Ambient Weather WS-2902C Review

Has your weather app ever given you false information? Has it ever told you it was dry outside only for the rain to pour when you’re getting ready for your afternoon jog?

These inconsistencies often arise because there isn’t a weather station close to where you live. But if hyperlocal information is essential to you, there is a solution.

A personal weather station can give you all the measurements you need specifically for your home area. This makes it possible to follow trends in your microclimate and even share the data with your neighbors.

Ambient Weather WS-2902C

Ambient Weather, an Arizona-based manufacturer, is one of the leading names in the industry. If you are in search of a weather station, one to consider is the new WS-2902C. The Osprey is a solar-powered wireless tool that uses Wi-Fi to process data.

The WS-2902C is the latest innovative wireless device that gives a wide range of information using an all-in-one integrated sensor, which measures temperature, humidity, wind, rain, UV, and solar radiation. It additionally can calculate the heat index, dew point, and wind chill. The device also has the option of supporting imperial and metric units of measure with calibration.

The new model has a fully revamped easy-to-read LCD screen. It offers many options to store the data and share it with others. You can also connect it to other services and schedule actions dependent on specific weather conditions.

Who Is This Product For?

This weather station is for anyone who enjoys having the weather at their fingertips!

Ambient weather station gives you accessibility to your personal weather using your tablet, computer, or mobile device. It requires an iPhone, iPad, or Android device to program the Ambient application through the Apple store or Google play.

The intended audience of the WS-2902C is both beginners and seasoned weather buffs. The device offers impressive functionalities which even the fussy expert is bound to be satisfied with.

The heightened WI-FI option connects to your router of 2.4Ghz and allows your station to transmit the data to any personal weather station networks and Ambient Weather.net. It has a friendly-design to monitor the data across the various weather platforms with animated expandable modules.

Those who can expect the most benefits from this unit are modern users with smart homes. The WS-2902C integrates seamlessly with other automated home devices and virtual assistants like Amazon’s Alexa. This means that the measurements aren’t just seen as raw data, but can be used for specific purposes.

What’s Included

Like most weather stations, this kit has two main components. One of them is the display console that shows you the measurements. You place this inside your home, and you can order additional consoles if you want to have it in several places—the console measures inside temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure.

The outdoor sensor array performs the actual weather readings that it then sends wirelessly to the console. Here are the sensors in the array:

1) Wind direction, 2) Wind speed, 3) Solar radiation, 4) Temperature & Humidity, 5) Rainfall, 6) UV index, 7) Solar panel

Apart from the console and the sensor suite, included is a user guide with step-by-step instructions for installation, operation, and trouble-shooting.

The Osprey is continually improving and changing, especially online services and associated applications to maintain quality information for its users.

Overview of Features

In what is a relatively small casing, the sensor array offers a range of features. It gives measurements that fall within the range of what most inhabitable places can expect.

The outside temperature sensor has a range of -40°F to 149°F. Most populated areas fall somewhere within these two extremes. In addition, you can measure indoor temperatures between 14°F and 140°F.

The WS-2902C can detect wind speeds up to 100 mph. Some places occasionally get even stronger winds; if you live in such an area, you might benefit from a more robust weather station that can handle wind speeds over 100 mph.

Even though the rain gauge does its job well, it lacks a way of repelling birds. They might gather around the collector and clog the sensor with their droppings. If you want to avoid this, you could try to place makeshift spikes around the gauge to make sure it’s protected.

Sensors for UV and solar radiation are excellent additions to this device since they often aren’t part of home weather stations. You can use these readings to decide if you should go outside and if you do for how long and whether you should wear sunscreen.

The WS-2902C runs on solar power, which is great because it saves you from worrying about recharging it. During the day, it collects enough energy to last through the night. In case that should fail, there are backup batteries that can step in, so you don’t lose any measurement updates.

There’s excellent value in the wireless transmission of data from the sensor array to the console. This works up to a maximum distance of 80 feet between the two. This means that if you place the sensors on the roof of your house, you’re not likely to experience any issues. If you plan to keep the sensors a bit further, you might want to look into ones with longer wireless ranges.

Apart from current weather readings, the device also offers weather forecasts so that you can get a rough idea of what to expect. There’s also the possibility of checking records to find trends. The console can display graphs on various parameters, but you can also export the data to your computer for further analysis.

The main selling point of the WS-2902C is how compatible it is with smart homes. The console connects to your router and can automatically transmit the data to the internet. This allows you to monitor the weather on the go with your phone, tablet, or computer. It connects seamlessly to services like Weather Underground and WeatherCloud to stream the data to your webpage.

The WS-2902C also supports up to eight WH31E thermo-hygrometer sensors, WH31P temperature probes as well as one indoor and one outdoor Air Quality sensor PM2.5. The data from these pass-through sensors cannot be displayed on the console or calibrated. Instead, the data collected is sent directly to Ambientweather.net.

You can also connect your device to IFTTT (short for If This Then That). This is a free service that automates actions based on certain conditions. This is ideal for you if you have a smart home device that can control your appliances. For example, through IFTTT, you can set your air conditioner to turn on every time your weather station records a temperature that’s over a certain threshold.

If you’re using Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa, you’ll be happy to know that the WS-2902C is compatible with both. You can ask these virtual assistants to fetch real-time or past weather info from your device when you’re away from the console display.

Advantages

  • New brilliant LCD color display
  • Wireless data sharing
  • Smart home compatible
  • Solar-powered
  • UV and solar radiation sensors included
  • Up to eight thermo-hygrometer and temperature sensors*
  • Up to two air quality sensors*

*Optional

Disadvantages

  • Rain collector accessible to birds
  • No mounting pole/tripod
  • Three AAA batteries not included

How To Use

The Ambient Weather WS-2902C OSPREY WIFI Personal Weather Station consists of an indoor display console (receiver + Wi-Fi transmitter) and an all-in-one outdoor weather sensor array.

The WS-2902C is easy to set up as most of the components are preassembled, so you just need to mount it. The device doesn’t come with a mounting pole, which can be a problem since you will need to figure out a solution yourself.

The wireless connectivity of the device is also pretty straightforward to configure, especially using the free smartphone app called Ambient Tool. It guides you through the steps to complete the process. Here’s a useful video about what to expect when installing your station.

Customer Reviews

Sometimes the most valuable advice comes from someone who has used the product. Amazon reviews for the WS-2902C have been very positive overall.

Customers love the simplicity of the device. It is easy to set up right out of the box, and most importantly it is easy to connect to various devices around your house, as well as to online accounts such as “AmbientWeather.net”.

As those of us with smart homes know, the most frustrating part is quite often in setting everything up, and luckily that has not been the main customer experience with the WS-2902C.

Others praise the device for the accuracy of the readings. One customer review state that when placed side-by-side with a different weather station, it returned near identical results over the period of over a year.

Customers enjoy the unit for this accuracy, and also how the real-time data is presented in a very readable format and is accessible from numerous devices.

The main drawback that customers point out seems to be a typical issue when using smart homes experience. Some have experienced the internet and connectivity from the base unit to the sensors were not always reliable.

One customer stated that when he lost power and internet, it was difficult to reconnect and re-sync the devices and to get the base unit uploading to the internet again. The weather history on the Ambient website did not record accurately during the power outage.

Some customers have mentioned being unhappy with their weather station’s rain and wind sensor accuracy. One customer left a review stating that he was unhappy not being able to read the LCD screen from across his living room. According to the manufacturer, it must be viewed at an angle.

So, there you have it, the WS-2902C has been quite well received, and with minimal drawbacks, it might just be the perfect device for you.

Alternatives

As we said, the WS-2902C is going to satisfy most users, except those with particular needs. If you are looking for a kit that is customizable and can withstand harsher conditions, then you should consider the Davis Instruments Vantage Pro 2. It offers most of the same measurements (except for UV and solar radiation), but with a bigger range for most. You can combine it with numerous add-ons if you need additional measurements. As with any weather station, it will all depend on your personal needs.

Conclusion

We think this is an excellent wireless weather station. But as with anything in life, this purchasing decision depends on your individual needs. This is a great station if you have a smart home and are looking for something to easily integrate into your life and provide you with real-time data and a reliable weather forecast. There are more resilient devices out there, and there are also devices that analyze more weather variables, but we think this is an excellent device for its price range.

Designed for the modern household, the Ambient Weather WS-2902C is a versatile station that offers plenty of functionality for your home and backyard weather conditions. If you are looking for easy remote access to weather data, or want to use this information to trigger concrete actions, then this device is ideal for you. Both novice and professional weather enthusiasts will enjoy this weather station. Try the WS-2902C, and the weather will be at your fingertips.