nor do I have professionally calibrated equipment to compare my ws2000 to..
truth be told, I would prefer a VP2 pro with the uv/solar sensors on board, but, that brings me dangerously close to the 1000 mark, and if I add any sort of internet/wifi ability, which I want for sure, we are at a thousand for sure..I am trying to see if passive cooling would work for me out here, since it saves around 200 bucks, and I do get very good breezes/airflow most  of the time in our mountain valley location

[CW2274]

The uv is useful out here in the Arizona desert, and I would buy a VUE in a heartbeat, but you cant add uv to it

Like I stated before, I think UV is useless here because it's always off the scale. Save the bucks and get the VP2 over the Vue, soooo much more modular/capable.

well, I am not sure my UV sensors are that far off; during the sunniest part of a clear day out here this time of year, I get readings of 5/6/7 on the UV scale, which seems pretty accurate, although I am not a scientist, nor do I have professionally calibrated equipment to compare my ws2000 to..
truth be told, I would prefer a VP2 pro with the uv/solar sensors on board, but, that brings me dangerously close to the 1000 mark, and if I add any sort of internet/wifi ability, which I want for sure, we are at a thousand for sure..I am trying to see if passive cooling would work for me out here, since it saves around 200 bucks, and I do get very good breezes/airflow most  of the time in our mountain valley location

If you thought I was dissing your WS2000 UV, I wasn't, I'm saying to me, any UV is a waste of money here. It's sunny, alot.
Forget the UV, get the FARS., it's by far more helpful here. The passive VP2 is not a particularly good performer compared to the 7714 stand alone version, which is merely the shield, nothing else. The 24hr VP2 has a fantastic shield, when aspirated.
I've only lived here 30 years, obviously your call.

[wase4711]

are you a fellow Phoenician?
Its all good man, I didnt think you were dissing my ws2000 UV; I guess you are right, its sunny 95% of the time here, and you dont need a UV sensor to tell  you to stay out of the sun too much!
Yeah, I think the FARS is probably needed; my ws2000 doesnt have it, and, so far, it seems pretty on point, but, it hasnt been over 92 degrees since I got this unit, so I cant speak to what it would read when its 115-120....
And, if I recall, you cant get a FARS on a Vue, you must get a VP2, correct?

[CW2274]

are you a fellow Phoenician?
And, if I recall, you cant get a FARS on a Vue, you must get a VP2, correct?

No, Tucson, and our UV is normally higher here due to our being ~1300' higher and drier air.
Aspiration is only available to the DFARS (daytime only fan) VP2, or the 24hr version which can be powered at night also via batteries should you choose.

[wase4711]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

[radioman61]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

Check out the iPhone app PWS monitor. It pulls data from your WU feed at three minute intervals.  I have a neighbor with an Ambient 2902 and it displays his UV data but not mine from the Atlas. My guess would be that’s a WU glitch.

[CW2274]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2?

No. I was going by airports, PHX vs TUS. I'm at 2400' and change.
I'll leave connectivity to others much more informed than me.

[galfert]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

Check out the iPhone app PWS monitor. It pulls data from your WU feed at three minute intervals.  I have a neighbor with an Ambient 2902 and it displays his UV data but not mine from the Atlas. My guess would be that’s a WU glitch.

It is an Acurite glitch not WU fault. Acurite has a typo in the WU upload packet. A firmware update should easily fix it. I find it rather strange that it is taking them so long to fix it. The problem is a mislabeled variable. I don't recall exactly but it was something like currently it says UVlight= instead of UV= in the packet sent. It is a two second fix.

[radioman61]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

Check out the iPhone app PWS monitor. It pulls data from your WU feed at three minute intervals.  I have a neighbor with an Ambient 2902 and it displays his UV data but not mine from the Atlas. My guess would be that’s a WU glitch.

It is an Acurite glitch not WU fault. Acurite has a typo in the WU upload packet. A firmware update should easily fix it. I find it rather strange that it is taking them so long to fix it. The problem is a mislabeled variable. I don't recall exactly but it was something like currently it says UVlight= instead of UV= in the packet sent. It is a two second fix.

Why am I not surprised?   

[galfert]

Wase4711,
I invested in the Meteobridge because it is a nice all in one solution for uploading to everywhere, seemingly right out of the box experience. It works perfectly with my Ambient station hardware. I'm waiting for a Davis VP3 (I almost got the VP2). My thinking is that the Meteobridge will be something I can continue to use with a new Davis station. So the Meteobridge is a good investment. Yes I'll need a USB or IP logger if I were to get a VP2. But maybe a VP3 might have a built in logger and the Meteobridge might interface directly. Either way I can't imagine that Boris wouldn't update it to work with whatever Davis comes out with next.

The Meteobridge elegantly allows me to publish everywhere online, including your own website, supports various popular web templates, your own SQL database, FTP database, and even a web cam. The Meteobridge connects via Ethernet or WiFi. It has a nice web interface. It is often updated with fixes an new features.

I don't expect any weather station manufacturers to ever come out with a station hardware/software solution that let's you send your data everywhere. For that you will need to rely on separate software. As long as the hardware provides direct access to the data. Ambient and Davis two popular companies today that allow direct access to the data. There are some other manufacturers that also alow direct access to the data like some older Acurite, Peet Bros, Oregon Scientific, older LaCrosse... and others.

But the Meteobridge software isn't the only elegant solution. You can also run Weather Display or WeeWx software on a Raspberry Pi. Or you can run other software like Cumulus or WUHU and a few others. The point is that there isn't one best way. Every solution has pros and cons. They are all great and have something different in the experience to offer. And best of all there are ways to do more than one of these solutions at the same time.

[nincehelser]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

Check out the iPhone app PWS monitor. It pulls data from your WU feed at three minute intervals.  I have a neighbor with an Ambient 2902 and it displays his UV data but not mine from the Atlas. My guess would be that’s a WU glitch.

It is an Acurite glitch not WU fault. Acurite has a typo in the WU upload packet. A firmware update should easily fix it. I find it rather strange that it is taking them so long to fix it. The problem is a mislabeled variable. I don't recall exactly but it was something like currently it says UVlight= instead of UV= in the packet sent. It is a two second fix.

Why am I not surprised?   

It's more than a 2-second fix.  There are other issues that wunderground and Acurite need to iron out.

[wase4711]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

Check out the iPhone app PWS monitor. It pulls data from your WU feed at three minute intervals.  I have a neighbor with an Ambient 2902 and it displays his UV data but not mine from the Atlas. My guess would be that’s a WU glitch.

I've got it on my Android phone; the free version so I dont get uv and other stuff..I like their windows desktop version alot..

[wase4711]

Wase4711,
I invested in the Meteobridge because it is a nice all in one solution for uploading to everywhere, seemingly right out of the box experience. It works perfectly with my Ambient station hardware. I'm waiting for a Davis VP3 (I almost got the VP2). My thinking is that the Meteobridge will be something I can continue to use with a new Davis station. So the Meteobridge is a good investment. Yes I'll need a USB or IP logger if I were to get a VP2. But maybe a VP3 might have a built in logger and the Meteobridge might interface directly. Either way I can't imagine that Boris wouldn't update it to work with whatever Davis comes out with next.

The Meteobridge elegantly allows me to publish everywhere online, including your own website, supports various popular web templates, your own SQL database, FTP database, and even a web cam. The Meteobridge connects via Ethernet or WiFi. It has a nice web interface. It is often updated with fixes an new features.

I don't expect any weather station manufacturers to ever come out with a station hardware/software solution that let's you send your data everywhere. For that you will need to rely on separate software. As long as the hardware provides direct access to the data. Ambient and Davis two popular companies today that allow direct access to the data. There are some other manufacturers that also alow direct access to the data like older Acurite station, Peet Bros, Oregon Scientific, older LaCrosse... and others.

But the Meteobridge software isn't the only elegant solution. You can also run Weather Display or WeeWx software on a Raspberry Pi. Or you can run other software like Cumulus or WUHU and a few others. The point is that there isn't one best way. Every solution has pros and cons. They are all great and have something different in the experience to offer. And best of all there are ways to do more than one of these solutions at the same time.

Good advice...
I'm all for investing in something that hopefully works for more than one device, and stays current for at least a few years..
and, frankly, I dont care that much about being able to upload my info to dozens of locations; as long as it goes to sites that my family can access, I am ok with it..
I'll check out the Meteobridge software..

[radioman61]

I'm at 1465 feet, so you are close to 3000?
Thanks for the insight; Time to change my approach and get some current pricing..
What do you recommend for the best value when it comes to wifi/internet connectivity for the VP2? My family would like to be able to view the station from their phones when out and about, and, as long as I can up to WU, that would be sufficient

thanks again for your input!

Check out the iPhone app PWS monitor. It pulls data from your WU feed at three minute intervals.  I have a neighbor with an Ambient 2902 and it displays his UV data but not mine from the Atlas. My guess would be that’s a WU glitch.

I've got it on my Android phone; the free version so I dont get uv and other stuff..I like their windows desktop version alot..

WunderStation on the iPad is great!  Wish they had a version for the iPhone. I have zero experience with the android platform but being open source, I’d think anything’s possible

[wase4711]

ive heard that wunderstation is great on the ipad; my son has a imac, but no ipads in this house to try it on..

[WXman]

All the hype, the anticipation, the two years of beta testing...yeah I expected the Atlas to be a much better product than it’s turning out to be.  The hardware seems to have some good ideas executed poorly. We have bad lightning detectors or bad fans or maybe both...nobody knows for sure. Now it seems the housing has flaws.  I have little faith the rainfall is even close.  I’ll do my own calibration if Acurite can supply a procedure but they claim they’re calibrated when manufactured. Wrong again guys.  The Access was a turd out of the gate.  It’s clock still runs wild and there’s no fix.  The five minute update interval to My Acurite is a joke.  i just had a strong cold front blow through and while the HD display recorded a 33 mph wind gust, My Acurite shows 13 at the same time.  It’s peak wind is a 15 mph gust from 8 hours ago.  The software is simply retarded.  Whoever decided on how rainfall totals would be displayed on the HD display must have been drunk.  The future forecast changes constantly and is rarely even close to what’s actually forecast.  I really wanted to like this weather station. I had high expectations it would put them on the same level as Davis.  It had the potential to do that but falls way short.  I gave my 5 in 1 and Hub to a friend who is delighted with it.  I should have bought a WS 2000 and likely will.

That's the impression I'm getting too.  But in another thread people kind of fussed at me for making the accusation. 

If you read in the Ambient forums (and many others also) you'll see lots of members who had poor luck with the Acurite stations and switched to other brands.

I, too, was expecting the Atlas to be awesome considering the price tag, but from a pure accuracy, reliability, and longevity standpoint the Davis Vue is still blowing it out of the water for similar money.

Since I have a VP2, I'm now looking at maybe trying an Ambient station because it'll be something new for me.

[galfert]

Since I have a VP2, I'm now looking at maybe trying an Ambient station because it'll be something new for me.

Are you planning on running a VP2 and an Ambient station at the same location just for fun? Or are you looking to put the Ambient station at a secondary location?