Dear JC and WeatherCat industry observers,
Probably not of great interest for us Weather Catters who use the best software in the World for our stations, but found this link about a big update to Weatherlink.
This was worth looking up on the Davis website and is it a big surprise:
https://www.davisnet.com/weatherlink/
There is no more WeatherLink as we imagined it. Instead it is a "headless" piece of software that simply uploads data to Davis "cloud" servers. The WeatherLink software is simply a web application and of course as such, it can be viewed on any device: computer, smart-phone, or tablet.
However, there is one more big surprise. This isn't a one time purchase anymore. There is a free version but there is also a pro version which is a $4 a month. The free version is so stripped down as to be little more than annoying. So Davis has gone from substantial, but one time purchase, to asking us to fork out almost $50 a year to see our data.
If there are any poor Mac users still using WeatherLink, this is an invitation to switch to WeatherCat if there ever was one! [biggrin]
Cheers, Edouard [cheers1]
There seems to be some confusion.
The Weatherlink programs for Windows (WLfW) and Mac (WLfM)
- are updated to version 6.0.3,
- are still available and in the boxes with the Davis loggers.
The only statement so far from Davis: The programs will be actively maintained but not "enhanced"
Weatherlink.com (WLC) is the website with three ways to view your data, the blue "MY Weather" dashboard a "Summery" page and a map to search all stations uploading to WLC version 1.
These pages ,
https://www.weatherlink.com/user/wvdkuil/index.php?view=main&headers=1, can
- be viewed by anybody if they know the link
- be used in an iframe on ones own website
Also there are other benefits
- the uploaded logger-data is kept 4 times as long as in the Davis logger but can only be downloaded by WLfW or WLfM
- All weather-values, current and high-lows, can be retrieved with a simple URL and the resulting xml data used in your own website scripts. You get the same set of "tags" as supplied by WLfW or WLfM without a PC/Mac running 24/7
Saratoga-, Leuven- and Meteotemplate can use that data to update the website. Also multiple users are using WLC and the xml to populate their own website. They could have used a decent weather-program but in some rural areas the Davis IP logger with a small UPS has been a very good solution.
Weatherlink.com can do the uploads for your station to WeatherUnderground, CWOP and Globe.
Other weather-networks, example
https://app.weathercloud.net/d1686817653#current , can retrieve stations data from WLC also. The station owners do not have to upload to gain a presence on these networks.
Weatherlink.com is mainly used by owners of the Davis IP logger
which cost 120€ more compared to the USB version. Since a year or so? users of WLfW could also upload to WLCversion1 but they had to pay for the privilege to store their data at WLC and see the same screens as WLIP users do, but they have to run a PC 24/7 also. So nearly nobody had a clue why anyone wanted to do that.
Weatherlink.com version 2 drops the fee for WLfW and WLfM users to upload their data, sounds good?
Weatherlink.com version 2 drops the blue screen/summary pages, not so good, not nice
Weatherlink.com version 2 replaces those with a far more interesting page of your current data, for free, sounds good, but it only works if you are the sole person to "look at" that data.
Weatherlink.com version 2 drops acces to your data by a link,
very badMaybe your relatives or neighbours got that link from you to view the local weather-data. Now, if someone wants to view your data, they have to register on the Weatherlink.com version 2 website first. They can not "look at" your nice graphs and other extras in version 2, they will need a paid account for that if you did so also.
Weatherlink.com version 2 drops the simple URL to get your data in an xml, ? but
Weatherlink.com version 2 now supplies JSON and XML versions of the data, sounds good, but
Weatherlink.com version 2 NEEDS an API-key in the links???
The "form" to request an API-key contains the following fields:
Company Name: Contact Name: Title: Phone Number (Office/Cell): Email Address: Office Mailing Address: Do you prefer XML or JSON:
Sounds that they forgot the large group of WLIP buyers who are private persons. As owner of a WLIP I have to hand out my address and telephone number to acces my own data? They already know where the logger is. Why do they need sensitive data?
Weatherlink.com version 2 free version is more or less the same as the Weatherlink.com version 1 but it is now free for all, although they did not lower the price of the WLIP logger at the same time.
Weatherlink.com version 2 paid version needs a
yearly fee by credit card. You get nice graphs.
There is a free trial period to investigate all features, but you have to add your creditcard details AND not forget to cancel before the trial is ended.
Weatherlink.com version 2 and the API restricts acces to the data at every 15 minutes max,
BADThe WLIP uploads are every minute or every 5 minutes. But in version 2, we the owners of the device, are not allowed to get at our own data faster than 4 times / hour?
There is still a discussion on how to convert private websites, such as the @Weatheraardvark one.
I trust that when the dust settles, Davis understands
- that we are the customers,
- we paid a fair extra amount (120€) to get a WLIP to use the extra features
- and we want the same freedom of access to our own data as when we bought the WLIP.
We certainly do not want to run an extra PC/Mac
24/7 after buying an expensive WLIP.
@DAVIS
DO NOT change the rules during the game.
Building a private website is a hobby, we do not get any money out of it.
Wim