Topic: Ecowitt WS-80 vs. Ambient Weather WS-5000

[Jhalo45]

I tried to purchase the WS-80 from Ecowitt directly and they cancelled the order and said they cannot sell this model to anyone in the USA. The reason given was the contract with Ambient Weather forbids it. I told them this needed to be added to the products page (it now is listed on there in bold red). Ambient Weather has the exclusive rights to the WS-5000 (WS-80) in the USA. I do not like Ambient's variant because the firmware is locked to their sensors only. Ecowitt's variant is not firmware locked.

Has anyone tried the WS-5000 out on here? How is the sonic wind sensor doing? Any major flaws?

It should be noted you can purchase any other model from the Ecowitt website, just not the WS-80.

JW

[galfert]

If you have an Ecowitt station console GW1000 or HP2551-C... etc., then you can just order the WS80 part from Ambient. I'm referring to ordering just the WS80 and not the entire WS-5000. The sensor locking is done at the console level not at the sensors.

For example you could order all the parts except for the Anemometer from Ecowitt and then just get the WS80 anemometer from Ambient and it all works. Sure it will be a bit more costly, but at least it is possible.

But personally, I and some others prefer the WS68. And then again there are plenty of WS80 happy users. It just comes down to personal preference, neither is better, it's about weighing pros and cons.

[Jhalo45]

I'm even tried that route. Ambient is out of stock of the sonic sensor. You have to buy the whole setup from them to get it. They told me they do not know when the sensor piece will be back in stock for sale again. Same thing with the lightning sensor. Ecowitt has both in stock but will not ship the sonic sensor to the USA.

[EdOz]

I really liked the WS-5000, although I found the console a bit too busy when I reviewed it. When you add a lot of optional sensors, the console main screen is pretty damn crowded. But otherwise, this is a definite step up from the WS-2000/WS-2902 with many of the issues I had with the WS-2902 in terms of instrumentation accuracy fixed. The Barometer and the tipping bucket rain gauge were my biggest issues with the WS-2902. Loved the price and the smart home connectivity, but for a serious weather enthusiast, you have got to go with a higher-end station.

As for the sonic anemometer, i was kind of impressed, best I've seen so far. Really would like to try the Davis one, but i doubt they'll send one out to me, lol.

https://theweatherstationexperts.com/ambient-weather-ws-5000-review/

[galfert]

You are not an expert. Your review is flawed and uninformed. I disagree with many of your statements and conclusions. It really irks me when anyone with a blog pretends to be an expert. The problem with people today is that they read some garbage on the internet and they believe it.

I'm not saying any of this as a defensive statement. I'm the first one to trash talk all of the brands of weather stations. I'm open and unbiased and I see all the pros and cons on all the stations.

[EdOz]

Sorry this is just a bizarre response.

1) I’ve been reviewing stations for years (if you don’t believe me just google), have owned some type of weather station for almost 20 years. Add to this instrumentation classes I’ve taken at MU and I have the experience to know what I’m talking about. It’s just a website, yes. You should always read everything you see on the internet with a skeptical eye.
2) I actually have the WS-5000, unlike many of these reviews out there. Any station I’ve reviewed or will put my name to I’ve actually touched. My main station is a Vantage Vue. The WS-5000 is almost as good in real world settings as the Vantage Vue. Certainly better than the WS-2902 series.
3) ambient weather makes cheap weather stations. It’s been their thing for what, a decade plus  now? But the WS-5000 is actually good, and if you can’t afford the Davis stations (many don’t have $300-1k to spend), it’s the best alternative.
4) OP asked for people with experience with the WS-5000. It’s literally in my backyard right now. I had it, offered my experience on it. Didn’t expect to wake up to read this. To the OP, if you have any questions on specific stuff let me know. My main issue was the console because I prefer a clean interface. But the instrumentation is an improvement over other AW stations I’ve had the chance to test.

[galfert]

1- That is great. You are an enthusiast like many of us on this forum. You have an opinion that is valid like all of us on this forum. We understand that experiences and career paths shape knowledge and command trustworthiness. My problem is with the name of your blog by using the word "expert." When it seems that you are predominantly a technology review individual that may get into various topics.

Your website offers an opinion, but it is trying to pass itself as a commanding authority with that name. That is my opinion.

Issues that I see:

- Before reading any text...that photo. That is just not how you mount a WS-5000. You don't put the anemometer right next to the rain gauge. The whole purpose of not having an all-in-one is to gain better sensor placement.

- You called the WS80 a Europe only model. No it is a worldwide model.

- You expected the WS-5000 to show benefits of the team up of Nielsen Kellerman and Rainwise and Ambient?  The WS-5000 parts existed way before the merger. Maybe Ambient released it after the merger but that is of no consequence as these stations are just a rebadge of Fine Offset stations. No input from the merger is evident in the WS-5000.

- The WS-5000 does not have a faster update time than the WS-2000....that is an incomplete statement. Only the anemometer updates faster. In terms of the WH40 rain gauge it updates slower at only every 49 seconds compares to the WS-2902 which updates every 16 seconds.

- I own both the WS-2902 and the WS-2000 displays and the supporting barometric sensor and I've never seen that the WS-2902 is more aggressive. The WS-2902 barometer is AC powered and probably fluctuates more live like as it gets live data and the WS-2000/WS-5000 is an external battery powered unit that only transmits every 60 seconds...so yeah that would be expected ...but not a reason to ding the WS-2902 as being inferior....quiet the opposite when you understand what is happening. They are more that likely the same exact part when it comes down to it. The fact that you only see limited interval readings from the external WH32B does not make it better...you just are sampling less frequently with the same part.

- Again with the update comparisons of the WS-5000 compared to the WS-2902. All sensors have different reporting interval. The only thing that reports every 5 seconds on the WS-5000 is the anemometer...with its temperature/humidity. But that placement of temperature and humidity is a con. I'd much rather have temperature and humidity from a WH32 or WH65 at a much lower height...better sensor placement. The only thing delayed 1 minute on the WS-2902 is the indoor sensor. Everything on the WS-2902 coming from the all-in-one WH65 updates every 16 seconds.

- You recommend the heater for the WS-5000 to keep the sensor from accumulating ice and snow???? But you didn't exactly and perfectly say why? How does an ultrasonic anemometer work and what discrepancies and challenges happen even before ice forms???? I don't need an answer to these questions...I know the answer. There is a lot more to this.

- You compared the WH40 rain gauge in the WS-5000 to the WH65 rain gauge in the WS-2902 and stated that the WS-2902 solution over measured rainfall. There has been extensive testing and discovery with both of these rain gauges...and the conclusion of this forum and its users is that the WS-2902 (WH65) is better. Not going to get into the details...but basically internally they are the same part and the only difference is the funnel size and then some calculations adjustments are made for the funnel size difference and on the surface it would appear that a larger funnel would be better but the design of the larger funnel is flawed...among other things.

- You listed a problem with the Davis as having connectivity limitations and smart home shortcomings. Out of the box sure...but that just amounts to bad information. Why should anyone only use a weather station with only what comes out of the box? Do you buy a computer and only run the programs that came installed on it? Likewise with a Davis station the sky is the limit, there are so may software that you can connect to the Davis to make it do everything that the Ambient station does....including connecting the Davis station to upload to Ambientweather.net. Which means that the Davis station can do every bit of home automation that the Ambient station can do. But that isn't the only way. The Davis and Ambient can do home automation with many other software solutions.

That is a long list of dings and a lot of misinformation. I see it as mostly an opinion based article and not as an expert review.

2 - I agree with your opinion that the WS-5000 is probably better than the Davis Vue. I'm not a fan of the Vue for many reasons. But the Davis Vantage Pro 2 is at a different level. I wouldn't even put the WS-5000 against the Davis VP2 because they represent two different things. There are pros and cons to both.

3 - "Ambient Weather makes cheap weather stations." ....ah no, they don't make any weather stations. They resell them and rebadge them from Fine Offset and CCL and from UCTECH.

4 - I'm cool with your blog as an opinion piece. It is my opinion that your website should not have the name "expert" in it.