Do you want to keep track of your own weather data? Read our Ambient Weather WS-1201-IP review not to feel the buyer’s remorse later.
Do you know what a personal weather station is?
Every day before leaving home for work, I spend some time to choose my outfit as the city I am living in has ever-changing weather. We wake up to a sunny day but in less than an hour, it rains dogs and cats. Unfortunately, the mobile application that I use transmits data from a weather station that is too far from my home. So, its forecast is not so accurate.
A personal weather station is the type of device that helps you learn the weather conditions after placing its sensor in your backyard. It will give you more proper results in weather forecasting.
Why would you need one?
First of all, it is extremely helpful. It has the most detailed information about the current weather. It shows all you need, ranging from humidity level to wind direction and speed.
Secondly, it is a great hobby for adults and kids. It started as a mere curiosity for me but then became a cool hobby for me. I keep track of data and compare it with the data from a year ago. Moreover, it is a great way to teach kids about meteorology. They learn terminology on the display units and even technical parts if they are interested in it. Most semi-professional and professional weather stations have components like an anemometer, pyranometer, barometer, and so forth.
That is why today we are reviewing the Ambient Weather WS-1201-IP weather station.
The Ambient Weather WS-1201-IP
Ambient Weather is one of the most famous brands in the weather station industry. It has many products and I think the WS-1201-IP model is their superstar. It is for professionals or ardent enthusiasts but does not think it is too complicated for beginners. It takes about half an hour to set up all the devices.
The weather station measures many things such as fundamental conditions such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind direction and speed, rainfall, or humidity. Apart from basic ones, it collects information about solar radiation and UV, wind chill, dew point, and heat index.
Its display unit shows relevant graphs visualizing each data and giving a better picture of what is important to look for and what is not.
The buttons on the device are very simple to learn and if you do not have an idea what it is for, I like the instruction guide which explicitly describes the purpose of each button.
So, let’s see what the tablet offers.
The display unit of the Ambient Weather WS-1201-IP
The display unit has all the contents that are important, it shows data from your barometer, rainfall, and the warmth at home and outside through the sensors you locate. On the top-left side, you can see the wind direction, wind speed with a dial.
I think graphics-wise it is quite satisfying.
The tablet also shows the heat index and wind chill. This is important for measuring “Feels Like” temperatures. So, you sound like a real professional when you tell your colleagues “Feels Like” temperatures from your device.
A great thing about Ambient Weather is their compatibility with different networks. The company founded its own “Ambient Weather Network” so that you can monitor your data on your phone, tablet, or computer. You can set e-mail or text alerts for different parameters such as reaching a high or low temperature. These alerts will help you protect your pipes from freezing or your food from spoiling.
The only thing that is a bit annoying is that it was hard for me to connect the IP router to the tablet. This IP router is the component that feeds information to online weather websites.
Pros
- Graphics are soothing to watch.
- Ambient Weather Network makes it all easy and fun.
Cons
- There should be more information about the IP router in their manual.
Technical Details
The part that collects all data is the outside sensor array. It has parts like wind vane and speed cups to measure the wind direction and speed. The next parts are the solar collector and battery department as the device powers up with solar power and in the shortage of sunny days, the battery department takes the shift. Then, a thermo-hygrometer is there to calculate humidity and temperature.
Later on, there is a UV sensor and the solar radiation sensor. These are for measuring the solar light and UV light in your environment. Next to them, there is the rain gauge which is used for computing rainfall levels. It empties itself after it gets full. The last technical part is the bubble level for ensuring that your sensor array is straight.
As an indicator, the outside sensor employs a LED transmitter indicator and reset button.
The energy consumption is minimal if you live in a region that has long sunshine durations. If there are too many days in a row with no sunshine, you had better keep 3 AAA batteries installed at all times in the battery department of your outside sensor array. The indoor remote sensor works with 2 AAA batteries.
When unboxing, I was not expecting a mounting pole as many Ambient Weather products do not include. This mounting pole is not the final solution since it is too short (8-inches), though. So, you should note that you will need to have your own mounting pole or you can order one from Ambient Weather.
Pros
- It uses solar power, which is super eco-friendly.
- It takes an average of thirty minutes to install the sensor array and is very simple to adjust.
Cons
- The rain gauge attracts many birds as it is like a birdbath.
Conclusion
If you are an avid weather hobbyist, the Ambient Weather WS-1201-IP is just for you. You will have almost zero problems in the long term. It is very easy to learn, moderate to master. The historical data it keeps is a great thing as you can compare it with other days. We definitely recommend and endorse this product.
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