When choosing a weather station, there’s a lot of extensive research to dive into. The truth is that the world of weather stations can fele overwhelming. What is the best weather station for your value and money?
There are three professional grade weather stations to consider when it comes to value: the KestrelMet 6000, Ambient Weather WS-5000, and Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 each offer unique features and capabilities.
If you are on the fennce about the best weather station to choose, consider the following.
Ambient Weather WS-5000
The Ambient Weather WS-5000 Ultrasonic Smart Weather Station is a highly sophisticated system for home and light industrial use. It features an ultrasonic anemometer for improved wind speed and direction sensing, offering faster transmission than traditional designs and no moving parts to wear out.
Colorful Display and Data Handling
The system includes a TFT Full Color LCD Display that is both freestanding and wall-mountable. It provides various measurements and calculated data like ‘Feels Like’ temperature, dew point, wind gust, average wind speed and direction, sunrise and sunset times, moon phase, and forecast. The display also shows minimum and maximum conditions with timestamps and allows for data export to an SD Card for advanced analysis.
Impressive Sensor Array
The WS-5000 boasts a wireless ultrasonic sensor array with features like a pagoda thermo-hygrometer radiation shield for accuracy, a bubble level for correct installation, and a solar panel. It offers RF connectivity up to 1000 feet in open air (300 feet under most conditions).
Extra Large Rain Cup for Rain Measurement
An extra-large rain cup enhances accuracy in rainfall measurement. Its wireless nature allows for placement close to the ground for precise readings, and it includes a removable lid for easy maintenance.
Smart Home Integration
The WS-5000 is ready for smart home integration, with features that allow setting up alerts, accessing data remotely, and programming home conditions based on weather. It’s compatible with IFTT, Google Home, Alexa, and connects to the Ambient Weather Network for data sharing and community engagement.
Optional Sensors
Additional sensors supported by the system include indoor-outdoor thermo-hygrometers, water-proof probes, soil moisture sensors, air quality sensors, lightning detectors, and leak detectors, offering a wide range of environmental monitoring capabilities.
Looking for the Best Value and Accuracy? Consider KestrelMet 6000
KestrelMet 6000 stands out as a highly reliable and cost-effective all-in-one weather station. Its versatility applies to a huge range of industries and uses, including residential, commercial, agricultural, and research purposes. This weather station comes pre-assembled, allowing for quick and easy installation, typically under 20 minutes.
Customer-Favorite Features
The KestrelMet 6000 makes weather monitoring easy with plenty of tracking capabilities. Advanced sensors monitor and measure wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, and rainfall.
Better yet, KestrelMet 6000 comes pre-configured, ensuring a straightforward installation process. The weather station offers the choice between Wi-Fi and cellular data transmission.
What Makes Kestrel so Accurate?
A key feature of the KestrelMet 6000 is its 24-hour aspirated fan, which significantly improves the accuracy of measurements. This fan maintains constant air movement over the temperature and humidity sensors, minimizing errors caused by solar radiation.
Always Connected with Easy Data Sharing
Imagine easily sending current weather data to the cloud via Wi-Fi or cellular communication. With a wi-fi range of up to 1000 feet, KestrelMet 6000 brings this option right to your fingertips. You can easily access your weather data remotely via a computer, tablet, or mobile device through the Ambient Weather Network. Consider joining Weather Underground to meet weather enthusiasm just like you!
Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2
In addition to Ambient WS-5000, another option to consider is the Davis Instrumemnts Vantage Pro2. This is a professional-grade weather station designed for durability and precision. Suitable for both professionals and novices, it comes with many sensor options. It’s capable of monitoring the harshest environments and delivering data with scientific precision.
Key Features and Measurements
- Sensors: Includes an anemometer, rain collector, temperature and humidity sensors, solar radiation, and UV sensor.
- Radiation Shield: Offers options like standard, daytime fan-aspirated, and 24-hour fan-aspirated shields to protect sensors from solar radiation and enhance temperature accuracy.
- Anemometers: The station offers a choice between the iconic Davis anemometer, known for its robustness and precision, and a sonic anemometer that uses sonic pulses to detect air movement without the need for moving parts.
Data Accuracy and Update Frequency
- Real-Time Updates: Updates weather data much faster than competitors, providing near real-time information on wind, temperature, and rain. This feature is crucial for monitoring quickly-changing weather conditions.
- Record-Setting Performance: In 2017, the Vantage Pro2 survived Hurricane Irma and reported the highest wind speed ever recorded by a personal weather station on the Weather Underground network.
Which Weather Station is Right for You?
Still not sure about the best choice for a new weather station? Let’s do a quick re-cap:
- KestrelMet 6000 stands out for its quick setup, accuracy-enhancing features like an intuitive installation setup and ease of cloud connectivity. It’s also one of the most accurate weather stations on the market that is cost effective.
- The Ambient Weather WS-5000 is notable for its smart home integration and a wide range of optional sensors.
- Vantage Pro2 from Davis Instruments excels with its professional-grade robustness and high precision.
If you value a balance between user-friendly installation, reliable accuracy, and comprehensive cloud data access, the KestrelMet 6000 is an ideal choice!