Today is Part 2 of my Summer Gadget Video Blog series (taped previously), reviewing weather-related "IP Devices." Today, we look at the WeatherLinkIP, a dongle from Davis that connects to your Vantage Pro electronic weather station console on one end, and plugs into your LAN on the other, via an ethernet cord. This allows you to upload your weather data from the station to the Internet, without having to maintain (and keep running 24/7) a second computer and software. The WeatherLinkIP uploads current-only data to the WeatherLink website (see example of data from AccuWeather) once per minute, and uploads to other weather servers such as CWOP every 15 minutes (where the data is archived and graphed).

http://wwwa.accuweather.com/video/video_inline_launchV3.asp?video=http://qt.accuweather.com/flashvideo/vblog_ferrell/jf-080705-gadget-3dw&category=&thumb=http://qt.accuweather.com/flashvideo/vblog_ferrell/jf-080705-gadget-3dw.jpg&hd=true

UPDATED INFO: The device retails for $300 but Davis has a killer rebate deal that cuts the price in half, if you are replacing an existing WeatherLink device that connected your station to a computer. And here's the best part (something I didn't realize at the time of the video review): You don't have to give up the real-time graphing ability that you might have had with your previous computer/software solution. The latest version of WeatherLink (which can be downloaded from their website as an update) can "sniff out" your WeatherLinkIP device on your network and download data from it, as frequently as once per minute.

This is a huge advantage compared to the Hautespot device I reviewed yesterday, though the obvious difference between the two is that Hautespot does WiFi, and the WeatherLinkIP has to be connected to your router with an ethernet cable. One other advantage the WeatherLinkIP has is that it transmits better wind gust data to the websites (and WeatherLink software). After a big storm, I had the same wind gust on my WeatherLink page (and software) as I did on the console. The Hautespot reported a much lower wind gust (because it's picking up obs every few minutes and not requesting maximum gust data). As mentioned yesterday, both of these devices have trouble uploading rainfall data to CWOP, and I am investigating what a fix might be to that problem.

This is the solution I have chosen for the AccuWeather weather station (see obs here). I had struggled with the "Vantage Pro USB disconnect" problem for years, and had issues with keeping the spare computer powered 24/7, along with issues like locating the console and computer close to an Ethernet port. All this added up to a big problem when a local newspaper client requested daily rainfall readings. But the WeatherLinkIP presents a much more reliable and easier-to-use solution.

I also recommended this solution to Joe Bastardi when I recently installed a brand new station at his house. That was almost a month ago now, and the station has never stopped uploading (see obs here - if you've ever had an electronic weather station trying to upload data to the Internet, you'll know this is an unheard of "up time"). I have had a couple issues with the AccuWeather station stopping transmitting (although the green light on the device is still blinking) after power outages. I suspect this has less to do with the device and more to do with the way AccuWeather's network resets after a power interruption. In any case, rebooting the VantagePro2 solves the issue.

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