Everyone likes to talk about the weather. It doesn’t matter if we are complaining about it, or whether we can’t believe how nice it is outside, the weather is a constant topic of conversation.
How many times do you hear on a regular basis, “Do you know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow?” Or maybe, “Do you know how hot it is supposed to get today?”
Weather is an important factor of our daily lives, and a personal weather station is a great way to both stay on top of the weather, have something fun to do, and have the exact conditions you are experiencing outside your apartment
Monitoring the weather can be incredibly enjoyable things you can do on a daily basis. The weather affects virtually every aspect of our lives. No matter if we work inside at a desk, or are outside in the field all day, the weather is going to have an impact on your day in one way or another.
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For some, it is the thrill of being able to tell exactly what the weather is outside their place at any given time. Technology has progressed to the point where we can know the exact conditions with the touch of a button.
Most weather stations now have connectivity to both the internet and phone apps, so checking the temperature, humidity, precipitation and much more is as simple as opening your phone’s app.
Other people are dissatisfied with the generic weather forecasts and nowcasts that are on the app or the internet. Even the forecast from The Weather Channel can be a bit vague and don’t take into account the microclimates of many locations.
With a personal weather station, you will know exactly what the weather is outside of your apartment instantaneously.
The other benefit of owning a weather station is that not only is it incredibly easy to use, the data that you gather is going to be collected online, making forecasts better for everyone! The more data that can be gathered, the more forecasts can be changed and improved.
Simply by having your weather station connected wirelessly in your apartment is going to collect and store another set of data online for people to see and use.
Weather Stations For Your Apartment
Some people may believe that a weather station would only be feasible for someone with a house or a ton of space they can put their weather station in. Not so!! Most weather stations are small and compact and are designed perfectly to fit on a balcony or porch.
Weather stations typically come in two parts. The first part is the station itself, which is going to consist of a device with a screen you are going to put in your kitchen or bedroom or living room, wherever you think it is going to be the handiest to view.
This part of the station is going to give you the readout from what the sensor is sending it from outside. This makes it super easy just to walk by and see what all the conditions are like right outside your apartment.
The second piece to weather stations consist of the sensor. The sensor is going to deliver, via wireless signal, all the conditions outside, from temperature to humidity, to pressure. This is the piece that is actually experiencing the conditions, which then relays it to your station inside.
The nice thing about these weather stations is not only can you have a nice display in your apartment for you and other people to see and use, but it will also have connectivity to your app.
So, if you are at work and want to see what the conditions are like at your apartment, you can do so virtually instantaneously and the exact conditions will be displayed for you, right at your fingertips.
The sensor is almost always something that can easily be mounted with a single nail or screw or can be just set outside on your balcony or porch. It is small, compact, and easy to use.
Most times, you can simply put the batteries in, place it somewhere out of direct sunlight, and leave it for months at a time until the batteries need to be replaced. It is as simple as that!
Apartment School has the 5 best weather stations for your apartment. Let’s look at which one has the features and reliability you are looking for in your apartment. All are available for purchase via Amazon.com which are specifically linked below.
The La Crosse Technology C85845 Color Wireless Forecast Station (Amazon Link) is a great value for the money. It features a full-color display and gives you both the indoor temperature and the outside conditions with humidity. It also gives you the future forecast and has customizable alerts.
It comes in a great, compact package that just unfolds for you when it comes to Amazon. The wireless signal from the sensor, a feature that some people can have problems with, works great!
The specs say that it will go up to 100 yards, and while we haven’t tested the far end of the range, it has more than enough range to go through your apartment walls!
This wireless forecast station from LaCrosse is one of the best values you are going to find!
The next weather station is the Ambient Weather WS-2902A Smart Weather Station (Amazon Link) This is one of the most comprehensive stations you can get. If you are a weather nerd, or simply want more data than the average weather station is going to give you, then this is the weather station for you!
It connects wirelessly to the internet and connects with the world’s largest personal weather station network, Weather Underground. This allows for all your data to be uploaded and shared, making the network better with every personal weather station that is connected to it.
From The Weather Underground, you will not only be able to monitor all the conditions from the display inside your apartment but also online and on your phone. Not only will you be able to see your data, but other people will be able to as well.
This makes it easy and convenient for someone that lives close by you to also benefit from the data you are constantly collecting.
The Ambient system collects both indoor and outdoor conditions, as well as wind direction, speed, rainfall, pressure, indoor humidity, outdoor humidity, dew point, heat index, and wind chill. All this information is gathered and displayed in easy to read dials, graphs, and gauges on your computer or app.
You can also set up the Ambient system to email you when any condition hits a high or low mark that you designate, allowing for completely customizable features and functionality. You can also access the historical record of your weather station via the Weather Underground. And with the Weather Underground, there is never a fee to use their system, which makes it completely user-friendly!
The remote sensor is more complex than many other products, but that is because it collects so much data. The sensor can be mounted on any pole that is between 1” and 2” in diameter. This would work perfectly if you have a porch on your ground level and can anchor a post into the ground right outside your back door.
If you have a balcony, you can simply mount the pole to the side of your balcony, out of direct sunlight, and you will be good to go!
This professional set up doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars as do some weather stations do but gives almost all of the functionality of a high-end weather station at a fraction of the cost.
The next weather station we recommend is the AcuRite 01201M Vertical Wireless Color Weather Station (Amazon Link) This weather station is perfect for a more minimalist approach.
The easy to read, vertical display fits perfectly on a counter or shelf in your apartment and doesn’t take up much space. In the same way, the remote sensor is very compact and can either be simply placed outside on your balcony or porch, or it can be hung on a single nail.
Not only does it give indoor and outdoor temperatures, dew point, heat index, humidity, and the daily highs and lows, it looks great as a display piece in your apartment. It looks sleek and modern and will be a great conversation piece especially if you like to talk about the weather.
The remote sensor is small and connects to the display quickly and easily. The red signal indicator on the front lets you know that the device is transmitting to the display inside your apartment.
The other nice feature of the display is that it gives indoor humidity as well. This is nice to be able to monitor how the conditions feel inside as compared to outside.
On those humid days where the moisture is really in the atmosphere, you can see exactly how much you want to run your A/C unit to bring the humidity down to a manageable level.
It can also help you in monitoring that too much moisture doesn’t stay in your apartment for too long of a time which can lead to mold.
The forecast feature is great as well. Instead of getting a forecast that is miles away from you, the weather station pulls data from your sensor on your porch or balcony and gives you an accurate 12-24 hour forecast for your exact location.
And with a low price tag, it is a great deal for someone who wants the functionality of a nice-looking weather station without breaking the bank.
The ThermoPro TP67A Wireless Weather Station (Amazon Link) has a very simplistic design. One of the most attractive features of this weather station is that the wireless sensor is rechargeable. This is a feature that is lacking in many of the other models. Most of the wireless sensors are going to be run on 4-5 AA batteries that you must replace every few months. Not so with the ThermoPro.
The sensor is also equipped to broadcast up to 100 yards, which is more than you will ever need in an apartment. But the great feature about the ThermoPro is that you can add 3 more sensors to the package. This means that the display will collect, record, and track up to 4 locations at the same time.
For the inside display, there are two mounting options. You can either put the display on the built-in tabletop stand or mount it right on your wall for easy viewing as you walk by.
All in all, this is a nice, simplistic design that works well, is priced right and looks nice on top of it.
The final weather station we are recommending is the AcuRite 0281M Weather Station (Amazon Link) The great thing about this weather station is the Jumbo Screen its display has. The display is oversized in a good way and is extremely easy to view, even from across the room at a distance.
The wireless sensor can hand or be mounted on your apartment balcony or porch and works very well! The clock and time are set by an atomic clock and the display also gives the indoor temperature as well.
The AcuRite also has a patented technology that enables the device to gather the weather data from your wireless sensor and give you your own personal forecast, not just one from a major website or for the region. It narrows down the forecast for your sensor specifically.
The AcuRite also has patented barometric pressure technology built into the system. Tracking the pressure changes is one of the key methods to determine when the weather is changing.
The change in pressure also allows the system to determine your altitude after 14 days of running the pressure through their unique algorithm.
This is a great model for anyone looking for good viewability with their weather station in their apartment. For the price, it is one of the best-looking systems out there.
Simply because you are living in an apartment, doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the weather! There is so much flexibility with today’s technology when it comes to owning and enjoying your own weather station that virtually anyone can own one for a very reasonable price!
See which features are the most important to you and start enjoying the wonders of weather like never before!
