WS-1200-IP

Very nice unit. From box to posting data on WU took less than an hour. This replaced a failing Costco (La Crosse) C86234 when I finally grew tired of continually fixing the intermittent battery connection issue inside the Anemometer. Installation instructions were simple and easy to follow and updates to Weather underground occurred within seconds after setting my station info. Pros; Simple assembly, really really nice (color and easy to see!) indoor display panel and effortless setup. The unit was well packaged and other than needing two AAA batteries to power the indoor sensor, came with all necessary hardware and doodads for installation. Cons: "So far" the barometer offset is not high enough to allow accurate readings for the station due to my altitude. I've only had the station online for an hour so maybe I'm missing something simple, but I have both absolute and relative adjustments maxed out at +.88 offset and it's still reporting a lower barometric pressure than my other Wx station (Davis Vantage pro 2) located less than 2 miles away. Forum support is minimal due to the newness of the unit but hey, for way less $ than a VP2 + datalogger + dedicated computer online 24-7, I'm online and updating data every 5 seconds with no fuss or worry. Be aware that this unit will not upload to any other Wx networks other than Weather underground and will not log data to a local machine on your LAN. You can D/L archived data from the console by using a memory card but I'm ok with letting Weather Underground host my past data for future review. I'm very impressed so far. Being that I've owned and used 2 Vantage Pro's, an Oregon Scientific 968 and 2 C86234 Wx stations to post data to Weather Underground over the years from 4 different physical locations. This unit by far has been the easiest to setup and for the money is an nice deal since you won't need a dedicated computer to post data to the net. If you want to see the results, my station is located at http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KCAPARAD24 My VP 2 online is currently posting at http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KCAPARAD2 I'll update this review with any changes in my opinion but as of right now, I'm really happy with my purchase. ***UPDATE 10-17-14 Flashed the ObserverIP unit with the 1.05 firmware and am now able to calibrate the barometer as needed due to my altitude. Updates to WU have been rock solid. So far... so happy. (did I mention the display console is filled with awesome?) =) ***UPDATE 10-28-14 After going through the first two measurable rainstorms I'm liking the unit even more. Rain rates reported during actual precipitation events are higher and quicker to change than my VP2 unit but the end rainfall totals are inline with with other nearby reporting stations. I'm wondering if the 'bucket-tips' inside the unit are sampled more frequently? Had initial issues with a WS-1400IP unit I also bought (and reviewed) from Amazon but a firmware flash to the ObserverIP unit has seemed to fix it as of tonight. Would recommend anyone that buys a WS-XXXXIP system immediately update it to the latest firmware upon setup. I've purchased a second WS-1200IP unit as well and will be installing it this week. Still think these stations are a great deal for those who do not want to spend a fortune on monitoring local weather. ***UPDATE 10-30-14 Second WS-1200IP is now online replacing a another C86234 unit which suffered the same anemometer fail ages ago. I flashed the ObserverIP unit with V1.08 before setting anything up... took maybe 30 minutes from box to data uploads. One trick I've learned is that when you first connect to the ObserverIP unit using the Windows IP Tool software, it sometimes stalls and sits there doing nothing even though you can see it. If you can't connect or flash to the latest firmware, cancel the attempted update and depress the reset button with a paperclip on the back. Each time after the unit reboots I have successfully logged in and then upgraded the firmware. Not sure whats causing this but this was the second of my three machines that needed these steps to work. After the flash, all of the units responded as expected and you can tweak the settings and set your WU site identifier and password. Latest unit can be found here: http://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=KCAPARAD27 One more thing I'm thrilled with is this third unit is working at a much greater 'distance apart' from my first two. Instrument cluster is 150' from the ObserverIP unit and the indoor display is another 75' past that.

Overall impression: This system is very, very straightforward to set up and get working. In fact, I simply inerted the batteries into and mounted the sensor array, inserted the batteries in the indoor sensor, and connected power for the display. Within a minute or two, everything had linked up and was working fine. I don't see how it could be more simple. Setting up the OBSERVERIP (module for IP connectivity) was also very straightforward, although slightly more complicated than the other components. I connected the power and connected the included Ethernet cable to my router. In short order it was receiving data from all of the other components. I found the DHCP assigned IP address using a tool from the Ambient Weather website, and upgraded the firmware to 1.08 - this was the most complicated part of the entire setup. The instructions are fairly well-written, and easy to follow. I prefer the online .pdf version as the printed version is a bit small for my aging eyes. The online .pdf file is available on the Ambient Weather website. I referenced the instructions two times - once to configure the settings/variables for the display, and once to set up the OBSERVERIP. Effort involved: I already had the pole in the ground - a repurposed exisiting adjustable pole that just happened to be in the best possible location for a sensor array. And, fortunately for me, the pole was the perfect diameter to accept the included swedged pole mount. There are a lot of different methods by which the sensor array could be mounted. The other components require virtually no effort at all, except for installing batteries or plugging in power and Ethernet cables. Approximate time involved: Inserting batteries into sensor array - 2 minutes Mounting the sensor array - 6 minutes Leveling and orienting the sensor array with compass - 5 minutes Inserting batteries in indoor unit - 1 minute Plugging in and configuring the display - 7 minutes Plugging in and connecting the OBSERVERIP - 8 minutes Setting up an account on Weather Underground - 4 minutes Upgrading OBSERVERIP firmware - 4 minutes (this proccess took longer but I left it running and came back after supper) Total time to have system up and running and publishing data to Weather Underground (again, not counting preparing a mount for the sensor array - this could vary tremendously depending on your situation) - 37 minutes. Note: When I first received this unit, the display would not work at all. Ambient Weather (Ed) was very responsive and apologetic about the situation. They shipped out a replacement display within a couple of business days, and I received it after a couple more. In conclusion: I don't know how setting up this system could be much more user-friendly. The only thing I can think of is if the firmware updates for the IPOBSERVER were automated (like my Netgear router and ROKU devices). I really like the features and functionality. And I am satisfied with the response and support of Ambient Weather. UPDATE (02/11/2015): I've been using this weather station for more than 90 days now, and it has been absolutely trouble-free. Our entire family, and our neighbors, are now addicted to having accurate weather data from this product! Again, my only regret is not purchasing one of these sooner than I did. I will come back after the 1 year point and provide another update. UPDATE (06/09/2016): Well, I've been enjoying this system for more than a year and a half now. The only issue I've encountered was regarding the console display - an issue related to early production models which was remedied in later models - and was corrected by Ambient Weather's very good and thorough customer service. I've recommended this system to many others, and will continue to do so. I don't think any other branded system compares equally in this price range.

This is very reliable, but I wish it was easier to gather information locally, and easier to update firmware. Connection with the Weather Underground is almost flawless, but I'd also like to be able to capture some of the data myself. As an example solar output in watts per square meter is reported by this device, but I can't find a method to get the Weather Underground to create a weekly or monthly average of solar power produced per day by this unit. Operation and installation was easy. I used a GPS compass on my smart phone. It's nice to see the minor temperature and weather condition variations across my community.

Haven't had it that long but it seems to be working as described.