Customer Reviews

La Crosse Technology WS-9160U-IT Digital Thermometer with Indoor/Outdoor Temperature

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(51)

 

 

This wireless thermometer works extremely well and is easy
to set up - but you absolutely must follow the directions exactly.

Range is excellent - but just make sure that some large object such
as a metal shed or a large oak tree is not in line-of-sight between
any of the transmitters and the receiver.

I am using 3 of these temp sensors with the 915 MHz receiver. One
sensor came with the receiver, and I just purchased two more, since the
receiver can display up to three different temperatures from three
sensors. However be advised that if you carry one or more of these
sensors out of range and the receiver loses track of it, you absolutely
must take the batteries out of all three sensors and out of the
receiver and re-initialize all of them. This is not a difficult step,
since I did it several times while playing around with the sensors to
see how much range they had - which resulted in the receiver losing
track of one of them.

When you first see the instruction booklet that comes with the receiver,
it looks daunting, but not to worry, since only a tiny part of it is in
English, with all the rest in other languages. Once all the temp sensors are
initialized, then it takes only a few seconds to set the clock.

I read in other reviews that some buyers had problems getting their
receiver to respond to some sensors, but that is because the buyers failed
to properly re-initialize their units. Also be advised that if you buy
a display unit that receives transmissions at 915 MHz, then you absolutely
must buy sensors that also transmit at 915 MHz. Several of the sensors
that are sold by Amazon look alike, but not all of them use 915 MHz, so
carefully read the tech specs to make sure that both the transmitter and
the receiver operate at 915 MHz.

This is my second wireless thermometer system in our home. I wanted this one to be placed near my recliner so I could check the temp's without going to the other room. This unit is very accurate and I had no issues with syncronizing the sensors. I also placed a sensor upstairs so I could monitor the guest bedrooms. This unit is a good value and works extremely well. The size of the display is large enough for easy viewing for my older eyes....

I bought a couple of these this last Christmas (2009), one for a gift and one to use myself. I liked the idea of the large read out and the simplicity of the display. Time, inside temp, and outside temp. I didn't see the need for the full blown weather station with the ability to forecast the weather. Somehow I don't think a simple device can do what mankind has struggled with for the last 100 years at least. But I digress...

As stated, the readout is big and clear so that's a plus. It requires little knowledge to set it up correctly. Just follow the included instructions and you'll be up and running in 5 minutes. I've only had it running now for two months but the regular alkaline batteries are holding up well. With the remote set about 80 - 100 feet away it indicates with a flashing icon that it's receiving the signal fine. So that's all good.

Now the bad. Or maybe I should say "not so good." It's accuracy is questionable to be sure. Even putting the remote right alongside the indoor unit the readings aren't exact. You would think it would be at least +/- .5° in that scenario but that's not the case. Mine seemed to wonder +/- 2° between what the indoor and outdoor readout indicated while sitting right next to each other. Although it seemed to get a little better with time, it never got exact or even within the .5° mark. So I decided to put the remote under the roof edge of the north facing outside wall of the house. About 40 feet (and three walls) away. The first thing I noticed is that it took a very long time for the outside temperature to change. I mean really long. After sitting out there all night I compared the temperature I was getting with the local weather. My thermometer was reading 5°F high. Hmmm.... Went out to my Jeep and checked the temperature on the information center which has always been accurate. It also showed my theremometer as reading 5° high. I assumed it was possible the my house was loosing "some" heat, but if that was the case I needed to do some insulating mighty quick. So anyway, I moved the remote out to my un-attached and un-heated garage. Now it is constantly reading between 6° - 18° high! I mean really, 18 degrees off? What's the point? The colder it gets here in Wisconsin the more it's off. Today with the temperature a balmy 27°F outside according to the local weather station, my theremometer says it's 33°F. It seems the warmer it gets the closer it gets to reality.

I was tempted to send it back since a thermometer that is this inaccurate isn't worth the batteries it's discharging, but thought WTH. I didn't pay all that much for it and it's better than nothing, just barely.

I'll have to check with the person I gifted with the other one. I suspect that one isn't any different. I think given the low price this is what one could expect, even though I was hoping for better.

In summary.... The clock is dead on accurate. Readout is big and clear. Hasn't eaten any batteries yet (two months and counting). Range seems fine. Indoor temperature seems about right. The outdoor temperature is slow to react and has a mind of it's own. So yeah, not bad but not great either.

As a tech guy I admit, I really wanted to love this product but about 30 minutes ago I threw it in the trash. As others have said, you must follow the written directions *precisely* to make the thermometer work. However, once you get a reading from the outdoor sensor, the receiver can lose the signal very easily requiring a needlessly complicated reset. Furthermore, it seems almost anything can interrupt the signal from one piece being too close to a solid object (like a wall or a tree) or a metal object between the transmitter and receiver (such as a metal screen on a window or door). This is true even when the transmitter and receiver are less than 3 feet from each other and using fresh batteries. I'm sorry, that is just not an acceptable level of performance. I'm sure the thermometer works wonders in certain, very specific situations but after 8 months of tinkering with all manner of different configurations, I am convinced this product is just not suited to a typical urban environment.

There are better thermometers out there and it's worth while to spend a little more to get one that does what it's supposed to do. Sorry La Crosse, you've lost my business.

Love the simplicity an large digits. One of the rare devices of this sort without the atomic clock feature which is essential for those outside of CONUS. The atomic clock feature causes all kinds of functional and battery life problems outside of CONUS. Great Price with free shipping! Another Amazon winner!

I tried using this unit with several sets of new batteries, but found the performance to be consistently inaccurate.

Keeping the transmitter in the same room, the transmitted temperature never matched the temperature reported by the base station. It was usually about two degrees off, but either low or high, so the error wasn't consistent.

I also tested the unit with the transmitter outside. I put it in the window casing between a closed glass window and a screen. It reported temperatures unusually high. I don't think this was a case of heat build-up outside of the glass as my old Radio Shack sensor (may it rest in peace) never had any issues with this location.

Overall, I found this unit to be inaccurate and not reliable enough to be trusted. On the plus side, the display is easy to read.

I bought this and had a hard time getting the outdoor sensor to work. When I got it working I had it placed right next to the indoor unit. They displayed different temps. Thus not reliable. I put the outdoor unit outside and it worked for about a week. I replaced the batteries and nothing. I returned to Amazon for an exchange. Got the new station and the outdoor sensor didn't work at all. I returned it to Amazon for a complete refund. The only thing I can say positive about all of this is Amazon is great about returns as long as you are within there return policy. I love buying from Amazon I just will not buy this again. I will research other indoor/outdoor units.

So far, I am pleased with this thermometer. We followed the directions for setting it up (as was suggested in another review), and it works perfectly. I've placed the remote thermometer in various locations, and it has connected and worked every time.

I compared the temperature reading with my other thermometer, and it is accurate. The display is large and easy to read. I also like the silver coloring. It has min and max temperature memory, which I like. The only thing I wish it had is a humidity reading. Good thermometer overall.

Does what it is supposed to do. I bought it as a replacement for a similar gadget from Oregon Scientific that didn't.

Only two minor quibbles: The outdoor thermometer reads about 2 degrees lower than the indoor one. The outside device comes with a bracket so you can screw it to a wall, but it should also have a simple eye hole so you can hang it from a hook.

This is a great gadget to know the temperature inside and outside of your house. A remote sensor needs to be placed outside of your house for it to take the outside temperature. In my case, I put the sensor inside a zip loc bag and just hanged it outside.

Very Important: You must put the batteries in the main unit and the remote sensor within 30 seconds of each other. Otherwise, if you wait too long and you put the batteries in the remote sensor, the system will not recognize it and you will think you have a broken remote sensor. To reset things, remove the batteries from both the main unit and the remote sensor.

Overall, I highly recommend this product due to its large display, functionality and price.