Hardware that "Connects to the Internet vi WiFi..."

[Rick M0LEP]

For a while I've been running a BloomSky weather system, and managing to
get the data into weewx via a driver that uses the BloomSky API, but it
is a bit of a headache for a number of reasons. For one, if the home
router's offline (for whatever reason) then weewx gets no data (and the
BloomSky can't send data, either, so that's a lose-lose situation). For
another, you can only get data in the form the BloomSky API deems
suitable, and some of that's a bit limited.

Now, the BloomSky Storm, which provides rainfall and wind speed and
direction, has decided to give up on wind speed. Intermittently it sends
something, but mostly it doesn't, and what use is a weather sensor that
doesn't sense the weather...

I've been looking for a replacement system, and I've noticed a big
difference in what's available. These days, it seems, just about
everything "Connects to the Internet via a WiFi connection" and then
allows data to "be uploaded to popular weather websites". That's all
well and good if you want it, but none of them make any mention of how I
might extract data from them if I happen to want to use my own weather
recording system rather than wunderground, weathercloud, or wherever.

What are the best options, these days, for getting data into weewx?

Personally, I'd prefer something that could reliably be connected
directly to the linux box running weewx so that data collection could
continue even if the Internet was taking a holiday, but I'd settle for
something that makes use of the local WiFi and Lan. I'd just rather not
have to deal with getting my data back from somewhere out on the Net.

--
73, Rick, M0LEP

[Greg Troxel]

Rick M0LEP <m0...@hewett.org> writes:

> Personally, I'd prefer something that could reliably be connected
> directly to the linux box running weewx so that data collection could
> continue even if the Internet was taking a holiday, but I'd settle for
> something that makes use of the local WiFi and Lan. I'd just rather not
> have to deal with getting my data back from somewhere out on the Net.

Add to your woes: system keeps being usable if manufacturer withdraws
their cloud stuff.

This comes up a lot, but:

Davis Vantage Pro2 with serial or USB datalogger can do this

Further, it stores data when your computer is down, for some number of
days, and then it gets read into weewx when the computer comes back.
You may think your unix computer will always be running, but I find
that is not the case. I have had multiple outages from a half hour to
several days due to power and once for sd card corruption (NetBSD on
RPI3, but it's all similar), and the datalogger got me the wx data in
the interim (later, as soon as I got the computer up).

Many complain that the Davis is expensive, but there aren't a lot of
other complaints, as I read the lists, and in my experience. In
particular you don't hear a lot of "I've only had it two years and its
broken" which you do hear about some other hardware.

[Rick M0LEP]

On Mon 22 Nov Greg Troxel wrote:
> Add to your woes: system keeps being usable if manufacturer withdraws
> their cloud stuff.

Ah, yes, I meant to include that...

> This comes up a lot, but:
>
> Davis Vantage Pro2 with serial or USB datalogger can do this

Right. My brother's been running a Davis of some sort for a while. I
should ask him how it's going.

> Many complain that the Davis is expensive, but there aren't a lot of
> other complaints, as I read the lists, and in my experience. In
> particular you don't hear a lot of "I've only had it two years and its
> broken" which you do hear about some other hardware.

I'd looked at the prices and winced, but that's a very good point.

--
73, Rick, M0LEP

[Devonian]

Rick,

I'll vouch for the Davis Vantage Pro2, as well.

I have my VP2 console logger connected by wireless (2mW serial XBee units) to a Raspberry Pi that's running Weewx.

I started with a USB logger to the R-Pi but wanted the console on my dining room wall and the R-Pi is now across the passage way in a utility room, connected to my LAN and the internet so I can view my station from just about anywhere and the data is all mine!.

Google 'Belfryboy logger' for a good clone USB logger and you may also find the PCB's on Oshpark to make your own wireless logger as Belfryboy doesn't make them now but the PCB's are opensource.

If you are interested, I have a brand new WIRED (as in not the wireless version) Davis Vantage Pro 2 available for around half the price of new and an optional USB clone logger or a genuine Davis one.

I'm in sunny Devon ;-)

Nigel, G4ZAL

dah-di-dah

[weather list]

I’ve been running two Davis VP2 wireless units for nearly ten years, bought both on Craigslist (USA), and have replaced one humidity sensor; both run in seaside, salt air conditions: one in Florida: think hot, humid; the other in Maine: think winter temps down to -20° F (each unattended 6 months of the year). I replace the ISS and console batteries annually and keep the consoles connected to a UPS unit. I use Meteobridge SD NANO loggers but they work with USB loggers (the Belfreyboy ones are fine) just fine. Both feed Intel NUC’s running Raspian Desktop. Bombproof.

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[Stephen Hocking]

Something that transmits using the 433MHz can be done using the SDR driver, but for most of the devices, the pressure is measured in the base station, which doesn't need to broadcast. For the acurite stuff, I use my user.py to scrape the pressure off the device's web page.

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--

  "I and the public know
  what all schoolchildren learn
  Those to whom evil is done
  Do evil in return"		W.H. Auden, "September 1, 1939"

[Rick M0LEP]

On Tue 23 Nov Stephen Hocking wrote:
> Something that transmits using the 433MHz can be done using the SDR
> driver, but for most of the devices, the pressure is measured in the
> base station, which doesn't need to broadcast. For the acurite stuff,
> I use my user.py to scrape the pressure off the device's web page.

Most of the mid-price systems available now seem to be made by Bresser.
I trawled this list's archive for recent mentions of Bresser kit, but
only found references to older USB-connected systems. The new ones all
seem to use 868MHz for communicating with their sensor unit. I did find
one ACCUR8 unit available that uses 433MHz.

My first system was a cheap Fine-Offset-based one, and it worked after a
fashion (and somewhat intermittently) for about three years. I've had
the BloomSky since mid 2019. The main unit hasn't been particularly
troublesome, but I've already had to replace the Storm unit once before
(under guarantee, thankfully), and the replacement now needs replacing.
If they're only going to last a couple of years then they'll work out
mighty expensive in the long run. (Sam Vimes' Boots Theory applies here,
I fear...)

Unless I mount it in a very inaccessible location needing long ladders
etc., (which isn't great for changing batteries and cleaning things) the
sensor unit needs to be wireless.

--
73, Rick, M0LEP

[Graham Eddy]

yes. that’s why you should buy a vantage pro2 (but won’t)

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[Rick M0LEP]

On Tue 23 Nov Graham Eddy wrote:
> yes. that's why you should buy a vantage pro2 (but won't)

Indeed. The Vantage Vue is more affordable, but may be not quite as
reliable or repairiable. Reviews seem a bit mixed.

The least expensive way of getting data out of either the Vue or the Pro
2 these days seems to be another of those Net/Cloud options, the
(relatively new) "WeatherLink Live". I would hope Davis won't put all
their eggs into that basket. They do seem to have dropped a few of the
earlier data-logger options. I assume trying to use a "WeatherLink Live"
to get data into weewx (if it's even supported yet) would be another of
those "use an API and hope the Net is up" situations I've been looking
to avoid.

--
73, Rick, M0LEP

[Devonian]

Rick,

To get data from a VP2, all you need is the VP2 hardware!

weewx is fully capable of getting the data from a VP2 without the need of any additional software or the like.

My offer of a wired VP2 still stands.

Nigel, G4ZAL

[vince]

On Thursday, November 25, 2021 at 4:13:10 AM UTC-8 Rick Hewett wrote:

The Vantage Vue is more affordable, but may be not quite as
reliable or repairiable. Reviews seem a bit mixed.

It's been available for well over a decade with thousands of happy users, so it's certainly not junk.

 

The least expensive way of getting data out of either the Vue or the Pro
2 these days seems to be another of those Net/Cloud options, the
(relatively new) "WeatherLink Live". I would hope Davis won't put all 

their eggs into that basket. They do seem to have dropped a few of the
earlier data-logger options. I assume trying to use a "WeatherLink Live"
to get data into weewx (if it's even supported yet) would be another of
those "use an API and hope the Net is up" situations I've been looking
to avoid.

I have no idea what you're talking about there.   You can still get the USB data logger (amazon link) as low as $130 US although it certainly is ridiculously pricey for what it does.   Go with the USB logger and you don't need anybody's cloud or services, just your weewx computer to hook it to.

A Vue is $285 US at scientificsales, to name one place.   If you're out of the US your price and availability would of course vary.

[Rick M0LEP]

On Thu 25 Nov Devonian wrote:
> To get data from a VP2, all you need is the VP2 hardware!

Including either the serial or the USB datalogger (or some third-party
equivalent), presumably?

> weewx is fully capable of getting the data from a VP2 without the need
> of any additional software or the like.

Yes, the Davis kit has been the gold standard for weather systems
from way back, or it seemed that way when I first investigated wview.

> My offer of a wired VP2 still stands.

Thanks. Unfortunately, at the moment, I can't think of a sane place I
could mount a wired system.

--
73, Rick, M0LEP