Daniel C.
The User Manual is excellent! Assembly took maybe 5 minutes. Mounted it temporarily outside while I hooked up to Wifi & Internet. Had a little trouble getting the configuration part of the awnet Console configuration app to run, tried two different Android apps on two different devices - one Lenovo tablet and one Moto smartphone - before the setup would complete - it kept timing out after connecting okay every time. Googled the symptom to find (as almost always) others had been there before me, and answers pointed to trying other devices to run the app. I did! The rest of the setup went well and have used it a couple of days since. One warning ... not sure if I fumble-fingered the setup, or whether it came preconfigured with the (clock) alarm set for 4AM and turned on. Found the page to turn it off, but it sure surprised us! If you're setting one up, look for that "alarm on" bell icon over the time display and either set to wake you at a reasonable time, or turn it off. ;-)
Why buy this one? I have owned an AcuRite weather station for several years. When the humidity sensor failed I went looking for a replacement from them, wanting one that used Wifi to auto record data for review on my smartphone. Came across a large number of disturbing complaints about AcuRite obsoleting services on its products and decided on Ambient Weather. So far, glad I did! I recommend this one.
Brigitte H.
This was a gift for my husband, he is a science geek who loves to track the weather. He's also a service technician for a large soda company and is out in the weather a LOT so he needed something that would not only tell him what the weather was but was able to predict what was coming. He loves it!
He checks it daily and can prepare himself for his day with rain gear or extra clothes if it's supposed to be too warm for long pants. He installed it himself with very little support.
You will have to purchase a mast to put it on and it's very clear where you should put it for accuracy. He brags to his co-workers about it and they now text him to ask if they should bring rain gear. I'm so happy I finally found a gift for him that not only made him happy, it's keeping his interest! Not thrown in a box and forgotten. If you have a spouse or partner that is a little geeky, a little OCD and passionate about science, this is the ticket!
It has a little solar panel that keeps it charged so you don't have to keep replacing batteries and speaking of batteries, they give advice on which batteries to use so I purchased them when I bought the weather center. It was ready to go right out of the box except for the mast. I wanted him to choose the mast since I'm not good with figuring out how high it needed to be and didn't know where it should be mounted. He was happy to do that part. This isn't their most expensive model but it's a very nice mid-line unit. It has a lot of the features of the more expensive models yet it was affordable. You or the recipient will be very happy with this purchase!
Carl S.
I've had experience with 3 weather stations (in the ball park of $100-$150). This one is GREAT! I love it.
The dashboard I have a few complaints, but for the most part I've been happy with it. The wireless capability is absolutely amazing. I'm easily at 500 ft and through the house into the basement and it's still at 2-3 bars.
Wireless WIFI is great too, easy to use.
Really can't say enough about Ambient Weather. They have been doing a remarkable job. I like the web page. Still have not replaced the battery and it's been over a year.
Ben N.
Make sure you install the Ambient weather apps that go with this which are a breeze to get from Apple and Google apps stores. the unit is very easy to connect to the Wi-Fi in your home. The indoor display unit is nicely laid out and the touch button at the bottom are the perfect location and easy to read, check history and change functions. If you're sitting in in a chair and looking at it on the wall it is difficult to see but you have no problem standing up and looking at it.
Constructions are clear and help you assemble the outside sensor with ease.
I only had a day and so far it's matching the temperature zone on the underground weather app.
3/12/21 update
So far it's been working like a dream I've been very happy with it. We had very light rain in my area and I was surprised that it did measure it. Barometric pressure, temperature solar has been close to accurate.
Monique A.
So let's start this out with 5s and see where we go. I picked this one for 3 main reasons. 1. I get the indoor temp on my phone. 2. It had alot of reviews. 3. It was in a price range that seemed good for starting out with pws.
I am a EE and setup was pretty easy. Downloaded App and registered with wu. Pretty neat to see my areas weather stations. Cable hanging outside of the display was a little annoying but its got batteries too.
Touching Display: Does a little weird screen movement when I touch the display. Setting up the display was a little difficult with all the buttons. It looks a little cluttered.
Building the PWS:
Everything was pretty easy. I missed the part where you have to line up the arrow for the wind direction. The rain guage was hard to understand how to screw it in. It might of been useful to watch a YouTube video but I didn't have to much issues. 10-15mins.
Steve L.
Pro: Setup is a snap. I ordered the installation stand separately (it was recommended by Amazon on check out) otherwise it would've been a trip to the hardware store to buy the necessary fittings required to mount the sensor device. The stand I purchased isn't overly tall (maybe 20 inches) so you need to give some consideration as to where you want to install the outside senor array. There are suggestions on things to avoid in the installation documentation that will help with this.
CON: Not really a con but I'll mention this anyway. Being new to this sort of measuring device and the world of PWS's in general, I was unaware of the various websites that allow you to broadcast your weather information. There's Weather Underground, Ambient Weather and Weather Cloud. All require you to create an account and then map your device via the internet to their website by means of a device ID and KEY. This process is a little confusing and a bit niggly but I managed to get through it. Now my data is available for all to see, along with loads of other people's data as well; who knew! That said, I like the Ambient Weather website as it will keep an on-going log of all your data so you can review changes over time. Very simple to use. Yes, I would recommend this device to anyone interested in measuring their local weather!
Katie B.
I've always wanted a weather monitor. Always wondered, "how strong was that gust?" or "how much rain has fallen?" I finally got one. Love it. Tells me everything I want to know. The hardest part is getting the system online. The instruction manual is great, up to the point where they start talking about getting the station connected to Weather Underground and other online weather services. That part of the manual needs to be rewritten. Trying to figure out whose issue is the problem, the unit, or the reporting service was a headache. But eventually I got it all working with the online community, and now I can see my station from wherever I am. And get forecasts from Weather Underground. The other difficult thing is finding a proper spot to place the sensor array. Especially if you want to mount it to a structure. The spot you want to place it may not give you the most accurate reading. I've found that if I want the best wind measurement I should probably mount the sensor array on a pole in the middle of my yard where the wind isn't attenuated by trees. But that's pretty typical. The display shows time, date, inside temp & humidity, outside temp & humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, rainfall totals, UV index, and solar radiation, as well as moon phase. The app is pretty slick. You can see all that info on your phone. I like it.
Philippe U.
I don't write many reviews except when I differ greatly with negative comments with which I disagree after having experienced a product. This is the case with the Ambient WS 2902B which I just received two days ago. Setup was a breeze (I read the instructions through twice before proceeding) and so far I could not be happier. I f anything changes I will update my review. I read quite a few reviews that stated the console was very hard to view from an angle. As I write this I am sitting at approximately a 45 degree angle from the console screen and it is very clear and I can read all the parameters with no problem (the brightness is on high) from roughly 15 feet away. I am not using the fold out legs on the console, but the included desk stand... it makes quite a difference.
The only problem I am experiencing is connecting to Weather Underground. I believe it is a problem on their end and has nothing to do with the Ambient Weather Station. I connected to Ambientweather.net with no problem and started receiving data immediately and I love the mobile App which gives me all the weather data I could want right on my phone wherever I am.
If you want a great PWS at a very reasonable price, grab yourself an Ambient WS, You'll be happy you did; I know I am!
Matthew T.
The box was sturdy and well-packed; the base unit and attachments were nicely protected. The instruction manual was a bit overwhelming at first but I was able to ascertain what I needed. The display is bright, but it's best viewed straight-on, as opposed to an angle. That didn't bother me, as I'd known to expect that from reading a ton of reviews.
Pairing the display with the unit was easy, as was getting the display connected to my router. What was more of a challenge was getting my weather display connected to Ambient Weather's network, as well as Weather Underground. Fortunately, I came across the AW facebook group and was able to find someone who provided terrific tech support. He noticed typos in the MAC address and station IDs, and was able to get my device connected to AW and WU, Thanks again, Ed!
I LOVE the Ambient Weather web interface. My dashboard displays a wealth of information and I know as the months go by I will totally be able to geek out.
This is my third weather station. My previous units were very basic - an Oregon Scientific BAR218HG which only provided temp data, and a Lacrosse Technology C83100 from Costco (major disappointment - precip sensor failed after one year). I'll hopefully post updates with more good news in the future :)
Bill M.
This unit replaced an Accurite 5-in-1 weather station which failed, started eating batteries, and had wacky outdoor temperature and humidity readings.
This unit seems great. I mounted the head (osprey?) on top of the same electrical conduit pole I was using for the Accurite head. The pole is 1" galvanized electrical conduit. Note: I grounded the conduit to a copper rod pounded into the ground in case of a lightning strike.
The head transmits well into my house - maybe a distance of 40' through an exterior wall. I get the feeling it could transmit much further since I have noticed no data drops or issues of any kind.
The indoor unit is easy to read, and the colors make it easy to distinguish the indoor from outdoor readings. I can read everything except the windspeed/direction from across the room. I need to be within about 5' of the unit to read that.
However, this is not a problem since I really like the unit's ability to publish the data on the Internet. I have my Ambient Weather site setup, and can check the current readings and graphs of readings over time via my smartphone or tablet.
I recommend this unit.
Parson W.
I was skeptical of this being any good but I totally love it.
I purchased it in July of 2020 after delaying purchasing because I could not decide which weather station to buy. I had 3 much more expensive weather stations ($700 each) that I bought, set up and maintained at work ( I worked for an electric utility ) for about a decade. This Ambient Weather Station has the same features for much less.
It was easy to set up and has worked without any problems. I would highly recommend this to a friend.
Peter A.
I bought this to replace a 5-in-1 Acurite. It looks to be solid and well-made. Setup was easy, and I mounted the Osprey in place of the Acurite on the next day. One of the problems with the old system(besides the higher temperature readings) was false rainfall readings during 40+ MPH wind gusts. It was mounted on a 10' piece of 1" EMT that sticks up 6' above the highest support. There is a High Wind Warning in effect today, and a few hours earlier this afternoon a gust had sent a loose chair skidding across the deck and into the side of the house- When I went outside to check for other loose items on the deck I noticed the pole was shaking a little during gusts, but so far the rainfall still shows as "0."
The Osprey display console is of good quality, but I wish it were larger- Wind Speed is as important to me as temperature, and I can't read it from across the room like the Acurite because the numbers are 1/2 the size of the temperature displays. Other than that it's well-designed, I'm still getting used to having all the extra features that weren't available with the 5-in-1. Also I was glad to see that wind direction and wind gusts are recorded on the dashboard webpage.
Connecting to Weathercloud was easy; I had been connected to WU with the Acurite but the main reason for buying the Osprey was so that I could move to another service. Weathercloud isn't as nice as WU, but they are in the process of adding features such as webcam support while WU seems to be scaling back, and since the redesign their new webpage has been of little use to me. Hopefully more websites will be supported for uploading data in the future; if not, some Osprey users have been able to feed to a meteobridge using an ObserverIP module.
Overall, I'm happy with this system; I don't think you could find a comparable weather station for the same price.
Carl V.
I really enjoy having this weather station set up at my home.
It's very easy to install. Find an appropriate location and install a pole for mounting the sensor array. Setting up the system with my network was also easy. Just follow the instructions.
I haven't had any problems with the station or the connection in over a month of operation. So far it's been flawless. Set-up with some online services was a bit touch-and-go (WU...) but that's not the fault of the AW weather station. We live on a creek and it rains a lot here in the winter so the rain gauge has been really valuable. I like being able to see exactly how much rain has fallen and watch the corresponding rise in the creek water level.
The main display is easy to read and use. It has color-coded sections for the various types of displayed information. It also includes a handy stand to keep it upright and easily readable.
We live in a rural area and there really isn't a "real" weather station nearby to get accurate information from so I'm very happy with this purchase. It's worked quite well so far and I'm very happy with it.
Mike K.
I have not really exhausted the capabilities of this station as I really wanted to have it for temperature and weather prediction, but I have found myself looking at the readings for the rain gauge and the wind speed and direction. The screen is colorful as well as crisp and clear, and easy to read, and I find myself looking at if often. Putting it together was straight forward and easy .
I was surprised to find that it installs on a pole, which I neither have nor want. I have a wood fence, and after haunting the plumbing department at Lowe's, I found a good combination of plastic pipe and other pieces to attach to the weather station. I was able to use a flag pole attachment kit and secured it to the fence, and attached the weather station assembly to that.
It works great. When I powered up the station’s screen it immediately ‘found’ the weather station and within minutes was reporting readings to the screen. The rest of the setup of the screen was simple and took only minutes. I have convinced myself that is a sort of practical tool to have but actually it’s a fun thing to have, and an incentive to learn more about weather.
Laurrin R.
Set this up Saturday after a long wait to it to come back into stock. I absolutely love it. I had purchased another weather station from Ambient Weather about 15 years ago that is still working. They gave me wonderful customer support with the first unit. I wanted to upgrade to one that was wireless and easily connects to the internet. I called Ambient Weather and they recommended this unit but I had to wait for it to come into stock. It is PERFECT for my needs. I am very happy with it! THANKS for your advice on this unit and your awesome customer support in the past.
Hamel W.
I spent considerable time researching products before making this purchase. I could spend more money for better accuracy. I could spend more money for a unit that separated the wind speed from the rain meter to better locate each one. I could spend more money for a unit with a better display. So why didn't I and what are the results?
Accuracy: I wanted a unit that would match other weather data in my vicinity. This unit does just fine in that regard. The only way I would know if readings were off a little is if I had an expensive unit next to this one to compare. Accuracy is plenty good enough for a non-enthusiast like me.
Wind and rain in one unit: This is an accuracy issue. I understand that more accurate wind speed readings require the sensor to be much higher. I have found no difference in the wind readings from my unit and other stations in my area. Wind speed reads plenty accurate for me.
Display:
There are complaints in reviews of the readability of the display. The display does quickly fade if you raise the display above you. It fades less if lower the display. It fades left to right only at extreme angles. I keep mine on a bar cabinet that is 3 feet high. In this location, the display is highly readable everywhere in the room. Given all of the complaining in some of the reviews I expected the display to present some problems. There are NO issues with the readability of the display in my setting.
Weather Station: The unit comes almost completely assembled. All that you need to do is install batteries, twist in the rain collector and install the wind meter and wind direction arrow. All of these tasks only took a few minutes. Then just attach to your post and tighten the 4 nuts on the 2 u-clamps. Another 5 minutes and my weather station was up and running.
Setup online was easy, just follow the prompts in the app. I was also easily able to set it up as a Weather underground Personal Weather Station so I can see my data on their site along with getting the details on the Ambient app.
Overall I am very happy with the purchase. NO complaints yet.
Allen G.
So our Acurite 5 in 1 weather station was destroyed by a hail storm this summer. So I went shopping for a new weather station. We've only had this for a few days but here is why I'm glad we made the switch.
More accurate temp in direct sunlight- this station has a much better radiation shield from the sun and gives more accurate readings especially when I compare it to its more expensive weather station peers in the neighborhood. The Acurite was usually 3-5 degrees hotter in the direct sunlight
Rapid fire reporting- reports to weather underground every 14 seconds vs once every 15 minutes with the Acurite
More features- also measures UV levels, peak wind gusts, and light levels - also not available on 5 in 1 I had
Easier base station- the display screen is also the connection to the internet wifi in your home so don't need a separate internet bridge. Only drawback is that it needs to be plugged in to push to the internet. But sensor alone operate on batteries no problem.
Easier setup- through their app I found the setup to be much easier and quicker
Wind Direction more accurate- the wind vane has a little more friction than the Acurite- so get more accurate readings like some of the more expensive Davis ones on the market
Adjustable mount- can mount this to a variety of different size poles through adjusting
Support- Ambient Weather support has been really helpful with any of the questions I've had, and very quick to reply.
Overall very happy with this so far!
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