Good morning!
Short version, I'm putting together an irrigation system for fruit trees that will use the cumulative rainfall over a set period to control how much and how often the trees are watered. So I want to track the actual rainfall at the tree's location. Because I'm already using Raspberry Pis for the irrigation control and home automation, WeeWx seems like a great fit.
For the hardware, I really only *need* the rain gauge, but I want to start with wind speed and direction, temp, and humidity as well, while retaining the option to expand the system in the future. Similarly, I'm willing to pay for a good product (let's say $500 for the hardware), but I only need strong accuracy from the rain gauge. If the wind speed is off by a couple knots or the temp is a degree or two off, I can live with that if it will save significant resources.
The whole system will be powered by a 20 watt solar panel and battery.
I'd like the hardware to be wired to minimize the number of wifi connections, since I'm borrowing wifi from a neighbor. As I understand it, the HW1000 uses it's own wifi connection to communicate with WeeWx, so that's probably out unless there aren't other good options. I would also want the hardware powered by a wired connection (DC, not AC) instead of an internal battery, since the solar system will power everything in the shed. Bonus points for hardware that easily connects to a Raspberry Pi Zero W. Powered by USB would be best, but not at all necessary. I can provide DC power from 3.3-12v.
I also don't need a display, since the home automation will cover that. If the ideal units include displays, so be it, but I'd rather apply the cost to the sensor hardware.
Thanks for the help, the hardware selection is a bit daunting on account of the many options.
-Seth