Author Topic: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC  (Read 927 times)

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Offline Paul Enright

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Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« on: June 01, 2021, 05:10:20 PM »
Been asking questions and I am close to pulling the trigger. For most of my sensor data collecting, I will use the gw-1000. I debated buying a 2902 sensor only ~$110. Then adding the gw-1000 with temp sensor for ~$46. I was comparing that to ws-2000 sensors+console ~$289. The ws-2000 console only ~$173. So the delta is about the same. The only reason I wanted the console was to display the values since my connection is going to be via the gw-1000.  The price of the gw-1000 is a wash.

So now looking at the ws-1900 (~$129) vs ws-2902(~$169). Assuming $110 for the sensor that puts the value around $19 (ws1900) vs $59 (ws-2902)

Using this chart
https://ambientweather.com/weather-station-comparison-chart

I think all I need is the ws1900 because everything else I can get with the gw-1000. I have been using the term API incorrectly on another thread and I think I am starting to see the light. I was using the term loosely and in the Ambient Weather world there is API and "Custom Server". Someone correct me if I am still wrong.  :grin:
Then when you get into the "Custom Server" there 2 different HTTP-Get protocols (ws-2902 - ws-2000). The gw-1000 has the "Custom Server" and some sort of API.

My goal is to pull sensor data into Home Assistant. From my other question(s). posters were trying to answer the question but were not familiar with HA. When I was searching HA for integration to PWS I was a little confused until I started understanding some of the PWS capabilities.
https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/ambient_station/ This integration communicated with the Ambient Cloud. From reading this looks like the cloud can push data.

or

https://github.com/bachya/ecowitt2mqtt I did not dig into this too much. Looking down the read.me they have a docker image. I seem to have seen a HAAS integration so you don't have to run it somewhere else.


Bottom line, I think my best bang for the buck is going with the ws-1900 and adding a gw-1000. The gw-1000 will handle any sensors I want to add that the ws-1900 console will not. I will just have to expose them through the HA GUI. The ws-1900 console will display most of the sensors without having to connect to HA.

How far is my logic off?

Offline galfert

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Re: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2021, 06:05:33 PM »
Seems to me like you have a good understand. For your plan the WS-1900 with the GW1000 is a very economical way to go for a complete station. That is as long as you are okay with the WS-1900 display and its limitations....not only with additional sensor limitations but also with viewing angle as compared to the WS-2000 or HP2551 display which is just a much nicer display.

Except for one thing.....If you need Ambient cloud integration then the GW1000 will not give you that. Because the GW1000 uploads to ecowitt.net and not to ambientweather.net.

You could rig up an instance of FOSHKplugin or a Meteobridge to upload to Ambientweather.net but that requires a $100 one time license....because you are uploading to Ambient with other equipment that they did not sell you. If instead you had a WS-2902 or a WS-2000 than that has the ability to upload to Ambientweather.net without additional cost.

« Last Edit: June 01, 2021, 06:09:36 PM by galfert »
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
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Offline Paul Enright

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Re: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« Reply #2 on: June 02, 2021, 08:33:58 AM »
Except for one thing.....If you need Ambient cloud integration then the GW1000 will not give you that. Because the GW1000 uploads to ecowitt.net and not to ambientweather.net.
Good catch. I went back and reread your "Ambient WS-2000 vs. Ecowitt HP2551 - plus GW1000" post. I don't think I need it for the HA and I get Alexa/Google with HA. For a $40 (ws-1900 vs ws2902) delta it not worth boxing myself into a corner.  I am assuming the limitations you mentioned, viewing angle, sensor limitations, etc, are the same between the 1900 and 2902 except for the ambientweather.net issue, correct?

If someday I do need a ws-2000, I will not feel too bad burning the $60 for the 2902. Besides I could use it someplace else, maybe where we get dress.

I do plan on adding the leak detection and maybe lightning. For air quality, pollen is about the only thing I care about.

Offline galfert

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Re: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« Reply #3 on: June 02, 2021, 01:27:39 PM »
For a $40 (ws-1900 vs ws2902) delta it not worth boxing myself into a corner.  I am assuming the limitations you mentioned, viewing angle, sensor limitations, etc, are the same between the 1900 and 2902 except for the ambientweather.net issue, correct?
Yes, correct. The WS-2902 uploads to the Internet and the WS-1900 doesn't.

Quote
If someday I do need a ws-2000, I will not feel too bad burning the $60 for the 2902. Besides I could use it someplace else, maybe where we get dress.

I do plan on adding the leak detection and maybe lightning. For air quality, pollen is about the only thing I care about.
I would say that maybe in the future if you wanted to upgrade the display that you might consider the Ecowitt HP2551 display as that way you can get sensors from either Ambient or from Ecowitt (just as with the GW1000).

The WS-1900/2902 display isn't totally terrible. Its one redeeming quality is that you can read it from across the room because the numbers are larger. The WS-2000/HP2551 display has more data without needing to push buttons and you can view it from more angles but you have to be closer to the display because many numbers are very small.
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
Tele-Pole

Offline Paul Enright

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Re: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2021, 11:57:37 AM »
I thought I would follow up with what happened. So I thought I would wait for Prime Day. The PWS I wanted to buy, did not go on sale, but the WS-2000 did. It was only about a $50 delta so that is what I went with. Below is a link to pictures of how I mounted it.


https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=42326.msg432184#msg432184

Offline galfert

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Re: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« Reply #5 on: July 12, 2021, 12:16:11 PM »
Great. Let us know how your HA integration goes. I've not messed with HA and would be curious to know what steps and processes you go through to get that done. Then once done let us know what features and capabilities you configure with you HA integration.
Ecowitt GW1000 | Meteobridge on Raspberry Pi
WU: KFLWINTE111  |  PWSweather: KFLWINTE111
CWOP: FW3708  |  AWEKAS: 14814
Windy: pws-f075acbe
Weather Underground Issue Tracking
Tele-Pole

Offline Paul Enright

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Re: Which Ambient system for SW of OKC
« Reply #6 on: July 14, 2021, 10:19:18 AM »
Great. Let us know how your HA integration goes. I've not messed with HA and would be curious to know what steps and processes you go through to get that done. Then once done let us know what features and capabilities you configure with you HA integration.
I am not done, but I thought I would pass on what I have learned while fresh in my mind.
Maybe once I get this we can clean it up as more of a how-to and post it in the correct section.
I am using this HA addon "https://github.com/garbled1/homeassistant_ecowitt"
My first mistake(s) was setting up the GW-1000. I was using the "WS View" and assumed it would connect as needed. It does not, you have to connect the phone to the GW-1000 hot spot first. Then when you are using the custom server, you have to add a "/" to the path otherwise HA will throw an error.
Also, it seems the GW has to have access to the internet. Even if you are just connecting it locally. I put it on a locked-down IOT VLAN, which has open to the DNS and NTP. DNS is to resolve the NTP URL.
The other dot that I connected, the history is stored in the controller, which makes sense. My WS-2000 is showing a Yearly Rain Rate since we had rain Sunday. But I did not get the GW-1000 reading the sensors till Tuesday, which is why it is showing 0.0 in

I threw them into a glance card just to see them. I have not done any automation with them yet. I am hoping to use the data to make my own smart sprinklers.
These are just the sensors that come with the WS-2901 array. I have not added any of the other sensors yet.


 

anything