The Ambient Weather WS-2902 is surprisingly feature-packed and accurate, given its price. Many of the cheap wireless home weather stations we've tested had issues that prevented us from genuinely recommending them. The WS-2902 does not.
The WS-2902 isn't as accurate as the WS-5000 or Davis weather stations, but it's also less than half the price. The connectivity is a standout feature at its price point, with full smart-home capabilities thanks to IFTTT, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa support. Like the WS-5000, connecting the station to AmbientWeather.net allows you to share data with Weather Underground and access weather station data through the app or a web-based portal.
If you can't justify the price of other weather stations on our list, the Ambient Weather WS-2902 is the best budget model available. The LCD display console in the WS-2902 is much improved over previous models. When we tested the WS-2902A, the console suffered from readability problems beyond a 30-degree angle, which is far less of a problem now.
The WS-2902 weather station has all the features you'd expect including indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity, rainfall, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure. A nice surprise is the inclusion of a fairly accurate UV/light sensor, something you typically don't see on other home weather stations even in this price range.
Date of our Original Review: August 2018, using the second-generation A model, which was updated in 2020 based on the fourth-generation C model.
There are many choices regarding home weather stations, especially for budget models. However, with these cheap weather stations came compromises, so I was skeptical of Ambient Weather’s claims about the WS-2902.
(Editor’s note: We now recommend most consider the WS-1553-IP over the WS-2902. See our buyers guide for more information.)
Ambient Weather claims the WS-2902’s sensors are nearly as accurate as the Davis Vantage Vue but have far superior smart home and connectivity features. It’s also half the price of the Vantage Vue, yet it’s still American-made (right here in Pennsylvania, no less).
Such bold claims should be considered with skepticism, but they seem genuine. AmbientWeather.net, the WS-2902’s cloud-based Internet portal, is far superior to other web and app dashboards.
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are supported, so you can ask for your station’s conditions by voice. IFTTT is also built-in, and you can trigger other smart devices to do things based on the readings your station collects.
For the most part, the WS-2902 lives up to the hype. While most sensors perform well, the Vantage Vue still has the advantage. The LCD console is pretty basic—one of the places Ambient Weather had to compromise on to keep the station cheap—but still better than the Vantage Vue and other stations twice its price. For the casual weather observer, the WS-2902 is perfect and one of the best budget personal weather stations available, without question.
Setting up the WS-2902
The WS-2902 instrumentation includes all the basics, like indoor/outdoor temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, and rainfall. We were pleasantly surprised to find a UV and light (solar) sensor, which is usually only found on mid-grade and pro-level weather stations.
Another highlight is the large 3-inch by 6.75-inch display console. In 2021, Ambient Weather redesigned the display to show the most commonly sought information, like temperature and rainfall, more prominently. It’s a welcome change, as the previous console had a narrow viewing angle.
The WS-2902 sensor suite is an “all-in-one” sensor array, and installation is simple. The weather station ships primarily pre-assembled, with only the wind vane, anemometer cups, and the rain gauge funnel to attach. Install the batteries, put them on a mast, and you are up and running quickly.
We love the directions—they’re written in a way that is easy to follow, which speeds the process along. Downloading the app helps you install the connectivity options, but you can also do it through the web-based portal.
Once that’s all set up, you can view your station remotely through the app or the website. You can connect your WS-2902 to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or IFTTT and share your data with Weather Underground.
AmbientWeather.net now allows non-owners to access station weather data through its front page. The station is set to be public by default, but there is an option to make your data private.
High-end features at a budget price
The WS-2902’s low price would lead you to believe this would be some middle-of-the-road weather station, but it isn’t. Ambient Weather has packed a good deal of functionality into the WS-2902. The smart home capabilities work well, and the accuracy exceeded my expectations.
The temperature, humidity, and wind readings matched my Davis Vantage Vue well. The rain gauge typically performed to our expectations, although it tends to overcount rainfall in downpours.
We had one issue with the barometric pressure sensor, which seemed to react aggressively to fast pressure changes, requiring us to recalibrate it more often than we’d liked. Our experience appears unique, so this may have been a faulty sensor in our review unit.
The WS-290C has a far longer update interval than Ambient’s higher-end WS-5000, at 16 seconds for outdoor sensors and just over a minute for indoor sensors. That’s relatively slow and might pose an issue in quickly changing weather conditions.
But where Ambient Weather has not cut corners is in construction. Generally, it doesn’t appear any less well-constructed than more expensive stations. I’m surprised, to be truthful, considering most stations in the same price range as the WS-2902 look every bit the part of a cheap station.
The radiation shielding that protects your thermometer/hygrometer from direct sunlight seemed to work better than my Vantage Vue in preventing false temperature spikes.
Ambient Weather also includes a UV and light sensor in the WS-2902 sensor suite, which isn’t often found on stations of this price. The company allows a more considerable margin of error than Davis for its UV and solar radiation sensors with the Vantage Pro2, so I’m assuming they are lower quality.
Ready for the smart home
Ambient Weather’s stations report their data to AmbientWeather.net, the company’s cloud platform. You can access your data through the web portal or an app available for iOS and Android.
IFTTT support makes this the cheapest full-featured weather station to support smart home connectivity. We used the data from the light sensors to control our lights during the evening and had no issues during the test.
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support can also be activated, allowing you to ask your digital assistant to read your current conditions. For Alexa, say, “Alexa, ask Ambient Weather for the indoor/outdoor weather report,” or ask for weather information for a specific date. With Google Assistant, it’s similar. Say, “Hey Google, Ambient Weather indoor/outdoor weather report.”
However, word of warning: Every measurement is reported back. For example, there’s no way to ask for specific information, like the day’s highs and lows or the daily rainfall.
The WS-2902 is a budget favorite
Having tested so many weather stations, it is rare to encounter a surprise like the WS-2902. Usually, price is the most significant factor in determining whether a weather station is good enough.
The Ambient WS-2902 was the first to break the mold. In terms of accuracy, most of the sensors hold up against mid-range weather stations. The connectivity support is the best of any station we’ve tested, so Ambient stations score highly in that department.
Of course, if you’re a discerning weather watcher, the accuracy isn’t there like with the WS-5000 or Davis’ Vantage Vue. But for the casual observer, this is the station to buy.
Ambient Weather WS-2902
Cheap weather stations often cut a lot of corners. Ambient Weather's WS-2902C station isn't one of them -- and is surprisingly good.
Product SKU: WS-2902
Product Brand: Ambient Weather
89
Pros
- Best value in terms of capabilities
- Best-in-class smart home connectivity
- Great accuracy for the price
- Solid construction
Cons
- Console readings update less frequently than other models
