Oregon Scientific WMR100A Advanced Wireless Home Weather Station

Oregon Scientific WMR100 
Advanced Wireless Home Weather Station

The Oregon Scientific WMR100 Advanced Wireless Home Weather Station is an advanced, yet cost effective weather station.  The WMR-100A measures indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, and rainfall with the included sensors.  Calculated values include forecast, dew point, wind chill and heat index.  Remote temperature and humidity from up to 9 additional remote locations, and UV light intensity may be measured with optional sensors (not included).  All remote sensors are totally wireless with a range of up to 300 feet.   

The system features memories, giving the value and time of occurrence for the following conditions:

• Indoor and outdoor minimum and maximum temperatures

• Indoor and outdoor minimum and maximum humidity

• Maximum heat index

• Minimum wind chill, 

• Maximum and Minimum Dew point

• High Gust Wind

• 24 hour accumulated rainfall

Weather alarms may be set to alert you of certain weather conditions. Once activated, the alarm will sound when a certain criterion is met.

Alarms can be set for:

• Indoor and outdoor high/low temperatures, dew point and high/low humidity

• High Heat Index

• High Gust Wind

• Low wind chill

• High UV

• Pressure drop

• High rainfall rate

The Oregon Scientific WMR100 comes with two sensor assemblies.  The first assembly includes sensors for outdoor temperature and humidity, wind speed (with a cup type anemometer), and wind direction.  This sensor comes with a mounting poll, or may be mounted on an existing mast or wall.  Please see the manual for mounting details.  This sensor is powered by 4 AA batteries.  Lithium batteries are recommended for cold weather operation.

The second sender is a self emptying rain bucket, which is to be mounted on a level surface.  The rain bucket is powered by 2 AA batteries.

This product can work with up to 10 sensors at any one time to capture outdoor temperature, relative humidity or UV readings in various locations. Optional wireless remote sensors such as those listed below can be purchased separately. 

• Thermo-hygro THGR800 (3-Ch)

• Thermo-hygro THGR810 (10-Ch)

• UV UVN800

The weather station is capable of connecting to a PC computer using the USB connection. The “Virtual Weather Station” software can read the latest weather data collected from the base station. Please download the software from the following website: http://www2.oregonscientific.com/assets/software/wmr100.exe

Features:

• Rotary dial controls for easy console navigation
• Includes five sensors for comprehensive weather information (UV sensor available for purchase separately)
• Forecast the weather 12 to 24 hours in advance using graphical icons
• Displays temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind, rainfall, dew point, windchill, and heat index data
• Bar graph shows 24-hour history of barometric, UV Index, and rainfall data
• Automatically sets itself to the U.S. Atomic Clock and adjusts for Daylight Saving Time; includes alarm
• Wind sensor provides information on wind speed, gust, and direction
• PC software available for use with USB connection
• Moon phase icon helps gauge moonlight and tides for outdoor activities
• Displays three levels of temperature and humidity trends: Rising, Steady, or Falling
• Wireless sensors transmit data from up to 300 feet from main unit
• Minimum/maximum temperature and humidity memory with time/date stamp
• HiGlo™ electro luminescent momentary backlight
• Customizable weather alarms
• Altitude adjustment for barometric pressure
• Minimum System Requirements: Windows 32-bit operating system

The minimum system requirements for use of the “Virtual Weather Station” software is:

• Operating system: Microsoft Windows 98 or above

• Processor: Pentium II 166Mhz or above

• RAM: Min. 64Mb

• Hard disk free space: Min. 30Mb

For additional information, please see the quick start manual and the instruction manual.

Marty's comments: So how does this unit stack up?  Here are the pro's and con's.  

First the good news, the WMR100 gives a lot of data for a reasonable price.  It gives wind chill and heat index data, which many older units don't, as well as UV index, with an optional remote.  The WMR100 is totally wireless, with 300 foot range in unobstructed space, no wires need to be run to use this unit, so setup is simple and uncluttered.  The WMR100 can monitor temperature and humidity from numerous remote locations, which many stations can't.  

The bad news?  The remotes are wireless, but not solar powered.  That is good from a cost and reliability standpoint, but it means you need to locate the remotes so that you can replace batteries occasionally.  To get wind speed readings that match official readings, the wind speed remote needs to be mounted up high, clear of obstructions.  That usually makes battery replacement difficult.  If you really want to know what the wind speed and wind chill feels like out in the back yard, not up on the roof, then you want to mount it down low anyway, but your wind speed readings may not agree with the National Weather Service.  

Another issue is that the thermo-hygro sender is incorporated with the wind speed sensor.  Ideally, the wind speed sensor and the rain bucket should be out in the open, fully exposed.  It is typically better to have the thermo-hygro sensor in the shade, to avoid having sunlight heat the sensor.  If the thermo-hygro is white, and correctly designed with an outer shield and a ventilated inner sensor, the effects of solar heating will be minimized.  It appears as though this one is designed that way.

The WMR100 will share one other issue with most wireless systems.  In order to prolong battery life, the wireless transmitters send data periodically.  If a sudden gust of wind comes along while you are watching the wind speed reading, you will not see the reading change until the sensor transmits.