Buyers Guides

[00:00:00] A home weather station is a great way to keep track of your backyard weather. Hi, I’m Ed Oswald and you’re listening to the Weather Whys podcast. In this episode, we’re talking about the best home weather stations on the market. If you’ve been thinking about purchasing one, stay tuned.
[00:00:14] Thanks for joining us. This episode is one of a few this season where we’ll veer a bit from the educational side to share with you some of our expertise. As is obvious from the name of our website, The Weather Station Experts, weather stations are our focus.
[00:00:32] We can understand if you’re a little skeptical about trusting a new podcast’s recommendations. However, we’ve been on the web for over three years, and have reviewed nearly a dozen models in that time
[00:00:43] Our reviews are based on real world tests we’ve conducted. We judge all products we review weighted based on what our readers most commonly look for.
[00:00:51] Accuracy and value each account for 25% percent of the score, while durability accounts for 20%. The remaining 30% percent is split evenly between feature set and ease of use.
[00:01:01] A station must not only be accurate but demonstrate value to score high on our metrics. We decided to look at the amount of functionality you get for the price, instead of just the price alone.
[00:01:11] Weather stations are generally expensive, but in some cases to get good accuracy, you’ll need to pay more.
[00:01:17] However , that’s not always the case. We have options on our list for every budget. I recommend you follow along with the show notes, that has a lot more information on all of our picks. Let’s get started.
[00:01:30] We start off our list by revealing a brand new budget pick, the Ambient Weather WS-1965. We just received this station from Ambient Weather this spring, which is a replacement for the WS-1900. The station is basically the same as its predecessor, except now it has internet connectivity.
[00:01:47] While you won’t get the accuracy of other home weather stations, we think it is more than sufficient for most uses. Given our positive experiences with Ambient Weather, we’d recommend the WS-1965 over similar budget stations from AcuRite and La Crosse .
[00:02:01] While it might be aging,we still must include the Davis Vantage Vue in our picks . There’s a simple reason for it. Our Vantage Vue has been continuously operating since September, 2016. That’s nearly eight years. The biggest issue is price, and with the console, it’s now even more expensive.
[00:02:16] But it’s not only the durability that makes the difference, but the Vantage Vue’s accuracy, too.
[00:02:21] After eight years, we’re still not noticing any issues, meaning the sensors within are high quality. It’s also one of the few stations still manufactured in the U. S. At the company’s Hayward, California headquarters.
[00:02:32] At one point, the Ambient Weather WS-5000 was our top pick. However, since its launch several years ago, it has steadily increased in price. The station is still one of the most accurate home weather stations available, and the expandability makes it a better option for serious weather watchers.
[00:02:48] One key feature of the WS-5000 is the sonic anemometer, which is much easier to maintain.
[00:02:54] The reduction of moving parts also means fewer opportunities for something to fail, in theory should make the WS-5000 more durable over time.
[00:03:01] This year we have a tie at the top spot. Two stations stood out above the rest, though.
[00:03:08] The Tempest Weather System has quickly become one of the best selling home weather stations on the market, and for good reason. The station has absolutely no moving parts at all and can be installed in as little as 15 minutes.
[00:03:19] Unique to the Tempest is its haptic rain sensor, which measures rain through sensors located on the top of the device.
[00:03:26] The Tempest can be used to control your smart home devices. The lightning detection is also the best of any home weather station we tested, and even as other stations got dramatically more expensive, the Tempest Weather System has only increased by $10.
[00:03:39] Topping our list is the KestrelMet 6000. While Kestrel is better known for its handheld weather meters, the company last year introduced a fixed home weather station, which we are one of the first to review. Our experience has been nothing but positive, and the accuracy is outstanding.
[00:03:54] Fan aspiration around the temperature and humidity sensors and a large rain gauge with included bird spikes ensure accurate readings. The KestrelMet uses the Ambient Weather Network for connectivity, meaning all the smart home features of those stations are available to KestrelMet 6000 owners.
[00:04:09] We have plenty of links on our show notes for you to read further on today’s topic, but that’s all the time we have for this episode.
[00:04:15] Weather Whys as the production of The Weather Station Experts in the Weather Whys company. Today’s episode was produced by Derek Oswald and myself from our studios here in West Lawn Pennsylvania. If you’d like to learn more about Weather Whys visit our website at Weather Whys that’s w H Y S dot show.
[00:04:32] We’d also love to hear from you. You can email us at [email protected]. On our website, you can listen to this episode or any past episode. Don’t forget to subscribe to Weather Whys wherever you listen to podcasts, you can find those links to apple podcasts, spotify, iHeartRadio, and more on our homepage. That’s all for today. And as always, stay weather-wise.