What is a weather station
A weather station is a measurement device that can measure multiple variables related to the weather. There are different types of weather stations with each their advantages and disadvantages and different things it can measure. In this guide, you will learn the basics of what a weather station is, what they look like and how they work.
What do home weather stations look like?
Most home weather stations consist of two devices: the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit has sensors that need to be outdoor to measure. The outdoor unit sends these measurements to the indoor unit via a wireless connection. The indoor unit has a display, on which you can see the measurements of the outdoor sensor. The indoor unit has some sensors of its own too. Let’s take a deeper look into these two units, which sensors they have and how they communicate.
The indoor unit
The indoor unit of a home weather station is generally powered with either batteries or a power connection. Most indoor units have a display which displays the measurements of the outdoor unit. Besides that, it also shows the measurements of the indoor unit itself. The indoor unit can measure indoor temperature, indoor humidity and air pressure in most cases.
The weather data is accompanied by some other handy things, such as a clock which can display time and date. Most indoor units can also serve as an alarm clock. Some stations display among other things: moon phases, sunrise and sunset times and a history graph of the air pressure during the last 12-24h. Almost all indoor units of weather stations include a weather forecast, based mainly on the air pressure and evolution of air pressure.
The outdoor unit
The appearance of the outdoor unit of a home weather station or personal weather station (PWS) differs a lot between type and brand. Most of these outdoor units are powered with batteries, and some of the more advanced stations require a power connection. There are even some stations that come with inbuilt solar panels, which are used to recharge batteries when the sun shines.
All weather stations do include sensors for outdoor air temperature and outdoor humidity. Then there are weather stations with even more sensors. These sensors can include:
- Precipitation measurer (pluviometer)
- Wind direction meter (anemometer)
- Wind speed meter (anemometer)
- Sunlight and UV sensors
The wireless communication between the units
The indoor unit and the outdoor unit communicate with each other using radio waves. This has the advantage that it’s a wireless method of communication and is easy to use. Note that there are some weather stations that use a cable connection to communicate, but those are mostly the more advanced stations.
The outdoor unit sends its current measurements over to the indoor unit about once every twenty seconds, although this differs from weather station to weather station. The indoor unit receives the data in the form of radio waves. All the smart functions a weather station has, like weather prediction, maximum and minimum temperature and air pressure history are calculated inside the indoor unit. The indoor unit also makes sure the clock is up and running.
Is it difficult to connect the units with each other?
Every weather station has a version of connecting the indoor unit to the outdoor unit. You will find instructions on how to connect the units in the user manual of your personal weather station. They typically just need to turn on within so many minutes of each other and connect automatically.
Multiple wireless temperature & humidity sensors
Some weather stations can connect multiple outdoor sensors. In this case, these are easy, selecting a channel via a switch on the sensor is simple, they are usually numbered, something like channels 1, 2, 3, etc. Connecting the units is child's play, it only takes a couple of minutes.
Conclusion
Home weather stations consist of two separate units: the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit collects weather data from sensors that need to be outside. It sends the data to the indoor unit. Together with the data the indoor unit collects itself, it’s displayed on the indoor units’ display. All smart stuff happens within the indoor unit, among other things: alarm clock, minimum and maximum temperature, air pressure history and weather predictions. Connecting the units is child's play, all the needed information is given in the user manual.