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Common questions on the WeatherDuino system
What hardware I need to build an WeatherDuino Weather Station?
The minimal hardware to build an WeatherDuino weather station, is one Transmitter Unit and one Receiver Unit, and obviously a set of weather instruments (anemometer, rain gauge, temperature / humidity sensor, etc).
Besides transmission of the RF signal, the Transmitter Units act as an interface where all outdoor weather instruments are connected.
One Transmitter Unit is enough to connect all the most common weather instruments, however for reasons of better placement of some weather instruments, up to four Transmitter Units can be used per each Receiver Unit.
How data is transmitted?
As almost every weather station, WeatherDuino works by using Radio Frequency signals for communication between the Transmitters and the Receiver Unit.
Currently WeatherDuino uses OOK/ASK radio modules, available in 433Mhz and 315Mhz versions. Mainly 433MHz is used, however, depending on national regulations users may also use 315MHz versions.
Up to four Transmitter Units can be used per each Receiver.
What's the maximum RF range?
The maximum distance which can be achieved between Transmitters and Receivers, as happen with any RF signal, depends of several factors.
In favourable conditions the range can go up to more than 100 meters. WeatherDuino users haven't reported any major problem for ranges between 10 to 50 meters.
Does WeatherDuino receivers have a data logger?
The WeatherDuino Pro2 and Pro2 PLUS systems have data logger capabilities. Both systems emulate a Davis data logger, so it works exactly the same way and have the same capabilities of the Davis data loggers.
For a quick comparison between WeatherDuino receivers, please refer to WeatherDuino Receivers - Comparison Chart
The number of data records which can be stored depends of the Sample Interval, which can be defined by the user in the WeatherDuino software. Bellow is a table illustrating the data logger capacity in function of the Sample Interval.
| Sample Interval | Capacity of logger in time |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | 1 day and 20 hours |
| 5 minutes | 8 days and 21 hours |
| 10 minutes | 17 days and 18 hours |
| 15 minutes | 26 days and 16 hours |
| 30 minutes | 53 days and 8 hours |
| 1 hour | 106 days and 16 hours |
| 2 hours | 213 days and 8 hours |
Which weather instruments are supported?
One of the strengths of the WeatherDuino weather stations is the wide range of types and brands of weather instruments that can be used. Despite the already big diversity of supported weather instruments, we are continuously working to extend it.
Click on the link to consult a listing of currently supported weather instruments.
I have an weather instrument which isn't in the list of supported instruments. Can I use it?
Maybe yes, maybe not. Please visit the WeatherDuino Support Forum and post as many info was possible about the weather instrument which you intend to use. The Forum is the best place to get answers for questions like this.
Does WeatherDuino support Solar Radiation / UV sensors?
Yes, through the use of the Solar / UV interface.
Does WeatherDuino support Soil Moisture, Soil Temperature and Leaf Wetness sensors?
Yes, through the use of the Soil / Leaf interface.
How I can get the boards to build an WeatherDuino weather station?
All info about boards availability, prices and how to order can be found at the WeatherDuino Support Forum, on this thread: WeatherDuino Pro2 & Pro2 PLUS - PCB and Parts lists.
