These days, you don’t need to listen to weather forecasters’ messages or look up a forecast online in order to find out the weather. When you purchase a wireless home weather station, you can use it to independently regulate the temperature outside your house, the temperature inside the room, and the humidity level. You can also use the built-in barometer to receive data about changes in atmospheric pressure.
A wireless weather station: What is it?
A wireless weather station is a climate control device made up of the following components:
- A tabletop or wall-mounted receiver with an LCD display showing the current weather along with a 12- to 36-hour forecast. The display may also show the date and time, the moon phase, wind direction and speed, daily precipitation, and much more, depending on the model. The display can be backlit, color or monochrome, and it can change animated pictures to show the forecast. The receiving display can run on 220V mains, AAA or AA batteries, or an ACB.
- Depending on the model, a wireless transmitter can operate between three and one hundred meters away from the receiver. Temperature readings are typically shown on the screen that a wireless sensor has on it.
- Batteries (in devices in the economy class) or rechargeable batteries (in devices in the middle class and premium class) can power the weather station’s sensor. A battery charger is also included with the weather station if it has a rechargeable battery. Every transmitter must have a mount in order to be mounted outside of the room.
- The weather station comes with a software disk if it can be connected to a computer.
The quantity of wireless sensors that climate control devices have installed can vary depending on the model. One wireless sensor is all that is needed for low-cost devices; five wireless sensors can be found in high-end, highly functional devices.
Operating principle of the weather station
Examine how a low-cost home weather station equipped with a wireless remote sensor functions. Such a device measures the following four primary parameters: barometric pressure, temperature of the outside air, temperature of the inside air, and humidity of the inside air.
- Within the receiver housing is a highly sensitive thermo-hygrosensor that measures the indoor air temperature and humidity.
- A wireless temperature sensor measures the air temperature. Depending on the model, it sends data to the weather station receiver via radio or Wi-Fi at intervals of five seconds to five minutes.
- A built-in electronic barometer is used to measure atmospheric pressure. Measurements of pressure can be made in millimeters of mercury column, kPa, or kg/cm2 for user convenience. The user has the ability to alter both the correction factor and the units of measurement.
The device generates a short-term weather forecast, which is shown on the display as weather symbols, based on the measurements taken and information on changes in the weather over a specific time period.
Principal purposes of weather stations that use an external sensor
Depending on the model and quantity of sensors, a home weather station with wireless sensors may be able to do the following:
- Taking both indoor and outdoor temperature readings. Degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit are two possible units of measurement.
- Measurement of air mass humidity. Different manufacturers’ units might use a remote or built-in hygrometer sensor.
- Information about the total amount of precipitation over a specific time frame. These kinds of functions typically indicate high-end devices.
- Wind direction and speed. The following are possible measurement units: m/sec, miles/h, km/h, and knots.
- Short-range climate prediction.
- A diagram illustrating the temperature and humidity values over a specific time period.
- Note the humidity and temperature at both the maximum and lowest levels.
- A calendar, date, and alarm clock.
- Indicators of battery and power drain.
The features that are offered in mid-range and premium wireless home weather stations are by no means all included in this list. As you can see, these kinds of devices have “at least enough” advantages. However, they also have drawbacks, the primary ones of which are:
- Disparities between manufactured and reference measurements. Put differently, the readings are not the most accurate. The tendency of temperature, humidity, and pressure to rise or fall is more significant to most of us than accuracy to the tenth of a degree.
- In extremely cold temperatures, there is a sharp drop in current in the street sensors’ power supply components. This is a prevalent “disease” linked to the quirks of accumulators and batteries. The device’s battery compartment needs to be insulated in order to resolve the issue.
Conclusion
When selecting a wireless home weather station, make sure to purchase a device from reputable manufacturers that offers only the features you require. Most often, well-known businesses have service centers in nearly all of the nation’s largest cities. It should be known that the extensive functionality of your weather station will boost your confidence considerably, but it will cost you a considerable amount of money.