How to Select a Home Weather Monitoring System

If you have a weather buff in your midst or you're addicted to The Weather Channel, consider purchasing a home weather-monitoring system. Learn what to consider and how to select a system that's sure to meet the needs of any weather enthusiast, and you'll be the first to know your local forecast.

Instructions

1. Decide what you want your weather station to tell you. Time, moon phases, inside and outside temperatures, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind direction and speed, amount of precipitation, wind chill, heat index and dew point are types of data available on weather stations depending on make and model.

2. Consider installation requirements when choosing your home weather station. Whether you choose a wired or wireless system, be sure to check out the requirements for each type of system and determine if your current housing accommodations and location will meet the needs. You probably can't drill holes for a wired system if you live in an apartment, so a portable weather station would be a better choice.

3. Understand the update interval, accuracy, resolution and range of home weather stations and how important those factors are. They'll play a key role in the price of the unit you choose. You may want to know it's actually 77.4 degrees within + or - 1 degree of accuracy, while others may only need to know it's roughly 77 degrees.

4. Determine if historical weather data is important. Some home weather stations will only display current conditions, while other stations can provide historical data for hours, days, months and years. Some people like having historical weather data available so they can track weather trends over certain periods of time.

5. Consider the advantages of wireless home weather stations. Remote weather sensors are placed in strategic locations and use radio waves to send signals to a display monitor in the house and are easy to install. The Vantage Pro2 Wireless Weather Station is an exceptional choice and its accuracy is relied on by airports, fire stations and schools nationwide. Less expensive models, like the La Crosse Technology WS-8025 are also available but have limited features.

6. Know the limits of wired home weather stations. Remote weather sensors are place outside the home and are connected with a cable to the home weather station. Installation is more difficult and location and placement of the sensors and display unit are limited, but they offer exceptional delivery of data. Davis Vantage Pro has an excellent line of cabled home weather stations.

7. Compare and select the best home weather station within your budget. Decide which features are the most important in monitoring the weather so you can get the most enjoyment, education and knowledge out of it. Stretch your budget and search online auction sites to see if you can get a great deal on a more expensive model.