Some Aussies are ditching the forecasting apps to buy their own backyard weather widgets. But are they worth splashing the cash?
Sick of having your weekends ruined when a local weatherman’s supposed ‘sunny Saturday’ turns stormy? Well, join the club (I’m looking at you Livio Regano).
That’s why the last decade has seen thousands of Aussies take matters into their own hands, swapping the local weather channel for their own home forecasting tech – and for a surprisingly affordable price.
Able to dish out hyperlocal (and, more importantly, accurate) predictions right from your own backyard instead of measuring whatever’s happening near your local airport, homeowners can leave the house prepared for whatever the weather might bring.
Sounds appealing, right? But before you run out to build your backyard radar dish, let’s break down which system might be right for you.
What is a home weather station?
If you’re thinking planting a weather station in your backyard means having a big ugly antenna sticking out of your garden, you would only be half right.
A lot might not be easy on the eyes, but these aren’t your grandfather’s weather gadgets. The latest outdoor sensor suites are designed to be compact, most measuring no taller than six or seven inches – perfect for staying out of sight on top of your fence post.
Indoors, they come complete with a Bluetooth-connected console or receivers like a phone or PC, dishing out real-time data on temperature, heat, wind speed, rainfall and the all-important weather forecast.
Better still, if the weather station has a base station that connects to the internet, you can usually check information from the sensors through an app on your phone, tablet or website, even if you’re not in the home.
What’s the price tag?
Depending on the info you’re looking to get out of one of these stations, prices can vary. Some super basic models start from as little as $25 (basically giving you only temperature checks), climbing all the way up to $500 for high-end hobbyist setups.
For those looking to push their systems even further with multiple extra sensors around the backyard, that price tag can easily soar above the $1000 mark, but that’s probably overkill for 99 per cent of Aussie homeowners.
| Price Range | What you can expect |
| $25 to $50 | Temperature and humidity sensors for both indoor and outdoor areas. |
| $50 to $100 | Also comes with a basic wind speed sensor. Might include a wind vane for wind direction and a rainfall sensor. |
| $100 to $150 | Temperature, humidity, wind speed, rainfall and pressure sensors. |
| $150 + | The higher the price, the more accurate and reliable the sensors tend to be, but they will measure the same conditions. |
Some Aussie best-sellers
Here are some of the country’s favourite backyard weather warning setups, from cheap starter models to hi-tech Bluetooth sensors.
Wireless Home Weather Station – WS1151
Complete with an indoor and outdoor console, the WS1151 is designed to be sleek and modern, comfortably blending in on a desk or mounted next to the air con remote on the wall.
Automatically synced up with a reception range of 100m, the simple $115 station hands out readings for temperature, humidity and barometric pressure for both indoor and outdoor areas, as well as simple weather forecasting.
TESA Solar Powered Touch Panel Home Weather Station
Similar to the WS1151, the TESA solar-powered station also comes with an indoor console and outdoor sensor. But thanks to the higher $250 price point, the outdoor tech is built to last, complete with a weather-resistant solar-powered setup.
The console can measure inside and outside temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, wind chill, rainfall and dew point, with the ability to load up info onto a USB and share it with your Mac or PC.
Weather@home Bluetooth Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer
This impressive, $50 compact home weather station is perfect for getting indoor and outdoor temperatures sent directly to your smart device via the Bluetooth Low Energy connection.
Complete with one outdoor sensor in the kit, three more sensors can be added to receive weather information and forecasts.
Those living in our southern snowy states this winter can also receive ice alerts when temperatures hit freezing.
7 Inch Colour WiFi Wireless Weather Station
Probably the best value for money on the market, the $300 IC0370 is an incredibly popular feature-packet station perfect for the average Aussie backyard.
Accurately measure temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, wind chill, barometric pressure and dew point all on a slick 7-inch LCD indoor console, the WIFI connected station is able to link up to third-party weather platforms through your devices – perfect for the home weather hobbyist.
