How is it faring 5 years after being invented? In this WeatherFlow tempest review, we’ll be going through the device’s performance and deciding whether it delivered its promise.
It was a mind-blowing device when the news of it first came out. As the first one to promise smart home connectivity, it really took the market by storm.
Up until 2020, only the financial backers had their hands on it. Now it’s commercially available for the general public to buy. It took time to get things right, and it did get a lot of things right from the looks of it. The sophistication that took place inside the device is phenomenal.
WeatherFlow Tempest Guideline and All Features Details
1. Setting Up the Device
There isn’t much to it. As a smart device, it takes the entire load off of the user. A big part of any weather station installation is the device assembly. And since it comes pre-assembled, time is saved.
With the package, you’ll also get a Wi-Fi base station. You’ll connect the Tempest to your home network through the base station.
I’d like to set up the app before putting it on a mast. Download the Tempest app from the respective app stores for Android and iOS. Launch the app and create an account. Follow the instructions to complete the synchronization between the app and the Tempest device.
In terms of size, it is unlike any other weather station you have seen so far. With 7.25 inches of diameter, 12 inches of length, and at a weight of just 3.5 pounds, it’s shockingly small and light. I think you understand why some of the veteran professionals call it a toy. But it’s far from it, as you’ll get to understand in a bit.
When you’re done with those, it’s time to install them somewhere. Where do you install it? You need to have a mast or any spot with a good height. It might take you an hour or so to get everything set up. But if you already have a place to set it up, it won’t take you that long.
Attach the mast mount (included in the package) to the sensor suite, and stick it on the top of the pole. It should take you less than 10 minutes to finish up. It’s the fastest installation time I’ve ever experienced.
The total experience reminded me of my apple products. It has a finesse of the top order.
2. Feature Galore
This is a feature-packed device with everything you need and more. But unlike other weather prediction device, the Tempest weather station doesn’t come with an indoor measurement system or console.
However, it isn’t an issue since you bought it for checking the weather outside, not inside.
Here, the smartphone or web app acts as your console as it continuously updates the weather data every 3 seconds.
3. Basic Weather Readings
You’re getting all the basic features such as temperature monitoring, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction readings. And, of course, it also gives you data on rainfall.
That reminds me, the Tempest doesn’t need to use a bucket to tell if it’s raining or not. In other home weather stations, the rain has to fill a bucket up to a certain point before it can alert you of rain. But Tempest will let you know in a matter of seconds before you even see rain. How does it do that? More on it later.
4. Solar and Lightning Detector
Apart from those, the sensor suite also includes a lightning detector and light sensor. The job of the light sensor is to provide data on UV index, brightness, and solar radiation. And the lightning detector can detect lightning activity from a distance of 40km.
While we’re on the point of solar radiation, this little evidence of mastery of science runs independently on solar power.
5. Home Smart Controller Integration
Next, the integration feature is extremely useful since it has options to integrate with Alexa or Google Assistant. It gives you the ability to connect and trigger home devices through IFTTT.
But that’s not even close to being the best feature. The most useful part of being a product of WeatherFlow is the help you get from the manufacturer.
As soon as Tempest gathers data, it sends it to WeatherFlow’s data stream. This incorporation of data gives better forecasts.
6. The Haptic Rain Sensor
Each of the Tempest sensors seems to be of top quality. One such sensor is the haptic rain sensor. It’s a fairly new technology that has yet to prove itself in the field. And it really gave the engineering team at WeatherFlow a tough time. So I had my worries.
Good news! My doubts have been proven wrong. It works, and it works really well.
Even the slightest of rain will be detected by the haptic sensor. It’s not perfect, but more often than not, it detects precipitation quickly.
Before, I told you how Tempest doesn’t have a cup for rain measurements, and it alerts you even when there’s little rain outside. That is all happening thanks to the sensor we’re discussing. This is especially useful for smart home enthusiasts.
The haptic sensor can also detect the intensity of rainfall. I call this a success from WeatherFlow.
7. Accurate Readings
The features are well and good, but nothing matters if it’s not accurate. And WeatherFlow’s Tempest delivers on the promise. If you compare the data gathered by Tempest and compare it to any top weather station reports, you’ll see the accuracy of the data.
What I loved was the graphical representation of lightning data. You can better judge the lightings sources thanks to the time vs. distance graph.
How to Read the Tempest Application User Interface?
The main selling feature of this device is its easy installation and smart home integration. But a poor user experience is most definitely a cause of ruin. The good news is that this trend is also seen in the application of UI. Bad user experience is enough to ruin a tech device.
Here’s a general guideline on the Tempest UI:
First up is the home screen, i.e., the first thing you see. As of this writing, when you access the web app TempestWx.com or the mobile app, it will show you all the general weather data such as solar radiation level, temperature, wind speed, humidity, and a forecast for the day for every hour.
As you scroll down the page, you’ll see a section listing the forecast for the next 10 days. The forecast will include chances of precipitation, humidity, and minimum and maximum temperature.
Now, for many people, those are everything they’ll ever need. But for weather-freaks like us, we have to dig deeper. If you look at the upper right corner of the page, you’ll see an icon resembling the shape of the Tempest device.
A click on that icon will take you to a world of information in a second. A page with a blue background with all the information you need comes up. On that page, you’ll have the following data:
- The exact temperature and a “feels like” temperature
- Constantly updated sea level pressure
- Wind speed and direction
- Lightning detection and approximate distance
- UV radiation
- Atmospheric pressure at the device location
- Rain duration today and yesterday
- Air density
- Dew point
- Wet Bulb temperature
- Delta T
When you click on each of the data, it’ll take you to a statistical graph depicting the history.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is there a weather station that works with Google Home?
Yes, most of the smart weather stations, such as WeatherFlow’s Tempest, can integrate with Google Home and Alexa.
2. Does the Tempest weather station work with Weather Underground?
Tempest features direct integration capability with most of the famous third-party services such as Weather Underground, IFTTT services, and more.
3. Does Tempest measure snow?
No, unfortunately, Tempest cannot measure snow. But it does shed snow very well.
4. How does Tempest detect lightning?
The AIR has the Franklin Lightning Detector that will warn or alert the users of lightning in nearby areas. It senses lightning through EMPs or electromagnetic pulses.
This system has its challenges since most of the home users live in areas with high electrical activity. So, the device is equipped with algorithms to analyze the EMPs. It’ll automatically disqualify non-lightning electromagnetic pulses.
5. How far can the WeatherFlow Tempest detect lightning from?
Your Tempest weather station can detect lightning from a distance up to 40 km. It can also tell you an approximate distance of the place where the lightning struck.
6. How do haptic rain sensors work?
The haptic rain sensor on top of the device is designed to measure and count each raindrop as they fall from the sky. That way, the sensor can quickly sense if there’s rain or not.
Final Words
With all of its promises and performances, it’d be good to remember that it’s not a piece of full-fledged professional equipment. How much can you trust in its data accuracy? For a home user, it’s the best there is. On its own, the Tempest provides accurate-enough data.
But if you let it connect to the large data stream of other weather stations, the data will be as accurate as it can be. When you think about the ease of installation compared to the typical home weather stations, it just makes sense. And the space you’re saving by choosing Tempest only makes the deal sweeter.