What do I need?

[Barton Phillips]

You suggested the the 'Davis Instruments 6510USB WeatherLink USB Data Logger and Software for Windows'. I don't use Windows, I have Ubuntu 22.04. Are you saying that I need something that communicates via USB not WiFi? I had a Davis Vanage Vue in Colorado from 2006 to 2014 and I had to buy that product to convert from my console to USB to my computer. Is the WetherLink-Live model 6100 not compatible with WeeWx? How would I connect from the new console using the data logger? I was not going to get the console but rather just the WetherLink-Live 6100.

[vince]

Uncertain what exactly you're asking there.  Are you replying to a post that isn't visible or an email or something perhaps ?

If you have the old original 1970s-LCD-looking ugly console, you can use the absurdly overpriced Davis USB or serial datalogger to connect it to your weewx computer (and throw the unnecessary Windows software in the trash). I have a serial version and use a serial2usb converter to connect it to my raspi.  There are a variety of third-party variants that do basically the same thing for less cost.  Meteopi is one of those. https://www.scaledinstruments.com/product-category/shop-by-category/data-loggers/ has some others.

If you have the new tablet-like color console, you can not connect that directly to your weewx computer because Davis provides no way to do so at all.  There's also no programming interface.  Ugh.

The WLL 6100 is on sale at scientificsales.com currently it seems if that's what you're wanting to buy, but I can't speak to how to connect that to weewx.

If you have a rtl-sdr antenna and dongle you 'can' sniff the RF from the ISS sensor directly with the rtldavis driver but that's a little painful to get working. Once you do so, it seems pretty stable, although you do miss data if your weewx computer goes down.  There's no data logger in that setup, just an antenna that can hear the RF.

[Barton Phillips]

I am sorry for the confusion. I had emailed Tom Keffer with some questions about the WLL model 6100 and he answered me saying I should use the Windows Data Logger. I replied that I do not use Windows; I use Ubuntu 22.04 Linux. I asked if the Vantage Vue plus the WLL would work. He replied that I should post on the weewx-user group. I have not purchased either the Vantage Vue or the WLL yet as I want to make sure that they will work with weewx. I had a AcuRite Isis 5 in 1 that I sent back to Amazon because I could not figure out how to capture the WiFi that is sent to Weather Underground. So that is the rest of the story.

Now I want to know if the weewx program can be used with the Vantage Vue and the WLL before I purchase them from Amazon. The WLL has both WiFi and an Eithernet port. It does not have USB. Can the Eithernet be run into my desktop computer (it does not have WiFi) and can I somehow capture the data and route it to weewx? Does weewx only work with serial or USB?

Thanks.

[vince]

No, weewx supports all kinds of interfaces including network depending on which gear you have.

Tom was likely suggesting the hardware datalogger because it 'is' pretty nice if you have the old console and can direct connect to the weewx system because of the logging and backfill functionality, but there are a lot of ways of connecting stuff up end to end.

There are a bunch of old WLL drivers if you google search for "weewx WLL" and poke around a bit.   (wow - I wrote one too ages ago according to https://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=41328.0 that I again forgot.  Back then in 2020 a bunch of folks did initial versions.)

https://github.com/michael-slx/weewx-weatherlink-live seems most current and maintained.  A quick search of the weewx map shows over 35 registered WLL systems so there have to be a lot more actual users.   A quick look at the driver's installation web page seems to say you need to configure the ip address of the WLL device so weewx can talk to it over the network, so you probably are looking pretty good for a Vue plus WLL unless I'm reading it wrong.

I can't speak to whether there are lower cost options, but if it was 'me' considering I have the gear, I'd just do a Vue sensor suite and rtldavis using a rtl-sdr dongle and antenna (which I already have) so that gets it into the $100 plus Vue sensor suite kind of price range.  WLL adds more stuff of course and is more turnkey at some large additional price.  Really comes down to the time-value of your labor and blood pressure to integrate and support it all.

[Barton Phillips]

Does anyone know of a testing program that could simulate the WLL sending data over the WiFi network. That might be a helpful tool.

[Barton Phillips]

I looked at all the wll implementation you mentioned in your former post Vince, and https://github.com/michael-slx/weewx-weatherlink-live looks like the most recently updated. It also uses the new weectl function. 

I have not done much python programming. During my career days I programmed mostly in C and later C++. Now that I am retired I have been doing some web programming in PHP, JavaScript and a little node.

I would love to try to build a wll test generator but I don't think I have the patients to slog through learning python. I hope someone has already done the work.

Thanks

[vince]

There are 31 registered sites using that driver, so personally I'd trust it works and save yourself the work :-)

[gary....@gmail.com]

The WLL (Not new console) works great with my Davis setup.
The weewx-weatherlink-live driver is rock solid.

[Barton Phillips]

Okay. I will probably order the Venture Vue (without the console) and the WeatherLink-Live model 6100. We are going to Switzerland on July 31 for two weeks so I will probably wait till I get back.

Thanks again for all of your help.