Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific Wireless Multi-Channel Thermometer

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

Got this thermometer a few weeks ago and it's turning me into more of a weather geek every day!

I actually bought two sets so that I could have a remote in the basement wine cellar (remote #1) and one outside (remote #2). Both indoor displays are able to "read" from both remotes so I now can monitor the temps in my basement and outside from either the bedroom (display #1) or the office (display #2).

Every so often I'll lose the outside signal in the office but that's because the distance is probably reaching the 100' max -- not to mention that there's an entire house in the way -- but the signal returns after a while. The cellar remote signal has been stable from day one.

I can't really tell if the temps are accurate to the tenth degree but when I set the display units side by side and give them time to settle down they read only one or two tenths different. Not enough error for me to care since I wouldn't notice a tenth of a degree difference anyway.

Fun and entertaining gadgets for not much money -- man, can it get any better than this?

I love weather and have had several Oregon Scientific instruments and enjoyed owning/using them. This one I bought on clearance for [$] at a local department store. The read-out is great -- big, clear and crisp. My biggest criticism is that I got no where near the distance (90 feet, I believe) claimed to be possible between transmitter and receiver. This forced me to put the receiver (main read out unit) in a place that wasn't as convenient for me. Where I wanted to put it was maybe 60 feet away from the sensor -- well, well within its rated range. It would not consistently hold a signal for that distance. A secondary criticism is the mounting bracket for the remote sensor is of a fairly cheap plastic and I am still not able to really secure it to an outside post. In theory, it slips over a couple of nail heads or screws, but it is not doing that for me. It would have had helped had OS included a paper template to use for drilling the mounting holes.

If you look beyond these criticisms, the price-value equation is favorable. And guess what -- batteries ARE included -- four of them. What a treat!

One other huge advantage: Its operating range on the low end is very good, an important consideration if you live in cold weather state. I don't think it reads to minus 20, which sometimes occurs where I live but when it's that cold, I don't want to know it, either :) Also, this unit runs on regular batteries; some competitive units require very costly lithium batteries.

These units are great. We have several Oregon Scientific products and have been happy with all of them. They perform as advertised and are fairly reliable -- of 3 Oregon devices, I had to replace one after 2 years, but they're not very expensive so not a big deal.

The outdoor device reliably senses temp -- but keep it out of direct sunlight or the readings will be high.

It sends the signal to the base unit indoors over a reasonable distance and through a couple walls.

If you want to splurge, go for one of the devices that includes humidity and atomic clock et al.

Upon opening the box, I noticed that the outdoor temperature was 1.4 degrees higher than the indoor tepmperature. I decided to let both units sit for several hours hoping the temperatures would stabilize. After 24 hours, no change. I contacted Oregon Scientific and was told that was actually good because each sensor is accurate to only plus or mius 2.5 degrees, so they could be off as much as 5 degrees total. Why provide reading in tenths if the thing can be off by over a degree? No mention of the accuracy in any of the specs I saw. Just a toy in my opinion.

I installed the remote unit outside and placed the indoor unit in our bedroom only about 30 feet away. The indoor unit kept losing the signal of the remote unit. I called Oregon product support and they made some suggestions (reset connection, change channel) but it still could not maintain the connection. Eventually I moved the indoor unit farther away from the wall and pointed the front of the unit toward the remote unit and it has worked flawlessly since then. [Previously the back of the indoor unit faced the remote unit and the indoor unit was close to the corner of the house.] Now after 1 week, the unit continues to work perfectly

We've been using this unit (ours is labelled Taylor, which is apparently now owned by Oregon Scientific) for about 3 years - replaced batteries in remote unit 1x. The sign the batteries were done was a blank inside unit.

We've never checked the temperature accuracy of the outside unit, & it hasn't effected our experience poorly. The outside unit is placed on the porch, out of direct sunlight so we adjust accordingly. The inside unit is in line with the furnace thermostat readings.

The obvious pro of this product is knowing the outside temperature w/o having to actually go outside or squint longingly out the window to see a tiny old-fashioned thermometer. Wireless is a big plus. The LCD is easy to read from a short distance. We've not had problems with losing signal, but the units are not placed much more than 20 feet away.

The downside is that additional remote units seem somewhat expensive at $20 to $25 per unit. And, it appears that the older units are not compatible with the newer units. Sorta like Microsoft products, I guess. Perhaps you should buy your additional units with initial purchase - if you need them.

All in all, for the cost, performance and cool gift factor I would recommend this product.

I live in NH where the weather changes by the hour. I have owned 2 of these units for 2 years. Just changed the batteries in all units. (Make sure you hit the reset button on the sensor and main unit in order for them to function)I depend on them a great deal. I have one upstairs facing East. Good in the morning to choose a dress mode. I also have one unit dounstairs facing West. In the Summer the dounstairs unit tells me how hot or cold it got that day. Highly recommend.

I ordered this thermometer because the description shown on the website said "the remote sensor runs from -58 to 158 degrees F." Our temperature often goes below -30 and this is the first wireless thermometer I have found that claims to register anything below -21. When the thermometer came, I discovered that the box says that the temperature range is only -4 to 140 degrees using alkaline batteries and -22 to 140 degrees with lithium batteries. This is because the batteries freeze up, according to the information in the user manual. Very missleading.

I have had very good luck with Oregon Scientific products and this one is no exception. It has worked flawlessly for more than a year now. I love it. Easy to set up and batteries last a long time... needing chaning about once a year.

Can't beat the value. A great price. Large numbers are easy to read evan at a glance. I use the cable - free thermometer to at my desk, while the remote monitors and logs the temperature of my computer server room. (which has poor ventilation). The remote lets me lock the door to the server room when I leave and my office mates can monitor the temperature from my desk.

The memory capability lets me see the maximum temp the server has been exposed to.

Can't beat the value. I bought two.