» Oregon Scientific WMR968 Cable Free Complete Weather Station

Oregon Scientific WMR968 Cable Free Complete Weather Station Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Oregon scientific weather station
Comment: I returned this item as advised by the company's technical service person. Assembly required removing and reinstalling dozens of tiny screws for which no ordinary screwdriver was available.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: A good weather station
Comment: I bought the OS WMR968 system 2 years ago, and have been very happy with it's performance and reliability. Installation was easy, and it worked fine right out of the box. All the sensors are made of plastic parts, so don't expect the highest quality, but they work...and work well for the money. With the right software, you can upload your data to the Weatherunderground, and other public weather data systems.

There are some odds and ends that folks need to be aware of about this system, or any weather system.

-Wind direction and speed are strongly affected by nearby buildings and obstructions. It's best to locate these sensors some distance from other structures. While the "official standard" is 10 meters (about 33 feet) above ground, mine is only about 12 feet, so the accuracy is probably not as good as it could be.

-During freezing rain conditions, the anemometer and wind direction will likely freeze solid. It's a problem with most weather systems, and unless you have power and heat available, it's just something you just have to live with. Normally all it takes is some sunny days, and the ice will melt and it returns to normal.

-The temperature sensor is sensitive to direct sunlight exposure. It is recommended that you find a shady spot to install it, or install a solar radiation shield. Otherwise your daily high temps will spike above what they should be.

-Each solar unit includes a set of rechargeable and AA alkaline batteries. You can expect them to last a couple of years, but they will eventually die and need to be replaced. This is especially true if you have some really cold (sub zero) temps.

-The rain guage is really sensitive to debris...so you need to keep the debris screen cleaned. Also, I had a spider decide to set up shop inside mine, and it prevented the rain bucket from emptying properly. So if your readings look low, you should check the cleanliness of the sensor.

-The advertized range of the wireless transmitters is probably accurate, as long as you don't have walls in the way. If you can, locate the transmitters as close to your base unit as possible. My temp and wind sensors are about 125 feet from my base unit, which is plugged into my PC. The signal has to go through a wall, and I occasionally have trouble getting a good signal. I also have a second remote temp sensor in my barn, about 150 feet away, and through two walls. I've tried just about everything and have been unable to get a good signal from that sensor. If you have aluminum siding, or stucco with metal lathe, forget about getting a signal through them.

While you could spend a lot more for a professional weather station, I've found the WMR968 lives up to my expectations and does a good job. It's one of the most popular weather stations, and you can't go wrong with it. This system is also sold under several other brand names, including Radio Shack and John Deere. In fact, the Radio Shack instruction manual (which you can download) is MUCH better than the one that comes with this unit.

In summary, with weather stations, you get what you pay for. Those that expect this to be as reliable and robust as a professional weather station will likely be disappointed. This is probably the best and most popular low cost weather stations on the market, and I highly recommend it for those starting out. I have found it's accuracy and dependability to be equal to even the best professional systems.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Pros and Cons
Comment: I got the OS WMR968 for Christmas 2007 so I've had it for nearly a year. The outside humidity meter worked for about 2 months and quit. I called OS and they said it was still under warranty, but they didn't have any replacements to send me. They put me on a list for one and I still haven't received it (today is Thanksgiving 2008). Frustrated, I bought a temp/humidity sensor (it's called THGR 968) on ebay (since OS didn't have any). It lasted about a month and died. So I bought a LaCrosse 2315 weather station. The 2315 showed me what a good station the OS WMR968 was (the 2315 is ok, but it doesn't update very often and has no solar power, it's strictly battery power for the sensors). The rainfall on the 968 registers in 0.04 inch increments, so it takes quite a bit of rain to get it to register. The barometer seems to take pretty big steps, too. But the 968 samples the sensors quite frequently so that updates are rapid and accurate. The solar powered sensors and the wireless transmitters are flawless and have quite a long range. If the humidity sensor would work, I would be a very happy camper. But, their sorry customer support and cheap humidity sensor has me kind of irritated.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Look Out - Buyer Beware
Comment: The outdoor temp/humidity sensor failed within the warranty. However, the company has been stalling on replacing it. Their excuse: the item is on backorder. I returned the failed item on 18 Jun 2008 and, as of 4 Sep 2008, the still offer same "back order" excuse. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and Oregon Scientific did not reply, In fact, according to the BBB, two follow ups inquiries by the BBB to my complaint have gone unanswered.
Moving on, the directions/instructions for the weather station are totally useless: I challenge anyone to get this thing to operate with the enclosed "instructions."

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Buy
Comment: I am not sure what Oregon Scientific is doing shipping this thing without a manual (I mean, what comes with it is not very useful), because in my opinion, the company sells some excellent products for the money. Why then go on the cheap and risk your reputation just because you can't put together a good manual, which might add 40 cents to the cost of each unit when all the costs have been considered (including hiring a professional technical writer)? So I have to wonder who is managing that company.

I can imagine the average person who tries to get this thing going is going to spend a lot of time in the physical installation and then, after their significant work, get especially frustrated due to the fact that ultimately, the devil is in the procedural and electronic details.

I was lucky and got mine to work right away (I think) but I am used to unraveling trainwrecks.

Then I found the Radio Shack manual for the similar item!

Do as many have suggested, and get the manual for the Radio Shack version. I am not sure that they still sell this, but you should be able to find a manual on their site or somewhere else by searching for their item # 630-1016. Or for "Radio Shack Wireless Weather Staion". Some people like to make fun of Radio Shack for various reasons, but give them credit for at least understanding THEIR market.

Now that mine is installed, I am going to print that Radio Shack manual and see what I missed and maybe actually how to USE it. The bottom line here is that if you can get your hands on a manual, this unit is awesome for 200 bucks.

---

More Reviews for Oregon Scientific WMR968 Cable Free Complete Weather Station