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Davis Instruments Vantage Pro 2 Wireless Review
Davis Weather Instruments is known for it's high quality products. According to our survey, Davis Weather Monitoring brand is the most highly reputed brand among the weather hobbyist and geeks.
Davis Vantage Pro2 Wireless weather station is a very reliable station that provides accurate reading. The sensor suite has been designed using the latest technology and it offers a wide range of weather information.
Here is a quick and detailed review of Vantage Pro2, which will help you determine whether or not you must buy it.
Features
Purpose
Vantage Pro2 is one of the more advanced weather stations by Davis and is suitable for a variety of purposes. It is more like a professional weather station and can be used by farmers, schools, gardeners, restaurants, and sports institutes. Some weather hobbyists or enthusiasts who like to watch and publish weather readings may also use this as a more involved home station.
This station is known for providing accurate readings and thus is also suitable for the professions that have to rely heavily on weather information, such as fishing.
Installation
In spite of being an advanced weather station, Vantage Pro2 offers easy installation because you don’t need to mount every sensors like in other weather station. Davis Brand did a fabulous job by integrating all the important sensors such as rain, wind, temperature and humidity into one single piece of hardware.
It may take a little over an hour to install and set up the station even if you have the basic tools. All the necessary items required for installation are supplied in the box.
Sensors
Vantage Pro2 comes packed with 4 standard sensors including:
- Anemometer: Pro2 anemometer is very advanced and is capable of recording wind speeds of up to 170 mph. The readings are quite accurate even when there is thunderstorm or strong wind. It can also give you the average wind speed rating for a particular period of time.
- Thermometer: Pro2 thermometer is also very reliable. Even in the extreme cold or heat conditions, this weather station provides very accurate temperature readings. The housing of the station features a radiation shield which ensures that the temperature is not affected by heating on the inside.
- Rain Gauge: Pro2 features a professional-class rain gauge that provides some interesting readings. Not only does it provide the rain density readings, it also tells the rain rate. The magnets are customized according to the area where they are being shipped so that they continue to provide precise readings.
- Hygrometer: The hygrometer of this weather station provides relative humidity reading in the range of 0 to 100%. The radiation shield of the sensor array housing ensures accurate readings.
Vantage Pro2 supports installation of the additional sensors besides the standard ones in the supply. If you need wider range of weather readings, you can buy sensors for solar radiation, soil temperature, soil moisture, and more.
Transmission
The sensory array of the wireless version of Vantage Pro2 is powered by the solar energy and it uses a low-power broadcasting technology to transmit the data to the console. The sensor unit is capable of transmitting the data to any number of consoles within the range. Hence, you can connect multiple display consoles at various spots inside the house.
The wireless unit can transmit the data up to 1000 ft when there is clear line of sight. However, the obstructions may intervene and reduce the transmission range to 400 ft (sometimes even less depending upon the type of obstruction.)
If you need to transmit the data over a larger distance, you can use the repeaters, which can extend the reception range to up to 2.5 km.
Additional Features
The console of Vantage Pro2 acts as a repeater and hence can retransmit the data to another console, thereby increasing the transmission range. The console also provides weather forecast based on the current and historical data.
Display Console will be providing you many weather data which could be useful for both weather geeks and normal people. You can get local weather forecast, Outdoor and Indoor temperature and humidity, barometric trend arrow, rainfall data and much more.
Share Real Time Weather Data via Internet using Weatherlink.com. However, you have to purchase WeatherLinkIP from Davis.net to get this features.
The solar energy console also features a backup battery for power supply at night. The console has over 70 alarms for various weather conditions. This weather station is also compatible with the data logger for which the software package is available for purchase additionally.
Advantages
Davis Brand has packed alot of features which could benefit and saves you time. We’ve listed the main & unique advantages of this model which most of the weather monitoring stations doesn’t have.
- Vantage Pro2 is provides accurate information across all weather parameters
- This weather station is extremely easy to install and even laymen can do it without any prior knowledge
- All the installation supplies are included in the box
- Updates weather data every 2 seconds
- Customer support is impressive
- Unique features such as oil moisture and leaf wetness can be beneficial for farmers
Disadvantages
We researched hours but we came to a conclusion that there is not much Cons in Davis Vantage Pro2 model. As you already know, It is an high-end model which is quite expensive, so you get the most out of it.
- Vantage Pro2 is a more state-of-art weather station with a bigger price tag. Hence, it is not for those who are looking for low-cost stations.
Wrapping it up
To be honest i couldn’t find any negatives in most of the Davis Weather Station. Vantage Pro 2 Wireless is one of the high-end model which could be expensive but it will be the best investment you would have ever made. In fact, It maybe the best in class. Considering it has a quality hardware, sensors and features, obviously every weather geek and professionals will love it.
This model also enables you to customize the weather station according to your needs. You can add additional sensors and accessories. It’s upto you.
Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Review
Davis probably the best Brand for weather station among all the competitors. Their weather station allows just anyone to find the right combination of sensors, price, accuracy, and reliability. 6250 Vantage Vue is one of their models, it gives you huge value to money.
It is known to provide accurate and frequent weather updates. This wireless station is easy to install and easier to use. It comes packed with all the standard sensors and provides wide array of readings.
Features
I have to point out that 6250 Vantage Vue are designed for both beginners or professional weather geek. I've been using this model since 2009 and i have to say that it's still strong. The best thing about this model is the transmission and accurate data.
Without any further ado, Let's check out it's features.
Sensors
6250 Vantage Vue features a wireless sensor unit that runs on the solar energy and offers power storage. The integrated solar panels charge the unit during the day. The advanced capacitors store the energy for power supply at night. The sensor unit also supports C Lithium battery backup, but the batteries must be purchased additionally.
The anemometer provides a wide range of wind speed measurement from 3 km/h to 240 km/h. The weather station is also capable of measuring the wind direction in degrees or compass points.
6250 can display the temperature reading ranging from -40 degrees to 65 degrees Celsius. Relative humidity measurement ranges from 0 to 100%.
The sensor unit housing provides effective protection against moisture and elements. This weather station features a corrosion resistant weather proof covering, which makes the unit very durable. It also has a radiation shield which guards the unit from heat and solar radiation.
The Integrated Sensor Suit (ISS) aka Outdoor Unit has the following features.
- Wireless
- Rain Collector
- Anemometer
- Rugged Housing
- Radiation Shield
- Temperature/Relative Humidity
- Easy Installation
- Wind Direction & Wind Speed
- Solar Panel
- Built-in Bubble Level
Transmission
DAVIS 6250 Vantage Vue uses the Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology for transmission in the radio frequency range of 902 to 928 MHz. The transmission and reception are coordinated with the help of the pseudorandom sequence.
It is an advanced technology that significantly enhances the transmission/reception quality and enables transmission over larger distance. 6250 is capable of transmitting the signals to up to 300 meters (nearly 1000ft) from the sensors to the display console.
Models with cellular transmission capabilities are also available in certain countries. A SIM card is required for cellular connection and uses the mobile data network for transmission. Cellular transmission lets you send data over the internet and thus erases the geographical boundaries. You can monitor the weather conditions at the location of the installation from anywhere in the world.
Display
The display of this weather station is available in yellow colour. The LCD display screen is 4.375 inches wide and 3 inches high. The keypad has the backlight that glows in the dark.
If you are running the console on the AC power, the backlight remains on until it is turned off. If you are running the console on battery the backlight remains on for 60 seconds after your last key press.
The LCD Display updates both outdoor temperature in every 10 seconds and indoor temperature every minute. Also, It updates outside humidity every 50 seconds and indoor humidity in every minute.
Here are the list of the things you can do with the LCD Console.
- Time & Date
- Moon Phase
- Forecast
- Temperature & Humidity
- Retransmits
- Barometer
- Variable Display Options
- Rain
- “Change in Weather Since Yesterday” Feature
- Weather Center
- User-Friendly Keypad
- Graphs
- “This Time Yesterday” Feature
- Alarms
- Wind Speed
The console also acts as a repeater. It can retransmit the signal to any other console within the 300m radius.
Advantages
- 6250 Vantage Vue offers an update interval of less than 3 seconds, making it one of the fastest weather stations available
- The console of this weather station provides a wide range of readings and information
- You don’t need to purchase any additional repeater if you need to transmit the signals beyond 300m. The console is capable of retransmitting the signal to another 300m.
- Graphical representation of the data makes it easier to understand and analyze. You can review the graphs for the last few months.
- The console can display as many as 50 graphs with readings from the sensor on various parameters such as wind speed, atmospheric pressure, rain, temperature and humidity.
- You can set more than 20 alerts at a time to forewarn you of the dangerous weather conditions. This is a safety mechanism which could be very helpful in the areas where weather conditions are unpredictable and touch the extremes.
Disadvantages
- The sensors are solar powered. If you live in the area where it remains overcast most of the times, you will need to purchase additional batteries, which adds to the cost. Moreover, the power storage may not last through the night at all times.
- Since the station uses the wireless transmission, you need to make sure that there are no obstructions between the sensor unit and console. The obstructions tend to deteriorate the signal quality. However, In most cases it wouldn't be a problem.
Wrapping it up!
I think this is the best option if you’re looking for accuracy and reliable. I know accuracy and reliability doesn’t go hand to hand but this Davis Model is an exception. This could your expensive purchase but i’m sure this will definitely worth it.
Happy Forecasting!