Find Your Station

Which Weather Station Do I Need?

Four quick questions about what you want to measure, your phone and your yard. You get the type of station that fits, plus our research-based reviews to read next.

  • ⏱️ 4 questions
  • 🔒 No sign-up
  • 📚 Picks from our own reviews

Station finder

1What do you want to measure?
2Where do you want to see your readings?
3What kind of station are you after?
4Can you put a sensor high up in an open spot (a pole or roof)?

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The four kinds of home weather station

Almost every station in our reviews fits one of these four groups. The quiz starts by finding your group, then picks a station inside it.

Thermometer sets

A display with one or more small outdoor sensors. The ThermoPro TP62 (now sold as TempPro), for example, has room for three sensors.

  • Temp
  • Humidity
  • Rain
  • Wind

Color display stations

A bigger color screen with forecast icons and extras like a pressure graph (La Crosse S77925) or atomic time (La Crosse C85845).

  • Temp
  • Humidity
  • Pressure
  • Rain
  • Wind

Full stations without Wi-Fi

One outdoor sensor array for wind, rain and temperature, and everything on a display at home: no app, no account. Examples: the Sainlogic SA68 and the AIRAIN TECH.

  • Temp
  • Humidity
  • Rain
  • Wind
  • Pressure

Wi-Fi weather stations

Everything from the outdoor sensors, also sent to an app and often to Weather Underground, from the Ambient WS-2902C up to the Davis Vantage Pro2.

  • Temp
  • Humidity
  • Rain
  • Wind
  • Pressure

Where each sensor goes

The right spot matters as much as the right station. Each sensor wants something different:

Temperature: shade, about 5 feet upOur install guide uses the 5-foot rule: 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) above the ground, out of the sun.
Rain: open skyNo overhanging branches or rooflines above the gauge, or it sits in a "rain shadow".
Wind: high and freeLa Crosse's C83100 manual says the wind sensor "should be the tallest object in the area".

An all-in-one sensor array has to compromise: our install guide mounts the whole sensor suite 5 to 7 feet up, well clear of obstructions, and warns that a roof spot can distort temperature. That is why question 4 asks about a high, open spot. Full step-by-step help: installing a home weather station.

How the quiz picks a station

  • What you measure. Temperature and humidity need only a small outdoor sensor. Rain needs a gauge in the open. Wind needs a sensor high up, away from roofs and trees.
  • Screen, phone or both. Stations with Wi-Fi send your readings to an app and often to networks such as Weather Underground. Stations without Wi-Fi keep everything on a display at home, with nothing to set up online. Some Wi-Fi stations have no screen at all, so every pick shows both.
  • Entry-level, mid-range or top of the line. Entry-level stations are easy to start with. Top-of-the-line stations add more sensors and extras. Whether you can buy spare parts depends on the model; the review of each pick says what is available.
  • Your spot. A wind sensor on a balcony or low fence reads too low. If you have no open, high spot, a full station is not the best buy.

Four checks before you buy

Measure the distanceFrom the outdoor sensor spot to the display. Check it against the range in the manual: walls and trees shorten it.
Check your Wi-Fi bandStations such as the La Crosse C83100 and the Ambient WS-2902C use 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, and so does the Govee H5179 sensor.
Want to share your data?The WS-2902C uploads to Weather Underground without a separate hub. The Davis Vantage Vue sensor suite has no Wi-Fi of its own: for internet you need a WeatherLink Console or the separate WeatherLink Live.
Think about partsAcuRite sells Iris parts separately, according to our review. Check the review of any station you plan to keep for years.

Quick answers

Do I need a Wi-Fi weather station?

Only if you want your readings on your phone or on a network like Weather Underground. A station without Wi-Fi shows everything on its own display and has no account or app to set up. The quiz asks this in question 2.

Can I put a weather station on a balcony?

Temperature, humidity and rain can work on a balcony if the sensor is out of the sun and the rain gauge has open sky above it. Wind is the problem: a wind sensor next to a building reads too low. Answer "No, only a wall, fence or balcony" in question 4 and the quiz takes that into account.

Why is my favorite station not in the results?

The quiz only suggests stations we have reviewed or compared on this site, so every pick links to a page that explains it. A station that is not in the quiz is not necessarily a bad station.

Why are there no prices?

Prices on Amazon change too often to keep them correct here. The "Check on Amazon" button shows the current price.

Where the picks come from

Every pick is a station we have reviewed or compared, and the short description repeats what that page says. Our reviews are based on the makers' manuals and specifications and on owner feedback; we do not test stations ourselves. We show no prices, because they change too often: check the current price on Amazon. Read more in our research methodology. Our guide on choosing a home weather station goes deeper.

Sources: our own reviews linked in each result, our guide to installing a home weather station, and the La Crosse C83100 manual (PDF) for the wind sensor and Wi-Fi notes.