Need to know what the weather is? Stop depending on an inaccurate app. Home weather stations record data several times per minute, providing a much more detailed look into the whims of Mother Nature than your phone or the local news can.
A typical home weather station includes a shoebox-sized sensor suite (called an ISS - “Integrated Sensor Suite”) placed outside in an open area. This will require a sturdy mounting location free of any obstructions. Many also include a tablet-sized desktop console display that allows you to view collected information.
Not all weather stations have consoles, however. Some manufacturers opt for a mobile app or website for access to your data, which require a connection to the Internet.
While not a requirement, I recommend opting for internet-connected models because they offer much more functionality. You can share your data with the world via services like Weather Underground. Smart home support is another benefit, which allows you to control other devices using data from your station
Higher-end weather stations offer expandability, which allows you to add additional sensors to your home. This may be useful if you’d like to track temperatures in several locations or have a need for UV and solar radiation, soil moisture, or water leak detection monitoring.
So what is the best home weather station? That depends on your budget and what you plan to use it for. Read on for our hands-on experience and advice on what to look for and how to set up your station correctly.
Best Home Weather Stations
- Best Overall: Weatherflow Tempest Weather Station
- Best Value: Ambient Weather WS-2902 Weather Station
- Best Digital Thermometer: La Crosse Technology C85845-INT Weather Station
- Best for Homekit Smart Homes: Netatmo Weather Station
- Best Prosumer Pick: KestrelMet 6000 Weather Station
- Most Expandable: Ambient Weather WS-5000 Weather Station
- Best for Weather Enthusiasts: Davis Vantage Vue with WeatherLink Console Weather Station
The Expert: I’ve been a weather enthusiast since I was a child. As an adult, I’ve combined my professional life – a technology journalist – with my passion for the weather to review weather stations and gadgets. My weather station reviews have appeared on TechHive and Digital Trends, and I have personally tested every station I recommend in my reviews. I also run The Weather Station Experts, a weather gadget reviews blog.
What to Consider When Shopping for a Home Weather Station
Weather stations can monitor many weather conditions, but what they measure varies from model to model. I recommend looking for stations that measure the following:
- Indoor and outdoor temperature
- Indoor and Outdoor humidity
- Barometric pressure
- Rainfall
These are the basics, and some stations can measure much more than just these. Wind speed and direction data may be useful if you have an obstruction-free area on your property to place your station; others offer UV and solar energy data or lightning detection.
How We Selected These Home Weather Stations
I’ve tested over a dozen weather stations over the past decade, including both budget and high-end models. As scientific instruments, accuracy and reliability are my main focus areas when reviewing each station. These units are tested in a similar environment on the same mast for up to a month to ensure each one experiences varied weather conditions.
In addition to my reviews, I consider customer reviews and other professional reviews of the products to ensure our experiences match other weather station owners.
WeatherFlow Tempest Weather Station
WeatherFlow Tempest Weather Station
Pros
- No moving parts for longer life
- Completely solar powered
- Outstanding lightning detection
Cons
- The haptic rain gauge isn’t as accurate as we hoped
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, solar radiation and UV, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, lightning strikes, and rainfall |
|---|---|
| Smart Home Connectivity | Yes |
| Console | No |
| Sensor power | Solar |
WeatherFlow has extensive experience in weather stations, having built a network of coastal weather stations that are invaluable in tracking coastal storms and hurricanes. The Tempest is the company’s first home weather station.
For the most part, this unit is a decent starting point. Powered entirely by the sun, it has no moving parts: the rain gauge is a haptic sensor on the top, and wind speed and direction are measured sonically. Lightning detection is also the best for any personal weather station I’ve tested.
The Tempest can also trigger your smart home devices thanks to support for IFTTT, a smart home automation service. Other than some accuracy issues with the haptic rain gauge, it’s among the best on the market.
Ambient Weather WS-2902 Weather Station
Ambient Weather WS-2902 Weather Station
Pros
- Good value for smart home connectivity
- Better than average accuracy for its price range
- Surprisingly durable in the long-term
Cons
- No expandability
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, solar radiation and UV, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall |
|---|---|
| Sensor power | Solar with battery backup |
When it comes to value, you can’t get much better than the Ambient Weather WS-2902. Now in its fifth update, the station is easier than ever to install, thanks to an upgraded in-app setup process. Also new as of the last generation is a better console, which is easier to see compared to earlier versions that weren’t readable unless you were looking at it head-on.
While it has no lightning detection capabilities, it has everything else the WeatherFlow Tempest does at a significantly lower price. I was shocked at how accurate the sensors are for a “budget” weather station: it’s almost as good as some higher-tier options. Sure, it isn’t expandable and needs batteries for the sensor suite, but the price makes up for that.
La Crosse Technology C85845-INT Weather Station
La Crosse Technology C85845-INT Weather Station
Pros
- Very affordable
- Large easy to read console
Cons
- Limited functionality
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature and humidity |
|---|---|
| Sensor power | Batteries |
If you don’t need all the bells and whistles of a home weather station, the LaCrosse C858545-INT is a great alternative. The sensor only tracks temperature-related data, such as heat index, humidity, and dew point. That means no records on rainfall or wind, but this data is less crucial if you're not caring for a garden or farm. The C85845-INT also can’t connect to an app or your smart speaker.
Instead, all your data lives on a full-color LCD screen housed in a 9- by-5.4-inch display, the largest here. The already bright screen has backlighting for nighttime use and other dark conditions. The console and the sensor are battery-operated, and an indicator on the display lets you know when it’s time to swap in a fresh set.
Netatmo Weather Station
Netatmo Weather Station
Pros
- Apple HomeKit compatible
- Well-designed app and website
- Generally accurate readings
Cons
- Each piece is sold separately, increasing initial investment
- Rain gauge and anemometer aren’t as solidly constructed as others
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, dewpoint, CO2, sound levels, optional sonic anemometer (wind speed and direction) and rain gauge |
|---|---|
| Smart Home Connectivity | Yes, Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit (Siri) |
| Console | No |
| Sensor power | Batteries |
The base Netatmo weather station model includes two sensors: a battery-operated outdoor tower that tracks temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure; and an AC-powered indoor one that goes beyond competitors to keep an eye on CO2 and sound levels. All these measurements were generally accurate in my test, although you must purchase the compatible rain gauge and anemometer separately.
This makes the Netatmo more expensive than many of our recommendations. But if you use Apple HomeKit, it’s one of the few home weather stations to support the technology.
There’s also no console. All of your data is only accessible through the Netatmo Weather app or its website, but both are well designed with easy access to historical data and graphing tools. You can also pair the Netatmo with Amazon and Apple smart speakers and request weather reports from Alexa or Siri.
NK Kestrel KestrelMet 6000 Weather Station
NK Kestrel KestrelMet 6000 Weather Station
Pros
- Lightning-fast installation
- High-quality construction
- Expandable
Cons
- Missing some key features at its price point
- No reliability data since it’s so new
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall |
|---|---|
| Smart Home Connectivity | Yes |
| Console | No |
| Sensor power | Solar |
Kestrel is better known for its high-quality handheld wind and weather meters, but the brand’s first foray into home weather stations is a home run. Since it is a Neilsen-Kellerman company (as is Ambient Weather), the 6000 uses the Ambient Weather Network for internet and smart home connectivity.
Kestrel omitted UV and solar sensors (which nearly every cheaper Ambient Weather station has) and made it optional, which is one of my few issues with the 6000. But the inclusion of fan aspiration in the base model and the option to connect to your station via the cellular network make this a top choice for more demanding weather enthusiasts, beating out even the Davis Vantage Pro2.
One potential negative: we don’t have the reliability data that we have with Davis stations. The Vantage Pro2 (or something similar) has been sold for two decades: the 6000 has been on the market for only a year. So far so good: save for a software bug that affected barometric pressure readings that has since been corrected, operation has been flawless.
Ambient Weather WS-5000 Weather Station
Ambient Weather WS-5000 Weather Station
Pros
- Expandability
- Very accurate
- Attractive console
Cons
- Got significantly more expensive since launch
- On-console setup isn’t user-friendly
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, solar radiation and UV, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall, optional lightning, air quality, soil moisture, leak detector, waterproof probe, and additional temperature/humidity sensors |
|---|---|
| Smart Home Connectivity | Yes |
| Console | Yes |
| Sensor power | Solar/Batteries (optional sensors vary) |
The Ambient Weather WS-5000 is one of the most fully featured weather stations on the market. While it doesn’t include a lightning detector in the base package, you can add one and a half-dozen other optional sensors. All the sensors I tested were accurate, although all the optional sensors require batteries, so that’s something to keep in mind.
The biggest thing going against the WS-5000 is its price. At one point, this station was just $300, making it a bargain. Now at $450, it is pretty expensive, even with longer-range connectivity between the station and your sensors. But it's worth the money if you’d like to track more than the standard weather measurements.
Davis Instruments Vantage Vue with WeatherLink Console Weather Station
Davis Instruments Vantage Vue with WeatherLink Console Weather Station
Pros
- Cheaper than the Vantage Pro2
- Excellent performance and accuracy
- New console is feature-packed
Cons
- Doesn’t work with AirLink (yet)
- Console is clunky to operate
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, and direction, optional air quality sensor (WeatherLink required) |
|---|---|
| Smart Home Connectivity | No (WeatherLink required for Internet Connectivity) |
| Console | |
| Sensor power | Solar/Batteries/AC (optional sensors vary) |
The Davis Instruments Vantage Vue is now two decades old. For much of that time, it was using the same console – which even at the time it was released was a bit dated. That’s changed with the WeatherLink Console, which puts the Vantage Vue in line with every other modern home weather station.
I’ve had a Vantage Vue installed continuously since 2016, and I can attest to the accuracy, which only seems to slip in hot and sunny weather due to a lack of fan aspiration around the temperature sensor. The console is feature packed, but the UI isn’t user friendly, and it lacks AirLink support. I’m told updates will address these issues over time.
While I only mention the Vantage Vue here, Davis has a high end model called the Vantage Pro2. However, the KestrelMet 6000 is ever so slightly better, thanks to the inclusion of fan aspiration. That’s a nearly $300 option on the Pro2.
Ambient Weather WS-2000 Weather Station
Ambient Weather WS-2000 Weather Station
Pros
- Expandability
- Much cheaper than the WS-5000
- Attractive console
Cons
- Lower quality sensor suite sacrifices some accuracy
- On-console setup isn’t that user-friendly
Key Specs
| Measures | Temperature, solar radiation and UV, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall, optional lightning, air quality, soil moisture, leak detector, waterproof probe, and additional temperature/humidity sensors |
|---|---|
| Smart Home Connectivity | Yes |
| Console | Yes |
| Sensor power | Solar/Batteries (optional sensors vary) |
While I haven’t had a chance to test the WS-2000 myself, I’ve tested the sensor suite in the WS-2902, and the console in the WS-5000. That’s essentially what the WS-2000 is. While you’ll get slightly less accurate ratings due to the lower quality sensors, the console allows you to add all the optional sensors of the WS-5000 without breaking the bank.
While we’d still steer those looking for accuracy to the WS-5000 or Davis Vantage Vue, the WS-2000 is an excellent compromise for budget-conscious weather enthusiasts.
