Customer Reviews

La Crosse Technology WS-9520U Wireless Projection Forecast Station with Oscar Outlook

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I purchased the LaCrosse WS-9520U last week. As usual, the transaction and shipping with Amazon was excellent. I very rarely return online purchases, but this one is going back. In general, the unit is as advertised - and others may find it completely satisfactory - but, after two nights of use, I have found the following specific things to be unacceptable:

1. The backlight cannot be set to remain on continuously - it only lights when a button is pushed - regardless of whether you're powering with AC or batteries. I think alarm clocks are always more convenient when you can see them at, well, uh, night. Yes, the on-ceiling projection shows the time, but nothing else. This is less than convenient.

2. General build quality is iffy at best - the buttons are clunky, loud and awkwardly placed. The entire unit seems flimsy - like it's just barely holding itself together. It's extremely light and does not have a very steady base, which will make it prone to being knocked over (like when reaching for the snooze button - which you can't see because it's not illuminated and there's no backlight) and I'm not sure this thing would survive being knocked over. Sorry to say, but for $70, this just seems very cheaply built from the mechanical side of things.

3. I guess this is obvious in hindsight, but the actual time display is tiny, maybe an inch tall. Granted, you have the projector, which works as advertised (only when it's dark in the room - projection is photo-sensitively switched on/off - no other option), but seeing the clock from across the room during daylight (when the projector is not on) is not really possible unless you've got astronaut eyes.

4. There are no alarm options and the only existing tone is - IMHO - obnoxious and too loud - a sort of high-pitched staccato double-chirp. I realize this is a personal issue, but a few buzzer options would have been nice.

5. There is absolutely no way that the battery cover on the outdoor sensor will keep the elements out of the sensor. Maybe this isn't an issue if you have a protected outdoor place to locate the sensor - but if there's any moisture at all, this thing won't last one winter here in Michigan.

In summary:

Electronics: Acceptable and as advertised, tho the few things I mentioned could be better

Mechanical: unacceptably cheap, shoddy assembly fit & finish for this price point.

If you have not already figured out, you can easily get a headache trying to determine which is the BEST wireless weather station for your needs. I spent hours upon hours comparing and finally decided on this one. Read the other reviews for this item for a full take, I am only reporting on what I see to be missing or needs to be fully emphasized:

PROS:

1. Ceiling projection. I originally thought this was a gimmick. In fact it is not so bad.. I am nearsighted and am always asking my wife what the time is in the morning/night... not any more :-) ... and YES you can have the unit alternate BOTH the time and outdoor temp. Take note that this is to be read ONLY at night in darkness. You will see nothing if the light is on.

2. I am putting this one as a PRO: While I have heard and agree with other reviewers out there that the outdoor remote sensor is not designed to withstand Michigan winters, consider however the fact that the remote sensor is actually two pieces. One piece that you mount to the house or wherever you wish and the other piece is the actual remote sensor. In other words, if the sensor goes bad... buy a new one and you do not have to drill any new holes, just pop out the dead sensor and replace. If you are not happy with this and think the remote sensor should have been designed better (I agree with you); then a $45 La Crosse weather station is not for you.

3. Excellent range. I have the remote sensor in the front of my house and the display ALL the way in the back corner of my house. The signal must beam through the exterior of the house, my living room, kitchen, bathroom and to the corner of our bedroom. Quite impressive.

CONS:

1. Come on folks (La Crosse). If you provide an A/C cable to plug in the unit, why not then provide an option to keep the backlight display on? Who wants to fumble around the room trying to press the button to turn it on?

IN SUMMARY:

Don't waste your precious time. If you need a weather station that: (1) tells BOTH outdoor and indoor temperature and humidity then this unit is for you.

Until recently I had the little brother to this unit and really loved it. My needs recently changed and I wanted to be able to view the clock at night without having to reach over and tap a button. I chose this unit because it projects the time and outside temperature on the ceiling so all I have to do is look up and see the time.

It gives a fairly accurate forecast depicted by Oscar Outlook (the little man in the display). Oscar will dress according to the weather conditions to give you an idea of what to expect. I've found that the forecast is about 90% accurate!

The clock sets itself via radio waves from the atomic clock in Boulder, CO. It is very accurate and I never have to worry about setting it.

Overall I'm extremely pleased with my purchase and I would do it all over again if I had to.

this is why i like this clock:

1. The backlight cannot be set to remain on continuously - it only lights when a button is pushed - but, the on-ceiling projection shows the time, perfectly well, and I'm near sighted with 10 ft. ceilings. That's all I need. You can set the projection to time and temp, but time-only is the way I set it.

2. General build quality is very good - the buttons are sturdy, and well placed. The unit is shaped like a book, set on a heavy-enough base, that won't break anything it fell on it like a toe or a kid's head (but I suppose it could draw blood from the head if it fell on a corner) .

3. The TIME display Is large enough to see cross a good size room. If it was any bigger it would not fit well on the night-stand.

4. There are 2 alarms, not one, I've used it already and it's great. And the sound is fine too. Musical alarm from clock radio tends to blend in the background of early morning dreams and sometimes I wont wake up with music.

5. The sensors are accurate to 1/10 of one degree! which I tested to be correct. I put both sensors along with an old thermometer next to each other and they all were the same.

6. It reads to the second in sync with my other atomic clock,

Note: if you find one for $25.00 on sale somewhere, buy 3! It makes a cool gift for a gadget lover.

Just received this today, and am immediately sticking it back in the box and returning it. Product defective from the get-go. Inside temperature is at least 5 degrees off, and outside temperature 10 degrees off. These are not small variances, they're enough to make the product worthless for my needs. If you're wondering how I know that THIS is the device that's off, I have two other little sensors I can move around easily. When I place all three in one location, guess which two read exactly the same, and which one is WAAAAAAy off?

To make matters worse, it is utterly impossible to reach LaCrosse tech support, or even leave a message. I have called three times today, selecting the appropriate option from the auto-attendant, only to have the phone ring forever with no answer. Not only am I returning this product, I would never order anything made by them again.

I am very pleased with this weather station/clock combination. Setup was very easy, and in a matter of minutes, I had the correct time from WWVB, along with precise readings of both indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity. I wanted something of this kind mainly for the outdoor temperature and humidity readings, but I've found that I appreciate having such an accurate clock; the WS-9520U seems to have no trouble receiving the WWVB signal here in upstate New York.

The "Oscar Outlook" forecast icon has been a pleasant surprise too. It's remarkably accurate, correctly tracking even the abrupt, short-term weather changes that are common in this area.

I thought that the projection of the time and temperature on a wall or ceiling was only a gimmick, but it's kind of fun to just glance up at the projected image to get the time and temperature.

If all you need is an alarm clock, there are many cheaper, easier to use alternatives available. If you're shopping for a reasonably priced, basic weather station, along with an accurate clock, the LaCrosse WS-9520U is an excellent choice.

If you don't have on of these, get one. I got one as a gift about 2 years or so ago. When I saw it I thought, "Oh no, another lame gift." I was wrong. I set it up in about 10 minutes and it's been working fine ever since. The ceiling projection of time and temperature is great in the middle of the night. No turning or moving in bed to see how much longer you have to sleep. I didn't think the temperature feature would be such a big deal but I glance at it all the time. The weather forecast it gives has also been as acurate as the guys on TV. I've given several of these as gifts since I got mine and I've gotten very positive feedback on it.

We had a weather station, but the outside monitor died. We put this up it worked almost instantly, and my husband came up with the bright idea to try the old one in the basement. It worked also!

So now, I know it's 15 outside, no matter where I am inside!

Really, it's very cool, my grandkids want to try using a hair dryer on the monitor to see if the kid will change to shorts. I hid the hair dryer.

It does what it is supposed to do. Accurately displays temperature and humidity inside and outside. The biggest problem is that you can not make it permanently lit so you could see the clock in the darkness. Yes it has projector, but it only works when it is totally dark.

Other then that this clock is great.

I have owned 6 La Crosse weather products over the years and I noticed that the quality is definitely going in the wrong direction: DOWNHILL! None of the units worked for more than two years and now I have two WS-9520U's with remote sensors (TX7U) which have stopped working (so much for Swiss quality which is where they are supposedly made). It may have been a production run, but the La Crosse customer support could not give a ....! Why should they respond, correct?!

Due to the fact that I have two units which are not working (one a little over a year old) I guess I will be forced to by a temperature sensor and use both in one house, but that only because it seems like the smart thing to do. Dumping them and getting a new unit from a different manufacturer is the only other option, but will be more. Oh well, what can I say?!