Aercus Instruments WeatherRanger Weather Station with WiFi and Internet Publishing plus Setup eBook

This is my third weather station from this range over the last decade, I have loved each one. I started with the cheapest to begin my voyage of discovery into the hobby and enjoyed using it so much that I have moved up a level each time since. Green Frog Scientific are a joy to work with. Yes, over the years I have had issues with various parts, but Green Frog have always been there to help. From same day email responses if I had queries to next day delivery of parts which may have stopped working, they have always been there for me. On this occasion my station was 5 years old, the UV meter had stopped, the rain gauge had become unreliable and the wooden post had started to rot (that’s how long it has been up there). My experiences with my previous stations have been so positive that when it came time to research where to get a replacement there was very little thought required, a proverbial “no brainer”.The new station arrived quickly and, as usual, was extremely robustly packaged. Green Frogs emailed guidance booklet on weather station location and placement still stands the test of time, following the guidance carefully eliminates a great many potential problems. Erection of the new kit (with a new mast) was “even” easier than the previous stations. WiFi connections were established immediately on battery insertion (make sure to get good batteries of the right type, cheap is NOT the right choice). The instruction booklet supplied is thorough, complete and logical, it is NOT in Chinglish. I already had a Wunderground account and was able to replace my old station without issue. It takes a couple of days for it to be accepted, they test that your readings are comparable to other users stations in your area. Note that there are currently some issues at Wunderground, I understand it has been acquired by IBM who are moving it to new hardware. Android seems fine but temporary issues with IOS and PC.The thing I like most is my new display console, it’s LOVELY. Clear, bright (adjustable brightness), well laid out, full of information. Coloured, selectable graphs, coloured image of the moon and weather forecast. I like that the indoor temperature/humidity sensor is separate from the console so that I can locate it where I wish, which may not be where the console is.If, like me you will wish to retain long term, and possibly play with, the data which your station collects you need to have a Micro SD/TF card. This is used to export the data in CSV (comma separated value) format which will load into Microsoft Excel and to download any future software update transfer to the console. The files are tiny so if you have a very small (2 or 4MB), old card lying about, great, if not you can get them a couple of pounds.My greatest wish now is that my new Weather Ranger will be every bit as reliable as my last two stations.

Purchased this to replace a malfunctioning, cheaper weather station. New kit arrived promptly and looks well made - data recording looks accurate. It was easy to install in the garden using existing fittings. The display console looks good and picked up the signals quickly and efficiently. My problems started when I tried to connect the console to the Weather Underground website - it didn't work! One of the key reasons to choose this kit was to have the ability to see my weather data on my phone and tablet. Unfortunately, there is no PC connection and you are dependent on Wi-Fi and Weather Underground. Frog Scientific were very good in responding and quickly sent out a replacement console. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem. In total, I spent a lot of hours trying to get it to work. It did inexplicably eventually and quite suddenly connect but the whole process was very frustrating and without some computer knowledge, I would have given up long ago. A pity since the Weather Underground website and the mobile app, once all working, are very good. If it had all worked fine first time, I would have given Five Stars with a strong endorsement.

This is a lovely bit of kit. I'm still discovering, (through exploration of the historical data facility), the full potential, but already it has more than fulfilled my expectations. In addition the ability to back up all data with the use of the mini SD port is a joy, and simplicity itself. Of course I can't speak for all, but when exporting the data of my choice, I can then simply import using SD port of my Surface 3 tablet and the data is immediately available on an Excell spreadsheet. No need to import CVS data and re-format as I was expecting. A potential fly in the ointment might be unnervingly high humidity levels recorded within the house, and which contrast with my old humidity monitor by about 10%. However, I insist on my 5 star rating, as I'm more inclined to believe, (living in an extended chalet bungalow), that the readings are indeed unnervingly high!, and my old monitor is in error. At some stage, I shall get independent verification, and if an error is found I'll get back.Set up is a bit fiddly: both the erection of the array and the set up of the monitor, but don't worry, you'll get there very quickly. it's just a case of getting used to the modal nature of the buttons on the monitor - and developing the necessary grip to be able hold two poles, and two brackets together, whilst tightening 8 nuts all at the same time. I exaggerate of course, it's entirely possible with patience, though a mate would be useful. I guess my monitor is about 40-50' and one wall from the array, so absolutely no problems at all with connectivity. Setting up my account with Wunderground was also pretty easy with a couple of attempts, and logging in my tablet, phone or desktop and seeing my own data being updated every few seconds is so impressive. To summarise, all the data you could wish for, available to your monitor, spreadsheet, phone, tablet, desktop, updated every few seconds, with historical back up. It'll do for me