Customer Reviews

La Crosse Technology WS-7014CH-IT Indoor & Outdoor Digital Thermometer w/ Indoor Humidity, Forecaster, Atomic Clock

5 star:		(127)
4 star:		(93)
3 star:		(32)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(44)

 

 

Purchased weather station from Amazon and is working fine. Here are some possibly useful tips for initial setup and operation. Pay attention to battery installation in the temperature sensor first, then the station second. For an initial test, leave the sensor and station in the same room to stabilize and monitor both temperatures for about 1 hour. Over that time, I observed mostly 0.5 degree difference in the two readings. This test checks normal operation and in my case the comparison was remarkably good.

My outside sensor is in a sheltered location and less than thirty feet from the station. The manual says up to 80 feet separation, but this is highly depended on the number of walls/floors and construction materials in the way. That is, don't count on the 80 foot separation distance.

Regular alkaline batteries for the station are fine. However, care must be exercised in sensor battery selection especially if you live in a cold winter area such as New England. Regular 1.5 volt alkaline or enhanced alkaline type batteries are not suited for prolonged cold outdoor use. However, definitely consider the newer 1.5 volt Lithium batteries that operate down to minus 40 degrees F for prolonged cold outdoor use. The only drawback is cost, but they are often on sale at national drug chains.

Getting the radio controlled time clock to operate properly can be tricky. Based on experience with other clocks, my best reception occurs with (1) location on the second floor (height), (2) display facing east/west (antenna direction) rather than north or south, and (3) location away from a TV, radio, or stereo (interference). Thunderstorms tend to disrupt sensor to station communication but operation eventually returns to normal. Station weather indicator is no worse than the New England weather forecasters.

I bought this station about 6 months ago. It was very easy to set up, and has been working perfectly ever since. Having one reliable atomic clock in the house is useful, as all appliances drift somewhat, and so do mechanical watches. The wireless remote temperature sensor has also been working reliably. I just placed in under a bench on the deck, and it has survived so far (in the wet Seattle climate).

Also, the station has a memory for highest/lowest temperatures (one for the station, one for the remote sensor), which is nice when you want to know exactly how hot/cold it got last night.

I haven't been using the weather forecast much, so I won't comment on it.

I still haven't had to change the batteries (almost 6 months of use by now).

Altogether, I'm very happy with the purchase (less than $35), and would recommend this unit to anyone looking for an inexpensive atomic clock/temperature sensor combo.

The weather station and remote sensor work very well, however, when you order the basic weather station, Amazon suggests ordering the wireless remote with the basic unit. When the product arrives you find the wireless remote is included with the base unit. If you're a dope like me, you'll assume that one remote is for indoors, and the other's for outdoors. This is not the case. The base unit reads indoor data and the wireless remote that comes with it goes outside. Guess I'll put the extra sensor on the other side of the house as the unit will gather info from two outside sources.

Mine works perfectly! My parents bought me this for Christmas because we've all enjoyed the one my dad got for his birthday two or three years ago. If you're having problems with yours, please keep the following in mind:

1) The forecast indicator does not tell you the exact conditions, just expected trends. Per the manual, the "Sunny" icon indicates that the weather is expected to improve (not that the weather will be sunny). An icon showing "Sun with Clouds" indicates that the weather is expected to be fair (not that the weather will be sunny with clouds). And the "Clouds with Rain" icon indicates that the weather is expected to get worse (not that the weather will be rainy).

2) Do not place the remote temperature sensor in direct sun, or you'll get a false high reading (ever noticed what your car exterior feels like after sitting out in the sun, even on a day where the temp is just 70°?). A shaded location works best.

3) The remote temperature sensor can't measure the effect of wind chill, so it will only tell you the real temp, not the "feels like" temp.

This unit stopped working six months after purchse.

I e-mailed Lacrosse's customer service and it took them 3 weeks (three weeks!!) to reply to my e-mail with a form letter that shows they did not even bother to read the 5-line e-mail I sent them.

So, basically, if you buy a Lacrosse Product just pray it will work, because you are on your own if it does not. The Customer Service is just non-existent, even if your product is under warranty.

I would recommend this for any price-conscience buyer who needs an outdoor themometer and an accurate indoor temp measurement.

The wireless capability allows me to place the indoor unit away from heat sources (i.e. chimney, kitchen, etc) to ensure an accurate reading indoors, as well as wireless distance flexability for outdoor sensor placement.

The only function emitted from this particular model is a meter for the level of humidity outdoors. It actually does have an indoor reading, but for whatever reason (probably cost) it is lacking the outdoor measurement.

Lastly, the unit has been very accurate predicting the upcoming weather, even here in Maine where the weather changes practically hourly! Overall, for the price point and accuracy, this is a 5 star unit in my opinion.

I read (and unfortunately ignored) the reviews of others describing their poor experience with this product. I purchased the product because it appeared to have the features I needed. The first product that shipped worked for about 30 days and failed (the failure mode seems to be that the outside transmitter just stops working, followed closely by the base unit display failure). After replacing batteries and resynchronizing the units, it still did not work. I contacted La Crosse and shipped the product back to the company. After about 3 weeks, I received a new (rather than refurbished) replacement that also only worked for about 30 days. It too failed again and I just tossed it out.

After ordering this product I read reviews that the exterior transmitter worked only for a short period of time and that a replacement cost as much as the entire unit. Should have paid attention to the reviews and canceled the order. Mine lasted about 80 days. A piece of junk and waste of money.

The first one I bought didn't even work, I sent it back and they told me it was a bad unit so they sent me another one. That unit worked fine for 2 months and now, looses the outdoor temperature reading every 4-5 days. When I call them to report this ongoing problem they tell me to remove the batteries and wait 15 minutes and put them back in. Works fine for another few days.

There's not much that is accurate about this product. I wasted my money and I'm very disappointed in it.

Looking for a better more reliable weather station......

Received the unit and it did not work out of the package. It will not recieve the signal from the remote unit.
Called La Crosse Tech support and left two messages in two days with no return call.
Called and went down a different call queue to get to a human who certainly did not enjoy her job. Got an RMA so we'll see how the story ends. I would not recommend La Crosse products if your think you will require support.