Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific RAR381-BK Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer with Digital Clock, Black

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

 

 

I bought this unit to replace another unit from another vendor. The problem I had with my other unit was poor range of the wireless sender. I also wanted a temperature alarm because I will be using this in an RV and want to make sure my water compartment does not freeze.

The base is small and compact and the LCD is perhaps a little crowded but not terrible I would say. I do like the size.

My disappointments with this unit and remote are twofold.

I ran into a problem with accuracy on the remote... the temperature reported was 3 to 4 degrees off from the base unit temperature when they were sitting side by side. This was in comparison to the units I was replacing as well some other non wireless thermometers I used for comparison.

I proceeded to the Oregon Scientific web site and requested support on this issue online. Their site says you should get a response within 4 days. After 8 days, I had not received a response so I called the company and explained my issue. The following is what they told me.

After telling me who their products are not intended as scientifically calibrated instruments (I sensed they have heard this complaints before), they indicated that their policy is that a thermometer (or remote sender) can be plus or minus 2.5 degrees off from another unit. This is not 2.5 plus or minus from the real temperature but from the any other sender or base unit. I indicated that this could mean that a unit could be off 5 or 10 degrees from the real temperature and they answered that my interpretation was correct and that this is their policy. I did not accept the explanation from the first support agent so she handed me off to another support agent who reiterated the policy. Two different support people from Oregon Scientific had now told me the same thing.

I was not expecting perfection, but I guess since this unit is priced a little more than average that at least it would be somewhat accurate... maybe one to two degrees off at most. A I mentioned at least three other thermometers that I used to compare the results from this one were within about 1 degree of each other. The base unit on this one was close but the remote was significantly off.

To me it seems that Oregon Scientific's policy on accuracy is absurd.

One question I asked the support person is why didn't Oregon Scientific articulate this policy on the packaging so that a consumer could make a reasonable and informed choice based on that information... of course there was no answer.

I think that if the consumer knew how inaccurate a thermometer Oregon Scientific's policy allows their products to be, this knowledge would be detrimental to their sales. After all, isn't accuracy what a digital thermometer is all about? I know that had I known all this, I would not have bought this product.

I guess my reaction is that I had an incorrect perception of Oregon Scientific products being step up products.... Something a little better. Certainly their customer service response, their policies and the product itself suggests otherwise.

I ordered this because it had all the features I needed at the right price. I received the merchandise quickly and installed the batteries. The main unit picked up the sensor just fine - UNTIL - if you set the clock or date, the signal is lost!! I repeated this experiment 3 times - at distances of 1", 10", and 10' - EVERY time the unit lost the sensors signal. The seller took care of me, but I do NOT recommend this product to anyone unless you like to buy Junk.

I had to replace an indoor/outdoor thermometer as the old one freezes up when it -- ahem -- freezes OUT. Oregon makes good stuff and this device is up to snuff. Batteries in the outdoor unit may require changing during long durations of frigid weather. But then, so don't we?

We bought this for a cabin in the snow. After reading the directions multiple times, we could not turn off the "freeze alert" alarm that would then beep at all hours of the night. The alarm clock is hard to use and it would go off at weird times, too.

We have replaced this item with a wind & weather item that has NO ALARMS!

The unit works well, except it has a program glitch not covered in the manual. It has a freeze warning alarm, that goes off at 37 degrees F, and despite doing everything in the instructions, it could not be canceled entirely, meaning it would go off in the middle of the night.
A phone call to Oregon Scientific, and I find that "that alarm sure can be pesky" the way to get it shut down is to set the remote at Channel 2 instead of Channel one. That works.

Gramma recently moved into an assisted living apartment from a wooded country property. Although she only goes outdoors a few days a week, she still likes to keep track of the outdoor weather conditions. We'd gotten another brand for her before and it beeped constantly, every time the temperature changed, and there was no way to turn off the alarm except to remove the battery. This one is quiet and the display is easy for her to read without getting up from her easy chair. Very reasonably priced and does the basic job without a lot of extras.

I was looking for a replacment indoor/outdoor to fit in the spot my old one was in. This had the right dimension, but I didn't read closely enough, turns out it doesn't wall mount. My fault there. Anyway, I set it up on a dresser and the 1st thing I notice is that the LCD is so faint it's almost illegible. You have to pick it up and look at it just right to see the display at all.

Later that night, around 2AM, I get woken up to a beeping sound. Look all around, and finally realize it's coming from the unit. I dig out the manual, and realize I hadn't shut off the low-temp alarm. Did that and went back to sleep, only to be woken up again an hour or so later. Tried turning it off again, but it keeps going off. Next I thought I'd outsmart it. I set the low temp to 0 degrees (it was only in the 20s), and that worked that night. Next night it starts going off again, even though it's a good 30 degrees above where I set it.

The long and short of it is the low-temp alarm doesn't work correctly, and can't be shut off (no matter what the manual says). I've retried it several times over the last few weeks, and it keeps screwing up. I finally just pulled the batteries and it's going in the trash tomorrow.

Between the alarm and the bad display, this was a total waste of money. I'd never bought anything by Oregon Sci. before, and don't plan to again. When it's back in stock I'll get the Honeywell, even though it's a bit larger than I wanted.

Found it to be accurate, and LCD easy enough to read, but I kept having alarm problems too. At first glance you think you have the hi-lo alarms set. Nope.

Once you start looking at the directions, which I never do, you realize that there is a "freeze alarm" set/built in on channel one. You can't change it. That's all its says, so you have to guess to change it to channel two or three. The documentation is horrible concerning this feature.

That doesn't work, so I wrote tech support. They did answer promptly, explaining that you have to take the batteries out of both units, replace the batteries in the sensor first, then the base unit. Gee, I almost had it right, I guessed I needed to change the channel, but had no idea of the battery change sequence. How could I?

I wrote them back, telling them that I had always chide my engineer friends, saying every engineer should have to use and maintain any product they design before it reaches the production. If that had happened here, we would not be having this conversation.

Even if it is a bad design, at least explain the fix clearly in the documentation! I realize it's difficult and expensive to retool operations to fix a product, but it's pretty easy to document the fix and insert it in the package once you are aware of the problem.

Oregon Scientific couldn't be bothered. Believe me, I will never even consider one of their products again(too many other good products out there.) Should have read the Amazon reviews before buying.

If you are looking for a cheap thermometer with wireless outside temperature this would be a fine option.
BUT

it's a real mess to adjust and DEACTIVATE the hi/lo temperature alarms.... specially an automated alarm that sounds when there's freezing temperatures outside, and its REALLY ANNOYING! because if you have this little piece of crap in your bedroom or in the kitchen you will be woke up with a beep beep beep that you will not be able to figure how to deactivate. And after 20 or 30 minutes hear the beep again and again until madness takes on you.

Since low temperatures appear on the night this stupid termomether will keep you leaving your bed until you smash it on the wall or remove the batteries from it.

Be warned!

We had some initial difficulty getting the sensor unit to talk to the main unit but eventually they connected. In the end we hung the sensor unit from the eave in a small wicker bird house pointing through a deck slider to the main unit about 10 feet away inside. A lithium battery was necessary below 40 deg F. Now it is working fine, with the lowest temperature so far being 18 deg F. We are pleased with it after two months of use.