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(More customer reviews)First of all, will someone please make a WiFi weather station? And by that I don't mean an overpriced Davis Instruments VantagePro2 with a lame serial-to-WiFi interface; I mean a consolidated module with built-in WiFI out of the box that you can connect to via a web browser. If Withings can make a WiFi bodyscale for $160 then I know someone can do the same for temperature and humidity.
Until that happens, we're left with solutions such as this one from Chaney Instruments/Acu-Rite. They make a variety of weather products, but this one spoke to me with its low center of gravity, good mix of features, and AA battery power requirements. The plastic is cheap but doesn't show fingerprints. The silver base can be removed, permitting creative mounting options. For cheap plastic consumer crap, this is not a bad package.
The base station has its own sensor suite and supports up to three external wireless modules. Unfortunately, extra modules are expensive, so it's better to simply buy three base station packages. Then you'll have three base stations and three modules. There's no complicated pairing or bonding between a specific station and a module; all three base stations will pick up all three modules more or less at the same time. I say more or less because the base station has quirks and is very unpredictable. Sometimes it will detect a sensor right away; sometimes it takes hours. Sometimes the date and time will automatically set right away; sometimes it takes hours. But eventually, the base station will sync up with everything.
Probably the most annoying aspect of this product is that, while it's attempting to sync the date/time, it becomes unresponsive. And it seems to attempt a syncing about once every ten minutes. And this attempt can last a few minutes. So the unit can become unresponsive for about 2 out of every 10 minutes--often when you're trying to switch to a different sensor. There should be a way to sync once and then turn syncing off. Or set the sync rate to once per week or month. No electronic device should become unresponsive for minutes at a time unless you're doing a firmware upgrade and it was your choice to begin with.
Other annoying nits include...
* Animated moon phase indicator makes you wait far too long before you actually get to know what the moon phase is.
* Base station screen not easy to see; not enough contrast. There is a "backlight" button but the side-firing green LEDs only turn on for a few seconds.
* Base stations report values that differ from both each other and from the remote sensors at the same location (i.e., questionable accuracy).
* Doesn't like rechargeable AA batteries. You can use them. But then, for example, the "backlight" won't illuminate. Company confirmed that the product needs alkalines or preferably lithiums.
* Inability to calibrate the sensors.
* Inability to display more than one external sensor at a time.
* Inability to silence an annoying beep that is heard with every key press.
* Lack of a calendar despite having more than enough space for one.
* Remote sensor range too limited.
* Remote sensor design is totally different from that of the base station.
* Remote sensors won't stand up to inclement weather.
* Remote sensors report values that differ from both each other and from the base station at the same location (i.e., questionable accuracy).
That's a lot of nits, yet I still like this product because I don't think you can do better for $35 (or $105 if you buy three). To reiterate, it's cheap plastic consumer crap. But it's also a unique design with a lot of features for the price. If only the features were implemented better.
EDIT...
I've since discovered that when the unit is syncing and becomes unresponsive, you can regain control by pressing the SET button. It's possible that short-pressing the SET button toggles syncing on and off. If this is true, there's no indication whatsoever on the screen (or in the docs). Also, the SET button is right next to the CHANNEL button, which means you'll end up accidentally pressing the SET button from time to time whether you want to or not. Still, this revelation addresses the most annoying aspect of this device.
I also discovered that if you long-press the LIGHT button, the light will continue to stay lit until you depress.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Chaney Instruments Acu-Rite 00972 Wireless Weather Thermometer
Wireless weather thermometer with indoor and outdoor temperature. Featuring daily high and low temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius with minimum and maximum memory. Displays Atomix clock with month/day/date as well as an alarm.
Click here for more information about Chaney Instruments Acu-Rite 00972 Wireless Weather Thermometer
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