Topic: Anyone using a WeatherBridge Pro (meteobridge) with a Davis 6163 VP2+ ?

[TraderGary]

I'm getting ready to update my system with a new Davis 6163 Wireless Vantage Pro2 Plus.
It looks like the Ambient Weather WeatherBridge Pro will eliminate connectivity costs and give me maximum speed.
I'd very much like to know if anyone else is successfully using this configuration.
Will the WeatherBridge have any problems with my Davis Soil Moisture and Soil temperature peripherals?
Thank you for any input/advice!
Gary in Loganville, GA
WU - KGALOGAN20

[galfert]

I believe that if you get the Meteobridge Pro Red and use that to pick up the sensors directly then you'll be limited in sensor range, 300 ft instead of 1000 ft. Keep in mind these are line of sight unobstructed distances and in real world the distances are less as the signal needs to go through walls, roofs, windows, etc.

If you still want to run the Meteobridge and what it offers you can maximize range by getting the WeatherLink Live (WLL) device to pick up the sensors and then you'll have the greater 1000 ft. range and then the Meteobridge can get its live data from the WLL.

There are several Meteobridge models to consider:

- Meteobridge Pro Red: able to connect to sensors directly, but also from WLL and USB logger.
- Meteobridge Pro Black: able to get data from WLL and USB logger.
- Meteobridge NANO: plugs into display console or Envoy and has almost all Pro features.
- Meteobridge (standard): able to get data from WLL and USB logger.

Also if you live in the US you can get the various Meteobridge models from Ambient Weather and then that unit will have the added benefit of already containing the Ambientweather.net license to upload to that service. Ambient calls these devices WeatherBridge...but they are Meteobridges just the same otherwise.

[TraderGary]

The sensors will all be easily within 200 ft so distance shouldn't be a problem.
If it ever would be a problem, I could easily add the Weather Link Live.
I like using Weather Underground because of their fast 15 second updates.
I really like watching my weather updates in real-time!
Cost is not a problem, so is this then the best solution do you think?
I would be getting the Ambient Weather WeatherBridge Pro (red model).

I see in your description that you are using a meteobridge?
How do you like it? Can you use it to log your data to your PC?
Do you find any drawbacks?

[galfert]

The sensors will all be easily within 200 ft so distance shouldn't be a problem.
If it ever would be a problem, I could easily add the Weather Link Live.
I like using Weather Underground because of their fast 15 second updates.
I really like watching my weather updates in real-time!
Cost is not a problem, so is this then the best solution do you think?
I would be getting the Ambient Weather WeatherBridge Pro (red model).

I see in your description that you are using a meteobridge?
How do you like it? Can you use it to log your data to your PC?
Do you find any drawbacks?

With the Meteobridge Pro Red you will not be able to upload to Weatherlink.com (unless you also have a Davis logger). But again like you said...you could always add it later by getting the WLL. I feel that the Meteobridge is a great device to upload to a very great amount of different online services. The Meteobridge is also very reliable in terms of uptime, it is small, and it draws insignificant amount of power and makes no noise. You don't need to worry about Windows updates and the logging of software not restarting. There are other solutions to this like a Raspberry Pi running other software though, so I'm not discounting those other solutions. I'm just saying that yes, the Meteobridge does a lot right. You can also always expand to add additional software if you want. I don't see a drawback to the Meteobridge because I actually also run Cumulus MX, Weather-Display, and WeeWX.

You asked about logging the data to PC with the Meteobridge. Well yes the Meteobridge can help you do that in several ways.
- You can save to a mySQL database for backup
- You could run Weather-Display to pull live data from the Meteobridge directly (no Davis logger required).
- You can FTP or HTTP data to PC and run different weather templates (or make them public if you run a public web server)
- and other things like email, twitter, ...and more.

[TraderGary]

Looking at your WU Weather Station, I see it is updating at the fast 15 second intervals.
Are you using your meteobridge to post to WU?
How long have you been using your meteobridge?
Since I found from you that the Weatherbridge is actually a rebranded meteobridge, I downloaded their datasheet.
Do they update it with firmware/software updates? How often? Does it go down during updates?
I have so many questions and I hope you don't mind as I really appreciate your experience and expertise!

[galfert]

Looking at your WU Weather Station, I see it is updating at the fast 15 second intervals.
Are you using your meteobridge to post to WU?

I'm updating my WU with my Ambient console because it is more direct as it has WiFi built in and it can upload to WU directly. But I also have a different WU ID that the Meteobridge uploads to and that uploads at 5 seconds...even though my GW1000 only gets 16 second updates. The WU graphs from both look almost identical. The limitation here in my case is my console and that wouldn't be the case for you with a Davis station.

How long have you been using your meteobridge?

2 years

Since I found from you that the Weatherbridge is actually a rebranded meteobridge, I downloaded their datasheet.
Do they update it with firmware/software updates? How often? Does it go down during updates?

The Ambient WeatherBridge is not maintained by Ambient. It gets the very same firmware updates as every other Meteobridge directly from Smartbedded. The Ambient WeatherBridge is pretty much in name only, as when you power it up it says Meteobridge. I suppose you do have some level of support from Ambient for it, but you might as well just get direct support from Smartbedded. The advantage of the the Ambient version is like I said the added Ambientweather.net upload license, which is available to other non-Ambient Meteobridge devices if they want for $100.

I have so many questions and I hope you don't mind as I really appreciate your experience and expertise!

Ask away.

[miraculon]

I am running a Davis VP2+ on a Meteobridge RED. I also bought it as a "Weatherbridge", but AW is the only US source (as far as I know).

I am using it successfully. I agree with the comment about the RF sensitivity not being up to the equivalent of the Davis receivers.

I added an external 902-928MHz antenna and got much better performance. Also, the "RF Sens" had to be adjusted for the lower levels (more gain) to work reliably. Once this is done and you have a solid signal, it works well. If you are within a reasonable range and get a better antenna than the stubby one that is included, you should be fine.

I had one of the very first meteobridge RED units. (S/N  #14!). My internal USB flash recently failed due to wear-out and I replaced it with a SLC stick. Subsequent shipments after mine have the better flash sticks.

Greg H.

[miraculon]

You might want to check the meteobridge PRO web page. Releases and forum are also valuable resources in addition to the info found on the main web page.

Greg H.

[TraderGary]

I am running a Davis VP2+ on a Meteobridge RED. I also bought it as a "Weatherbridge", but AW is the only US source (as far as I know).

I am using it successfully. I agree with the comment about the RF sensitivity not being up to the equivalent of the Davis receivers.

I added an external 902-928MHz antenna and got much better performance. Also, the "RF Sens" had to be adjusted for the lower levels (more gain) to work reliably. Once this is done and you have a solid signal, it works well. If you are within a reasonable range and get a better antenna than the stubby one that is included, you should be fine.

I had one of the very first meteobridge RED units. (S/N  #14!). My internal USB flash recently failed due to wear-out and I replaced it with a SLC stick. Subsequent shipments after mine have the better flash sticks.

Greg H.

Thanks Greg!
Looked at your WU and you're getting 5 second updates!
I'm only about 50 feet from my present WS, KGALOGAN20
I'm putting in my order for the MB RED and Davis 6163 VP2+ today!
I'm wanting to add a Web CAM, what make and model do you have?
Gary, W9VJ

[miraculon]

I'm wanting to add a Web CAM, what make and model do you have?

I use an old TV-IP410 with dead PTZ motors, just staring out the window. I directly upload the file and use the "External Picture" URL method. This is using my MR3020 for this not the RED.

I have noticed the "Ubiquity Cam" option, but I am not sure about what models this includes. I was thinking about getting into the UniFi Protect cams, but I think that this is a closed ecosystem and would not be usable for this. I am guessing that it might be for an older model.

Other than that, I haven't tried any direct cam interface with the meteobridges I have.

Greg H.

[galfert]

Many IP cameras may appear to not have a direct way to interface with the Meteobridge. But many cameras do have still image URLs that the Meteobridge can pull. These image URLs are often not well documented by the user manual of the cameras nor mentioned in their configuration menus. Often you need to resort to either some other API documentation source for that camera. The following is a good source for finding out these URLs. Although it may be tedious to find the correct working URL. Often the manufacture does have a separate API documentation that can be found.

https://www.ispyconnect.com/sources.aspx

[galfert]

If you are in the US I recommend checking out Amcrest. These are Dahua clones.

amcrest.com

Good API documentation:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/amcrest-files/AMCREST_CGI_SDK_API.pdf

To get a snapshot image (as shown on page 11 of API documentation):
http://<ip>/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi?

[TraderGary]

Thank you galfert and Greg for your experience and expertise!

I just finished ordering...
from Scientific Sales:
898.37 - Davis 6163 Wireless Vantage Pro2 Plus w/aspirated radiation shield
from Ambient Weather:
465.00 - Ambient Weather WeatherBridge Pro (Meteobridge Pro)