Last updated: January 4, 2023
There are few names in the world of home weather stations as recognizable as Davis instruments. Anyone looking to buy a weather station for their own use at home should head straight to Davis Instruments for the best chance of finding a high-quality option available at an affordable rate.
In this article, we are going to take a look at two weather stations from Davis Instruments. Both of these stations are targeting slightly different parts of the market, but they can also be used in tandem with one another.
1. Davis Instruments 6152 Vantage Pro2 Wireless Weather Station Review ($895.50)
- 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
My thoughts on this Davis weather station:
The Vantage Pro2 is yet another fantastic weather station packed full of great features. Not only does it include everything that the original Vantage Pro offered, but Davis has sweetened the deal by offering a range of auxiliary features for this new version. They have souped-up the antenna, meaning that you now get up to 1,000 feet of line-of-sight range, plus they have improved the physical construction of the product and rearranged the buttons to make it much easier to operate.
There have also been some subtle redesigns to some of the onboard instruments. One of the best examples of this is the redesigned rain collector. This spoon-shape is now laser calibrated in order to provide the most accurate results possible. Similarly, the sensor suite has been upgraded to provide more reliable readings. Finally, while it might seem like overkill to some people, there is a fifth radiation shield that has been added in order to keep sensitive instruments protected from background radiation, further enhancing their accuracy.
By redesigning the sensor suite so that it is protected by a new radiation shield, this has enabled Davis Instruments to coax just a little bit more accuracy out of their hardware, making this model a worthy successor to the Vantage Pro.
Of course, that impressive hardware doesn’t count for much if the station itself is awkward and difficult to use. Fortunately, most users should find that the Vantage Pro2 enables them to easily and automatically keep track of any weather variables they are interested in. The station is capable of tracking these variables over a period of hours, days, or even months and years. You can keep track of your local forecast over whatever timescale you wish.
If you are able to add some repeaters into the mix, you can squeeze even more range out of this weather station. The LCD display provides you with on-screen grafting and forecasting, making it easy to see at a glance what your instruments are detecting.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 16 inches; 5 pounds
- Sensors: wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, windchill
- Other features: Easy to use keypad, LCD screen, 12/24 hour clock, moon phase display, current & historic data display.
- Bird spikes
- 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
- Solar-powered with a battery backup
- Comes with a weatherlink dongle to store the data
- Hands-off and maintenance-free setup
- Excellent tech support
- Has Standard Radiation Shield (passive)
Cons
- Unreliable in wind/rain combos
- Doesn’t work with Apple OS
- Repairs and replacement parts are expensive
- Does not have 24-Hour Fan-Aspirated Radiation Shield
2. Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station Review(Price not available)
- Self-contained weather monitoring system includes Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS), LCD console, and mounting hardware (mounting pole sold separately)
- Console features an easy-to-read, backlit 3 by 4.375-inch LCD display with a glow-in-the-dark keypad
- Wireless transmission from ISS to console of up to 1,000 feet with fast updates every 2.5 seconds
- Reports current weather conditions, including indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall
- Console includes weather forecast icons, moon phase, sunrise/sunset times, graphing of weather trends, alarms and more
Amazon collected a total of with an average rating of ()
Price:Price not available
My thoughts on this Davis weather station:
This is yet another excellent weather station from Davis instruments. This self-contained weather monitoring unit includes an integrated sensor suite that peaches high-quality hardware to provide accurate results to the user. This is less expensive and, therefore, a little less feature-packed than the Vantage Pro 2. However, it is still a sturdy and capable weather station that will serve all but the most hardcore power users just fine.
The included 4.4-inch LCD display is easy to read, thanks to a backlight, and is attached to a glow-in-the-dark keypad that makes input easy even in low light. You can also have the unit wirelessly transmit data with a range of up to 100 yards for the fastest updates, which are sent out every 2.5 seconds.
You can also have this weather station send back reports of current weather conditions at predefined times of the day. These reports can include everything such as indoor and outdoor temperatures, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and even humidity, dew point, and rainfall.
The combination of the rapid speed of updates, which is around 10 times faster than most of its competitors, and an impressive wireless transmission range of up to 300m makes for a powerful and cost-effective weather station.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 19 x 15 x 7 inches; 7 pounds
- Sensors: ISS – rain collector, anemometer, wind direction sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor.
- Other features: Forecast icons, built-in weather center, user-friendly keypad, alarms and scheduling
- Optional software available
- Weather-proof cover
Pros
- Easy to configure
- Long Wi-Fi range
- Lithium battery backup
- The unit can interface with a computer
Cons
- Doesn’t come with bird spikes
- Some users complain of inaccurate wind measurements
- Repairs and spare parts are expensive
- Mounting pole not included
- The product software is old
Davis Instruments have long been one of the most reliable producers of weather stations for the consumer market. Both of the weather stations on this list are a capable and worthwhile addition to any home laboratory set up. You can’t go far wrong with either of these stations, and you can even link them together if you want to combine their potential power.
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