Last updated: March 8, 2023
The best weather stations for you in 2023:
Weather station | Key Point | Dimensions | Price | Shop |
---|---|---|---|---|
Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 | Most accurate & updates every 2.5 seconds | 18 x 12 x 16 inches ; 5 pounds | $895.50 | |
Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey | Easily our most popular, loads of features and user friendly. | 7.5 x 0.8 x 4.5 inches ; 3.9 pounds | $189.99 | |
AcuRite 01024 Pro | 5 in 1 weather sensors & updates every 18-36 seconds | 0.6 x 7.6 x 5.5 inches ; 5 pounds | $189.99 | |
La Crosse Technology 308-1414B | Limited information, not super accurate but great for beginners. | 8.3 x 1 x 5.5 inches ; 1 pound | $50.26 | |
Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter No products found. | This is a portable weather station with 14 measurements & its waterproof. | 40.5 x 26.8 x 26 inches | No products found. | |
The best home weather station picks are:
Best Professional Weather Station: Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2
2nd Best Weather Station: Davis Instruments 6250
Best Value Weather Station: Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey
2nd Best Value Weather Station: AcuRite 01024 Pro
Best Casual Weather Station: La Crosse Technology 308-1414B
Best Portable Weather Station: Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter
3rd Best Professional Weather Station: AcuRite 00589 Pro Color
4th Best Weather Station: La Crosse S88907
5th Best Weather Station: Netatmo Weather Station
6th Best professional Weather Station: La Crosse Technology V40-PRO
7th Best Home Weather Station: AcuRite 02007 Digital Weather Center
8t Best Home Weather Station: La Crosse Technology 308-1414C
9th Best Home Weather Station: Ambient Weather WS-2902B Osprey
10th Best Home Weather Station For Wind: Ambient Weather WS-3902C Osprey
11th Best Home Weather Station: AcuRite 03017 Digital Weather Center Pro
12th Best Weather Station: La Crosse S889072 Weather Station Pro
The best home weather station picks are:
Weather Station | Product Dimensions | Connectivity | UV Range | Rain Range |
Best Professional Weather Station: Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 | 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-15 | 0 to 394 inches |
2nd Best Weather Station: Davis Instruments 6250 | 8.5 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-14 | 0 to 392 inches |
Best Value Weather Station: Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey | 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 803.11b/g/n | 0-17 | 0 to 390 inches |
2nd Best Value Weather Station: AcuRite 01024 Pro | 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.85 in. | WiFi 801.11b/g/n | 0-22 | 0 to 392 inches |
Best Casual Weather Station: La Crosse Technology 308-1414B | 6.5 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.12b/g/n | 0-19 | 0 to 361 inches |
Best Portable Weather Station: Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter | 7.5 x 6.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-20 | 0 to 390 inches |
3rd Best Professional Weather Station: AcuRite 00589 Pro Color | 7.5 x 4.2 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-21 | 2 to 394 inches |
4th Best Weather Station: La Crosse S88907 | 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 804.11b/g/n | 0-18 | 7 to 494 inches |
5th Best Weather Station: Netatmo Weather Station | 7.7 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-23 | 1 to 344 inches |
6th Best professional Weather Station: La Crosse Technology V40-PRO | 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.95 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-22 | 9 to 394 inches |
7th Best Home Weather Station: AcuRite 02007 Digital Weather Center | 7.5 x 4.5 x 0.45 in. | WiFi 902.11b/g/n | 0-17 | 0 to 394 inches |
8t Best Home Weather Station: La Crosse Technology 308-1414C | 6.0 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-26 | 0 to 294 inches |
9th Best Home Weather Station: Ambient Weather WS-2902B Osprey | 10 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 812.11b/g/n | 0-12 | 0 to 374 inches |
10th Best Home Weather Station For Wind: Ambient Weather WS-3902C Osprey | 9.5 x 4.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-15 | 0 to 300 inches |
11th Best Home Weather Station: AcuRite 03017 Digital Weather Center Pro | 7.5 x 4.1 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.12b/g/n | 0-29 | 0 to 384 inches |
12th Best Weather Station: La Crosse S889072 Weather Station Pro | 7.5 x 2.5 x 0.75 in. | WiFi 802.11b/g/n | 0-13 | 0 to 390 inches |
1. The Best Professional Weather Station – Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2
- Professional and rugged weather station gives you inside/outside temperature and humidity; rain, wind, barometer, dew point, heat index, wind chill, and more
- Fast updates every 2.5 seconds with 1,000 feet (300 m) wireless transmission range
- Large backlit console with alarms, graphs, forecast
- Anemometer can be mounted separately
- Outdoor sensor suite is solar-powered with battery backup
Amazon collected a total of with an average rating of ()
Price:$895.50
Why we chose this one?
The Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 is at the top of our list when it comes to the best weather stations for home users.
The Vantage Pro2 is far from being a basic model. It includes indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity sensors, along with sensors for wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, Solar Radiation and UV Sensors and barometric pressure.
It doesn’t stop there. There is also a display console and support for both a wired and wireless connection. The Vantage Pro2 is one of very few home weather stations that still support wired connections to its main console. The console displays Current & Historical Data, Forecast, Moon Phase, Time & Date, Retransmits, Barometer, Solar Radiation, Rain, Wind and lots more.
Specifications
· Product Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 16 inches ; 5 pounds
· Shipping Weight: 11.4 pounds
· Console can be powered by three C batteries or AC adapter
· It uses a solar-powered transmitter to transfer data (up to 1,000 ft (300 m))
Pros
- Best accuracy of any home weather station
- Has Standard Radiation Shield (passive)
- Compatible with additional consoles to view data in more than one location
- Compatible with additional stations such as Leaf & Soil Moisture
Cons
- Internet connectivity is an extra expense
- Does not have 24-Hour Fan-Aspirated Radiation Shield
Best Value Weather Stations
If you’re not ready to commit to the big bucks of the professional weather stations then this section may be for you, these weather stations are the best trade off between price and features. You don’t spend a fortune but you still don’t lost most of the features you would find valuable. Check them out below.
2. Best Value Weather Station – Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey (most popular)
- COMPLETE WEATHER STATION: (1) Osprey Sensor Array with Rain Cup, and (1) Brilliant, Easy-to-Read LCD Color Display
- AUTHENTIC HYPER-LOCAL DATA: Monitor your actual home and backyard weather conditions with our wireless and Wi-Fi-enabled sensor array measuring wind speed/direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, UV intensity, and solar radiation
- SMART HOME READY: Set up alerts, access your data remotely, and program your home based on weather conditions using IFTT, Google Home, Alexa, and more
- ENHANCED WIFI: Enables your station to transmit its data wirelessly to the world's largest personal weather station network (optional setting)
- JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Connect to Ambient Weather Network to customize your dashboard tiles, share hyperlocal weather conditions via social feeds and create your own forecasts (coming soon)
Amazon collected a total of with an average rating of ()
Price:$189.99
Why we chose this one?
For starters, the WS-2902A Osprey is very easy to set up. Everything is wireless, and you can get the weather station up and running in no time at all. There is even a solar-power Wi-Fi connectivity to help you get the station connected to your home router. The Osprey comes with Ambient Weather’s own cloud service, AmbientWeather.net.
Once connected, you can use the included display console to monitor the weather or rely on the cloud service to access your weather information from anywhere. The kit itself isn’t expandable, but you can add more Ambient Weather stations to your cloud account for better, more accurate weather readings.
Specifications
· Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 4.5 inches
· Item Weight: 3.9 pounds
· Outdoor measurement: Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Temperature, Humidity, Rainfall, Solar Radiation, UV
· Indoor measurement: Temperature, humidity, barometer (inside console)
· Ease of connection: Easy to Moderate. Set up Requires iOS or Android Device.
· Compatible with Alexa. Restful And Real-Time APIs
· Supports email and text alerts
· Extensive graphing capability for the day, week, month and year
· Solar powered with battery backup
Pros
- Best-in-class feature set
- User-friendly internet connectivity
- IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assistant integration
- Timely and knowledgeable after-sales support
Cons
- Limited viewing angle on the display console
- Doesn’t accommodate additional sensors
3. Runner-up Best Value Weather Station – AcuRite 01024 Pro
- Real-Time Weather Monitoring: Receive hyperlocal temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and barometric pressure readings from the wireless weather sensor in your own backyard
- Hyperlocal Weather Forecast Technology: Self-calibrating technology generates a personalized forecast 12 hours from your current conditions by combining elevation and barometric pressure data taken from your home weather station
- Lightning Detection: Be aware of approaching storms with distance-to-storm estimates, and track strikes within a 25-mile radius — also, receive a running total of daily, weekly, and monthly strike counts with the easy-to-place outdoor lightning sensor
- High-Definition Weather Station Display: Switch between outdoor weather, indoor conditions, and daily records dashboards on the easy-to-read, auto-dimming TFT display that’s perfect for any bedroom, kitchen, or weather center
- Multipurpose Weather Clock: Never forget to change your clock again, as this weather clock automatically updates during daylight saving time shifts and offers an integrated alarm clock feature to wake you up on time and with superior weather knowledge
Amazon collected a total of with an average rating of ()
Price:$189.99
Why we chose this one?
AcuRite’s 01024 Pro is one of the most popular home weather stations on the market right now, and it is so popular for many good reasons. Aside from a complete 5-in-1 sensor kit, the device also comes with its own lightning detector. The 01024 Pro is also the most expandable station you can buy for home use.
Beyond the 5-in-1 sensor, you can add additional instruments directly to the sensor unit. The included display console will adjust readings based on the instruments you add. There is also a mobile app that enables mobile weather monitoring through AcuRite Access.
There have been reports of minor accuracy issues with the AcuRite 01024 Pro, mainly due to the fact that the basic kit doesn’t come with radiation shielding. You may also find calibrating the barometric sensor to be a bit of a challenge, particularly when you are giving it a go for the first time.
Specifications
· Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 7.6 x 5.5 inches
· Item Weight: 5 pounds
· Temperature accuracy: +/- 2℉
· Humidity accuracy: +/- 3%
· Data Transmission Frequency: 18-36 seconds depending on measurement
· Voltage of plug adapter: 120 volts
Pros
- Comes in many languages including Spanish
- Shows how many lightning strikes and distances
- Display can be mounted on a wall
- Rain gauge empties automatically
- Works with weather display software
Cons
- This station alone will not send data to the My AcuRite application
- Cannot set alarm for specific Barometric Pressure
- Cannot connect to your PC
[FAQ]How do I install a Home Weather Station?
It is not overly difficult but there are a few things to watch out for, see our full guide here – How to install a home weather station?
[FAQ]Are Home Weather Station Accurate?
The short answer is, it depends on the brand/model but read our in depth guide here.
[FAQ]How do Home Weather Stations work?
It is a combination of thermometers, hygrometers, anemometers and lots more technology rolled into one device. They really are interesting and complex machines. To read more about how exactly home weather stations work, read our guide.
Best Casual Weather Station
If your interest in weather stations is just casual, or you are just beginning then I recommend trying out one of the below, they are more cost effective and will suit your needs. If you are a more serious shopper then I would stick to the above options.
4. Best Casual Weather Station – La Crosse Technology 308-1414B
- Full color LCD with weather icons: sunny, partly sunny, cloudy, rainy, stormy, snowy
- Atomic self-setting accurate time & date with automatic daylight saving time resets.Outdoor humidity range: 19% to 97% RH. Indoor humidity range: 19% to 97% RH
- Monitors indoor & wireless outdoor temperature (f/c) & humidity (%RH) with recorded min/max values. Unit must be plugged in for continuous back light
- Temperature alerts (indoor/outdoor). Display: 5.0V AC adapter for primary power; Requires 3 "AAA" Alkaline batteries for backup (not included)
- Reception & low battery indicators. Indoor humidity range: 19 percentage to 97 percentage RH. Temperatures below - 20°F (-28.8°C) require Lithium batteries in the outdoor sensor.Forecast tendency indicator.Signal strength icon for sensor transmission
Amazon collected a total of with an average rating of ()
Price:$50.26
Why we chose this one?
Another product by La Crosse Technology that you want to consider if you are looking for a straightforward entry-level home weather station is the La Crosse Technology 308-1414B. The 308-1414B is the kind of device that you don’t need to set up to get working. It is an all-in-one unit that works right out of the box.
Still, you get the usual indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity sensors along with a dew point sensor. You get straightforward readings from these sensors on the screen and you can view the weather forecast based on the current condition. As an added bonus, La Crosse Technology adds an atomic clock to the 308-1414B.
Similar to the AcuRite 02007, the La Crosse Technology 308-1414B also costs less than $50. There is an optional sensor protection shield with mount designed to work with the 308-1414B, and – once again – it is a highly recommended option to get. The La Crosse Technology 308-1414B suffers from accuracy issues without the radiation shield.
Specifications
· Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 1 x 5.5 inches
· Item Weight: 1 pounds
· Batteries: 2 AA batteries required.
· Temperature Alerts for both Indoor & Outdoor
· Indoor Temperature Range: 32 F to 122 F (0 C to 50 C)
· Weather Resistant (not waterproof)
· Transmission range over 330 ft (distance/resistance will reduce signal range)
· Screen size 6 1/2 by 4 inches and the color is bright and numbers are easy to read.
Pros
- This is wall mountable
- It has 3 brightness setting. High, medium, and dimmed.
- Remote sensor is included
- Works in sub-zero temperatures
- Excellent viewing even from extreme angels
Cons
- Doesn’t come with batteries
- Displays barometric pressure as up or down, no actual pressure
- Does not show moon phases
Best Portable Weather Station
5. Best Portable Weather Station – Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter
There is one more product that you want to consider if you are looking for a capable home weather station, and that is the Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter. Kestrel is a household name in the portable weather meter market, so you know you are getting the best even before you start listing other features included in the Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter. Trust me, there are a lot of features to go through.
For starters, the Kestrel 5500 comes with built-in temperature and humidity sensors. It also measures wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, and dew point. When you take into account the size of this weather meter, the wealth of sensors you get is nothing short of incredible.
The Kestrel 5500 Weather Meter also displays heading – both true and magnetic – and altitude. There is a reason why the Kestrel 5500 is a favorite among those who spend a lot of time outdoor, and these features are among them. The unit is no bigger than your standard outdoor GPS navigation device.
You also get native LiNK apps for your computer and mobile devices. After connecting your Kestrel 5500 via Bluetooth, you can monitor the weather and get forecasts in real-time.
How to make a decision when buying a home weather station
Read Reviews
It should go without saying that it is sensible to read as many reviews as you can before you buy a home weather station. Look for unbiased reviews on consumer websites, as reviews on the manufacturer’s own website may not be a genuine representation of consumer opinions. I have a whole page dedicated to Davis weather station reviews you might find interesting. I also added a weather radio reviews page.
What’s the best home weather station to buy?
The Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2 is at the top of our list when it comes to the best weather stations for home users. It includes indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity sensors, along with sensors for wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and barometric pressure. To read more visit our our page.
What is the most accurate home weather station?
According to my testing it is the Davis instruments Vantage Pro2, their sensors for wind speed, wind direction and rainfall were the most accurate for me. I have an indept guide on my page.
What is a weather station used for?
It is a device on either land or at sea and it is used for measuring atmospheric conditions which help to provide data on weather analysis.
All these products are great, but I just don’t know which one to choose!?
Hi Donna, It can be a difficult decision but my advice is it depends on your budget, if you want to splash out more than $200 and have a premium product then go for the Davis Instruments Vantage Pro2, if you are comfortable spending more than $100 then go for the Ambient Weather WS-2902A Osprey otherwise I would recommend the La Crosse Technology 308-1414B for you. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Are these more effective than the local news barometer ?
Hi Kiara, Great question. The short answer is, it depends. If you only want general, loosely accurate data then a new barometer will do. If you want real time super accurate data then one of these home weather stations is perfect. Let me know if you have any other questions. William
All very good, but no clue which to pick
Yes Tessa, it can be hard but like I said to Donna I think it comes down to your budget and how seriously you want to take this. How much accuracy do you want. So ask yourself those questions and then come back here. That’s my advice anyway.
I’m interested in durability – particularly the wind sensors, which I’ve had snap off two stations I’ve had (not any tested here). How sturdy are they and are they replaceable if needed?
Hi Carolyn, I think for durability the Davis Vantage Pro 2 is the best but it is a little expensive. As for replacements I am not sure, you will need to ask Davis directly, or I will ask them for you if you want? Also which weather station gave you problems with the wind sensors?
This is a link to the Davis Vantage pro2
By the way, here is the link to the Davis Vantage Pro 2
How do I know where to place the weather station on my property? Ie: in a corner , in the open? On a Pole? Up high ? The wind can be disrupted by roofs ,banks ,trees etc. not sure where to mount it . Cheers mike
Hey Mike, great question, I have written a guide here on the best way to install your weather station.. Hope this helps, any more questions just let me know.
I think all of them are great, I would go with the ws-2902
I ilke to comparıng different prices, is there is really big difference middle price product and expensive ones ?
Great post, I’m still limping along with my old Oregon scientific lol.
These all seem more than I want. I think what I want is just an inside and outside sensor that works with an iPhone app, don’t really want another data panel sitting around.
Mostly I’m looking for data on my microclimate I’m a gardener.
If weather.com had a clue they would come up with personal stations that fed data back to them and personalized your info.
Hi Craig, what ever you decide be sure to come back and tell us about it.
I’m thinking the LaCross