Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI Review
Ambient WS-1002-WIFI Rating
Connectivity 
Weather Instruments
Accuracy / Freqeuncy
Affordability
Overall Rating
Quick Review
PROS
The Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI is one of the leading solor powered wireless home weather stations. It includes extras like UV and Solar Radiation sensors and the most “connectivity” options of any weather station on the market. In addition, it is also easy to set up since it’s an all-in-one unit.
CONS
These are basically the same for all Ambient units. They should not be used in the Arctic Circle or in a salt water environment. They also have a few reports where wifi connectivity has been lost during poor weather conditions.
SUMMARY
The WS-1002-WIFI is really impressive and flexible in what it can connect with. In addition, it has more weather instruments than many of other home weather stations.
Note, the WS 1002 WIFI wireless weather station is very similar to its predecessor, with the difference being that the WS-1001-WIFI used rechargeable batteries charged by a solar collector. The WS 1002 solar powered weather station uses a super capacitor for energy storage that is charged by a solar collector during the day and non-rechargeable batteries at night. This is a vast improvement in performance over the previous Ambient Weather model.
Connectivity
One of the best things about the WS-1002-WIFI is its dual wireless technology. Like many other models, this personal weather station connects wirelessly from the all-in-one outdoor weather instrument to its display (up to 300ft), but also connects via wifi from the display to your in-home wireless router, making connecting to the internet or sending real-time weather publishing to Weather Underground a snap. You can also use EasyWeather to connect via wifi directly to your PC. This is a home weather station with wifi built in. In most cases, a connection like this requires a seperate piece of hardware.
Other connection options for any of you tech geeks out there include IFTTT to connect to other web services such as Gmail, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. The AmbientWeather.net server includes timelines for following IFTTT triggered applets.
Ambient Weather also offers its weather station internet site, AmbientWeather.net. If you don’t want to share your data with the world at Wunderground, you can send your data to the Ambient Weather Network which is your own private server.
Need a weather camera for your personal weather station? AmbietCamHD (sold separately) is also compatible with the WS 1002.
Ambient Weather Display
Weather Instruments
As mentioned above, Ambient Weather’s WS-1002-WIFI includes a ton of features. Weather instruments on this model include:
- Indoor/Outdoor thermometer for temperature
- Indoor/Outdoor hygrometer for humidity
- Barometer for indoor barometric pressure
- Wind vane and anemometer for wind speed and direction
- Self-emptying rain collector to measure rainfall
- Solar radiation and UV detection
.
Power Source for Weather Instruments
The WS-1002-wifi’s sensor array is solar powered with a super capacitor for energy storage. It also has non-rechargeable batteries for night time.
Accuracy
Most personal weather stations in this class are pretty accurate. The WS-1002-WIFI from Ambient Weather is no different and finds its way to the middle of the pack in this category. Here are the stats:
- Temperature: ± 2° F
- Humidity: ± 5%
- Barometric Pressure: ±0.08 inHG
- Rain: ± 10%
- Wind Direction: ± 1°
- Wind Speed: 2 mph
- UV ± 1
- Solar Radiation: ± 15%
Update Frequency
Due to all the features and extra measurements, I consider this more than just a standard home weather station and would call it more of a semi-professional unit. Its update frequency at 14 seconds is a bit slow compared to top of the line commercial models however.
Affordability
Compared to our other mid-range weather stations reviews, the Ambient Weather price is very attractive for the features and connectively that the WS 1002 packs in. Even some of the top weather stations on the market don’t provide either the connectively options or the amount of weather instruments that this one does. In my opinion, you’re getting a lot of value with this wireless weather station. I recommend the Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI if you’re in the market for more than just a basic household weather station, but can’t afford the top of the line $500+ units.
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What Are Actual Users Saying?
Users of the WS-1002-WIFI have rated this wireless weather station with very high marks. Most of them tell us they appreciate all of the connectivity options and think it offers much value with it’s features.
Ambient Weather Station WS-1002-WIFI: Pros & Cons
PROS
More weather instruments than others
Historical data can be graphed to spot trends
Solar Powered
CONS
No backup battery for the display that runs on AC power only. UPS is recommended
Not recommended for use in the Arctic Circle or a salt water environment
Wifi connectivity can be lost due to bad weather
Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI: Summary
This is one of the most “connected” wireless weather stations on the market. It can even send you notifications when weather conditions meet certain levels you’ve set, along with connecting wirelessly to the display, connecting to the internet via wifi, and options to connect with Wunderground, Alexa, and AmbientWeather.net. The TFT full color Ambient Weather display provided with this weather station is amazing and better than most supplied with competitive models. Lastly, it also has more weather instruments than most other models, with solar radiation and UV readings included. I believe the Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI provides good value and checks the boxes for most amateur weather enthusiasts.
Is the Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI not quite what you’re looking for?
You may also be interested in our other Ambient Weather Station Reviews…
Ambient WS-1002-WIFI Rating
Connectivity
Weather Instruments
Accuracy / Freqeuncy
Affordability
Overall Rating
Quick Review
PROS
The Ambient Weather WS-1002-WIFI is one of the leading solor powered wireless home weather stations. It includes extras like UV and Solar Radiation sensors and the most “connectivity” options of any weather station on the market. In addition, it is also easy to set up since it’s an all-in-one unit.
CONS
These are basically the same for all Ambient units. They should not be used in the Arctic Circle or in a salt water environment. They also have a few reports where wifi connectivity has been lost during poor weather conditions.
SUMMARY
The WS-1002-WIFI is really impressive and flexible in what it can connect with. In addition, it has more weather instruments than many of other home weather stations.