john (24/08/2010)
I would have rated this as very good value for money until the rain gauge stopped working and became unreliable. I repaired a joint on the panel and was ok for a while. As well out of warranty I was thinking of buying a replacement but if it is a weakness maybe I will just manage without... a pity.
Roger (08/08/2010)
I must have been unlucky, but on the orignal and the replacement the rain gauge stopped working. Which is shame as this was the thing I was really interested in measuring.
David (06/08/2010)
Installed it for my holiday home in France, no problems, easy to set up and now i can see and plot weather conditions. does what it says on the can, great product.
Edward (03/08/2010)
Good features but just not reliable enough. First one failed under warrantee. Second one after just over a year.
Pete (19/06/2010)
Very impressive weather station - easy to set up, and great to be able to monitor temperature, wind and rainfall. As with other reviews, the supplied software is basic, but there are more powerful applications that can be used with this weatherstation.
Andrew (15/06/2010)
This is an amazing piece of kit and I love it to bits!
I was reluctant to spend so much money on it originally given there are cheaper options around, but I am beyond delighted with the station.
Set up was easy, and the amount of information it gives is superb.
Though the software that comes with it is good, I would highly recommend using some software called 'Cumulus' (as also recommended by many other users) . This will enable you to keep your weather station connected to your PC and monitor the weather live. It even has a very easy to set up web-page display so you can upload your weather to the internet. Here is mine (with a slight customisation to the page).
All in all a highly recommended piece of kit, so get it while you can!!
Robert (10/06/2010)
I've had one of these stations for over a year. It's a great piece of kit and can be worked with other software. I use CUMULUS which is shareware and provides automatic updates to your web page so you can monitor the weather at any web based PC across the world. Have a look at http://www.thedingles.plus.com/
Roger (24/01/2010)
First impressions after initial setup are very positive. PC connectivity perfect, so dual readout in real time from the base station.(what more could you ask for!)
And you get all the graphs and data capture functions too.
Looking forward to some bad weather!!
Also worth mentioning; very helpful Maplin staff.
Mark (16/01/2010)
As a group of residents who were flooded in 2007 we decided to purchase a weather station to give us accurate local rainfall information. We decided on this unit as it links to the PC and updates a web site which the local community can then use to see local weather info. This was purchased late 2008. The first unit we had didn't work out of the box. No communication between weather station and base unit. This was duly exchanged. Eleven months later on and the rain sensor failed and the unit was duly exchanged again. The third unit has now been installed and there is again no communication between station and base unit. The weather station, when it worked, was quite good I have to say, but unless you enjoy getting up ladders and replacing this unit regularly, I would stay well away.
Keith (16/01/2010)
What a brilliant piece of kit. requires very little set up straight out of the box. The manual is a bit clunky but it really is so simple that even an avid manual reader like me can speed read it and just plug and play. I can't really fault anything and I got it at the discounted price (well my wife did) best Xmas present for yonks. nice one ;-)
Nigel (11/01/2010)
At this price this is a brilliant product for any 'weather geek' out there - especially when you get it as a present from Santa!
It is however let down by a poorly written instruction manual which has either been translated into English by a piece of software or by someone with only a loose knowledge of English grammar. You will need to sit down - I suggest with a glass of wine! - and take time to read it.
Syncronising the base station to your PC is straight forward but there are no instructions on how to download the data to free up the memory. Even the 'Help' tab is a complete waste of time, only telling you that it's Maplins USB Weather Station, version whatever.
It's a pity the great people of Maplins who have put their name to the weather station didn't think to proof read the manual before releassing it.
Overall, a great value product let down by a poor manual.
Paul (10/01/2010)
On buying this weather station and having set it all up, I cant believe how incredible it is. I have the sensors mounted on an extension pole above the roof.
Roger JF (05/01/2010)
A brilliant piece of kit. The weather station is rugged and easily installed. The wireless unit receives all the data reliably and without any interference. The storage space for data between hookups to the PC is huge and easily enough for weeks of data. The usb connection is simple and fast - data downloads to the Easy Weather software in 2 seconds. The software is flexible and both graphical and tabular presentations are quick and clear. An excellent device for weather beginners or seasoned experts.
Stephen (04/01/2010)
I can only agree with the other reviewers. As a great value introduction to home weather recording it's unbeatable.
I had no problems setting it up, all the wireless sensors worked wherever I put the base station in the house and the touch screen display is first class.
I have just downloaded my first few days' data by USB to my PC without problems and while the Easyweather software is neat I have also exported the data to a spreadsheet for long term recording.
I literally found my self grinning like a kid when I started to realise all its capabilities. On cold nights like these it's fascinating to know that it's actually 7.1 deg C outside without venturing out. Possibly my best buy of the year.
Adrian (20/12/2009)
Very good value for money. I purchased one about 18 months ago and I am very impressed with its reliability. It is also interesting to view the extremes of temperature pressure etc. on the computer. I quite like the easy view software but have supplemented with 'cumulus' which some people may prefer to use, freely available at the kindness of the software producer. My only major concern with the base unit is that there should be a contrast adjustment as reading the display in certain conditions is extremely difficult. Ideally the unit needs to be wall mounted under a carefully positioned picture light. I thoroughly recommend it for those with this type of detailed interest in the weather.
Tim (04/08/2009)
After much reading up on this subject, I bought one of the WH1081 weather stations. It cost a few pounds more than what I wanted to pay, but I am greatly pleased that I did.
The system does more than any other weather station(as far as I can tell). You would have to spend about another 150 pounds to get all of the features.
It is simple to set up, it took me less than 15 minuits.
The software to download the data to your computer is easy to set up and the results are quite impressive.
I have gone on further (using a free sofware download) to post the results to the internet in my own website showing the data for all to view.
This was a little more tricky to do, but it is amazing that this weater station can still do it in the first place.
If I had to pick any faults with it, it would be that that back light only stays on for about 10 seconds with no adjustment and that it will not stand upright on a bookcase with out been leant against somthing.
If that is all I can find at fault, then that means that I am very happy to have made the purchase.
Overall rating for the money 10/10
Overall rating for the design 9.9/10
Overall raqting for the functions 9.5/10