Four-and-a Half Year Update: This unit has been flawless for me. I've only replaced the lithium batteries in the outdoor unit one time and they weren't even dead batteries. The sensor array is about 100 feet from the console. Once in a while I lose the signal and occasionally re-position the console slightly and the signal returns. Not a big deal. This has been a great product.

Two-Year Update: I thought I would put this short update at the top, rather than the below my other updates. So after 2 years, the weather station is functioning as it did on Day 1. I still have the same lithium ion AA batteries that I started out with and can easily go another year, maybe more. I finally hooked the console up to a small UPS battery backup, so that the unit is functional in power outages - no batteries in the console is my only complaint.

I spent a lot of time hemming and hawing between purchasing the WS-2000 and the Vantage Pro. The excellent reviews for the WS-2000 are accurate. I was up and running and reporting on line in less than 24 hours. I knew I would prefer the WS-2000 over the WS-2902a for the display alone. I typically view the display from an angle. And the display is beautiful and functional. There are several incorrect comparisons out there between the 2000 and 2902a. Here's the comparison directly from the manufacturer.

The WS-2000 is a newer model but shares the same sensor array as the WS-2902A.
The WS-2000 supports up to 8 additional thermo-hygrometers:
The WS-2000 has a separate indoor thermo-hygrometer-barometer. The WS-2902A contains these sensors inside the console.
The WS-2000 has a nicer display console (TFT) vs. the WS-2902 (Color Film LCD), which has a limited viewing angle.
The WS-2000 is easier to set up with WiFi and the Internet, because the settings are entered on the console and not from an app.
Both weather stations support WiFi and Internet cloud services, including AmbientWeather.net.

I installed my sensor array on a fence post using an old satellite dish mounting bracket which worked perfectly. I carefully sprayed the unit with silicon and will be putting in lithium batteries. I know that the wind and rain instrumentation will freeze up in the winter, but that is also the case for more expensive stations. The design of this sensor array will help to minimize snow buildup as there is less surface area than on some other units. IMHO the anemometer seems to be reading on the low side, but I don't have anything scientific to base this on, but hope to check it at some point. The wind speed sensor will only read to 100 mph maximum, which is a little disappointing but I don't expect to ever see a reading at my location that high. No problem with 100 feet of transmission distance between the sensor array and the display, passing through a window.

You can log past weather data if you purchase and install an SD card in the display. The display is not battery powered, so if you lose power, you will not log data unless you have a backup power source in place.

Customer service is prompt and exceptional. Thank you Ambient Weather for setting the standard on this.

If you purchase through Amazon you can take advantage of 4 years insurance for 12 bucks. Of course, time will tell on overall quality, so it was helpful to read product reviews of the 2902a, which predates the 2000 but has the same sensor array.

Update after first week: I checked outdoor temperature with a calibrated red spirit thermometer (calibrated in an ice bath) and found my station to be reading a degree or so low, so I adjusted it. I thought that the relative barometric pressure would automatically be adjusted for altitude, but that is not the case. I had to go to an official weather reporting station or two to get a current reading of relative pressure and adjust my station accordingly. So if you set your station for relative barometric pressure and you are not at sea level, then you are not reading/reporting relative barometric pressure. It seems like calibration is downplayed for us amateurs in the instructions. Yes it's there buried in the instructions, but a lot of people probably miss it.

Update after two months: Everything still working fine. Living in northern Vermont, I've been pleasantly surprised at how easy it has been to brush off snow and keep all sensors functioning during the winter (except obviously for rainfall). I have lost communication between the sensor array and display console a few times, but it is probably because I don't have a completely clear line of sight between the two, and will probably move the sensor array to another fence post in the spring. My only two disappointments are that the console display has no battery backup (no power, no data) and there is no feasible way to be part of the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP).

Six Month Update: I moved my indoor display to a better line of sight location and never lose a signal now. I made my first firmware update and now realize that I have to go to the Ambient Weather web site to check for these updates. The weather forecasting icon is mediocre. It's snowing outside and it's telling me sunny skies. Whereas my inexpensive LaCrosse sensor (many years old) is much more accurate at forecasts.

Ten Month Update: Humming along just fine. No issues with display, sensors, loss of signal, or batteries. I might consider a battery backup to the display given the number of extended power outages when data is lost. Recently lost power one evening and the console carried over that day's rainfall to the next 24-hour period as well, which was inaccurate.

One Year Update: I continue to enjoy this weather station and all the information displayed on the console. Yes, you have to be in close proximity to see it all, but that's to be expected. It continues to be reliable with no signal loss. I will eventually get that backup power supply for the console to compensate for the lack of batteries. In a recent heavy rain event, the unit exaggerated rainfall totals significantly compared to a manual rain gauge less than 50 feet away. Not sure what that was all about - in lighter rain events it is spot on to the manual rain gauge. Lithium ion batteries are still good after a year and should easily get another year out of them.

Year and a Half Update: Everything still functioning as on day 1. I still have the original lithium battery in the unit. On a warm, sunny summer day, the temperature can read 6 or so degrees higher than a thermometer in the shade on the north side of the house. I have never seen a bird perched on the weather station, a concern I originally had. The anemometer is enough to keep them away.

After two thermostat failures of a lesser brand, decided to splurge on this unit. Time will tell, but anticipate a long life.
What I am very impressed about is the console. Very sharp, and is full of information. Calibration and other options are easy to do.
Install was easy, but you do need to purchase an antenna mast.
Very happy with this purchase.

Thad Ambient Weather station WS 2000 is everything it is advertised to be. I bought this to replace a Davis Vantage Vue 2. The WS 2000 was easy to set up and so far is very accurate. I set up an account with ambient weather to send my readings to them, also I set up an account to Weather Underground before I set up the weather station. Some reviewers said it was hard to get the station to connect to the internet but I did not find this to be difficult. I can not say how long this station will last but if it lasts half as long as my Davis I will be happy. I bought the Ambient Weather station because the cost was less than half of the Davis station that I had and you don't need to pay a subscription to get all of your data from the internet after sending it to it. I found the instructions to be pretty good if you read them first. The easy start up guide was good. I would recommend this product.

I've had this WS-2000 for over 14 months now and love it!! It's not without flaws, but nothing is. The rain gauge stopped working after about 1 year, BUT I think that was my fault!! Continue reading for more details.

Assembly: super easy. Ambient includes instructions that are easy to follow, and the WS-2000 does not require much assembly anyway. You basically attach the wind vane, cups, and mount the unit outside.

Installation: Easy. I bought the steel tripod directly from Ambient, and am so glad I did! I used the "NHZ 16" Ground Rebar Stakes (8 pcs) Heavy Duty J Hook Ground Anchors" (see photo) from Amazon to anchor the tripod to the ground and they worked VERY well! Just use a small sledgehammer to pound them into the ground. That tripod will not go anywhere! (see photos) It is rock solid!! My weather station is located about 30-40 feet from my house. I would recommend the "spike kit" for the rain gauge (only about $6 from Ambient), that prevents birds from nesting in it.

Electronic and network Setup: Easy. I followed Ambient's instructions and did not have any trouble getting my weather station to communicate with my console. There are a few extra steps required if you want to send your data to Weather Underground or to Ambient's website, but it's not too difficult. The outdoor weather station unit uses RF frequencies (not wi-fi) to communicate with the console, and the console uses wi-fi to send your weather station data to Internet websites (if you set it up for that).

Console Display: Very good. Easy to see all relevant information at a glance and the color display is nice. I have mine sitting on an end table. The data most important to me are outdoor temp and humidity, baro pressure, along with wind speed, and rainfall amounts and rates. The console is not touch-screen (unless it's been updated since I bought it) and it's no iPad in terms of ease of use, but it's not bad either. A little clunky, but it does work.

Power: the indoor console uses AC power. I keep mine plugged in all the time. You can set it so that the display comes on automatically at a certain time each day and goes off at a certain time each evening. (you can also turn the display on and off manually) Of course, if your house power goes out, so does the console power. It would be nice if it had a backup battery. The outdoor weather station uses two AA batteries and also solar power. I use Energizer AA Lithium batteries. Lithium batteries are highly recommended for this type of use, as they are not affected by high or low temperatures, and are guaranteed not to leak. The optional extra sensors (WH32B) also use two AA batteries.

Reliability: overall, excellent. My rain gauge did stop working after about 1 year. However, I discovered that the Ambient user manual recommends occasional cleaning of the inside of the unit, which I did NOT do. (see photo) Mine had accumulated a lot of dirt and debris that probably caused it to stop working. I bought a replacement rain gauge from Ambient for about $30, and replacing it was pretty easy. You only have to remove a connector from the old rain gauge (see photo) and attach that connector to the new gauge. Ambient does provide instructions. I'll be sure to maintain this new rain gauge and it will hopefully last much longer.

Rarely, the outdoor unit stopped communicating with my console for unknown reasons. But this typically lasted a very short time (minutes) and it restored connection all on its own. Sometimes, you may need to "reset" the outdoor transmitter, but you can do this from the console using the instructions in the WS-2000 manual, and it's not hard to do.

Tech Support: I only had to call Ambient once, when initially setting up the unit. I don't remember what question I had, but I know they helped me and resolved my issue.

Ease of Use: I'd give it 9/10 overall. Slight deductions for the console, which can be a little clunky to use, but once you get the hang of it, it's not bad at all. Otherwise the system is largely "hands-off" once it's up and running, and all you have to do is monitor the data when you want to. Speaking of data, I think you can save weather data records to a small memory card that you install in the Console. I've done this - but never actually did anything with that stored data - yet. I believe you can export it to a spreadsheet, etc.

Overall thoughts: I'm very happy with this unit, and would buy it again! Considering that the weather station is outside 24/7, 365 days per year, it's been ultra reliable. (again, I think the rain gauge stopping was my fault for not doing any maintenance on it - as recommended by Ambient) We get some pretty cold temps here in Western PA, and the system didn't miss a beat. In my opinion, this unit gives the average person everything they want in a weather station, without anything unnecessary. I know indoor and outdoor temps, humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall rates and amounts, wind speed and direction, and other things like UV strength, etc. I bought a couple of the Temperature, Humidity, and Pressure Sensors (WH32B) and have one in my dining room (see pic), and one in my uninsulated garage to monitor temp and humidity. The console gives the info for these sensors, alternating from one to the other. Really handy. You could put a temp sensor in an attic, basement, or whereever you want one.

I think the price is not bad considering what you get. I love the ability to add extra temp/humidity (and I think other types of) sensors. This system works well. I can see my data from the console, or from the Ambient or Weather Underground apps on my phone, from anywhere I happen to be in the world. (including optional WH32B sensor info using the Ambient app) You could be on vacation, for example, and still monitor weather conditions around your home AND the internal temp of your home if you use the WH32B sensors. This is great information to know and sort of a neat hobby. I highly recommend this system from Ambient!

Decided after years of using local weather stations on Weather Underground that I wanted to join the ranks and run a station of my own. After looking through all the stations they recommend on their site I can eventually settled on Ambient Weather as the best midrange option. Their stations weren't quite as cheap as some of the other options but those cheaper options also seemed to come with some pretty mixed reviews. On the other hand there were other options that were far more expensive to the point it seemed impractical and out of reach for your average consumer.

I had first settled on the WS-2902C as the option to go with as that was what was on Weather Undergrounds site. However, while looking at Ambient Weathers own site to get more details I came across the WS-2000 which, while more expensive, seemed to be a better option with a better more in-depth display and future expansion for more sensors, including a lightning detector which was something I was interested in eventually getting. As near as I can tell the actual sensor array is the same for both the WS-2902C and WS-2000, it seems the main difference is in the capabilities of the screen/system that is in the house. With the WS-2902C it's a LCD basic display that shows the weather stations data while the WS-2000 has a TFT display that displays more information and allows for the connection of multiple other sensors such as 8 other temp/humidity sensors, water leak detectors, soil meters, and lightning detectors. Basically it seems the WS-2902C is a fine option if the weather stations data is all you want to see, but if you want increased expansion capabilities and, in my opinion, a better display of the data then the WS-2000 is the way to go.

Setup was easy and the most difficult part was finding something to mount it on. At first I picked up a 1" segmented pole designed for bird feeders but I determined this was not stable enough once setup. My eventual setup was an 8' long 1-5/8" chain-link fence post with a no-cement fence post anchor. I buried it through the anchor 2' in to the ground and it is very stable. If you end up getting the station, or have a similar one, this is a very effective and cost-efficient mounting method (about $25 total).

Setting up the station from there was quite simple. Most of it comes assembled and you merely have to attach the cups to the anemometer, the windvane to the wind direction sensor, and put the cup rim on top of the rain gauge. From there you just attach the mounting brackets and secure it to the pole. Add the two AA batteries (use lithium if you're in a place that gets cold, the system uses a solar panel on top when it's able) and you're set from there. The rest from there just involves loading up the screen and configuring your location, wifi information, and connections to ambientweather.net and wunderground.com if you wish to use those services. It took less than 24 hours for Weather Underground to start displaying the station on their site.

I have been impressed with the data that is presented and how it is presented on the screen. The screen layout provides a great layout for all the systems data in a good and easy to understand layout. On top of that it also maintains historical data and has an SD card port you can use to export the data if you wish to archive it or load it in to another system. So far the it has been very responsive and has been very accurate as I've compared its readings to nearby stations as well as thermometers and hygrometers. In fact, it was immediately apparent it was more accurate than my old basic weather station which I left up for a time after putting in the new one.

I am definitely happy with this purchase overall. There were a few elements of the setup screens and navigation on the screen that were not very intuitive but overall these issues were very minor and not enough to warrant dropping any stars. Yes, Ambient Weathers options are a bit more costly than say an Acurite or LaCrosse system but these definitely seem like better stations than those. Sure, it might not be at the level of a Davis or RainWise but those stations run a minimum of $500. If you want the best mid-range option for a personal weather station I personally feel that this is the best option at present.