Ecowitt HP2553
3 reviews
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- +4
Accurate and OK – Wi-Fi Weather Station with TFT Large Color Display, WS80 Ultrasonic Anemometer Sensor, WH40 Self-Emptying Rain Gauge Sensor and WN32CP Indoor 3-in-1 Sensor, E-Mail Alert, 433 MHz I have used outdoor weather sensors for years, but this is my first venture into a complete suite of features. Before I move on, for all intent and purposes this is the same as the Ambient WS5000 which is available mainly in the USA because you can't buy this brand in the USA. The main difference is the price. Instead of shelling out $800-$1,000 AU for an Ambient you can pick this up for around $360.00AU.
Now about the modules, in particular the WH57 sensor which gives you data on lightning within a 40KM radius. You can purchase this with the shield and the securing arm from the Ecowitt site for around $100.00. I tell you this because I don't want you to pay the $270.00 that some retailers want to charge you. You can buy just the sensor, so be careful and check what you are getting.
Ok, to start with you need batteries, for the rain gauge and the main unit . Even though the main unit runs on solar you still need batteries. The main consul is just a straight plug in using a 5V adapter. No need to pair anything, once the batteries are in the unit finds it's mates and starts displaying readings. I fitted my main unit about 6 metres off the ground on a satellite dish pole, I removed the satellite dish and repurposed the pole. I fitted the rain gauge about 1.5M to 2M off the ground, which is recommended.
The thing you must do here, is get a compass. If you have an App on your smartphone than that's good enough. I found the most accurate app was one by Digital Compass Axiomatic Inc. You need this to point your main unit north, there is an arrow on the unit to show you the direction. The next thing I did was connect it to my router. Once done take a note of your MAC address, you will need this later. I set up a couple of apps. One was the Ecowitt app and the other was the Wunderground app.
In the settings page it shows the individual apps for online monitoring that you can connect to. These are setup via the settings page on the unit. I did find it a little confusing navigating, the page and the setting but I finally got it connected.
Then the app for Wunderground shows on your console next to the wireless strength to your router and the wireless connection to your sensors (read components) . Once all hooked up, I checked that the apps were working, my ground station identified, and that I could use it online to view data, all good at this point. It turns out there were a few stations in my area but none in my suburb.
I then confirmed on the screen that everything was showing up and all was good. These can be further modified in the setting menu, but I just accepted the default.
I have to say really, compared to a lot of other things it was all pretty painless and you do get an English manual which seemed to be translated by someone with a knowledge of English. Unfortunately a module failed after a heavy rain storm in October 2023 so I have reached out to the manufacturer to replace the module.
I give this a 4 out of five at this point, it represents vaue for money considering it is the top of the tree. It is accurate, and basic connection was a breeze. Highly recommended.
Purchased in at Amazon for $349.
Excellent Value Weather Station – I bought two of these units; one for a farming relative, the other for myself as a 2nd station. Being someone who owns a MUCH more expensive Vantage Pro2 station, I can't help but be impressed with the accuracy & features of this unit for almost 1/8th of the cost. Excellent screen with comprehensive data & graphs. Good range of add-on sensors at an affordable cost.
Absolutely Ideal for someone starting out as well as more serious users.
Edit:- I should correct the fact that I actually have the HP2551 model. Primary difference is the conventional spinning cup anemometer instead of the ultrasonic one. That is my preference as there is an opinion they are more accurate.
Purchased in at Amazon for $279.
Ecowitt HP2553 large display weather station – Good quality unit for measuring, displaying and then permanently recording useful weather data like inside and outside temp, barometric pressure, rain, wind speed and direction, solar radiation, humidity with the capacity to include additional sensors like air born particles (2.5 u/g only) and if you need them additional soil moisture or temperature sensors (such as for a cool room etc).
Pros: Anemometer is ultrasonic (no mechanical spinning cups or wind vane to go wrong or wear out) and uses solar cell both to record UV levels and keep the unit charged. Design idea is to keep sensors seperate and place each (eg rain gage) where most accurate readings can be obtained. Large and bright TFT display panel, easy to read and incorporates a micro SD card slot which automatically stores up to 10 years data in a .csv file (loads directly into your spread sheet of choice). Quickly logs into the weather underground website which gives you a met station ID and key from which you can then display the data from your unit on any number of iOS and Android phone apps for remote monitoring. In addition the free Ecowitt web display page tabulates and graphs your stations data for you on their web page. Can add further sensors (additional purchase) which quickly are recognised into your stations wifi network (you will need a wifi signal strong enough at each location to reach the console and each sensor to keep everything recording reliably). Seems well built with as fewest as possible moving parts to go wrong.
Cons : Only a week old for mine - replaced a cheaper lesser quality unit that kept losing its station id and wifi connection. Set up takes time esp as console display needs a lot of data entry by you (such as local barometric pressure, Lat and Long, WU station ID etc) - a bit fiddly but only has to be done once. Not cheap at around $500 from Amazon including the particle sensor (needed for air quality and dust monitoring).
Have looked for a while for a good quality station that is an alternative to the much higher priced Davis models and I think this might prove to be a good 'un.
update : Unit still working flawlessly after 3 years - only cost was changing the batteries in the main sensor and rain gauge annually - have moved houses twice in that time and only pain was updating the lat and long data in the setup on the display screen - there is an updated version of the main outdoor sensor with the rain gauge now incorporated into the main outdoor sensor called an Ecowitt Wittboy Wi-Fi Weather Station sold by Amazon for $289 but without the dedicated TFT display screen - you could re-purpose an old tablet with the Ecowitt app running as a substitute screen to save the cost of the dedicated Ecowitt screen. Have not used that Wittboy unit but user reviews of the unit seem generally favourable with only adverse comment being accuracy of the inbuilt rain gauge.
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