Author Topic: Can i get some input on a question?  (Read 4541 times)

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Offline ColoradoWx

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Can i get some input on a question?
« on: March 08, 2022, 04:18:12 PM »
Hi, so I want to create my own weather site for my PWS. How exactly should I start? How long does it usually take? I appreciate answers that can help me!

Online CNYWeather

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2022, 04:28:05 PM »
There's many possibilities. Depends on what you have for a station want to accomplish I guess.

I've got a Davis VP2+ running Weather Display software since 2006, along with a multitude of scripts
and templates which outputs/uploads to my website. https://cnyweather.com

Here's a good resource that you can check out.  https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=973.0

 If you've got questions, there's all kinds of people who can probably answer them for you.
« Last Edit: March 08, 2022, 04:29:40 PM by CNYWeather »
Tony




Offline saratogaWX

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2022, 05:27:14 PM »
For your own PWS weather website, you'll need four things:

1) a automatic weather station that provides an output that can be read by weather software ( Davis VP/Vantage View, Ambient, Fine Offset, etc).
2) weather software that supports your weather station (Free:  CumulusMX, weewx; Purchase: Weather-Display, Meteobridge, WeatherCat ) (there are other offerings too)
3) a system that can run the selected weather software 24/7 to process the data and keep your website updated.
4) a public website that supports FTP (or SFTP, SCP) to have the weather software upload weather data to.

You might find it useful to start with some free weather website templates -- each of the software listed above have templates available for use (free).

Hope this helps...
Ken True/Saratoga, CA, USA main site: saratoga-weather.org
Davis VP1+ FARS, Blitzortung RED, GRLevel3, WD, WL, VWS, Cumulus, Meteobridge
Free weather PHP scripts/website templates - update notifications on Twitter saratogaWXPHP

Offline weatherdoc

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2022, 05:41:18 PM »
I would add to Ken's #4 that you can host the website on your own [Linux] server or use an Internet Service Provider. I have used both and currently use my Synology NAS to host my website.

I'll put in a plug for Ken's templates, which is what I use, and a good starting point is here: https://saratoga-weather.org/wxtemplates/WXwebsite.php

Offline saratogaWX

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2022, 06:16:27 PM »
Thanks for the kind plug :)

For folks new to webhosting and likely not aware of the security requirements to do it safely at home, I do recommend commercial hosting instead.  My background (before retirement) was internet security so I was comfortable configuring the firewall ports to allow just the bare essentials to pass to my home network, and only for a 'fresh' webcam image offered up by an Apache server on my home network.
Yes, I do run one Raspberry PI3 in the DMZ as a honeypot for reporting to SANS ISC Dshield .  My home network has multiple RPi systems for running weewx, Ubiquiti UniFi controller, Streaming NOAA Radio (WWF64), and several TL-MR3020 devices running meteobridge and a RIPE IP probe.  Fun stuff.

If you do elect to have a system on your home network be your website, be sure to really lock down the inbound ports to the bare minimum needed, and keep the software on the system up-to-date.  To do less is to invite unintended guests to mess about in your network.
Ken True/Saratoga, CA, USA main site: saratoga-weather.org
Davis VP1+ FARS, Blitzortung RED, GRLevel3, WD, WL, VWS, Cumulus, Meteobridge
Free weather PHP scripts/website templates - update notifications on Twitter saratogaWXPHP

Offline weatherdoc

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2022, 06:33:48 AM »
That's a good point about home server security - you have to be vigilant. I've followed all the Synology guidelines for hosting a website securely on my NAS and keep the software current. Ironically, Synology issued an OS update just yesterday!

Offline davidmc36

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2022, 07:14:07 AM »
I have several VP2 Consoles running with data loggers. My main site is with the Weather34 Template.

I have them hosted through ICD Soft. They were VERY, VERY helpful and patient with answers to some niggly bits that were stopping it from running.

Using the instructions that the template makers have and resources (much gleaned with Google) I did it with no previous knowledge. The templates do the heavy lifting for you and I have a basic site with two templates running. W34 and a Cumulus page.

There are many ways to upload. The W34 only uses a small bit of code in a Meteobridge.  The device does the rest of the work from your end. It is ready-coded with the function. Send this data to your template on your site. You can do a zillion things above that too.

The loggers that you can put in a console have many built in upload functions also. Some are Dead-Easy.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2022, 07:23:00 AM by davidmc36 »

Offline davidg_nz

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Re: Can i get some input on a question?
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2022, 10:39:18 PM »
I took the hard path. When I bought my first weather station I went and downloaded the FineOffset WH1080 USB "protocol" "documentation" (that thing really was garbage). When I upgraded to a Vantage Vue I went and downloaded the Vantage Vue/Pro2 serial protocol manual.

I had something going within a week (just working on it in my spare time), but matching all of the (interesting to me) features off-the-shelf solutions already have is a lot of work. But it also means that if I don't like how existing off-the-shelf solutions do something I'm free to do it differently.
Port Charles, Coromandel, New Zealand | Wired Vantage Pro2+, Ubiquiti AirCam
Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand | Wireless Vantage Pro2+, 24h FARS, Leaf+Soil Station, Envoy