We researched dozens of home weather stations, used hands-on experience, and paid special attention to sensor types and accuracy, system expandability, and smart features like connectivity, apps, and personalized weather forecasts. The Ambient Weather WS-2000 is the best overall home weather station due to its excellent sensor suite, optional additional sensors, and high-definition tablet-style display. Here are the best home weather stations you can rely on for real-time weather data and personalized forecasts. This weather station comes with Ambient’s innovative osprey sensor array, which combines all of the main sensors into a single unit that’s easy to set up and install. It includes sensors for temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, UV and solar radiation, and rainfall. The sensor array has a built-in solar panel that charges a supercapacitor to keep it running at night, and you can also install optional backup batteries just in case. The only real downside to the WS-2000 is that it uses the same sensor array as the less expensive Ambient Weather WS-2902C, which is our pick for best value. You can save some money by going with that unit instead, but then you miss out on the fantastic high-definition display that comes with the WS-2000. It’s one of the best-looking home weather station displays available, and it can even show data from any additional sensors you add to the system. Price at time of publish: $300 A single sensor package houses all the Tempest sensors, so the device is really easy to install and get going. You don’t have the option to install your wind, rain, and temperature sensors in different locations, but the tradeoff is that beginners can get up and running with this station without any trouble. It includes hardware for pole-mounting and for mounting on a post or fence. The other drawback is that you don’t get a physical display. Instead, WeatherFlow provides an app and a website. However, the data is available remotely, so you don’t have to be home to check what’s happening on the Tempest sensors. You can even share the website address with friends and family in the area so they can benefit without needing to invest in their own weather station. Price at time of publish: $329 The sensors in the AcuRite Iris don’t have the same accuracy and don’t send data to the display as often as the more expensive options on this list, but they’re accurate enough for home use, especially for anyone who is just starting to get into weather as a hobby. The unit can connect to your Wi-Fi network and send data to Weather Underground, which allows you to check the sensors and see a customized weather forecast on the Weather Underground app. Price at time of publish: $139 The best thing about the Ambient Weather WS-2902C is that you can add more sensors later on if you feel the need. It has all the basic bases covered right out of the box, but you can add up to eight additional thermo-hygrometer sensors (to measure temperature and humidity), soil moisture sensors, and even air quality sensors. The catch is that the fairly basic display isn’t capable of showing data from these sensors, but you can connect the unit to Wi-Fi and check that additional data on the Ambient Weather website. Price at time of publish: $190 Beyond the first-rate display, the Atlas features a number of improvements over other AcuRite units. It uses a single sensor body that houses all of the instruments, but you can extend the anemometer for more accurate wind readings. If you add an optional wind extension kit, you can raise the anemometer an additional 30 feet in the air. In addition to the basic sensors, it includes a lightning sensor that can detect strikes up to 25 miles away. Price at time of publish: $250 The display console that comes with the Davis Vantage Vue is a bit of a stumbling point, as it looks and feels like a relic from the past. It packs tons of useful data into a small amount of space, but it has a steep learning curve and lacks the visual flair offered by much of the competition. The Vantage Vue also lacks any internet or smart home connectivity out of the box, so you can’t send data to the internet without an expensive add-on. Price at time of publish: $340 This weather station doesn’t have a display, but it does have a well-designed mobile app that serves the same purpose. The lack of a display is a bit of a letdown if you’re used to having an always-on display that you can check for weather information at a glance, but the app looks and works great. However, the one thing the Netatmo Weather Station includes that the competition doesn’t is an indoor CO2 sensor. This sensor helps you monitor the indoor air quality in your home, and the unit will send you an alarm if the levels get too high and it’s time to air out your house. Price at time of publish: $177 Unlike other Ambient Weather stations that accept add-on sensors, the WS-5000 comes with a display that shows all the additional sensor inputs. It can even show data from a lightning sensor if you add one to the system, though that functionality is completely absent from the base unit. Most of the sensors that come with the WS-5000 are separate units, allowing you to place each in its ideal location. The wind and temperature sensors aren’t separate, which isn’t ideal, but this is an expandable system. If you want the most accurate readings possible, you can mount the wind sensor up high where it needs to be. You could then add an additional thermo-hygrometer sensor (to measure humidity and temperature) closer to the ground—or even multiple thermo-hygrometers in different places around your yard. Price at time of publish: $450 Not only are the sensors included with the Vantage Pro2 some of the most accurate you can get in a home weather station, but the data from each appears on the console and also updates quickly—every 2.5 seconds. That means when you look at the display console, the numbers you see are a more accurate representation of the conditions at that very moment than other stations provide. While the display console is monochrome and isn’t as attractive to look at as many other home weather stations, it provides a ton of data with dangerous weather alarms, historical graphs, and an accurate local forecast. Price at time of publish: $613 While this weather station doesn’t have any advanced sensors, that makes it easier to install if you’re new to the weather hobby or don’t need all those other readings. Setup requires mounting the sensor and plugging the display into an outlet or supplying batteries. The outdoor sensor unit has a range of about 300 feet from the indoor display, depending on the construction and layout of your home. The display is big, bright, colorful, and easy to read from most viewing angles, with all the most important information front and center. Price at time of publish: $54 At a minimum, you typically need to purchase and install a standalone pole or a house- or roof-mounted pole, if you don’t already have one on your property. Some weather stations also have alternate mounting hardware to attach the sensor unit to your fence or a free-standing wood post.
Sensors
The types, accuracy, and update frequency are the three things to look for in sensors. The most essential basic sensors are wind, rain, temperature, and barometric pressure, and UV, solar radiation, and lightning also quite useful. More accurate sensors are better, and sensors that transmit more often are better. Some home weather stations receive updated data every couple of seconds, while others can go between 30 seconds and an entire minute between updates. Some weather stations include more advanced technology, like ultrasonic and haptic sensors. “Haptic rain sensor technology quantifies rainfall by measuring the force of raindrops hitting the top of the device,” explains St. John. “This means minimal maintenance and a more compact design.” And in ultrasonic sensors, “the ultrasonic anemometer measures wind parameters based on the time of flight of ultrasound pulses between pairs of transducers, essentially using the difference in the speed of sound to determine wind speed and direction,” says St. John. These sensors cost more than traditional instruments but don’t have any moving parts and are less likely to break down.
Durability
Home weather stations are, by definition, exposed to the elements. These devices sit outside, in the wind, sun, rain, and everything else, so they must be durable. The manufacturers featured here are all known for producing durable products, with the higher-end models known to last longer than lower-end units.
Smart Features
Some weather stations include smart features and connectivity, like the ability to send your weather data to the internet and access it via an app or integration with your smart home. Others use machine learning and other advanced technologies to provide extremely accurate and localized weather forecasts. None of these features are absolutely necessary, but they can make your weather station much more useful.
Why Trust The Spruce?
This article was written by Jeremy Laukkonen, a freelance writer and product tester for The Spruce. He’s had experience testing and reviewing a variety of home weather stations throughout his career, including hands-on experience with several of the stations featured here. In addition to The Spruce, his reviews can be found in other outlets including Lifewire and DigitalTrends. “In general, it’s best to place your weather station in an open location with good exposure to direct sunlight throughout the day,” says St. John. “For most locations, the recommended installation is between 6 to 8 feet above the ground and away from obstacles.” To gain a deeper understanding of the most important home weather station sensors and features, Laukkonen contacted David St. John, the CTO of WeatherFlow. With St. John’s expert insights, Jeremy looked at factors like durability and extensibility, sensor design and accuracy, and connectivity.
