Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)SEE LAST PARAGRAPH FOR UPDATE!
I have two of these in separate buildings, each using its own gateway. Setup is a little tricky (you have to be able to follow instructions!) but both came-up immediately and got on the Internet for their updates. You absolutely do need a router with an available RJ45/CAT5 connection for the Gateway, and if it feeds DHCP IP addresses you're golden--else you can download a gateway utility software program to assign a fixed IP address to get the gateway onto your local LAN.
I like especially that the base station (weather display) is completely wireless i.e. you can move it around anywhere you'd like. And the sound quality is just fine--no trouble hearing the male or female (artificial) voices announcing the various forecasts.
One complaint is that the backlight is dim, and worse than that it doesn't stay lit long enough to apprehend the 3-day forecast on the display. Also, it's easy to press the Alarm button and then the thing will later beep at whatever time the alarm is set to. If you don't use this feature, make sure to set the alarm time to some time during the day, so you aren't awakened in the dead of night from having accidentally enabled the alarm!
A fun toy though--very cheap for what it does!
UPDATE/EDIT: The last 6 months or so both of my two units have been unreliable. Apparently La Crosse made some server changes, which have resulted in very odd behavior of the WA-1030U units which has been darn near impossible to troubleshoot. The latest operation of my two receivers: updates either don't occur (blanks in the future forecast area) or they seem to occur more frequently (and take a very long time to complete despite that I've even turned-off the audio forecast features of the unit). The strangest thing is that sometimes the unit shows "no bars" for wireless RF reception from the gateway, despite that there's no problem whatsoever with comms.
Unless and until they get these problems resolved, I can no longer recommend this unit, or ANY La Crosse device that uses their Weather Direct internet service. La Crosse & Weather Direct had better get their acts together soon before they kill this service dead!
Click Here to see more reviews about: La Crosse Technology Weather Direct WA-1030U 3-Day Talking Internet-Powered Wireless Forecaster
With this talking La Crosse Technology internet-powered wireless forecaster, one no longer needs to wait for the TV weather reporter to hear the local weather. The Weather Direct WA-1030U three-day forecaster provides free weather forecasts sent directly from the internet to the unit for audio relay and viewing. By pushing the audio forecast button, a male or female voice shares a personalized message with the selected location\'s daily weather, chosen from over 60,000 US and Canadian locations. The A/B/C buttons broadcast the news headlines, sports, entertainment, and more. To transmit internet forecasts, an AC-powered gateway connects with a secure LAN cable to a network router. Additionally, a TX-50U wireless outdoor sensor measures temperatures right outside the front door.
The display stands alone or wall hangs. The selected location, location forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and outdoor temperature scroll across the bottom LCD section at four possible speeds. In the center section, forecast icons and projected high and low temperatures for the next three days are posted, updating every six hours. Micro forecasts for each day\'s morning, afternoon, evening, and night are also available. Internet-set time, date, and alarm indicator occupy the top screen. For contrast adjustment, Fahrenheit/Celsius selection, and snooze alarm, the display proffers the SET and MODE buttons. Both the gateway and sensor communicate from 330 feet unobstructed and come with mounting hardware. To operate the forecaster, no additional software or Wi-Fi connection is required, nor does the computer need to be on. However, high-speed internet service, a network router, and the separate purchase of two C and two AA batteries are necessary. A limited one-year warranty covers the forecaster.
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