Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Two-Year Update: I thought I would put this short update at the top, rather than the below my other updates. So after 2 years, the weather station is functioning as it did on Day 1. I still have the same lithium ion AA batteries that I started out with and can easily go another year, maybe more. I finally hooked the console up to a small UPS battery backup, so that the unit is functional in power outages - no batteries in the console is my only complaint. I spent a lot of time hemming and hawing between purchasing the WS-2000 and the Vantage Pro. The excellent reviews for the WS-2000 are accurate. I was up and running and reporting on line in less than 24 hours. I knew I would prefer the WS-2000 over the WS-2902a for the display alone. I typically view the display from an angle. And the display is beautiful and functional. There are several incorrect comparisons out there between the 2000 and 2902a. Here's the comparison directly from the manufacturer. The WS-2000 is a newer model but shares the same sensor array as the WS-2902A. The WS-2000 supports up to 8 additional thermo-hygrometers: The WS-2000 has a separate indoor thermo-hygrometer-barometer. The WS-2902A contains these sensors inside the console. The WS-2000 has a nicer display console (TFT) vs. the WS-2902 (Color Film LCD), which has a limited viewing angle. The WS-2000 is easier to set up with WiFi and the Internet, because the settings are entered on the console and not from an app. Both weather stations support WiFi and Internet cloud services, including AmbientWeather.net. I installed my sensor array on a fence post using an old satellite dish mounting bracket which worked perfectly. I carefully sprayed the unit with silicon and will be putting in lithium batteries. I know that the wind and rain instrumentation will freeze up in the winter, but that is also the case for more expensive stations. The design of this sensor array will help to minimize snow buildup as there is less surface area than on some other units. IMHO the anemometer seems to be reading on the low side, but I don't have anything scientific to base this on, but hope to check it at some point. The wind speed sensor will only read to 100 mph maximum, which is a little disappointing but I don't expect to ever see a reading at my location that high. No problem with 100 feet of transmission distance between the sensor array and the display, passing through a window. You can log past weather data if you purchase and install an SD card in the display. The display is not battery powered, so if you lose power, you will not log data unless you have a backup power source in place. Customer service is prompt and exceptional. Thank you Ambient Weather for setting the standard on this. If you purchase through Amazon you can take advantage of 4 years insurance for 12 bucks. Of course, time will tell on overall quality, so it was helpful to read product reviews of the 2902a, which predates the 2000 but has the same sensor array. Update after first week: I checked outdoor temperature with a calibrated red spirit thermometer (calibrated in an ice bath) and found my station to be reading a degree or so low, so I adjusted it. I thought that the relative barometric pressure would automatically be adjusted for altitude, but that is not the case. I had to go to an official weather reporting station or two to get a current reading of relative pressure and adjust my station accordingly. So if you set your station for relative barometric pressure and you are not at sea level, then you are not reading/reporting relative barometric pressure. It seems like calibration is downplayed for us amateurs in the instructions. Yes it's there buried in the instructions, but a lot of people probably miss it. Update after two months: Everything still working fine. Living in northern Vermont, I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it has been to brush off snow and keep all sensors functioning during the winter (except obviously for rainfall). I have lost communication between the sensor array and display console a few times, but it is probably because I don't have a completely clear line of sight between the two, and will probably move the sensor array to another fence post in the spring. My only two disappointments are that the console display has no battery backup (no power, no data) and there is no feasible way to be part of the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP). Six Month Update: I moved my indoor display to a better line of sight location and never lose a signal now. I made my first firmware update and now realize that I have to go to the Ambient Weather web site to check for these updates. The weather forecasting icon is mediocre. It's snowing outside and it's telling me sunny skies. Whereas my inexpensive LaCrosse sensor (many years old) is much more accurate at forecasts. Ten Month Update: Humming along just fine. No issues with display, sensors, loss of signal, or batteries. I might consider a battery backup to the display given the number of extended power outages when data is lost. Recently lost power one evening and the console carried over that day's rainfall to the next 24-hour period as well, which was inaccurate. One Year Update: I continue to enjoy this weather station and all the information displayed on the console. Yes, you have to be in close proximity to see it all, but that's to be expected. It continues to be reliable with no signal loss. I will eventually get that backup power supply for the console to compensate for the lack of batteries. In a recent heavy rain event, the unit exaggerated rainfall totals significantly compared to a manual rain gauge less than 50 feet away. Not sure what that was all about - in lighter rain events it is spot on to the manual rain gauge. Lithium ion batteries are still good after a year and should easily get another year out of them. Year and a Half Update: Everything still functioning as on day 1. I still have the original lithium battery in the unit. On a warm, sunny summer day, the temperature can read 6 or so degrees higher than a thermometer in the shade on the north side of the house. I have never seen a bird perched on the weather station, a concern I originally had. The anemometer is enough to keep them away.