Customer Reviews

La Crosse Technology WS-9029U Wireless Weather Station with Digital Time

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I recently started homebrewing beer, and I bought this thermometer about six weeks ago to monitor the temperature of the beer as it ferments.

General comments:
- I like the size of the base. It's not some huge contraption that takes up a lot of room on my desk. I don't need it to predict the weather, I just wanted something to tell me the temperature locally, and at a remote sensor (which it does well!).
- The base LCD offers good contrast, as long as you look down at it slightly. At perpendicular, and anything below that (ie: if you look up at it), the LCD appears fuzzy and dim. But I compared this to my other digital thermometer, and it suffers from the same problem, I'd just never noticed it before. The screen is not backlit, but if I need to see it in the dark, I just turn on my computer monitor, my cell phone, etc.
- The unit seems to be quite sensitive to small temperature changes. For bigger, more sudden changes in temperature, both the sensor and the base seem to take longer than my older digital thermometer to settle on a single temp. I'm not entirely sure about the accuracy, but it's never more than about 1F off from my other thermometers.
- I REALLY like the remote sensor probe cord thingy. I didn't realize it was included when I placed my order, but I'm really glad it was. The probe cord is a few feet long, and it allows me to measure the temperature of the side of my beer fermenter as well as the ambient temperature of the air at the remote sensor. You may not have a similar use for it, but for those who do have a use for it, it's invaluable. Don't worry, if you don't need it, you're not forced to do something with the cord (ie: coil it up); you can unplug it from the sensor.
- I've read a lot of gripes from owners of other thermometers about the base station not being able to get a signal from the remote sensor through walls. I keep my base station about 15 feet from the remote sensor, which in my case takes the signal through one wall and one closet door. There's a little indicator on the base that blinks to tell you when the base is receiving the sensor's signal. I monitor it pretty frequently and I've never had a signal problem.
- The instructions say that the batteries are supposed to last two years (!).
- The humidity reading is only reported for the humidity at the base (not the sensor). This may or may not matter to you.

Minor annoyances:
- The base LCD seems to be a little dim when using rechargeable (AA) batteries. The instructions specifically recommend alkalines. The remote sensor, however, seems to be doing fine with my rechargeable AAA's.
- The genius who designed the thermometer tied the 24-hour clock option to the Celsius option. In other words, you get both 24-hour + Celsius, or 12-hour + Fahrenheit.
- I have to press a button on the base to toggle between the ambient temperature at the sensor and the temperature at the end of the probe cord.

Conclusion: Judging by the first six weeks of usage, this is a simple, yet solid wireless thermometer. You should purchase it if you want a no-frills way to monitor the temperature of a nearby location.

I chose this unit due to its long advertised wireless range (330 feet). It is working great for me. In my installation, the remote is about 60 feet from from the base station, with the wireless signal going through an outside wall. Reception is 100% solid.

What's not entirely clear in the description is that the remote has two sensors: one built into the housing, and a 2nd on a 10 foot cord. The 2nd sensor plugs in and can be removed if not needed.

Prior to installation, I set up the base station and remote (with both sensors) in the same room. Both the base station and main remote temperature agreed to within 0.1 degree, and agreed with other thermometers I have. However, the 2nd sensor consistently reads 1 to 2 degrees higher. So I have some doubts about the 2nd sensor's accuracy. However, since I only use the main sensor this isn't a problem for me.

My other concern is that the remote sensor is not waterproof. This seems kind of dumb to me for an outdoor thermometer. I took the advice of one of the reviewers of a different product, and placed the remote in a zip-lock bag.

I waited 6 months to write this review. I was concerned with battery life. So far there has been no problems with the original batteries.
I would say for the money this is about as good a deal as there is. I bought it for the remote sensor and probe. I have the remote in my greenhouse at least 150 ft. from the base unit. It works great. I also like the humidity sensor on the base unit.
I would have liked the base unit to be a little larger, but it's not bad. All in all, this is a very good indoor/outdoor thermometer.

The WS-9029U-IT Wireless Weather Station with probe has the features you can enjoy and will want. I end up looking at it several times a day, watching the outside temperature that updates every 4 seconds and can read down to -39.8. And, when the waterproof probe is used, you can press the set button to toggle between the outside sensor and probe to see the various temperatures. Great feature to have when you want to know the temperature in the ground or in your pool. This unit also display the time, min/max temperature and inside humidity. Overall, a wonderful little weather station that my family truly enjoy's.

Good unit, has decent range, and is so convenient that you can look to see what the temp is outside, without having to go outside. I am not a nerdy person, but I look at the screen before I leave every morning to know what to wear.

Definitely make sure to remote sensor does not get direct sunlight, as it will suggest it's 50C outside when it might only be 28C.

All in all, a really useful gadget.

Rare that I write a review, but this item is junk and the La Crosse is useless. Try to get something fixed within the warrenty period is a hassle, lots of emails just asking questions. Then they want you to pay shipping back on a the junk they put out. Don't buy this or anything from La Crosse Technology, not worth it in any way.

I have had this a week and it is useless. The range was about 25' through a wall, and didnt read the outdoor meter. That makes it close to useless.

It rained for the first time yesterday, and the outdoor sensor got wet and it is now completely useless.
What's the point of an outdoor sensor that cant take rain? If I wanted to walk out and look at a thermometer, I wouldn't need a wireless one.

There are a lot of "should be great" pool toys/lights/thermometers that are poorly made, this is the next in that list. I have looked at the comparable items, and there are none under $200 that will work. I should have regarded more of the negative reviews on this one before buying.

The product works as advertised. I use the two remote probes to measure the temperature outside, and in a kennel where my dogs sleep. The remote probes are probably 80-100' away from the central unit and at times it does not register the temp, but most of the time it works flawlessly.

I have put the remote unit (including 2nd sensor probe) on the top of a 30' frost protection tower. It is wrapped in a cloth and plastic bag to protect from weather exposure. I can read this reliably from inside my house, about 200' away and through two walls. This gives me an indication of differential temperatures from any inversion layer which is necessary for the frost protection in my vineyard. It's been up for over a month in cold and warm, wet and dry conditions and works fine. The only drawback (hence 4 stars) is the different reading from the remote and probe sensors, even though they are enclosed in the same wrapping. The differance is not great, varying from 0.0 to 1.0 degree. Ideally they would always be identical, but my experience with digital thermometers is that they never read identically.
Overall, an excellent remote unit.

This product is accurate and easy to set-up. Long range transmission is very good. I am very happy with this gadget.