3 ms·

Is there a weather station device that lets me query it directly? I just wonder what happens if Weather Underground shuts down or starts charging for API acces

Is there a weather station device that lets me query it directly? I just wonder what happens if Weather Underground shuts down or starts charging for API access so I'd rather have one I can access myself.

marpstar 12y ago
You can do it with the VantageVue model he mentions in the article. The WeatherUnderground integration simply allows you to see your weather station in the WU app and website. I've had this page bookmarked for quite some time, wanting to build one, but the LAN module for the unit is $295. Someday...
- roel_v 12y ago
  So how does this unit get its data onto WU? Does it transmit to the base unit using RF, which is connected to a computer, and then the computer (with special drivers/software?) sends the data to WU? Would it be possible to connect the base unit to a computer or RPi through USB and 'sniff' the weather off it, when it's transmitted to WU? Or to have the DNS resolver point to localhost and MITM the data, so to say - eventually without even sending the actual data on to WU? I'm looking for a way to measure the weather and integrate it with my home automation system, and the central heating control eventually, and I'm willing to shell out for a high quality, reliable outdoor measuring device - but I'm not paying 300 bucks for a 'LAN module' nor will I rely on connectivity to the internet for correct functioning of the system. Actually I think this is a major flaw in the OP's setup - if the weather is bad enough for him to need such a system, then surely it must be so bad that he loses internet connectivity every once in a while, probably at the times he will need the weather measurements the most?
  - MegaDeKay 12y ago
    Once you've got the data out of the console using methods I've outlined in other posts, getting the data to something like WU can be pretty simple. One fellow, working from some of the stuff I figured out, did it with a simple LUA script and an ancient WRT-54G router. http://blog.ancient-workshop.com/post/2011/12/10/Weather-Station-Hacking http://blog.ancient-workshop.com/post/2011/12/10/Weather-Sta...
    - roel_v 12y ago
      Yeah my question above crossed your posts elsewhere in this thread - in fact I just finished reading most of your site before coming back here and finding your reply ;) Great work, I'm going to look into this.
cryptoz 12y ago
The future is that your _phone_ is the device that you can query directly. Some phones have barometers, thermometers, hygrometers, or UV sensors, etc. Our smartphones are becoming weather stations, and the future-proofing in your scenario where WU shuts down is merely to startup your own mesh-network of weather sensors. My startup PressureNet aims to be the go-to platform for accessing/collecting dense atmosphere measurements: http://pressurenet.io/ http://pressurenet.io/
- MegaDeKay 12y ago
  "Our smartphones are becoming weather stations..." Only to a very limited extent. A phone is not going to give me rainfall data nor wind information. A phone will also skew temperature readings because the phone itself heats up with usage and the fact that it is typically kept close to your body.
- organsnyder 12y ago
  That works fine for measurements that are constant between in/outdoors (such as air pressure, I'm guessing), but how would that work for temperature? I don't care how warm it is in my pocket.
MegaDeKay 12y ago
As another poster said, you can query the Vantage Vue (and VP2) directly, but the $295 LAN interface he mentioned is not a necessity. A cheap USB to serial adapter can be used to make a homebrew interface [1]. Beware thought that Davis has some newer firmware versions out there that blocked this hack, but some guys smarter than me figured out a workaround. The latest writeup on how to get around that is here [2]. [1] http://madscientistlabs.blogspot.ca/2014/02/build-your-own-davis-weather-station_17.html http://madscientistlabs.blogspot.ca/2014/02/build-your-own-d... [2] http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18110.msg235399#msg235399 http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18110.msg235399#msg23...
simcop2387 12y ago
I use wview for running my parent's weather station: http://weather.voots.org/ http://weather.voots.org/ i can't remember the station type itself now but it works pretty well and stores the data in an sqlite database if you ever want to work with it directly.

marpstar 12y ago

You can do it with the VantageVue model he mentions in the article. The WeatherUnderground integration simply allows you to see your weather station in the WU app and website. I've had this page bookmarked for quite some time, wanting to build one, but the LAN module for the unit is $295. Someday...

roel_v 12y ago
So how does this unit get its data onto WU? Does it transmit to the base unit using RF, which is connected to a computer, and then the computer (with special drivers/software?) sends the data to WU? Would it be possible to connect the base unit to a computer or RPi through USB and 'sniff' the weather off it, when it's transmitted to WU? Or to have the DNS resolver point to localhost and MITM the data, so to say - eventually without even sending the actual data on to WU? I'm looking for a way to measure the weather and integrate it with my home automation system, and the central heating control eventually, and I'm willing to shell out for a high quality, reliable outdoor measuring device - but I'm not paying 300 bucks for a 'LAN module' nor will I rely on connectivity to the internet for correct functioning of the system. Actually I think this is a major flaw in the OP's setup - if the weather is bad enough for him to need such a system, then surely it must be so bad that he loses internet connectivity every once in a while, probably at the times he will need the weather measurements the most?
- MegaDeKay 12y ago
  Once you've got the data out of the console using methods I've outlined in other posts, getting the data to something like WU can be pretty simple. One fellow, working from some of the stuff I figured out, did it with a simple LUA script and an ancient WRT-54G router. http://blog.ancient-workshop.com/post/2011/12/10/Weather-Station-Hacking http://blog.ancient-workshop.com/post/2011/12/10/Weather-Sta...
  - roel_v 12y ago
    Yeah my question above crossed your posts elsewhere in this thread - in fact I just finished reading most of your site before coming back here and finding your reply ;) Great work, I'm going to look into this.

cryptoz 12y ago

The future is that your _phone_ is the device that you can query directly. Some phones have barometers, thermometers, hygrometers, or UV sensors, etc. Our smartphones are becoming weather stations, and the future-proofing in your scenario where WU shuts down is merely to startup your own mesh-network of weather sensors. My startup PressureNet aims to be the go-to platform for accessing/collecting dense atmosphere measurements: http://pressurenet.io/ http://pressurenet.io/

MegaDeKay 12y ago
"Our smartphones are becoming weather stations..." Only to a very limited extent. A phone is not going to give me rainfall data nor wind information. A phone will also skew temperature readings because the phone itself heats up with usage and the fact that it is typically kept close to your body.
organsnyder 12y ago
That works fine for measurements that are constant between in/outdoors (such as air pressure, I'm guessing), but how would that work for temperature? I don't care how warm it is in my pocket.

MegaDeKay 12y ago

As another poster said, you can query the Vantage Vue (and VP2) directly, but the $295 LAN interface he mentioned is not a necessity. A cheap USB to serial adapter can be used to make a homebrew interface [1]. Beware thought that Davis has some newer firmware versions out there that blocked this hack, but some guys smarter than me figured out a workaround. The latest writeup on how to get around that is here [2]. [1] http://madscientistlabs.blogspot.ca/2014/02/build-your-own-davis-weather-station_17.html http://madscientistlabs.blogspot.ca/2014/02/build-your-own-d... [2] http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18110.msg235399#msg235399 http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=18110.msg235399#msg23...

simcop2387 12y ago

I use wview for running my parent's weather station: http://weather.voots.org/ http://weather.voots.org/ i can't remember the station type itself now but it works pretty well and stores the data in an sqlite database if you ever want to work with it directly.