Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Fulfilled by Amazon and Sold by stores123 96 new or used available from $290.78 Average customer review:  (605 customer reviews)

Product Description

This wireless weather station provides accurate, reliable weather monitoring in a self-contained, easy-to-install system. Includes outdoor sensor array and LCD console. Mounting hardware included; mounting pole sold separately.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16973 in Sports & Outdoors
• Size: Not applicable
• Color: White
• Brand: Davis Instruments
• Model: 6250
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 7.00" h x 15.00" w x 19.00" l, 6.50 pounds

Features

• Self-contained weather monitoring system includes Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS), LCD console, and mounting hardware (mounting pole sold separately)
• Console features an easy-to-read, backlit 3 by 4.375-inch LCD display with a glow-in-the-dark keypad
• Wireless transmission from ISS to console of up to 1,000 feet with fast updates every 2.5 seconds
• Reports current weather conditions, including indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall
• Console includes weather forecast icons, moon phase, sunrise/sunset times, graphing of weather trends, alarms and more

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station provides accurate, reliable weather monitoring in a self-contained, easy-to-install system. Designed to provide the weather data you need for home use, educational purposes, boating and more, the Vantage Vue includes a sleek but tough outdoor Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) and a comprehensive console. The ISS sets up in minutes and starts sending data wirelessly to your console anywhere in your home, school, or business--within a 1,000-foot range. The ISS updates to the easy-to-read LCD screen on your console every 2.5-seconds. Constantly updated readouts provide you with current weather conditions, including indoor and outdoor temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, dew point, and rainfall. The user-friendly console features a backlit, 3 by 4.375-inch LCD screen and a glow-in-the-dark keypad that allows you multiple views and functions including weather forecasting, moon phase and sunrise/sunset times, graphing of weather trends, alarms and more. Vantage Vue's innovative Weather Center button will display additional data on weather variables for today and over the last 25 days. Finally, with the optional WeatherLink data logger and software you can gain access to additional weather analyses in a variety of versions.

The sleek and tough Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) is built to stand up to intense weather conditions.

Console Features:

• Forecast Icons: Icons let you know to expect sun, part sun, clouds, rain, or snow.
• Variable Display Options: See updated variables every 10 seconds for heat index and wind chill to get a better "feel" for the outside environment.
• Weather Center: provides additional information for each weather variable, such as daily highs and lows, temperature changes by the hour and barometric value changes. Also displays astronomical data such as meteor showers.
• User-Friendly Keypad: Domed buttons are easy to sense and press. Glow-in-the-dark keypad offer day and night usability.
• Retransmits: Main console can extend range to additional consoles up to 1,000 feet away.
• Graphs: Graph the last 25 hours, days or months. View up to 50 graphs including temperature, rain, rain rate, wind and barometric pressure--all on the console.
• "This Time Yesterday" Feature: Data point on the graph indicates the weather during the same time yesterday to help compare and analyze day-to-day weather trends.
• Alarms: Set 22 simultaneous, different alarms to warn of dangers such as high winds, freezing temperatures, rain rate, flood warning, and more.
• Time and Date: View the current time and date or the time of sunrise/sunset.
• Moon Phase: See the eight phases of the moon from new to full.
• Barometer: Five-position trend arrow shows whether barometric pressure is rising, falling, or stable.
• Temperature and Humidity: Console updates outside temperature every 10 seconds and inside temperature every minute. In addition, outside humidity updates every 50 seconds and inside humidity every minute.
• Rain: Console updates rain totals and rain rate every 20 seconds for the last 25 hours, days, months.
• Wind Speed: See wind speed updates every 2.5 seconds, in miles per hour, meters per second, kilometers per hour, and knots. Provides the average and high wind speed for two-minute and ten-minute intervals.
• Units of Measure: Data is reported in US standard units.

Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) Features:

• Wireless: Frequency-hopping spread spectrum radio frequency from 902 to 928 MHz ensures consistent transmission up to 1,000 feet from integrated sensor suite to console. Survived cyclic corrosion tests simulating wear in extreme weather environments
• Solar-powered with stored energy backup: Solar Panel energizes the station during the day. On-board super capacitor provides power at night. Lithium battery provides backup when needed.
• Rain Collector: Self-emptying tipping spoon measures rain with 0.01-inch resolution.
• Anemometer: Records wind speeds from two to 150 miles per hour.
• Wind Direction: Measures wind direction in compass points or degrees.
• Temperature/Relative Humidity: Outside temperature readings from -40 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 to 65 degrees Celsius). Measures relative humidity from 0 to 100 percent.
• Weather Proof Cover: is corrosion-resistant and extremely durable. Electronics are potted or over-molded for added moisture shielding.
• Radiation Shield: protects from solar radiation and other sources of radiated and reflected heat.
• Easy Installation with included mounting hardware kit.
• Bubble Level: Allows for more accurate installation and better data collection.

What's in the Box?
Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS), LCD console, mounting hardware

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
65 of 66 people found the following review helpful.
Can't Recommend - Two failures in under a year
By Tommy Stafford
We bought two of these units back in 2013. One in August 13' - We have a network of weather stations for our magazine located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Im no novice having over 20 years in weather. 16 of that doing and forecasting weather on TV. We bought the Davis units because we wanted to replace a cheaper one. We've always heard Davis was quality. The unit was put in service 3500' up on a mountain so we could display valley vs mountain temps. The unit was in service about 6 months and then the rain measuring unit failed. Their tech support sent us a refurbished unit in the summer of 2014. It worked for a few months then the transmitter unit failed. It kept drawing too much current and continually ran the lithium battery down. Would only work in daylight on clear days via the onboard solar cell.

After another call to tech support we were told the refurbished unit that replaced our newly bought unit here on Amazon was out of warranty and we could buy the part to fix it. Over 300 dollars but it would eventually be credited back to 102 dollars if we returned the part.

We are puzzled. We paid for a new unit. It went bad. Got replaced with a used unit that lasted less than 6 months. And now were held up saying we'd have to pay over 300 dollars initially to get it fixed.

No thanks Davis. You lost a customer and tons of future referrals.
768 of 778 people found the following review helpful.
Fantastic Toy
By Jeffrey D. Hickey
While I have only had this a few days, it is clear the bar has been raised on home weather stations. It certainly costs more than the glut of other home units, but this is a case of getting what you pay for. The set up was easy, though picking the best location requires some thought. I did not want our unit on the roof, since we have no flat surface and the unit does require some periodic maintenance, cleaning the rain gauge trap, dusting off the spiders etc. Once we determined the best location, the top of a fence in our garden, it took about ten minutes to mount. The distance to the console is approximately 50 yards, with several walls between, and the reception is perfect. The console is easy to read and once you get into the well written manual, you have access to information previously only available to professional weather units. I have found all the gauges and sensors to work flawlessly and in a few days, the accumulation of information has been impressive, with trends emerging backed by data. For the home weather enthusiast, this is the best toy I've received. The console even informed me of the lunar eclipse tonight in the Eastern Hemisphere. I've also found the people at Davis to be friendly and helpful. They are justifiably proud of their products, but the new Vantage Vue is a major step toward a relatively affordable, yet comprehensive package for those of us who are weather enthusiasts. I live in a wilderness coastal environment with complex eco-systems, micro climates, and changes that can occur quickly. The Vantage Vue keeps me informed of any change, warns me of potential problems, tracks the evolution of an event with accuracy and then stores it for future reference. My only real complaint is the lack of an atomic clock, but those can be had for next to nothing these days, and the clock on the console has not changed one second from a nearby atomic clock since set up. Time will tell on durability and ease of maintenance, but the simple yet sturdy design make me believe this unit will hold up very well. I give the Vantage Vue the highest possible recommendation. And by the way, Happy New Year.

ONE YEAR UPDATE--I have now been using the Vantage Vue for a little less than one year. In that time, it has performed almost flawlessly. The wind sensor failed, and was promptly replaced by Davis, as it was still under warranty. They sent me the part, and instructions how to replace it. Problem solved.

I still give this five stars. I would give it more if possible.

I also wanted to advise Mac users that if they want to store weather data at home and/or upload it to weather sites, like Weather Underground, the software program to use is Lightsoft. Their program is designed for Mac only and from what I've seen, is better than any pc based program on the market. In any case, it is definitely the best Mac program for storing and transmitting weather. It is not available at amazon, so here is their website: [...]

I hope this helps for both potential Vue buyers and for Mac owners.

TWO YEAR UPDATE--The only thing I've had to do during the second full year of use was replace the lithium battery, and take the unit down for cleaning. The battery gave approximately a week of warning before needing to be changed, and could be done without removing the unit from the stand. It has streamed information to my computer and Wunderground the entire year. It continues to be the best weather toy I've received. Do not hesitate to purchase this unit if you want to track your weather.

THREE YEAR UPDATE--All I did this year was clean the unit and replace the lithium battery. They say the battery should last two years, with the solar panel handling the brunt of the work, but we live in a spot with a south facing hill that blocks the sun from the Vue during a portion of the winter, so the battery has to pick up the load. I have had to replace it annually. But that's it. Everything else has worked perfectly since we replaced the wind sensor two years ago. Still five stars, still my favorite toy. If you've got a weather enthusiast in your house, this is the best gift you could buy.

FOUR YEAR UPDATE--Same as the last year, folks. I cleaned the unit and replaced the battery. I will say there have been a few more notices from my weather software (Lightsoft), saying it wasn't getting information from the station, but rebooting the software always fixes that problem. The unit itself continues to perform beautifully, and streams constantly. The console has displayed the latest information, without pause, four years and counting.

FIVE YEAR UPDATE--In April, two of the sensors failed. I contacted Davis, and they suggested sending it in to replace the sensors, upgrade the firmware, and give the entire unit an overhaul. It cost $80, and I received the repaired and refurbished unit back in a week, looking and behaving brand new. I changed the battery (living in an area with a lot of winter shade, I'm resigned to changing the battery once a year), and the unit has behaved perfectly since. I have read some posts complaining about getting lemons, or the service at Davis, but that has not been my experience with them. Davis has been completely responsive, with a reasonably priced solution for my problem (rather than trying to convince me to buy something new), and the Vue has far exceeded my expectations. See you next year.

SIX YEAR UPDATE--The unit worked flawlessly this year. I changed the battery, cleaned it and that was all I did. After the work I had done to it last year, it felt like it was brand new, and it performed like it was brand new this year. That's all for 2015, folks.

SEVEN YEAR UPDATE--The unit worked without pause this year. I have not even changed the battery, though I'm certain I'll need to before winter is over. Also, for those keeping track of software, I switched to Weather Cat, which is the next version of Lightsoft. It is a superior weather software, but it's only for Mac. Peace to everyone.
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful.
Very nice unit. Highly recommended. Worth the money.
By R. Straka
I'm quite satisfied with this weather station. I've had it for about 3 weeks now.

I've had cheaper units over the years, and they all seem to have some major compromise or other - they chew up batteries (I had an anemometer that went through batteries in less than a month), have sensor/display pairing limitations, are a pain to figure if they're communicating correctly (and have significant range limitations), look cheap, are cheap (cheap plastic that discolors and degrades quickly with sunlight's UV), and break, break, break. Replacement parts? Dicey. I have a stable of several dead or semi-functional weather station "systems" (well, only about 4 of them).

I don't have a long history on this unit, but it looks to be of much better design, materials and construction. Parts are replaceable.

I mounted the sensor on the corner post of my deck - on a piece of 1-1/4 PVC pipe. I drilled out a 1-1/4 hole in the deck post and post cap, sanded down the business end of the pipe a bit with a belt sander because the fit was way too tight, lubed up and softened the pipe with PVC glue, and used a 5 pound sledge to drive the pipe into the hole in the deck post. Caulked around the hole. Glued a pipe coupling at the top of the pipe, and then mounted the unit with the supplied "U-bolt". Very solid.

*** Great features:

* Extremely configurable

* Everything can be calibrated.

* Great wireless range - and it's real. I tested it inside a neighbor's house at least 200 feet away and it worked perfectly.

* Quick updating on wind speed and direction (2.5 sec) so it's quick and easy to verify wireless reception.

* 8 wireless channels to choose from - and the console can act as a wireless repeater using those other channels.

* You can easily share your sensor with neighbors. You can use more than one console.

* Sensor suite is a single unit. No wires at all.

* Sensor suite is totally solar-powered - with super capacitor (for nighttime) and lithium backup battery.

* Lots of diagnostic features (e.g., data on packet loss, signal strength, etc.).

* It has many useful, custom-settable alarms.

* The display has a power adaptor, so you can leave the backlight on all the time. The backlighting is very even. The display is very clear and contrasty from a wide range of viewing angles.

* The display has a status area that's very useful. The other evening when it was raining about 0.4"/min, the display alternated the rain rate data with "IT'S RAINING CATS N DOGS". The developers seem to have a sense of humor.

* The advertisements are not quite clear on the graph display. Simply, it looks like it shows you the data for the last 25 hours, or 25 days, or 25 months, (25 years?) for just about every parameter that it measures.

* Can interface with a computer - but it's expensive.

* Lots more - it's a real instrument, not a toy.

* Notice the black parts? I suspect that's to keep them dry (from snow/ice in winter) via solar heating. If so, nice touch.

* While the unit is expensive, it looks like you can actually buy replacement parts (e.g., anemometer cups), as nothing outside lasts forever.

*** Cons:

* The setup instructions gave me the impression that it would come up all by itself. It doesn't. After you see the "received data" confirmation, you need to cycle through the setup (time, etc.) before the data displays. I waited and waited. I thought I had a defective unit. Then I read more carefully, ran through the simple setup, and everything worked perfectly.

* The unit is so full-featured that the interface is a bit complex. But basic usage is quite simple.

* The display lighting is amber - not exactly the best color.

* The display has a kind of outdated style.

* The chart, while useful, does not tell you what range the data falls in - it appears to have a dynamic range.
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