The weather affects different aspects of a person’s life like the clothes, accessories they plan to wear, their daily routine including shopping, travel and other plans. For example, it is difficult to go shopping during heavy rainfall, snowfall or stormy weather. Hence many people are interested in finding a suitable weather station for their home. There are a large number of weather stations which are available which vary in terms of features, price and brand. People who are looking for the best home weather station should evaluate the different features of the different weather stations which are available online and offline before taking a decision.
One of the most important features of the weather station which has to be considered is the number of weather parameters which can be read. A basic entry level weather station for homes should provide information on the following weather parameters like temperature, humidity levels, atmospheric pressure, rainfall, wind speed and direction. There should be a provision for storing this information in the weather station, so that the user can detect the trends in the various weather parameters and take a decision accordingly. If information on more parameters is required, the weather station will cost more.
The design of the weather station should also be considered. Usually the weather station will have an integrated sensor assembly with the various temperature, humidity, pressure sensors, a gauge for measuring rainfall , wind vane and wind cups to measure speed, direction of the wind. This sensor assembly is usually weatherproof so it does not get corroded when exposed to hostile weather conditions. The sensor assembly of the weather station is connected to the display console using a low power wireless link. The console is kept indoors and should be within a distance of 300 m of the sensor assembly for reliable data transfer.
The console should have a backlit LCD display with all the weather parameters being displayed in digital format. The keypad should glow in the dark, so that it can be used in the early morning or evening if required. Each weather parameter is shown in a specific area of the display for greater clarity. It should be possible to compare the high and low values of the parameters for the day and also trend data should be provided. There should be a provision for setting alarms when the weather parameters are exceeding specific values. Forecast features and graphical displays will also be helpful.
Many people wish to log all the weather data in their computer or other storage device for reference at a later date. There are others who require the weather parameters data for their weather website. Hence the home weather station should have a provision for logging the weather data. The user should be able to choose between wireless and USB connection for transferring the data being logged. Most home users are having a limited budget, so the price is also a major consideration while choosing a suitable weather station for their homes. Based on the various features which are discussed above the Davis Vantage Vue is one of the best weather stations for home use.