Our friends from “Oz” have supported us from the beginning: Australia is one of the top five locations where TWSE readers visit us. While some of the stations we recommend to readers here in the States are locally available, they’re expensive. So, we researched and came up with this list of the best home weather stations in Australia at various price points.

While Ambient Weather is available in Australia, nearly the same station is available through Ecowitt. You lose the smart home connectivity Ambient adds, but everything else is the same.

Best Home Weather Stations in Australia

After much research, here are our picks for Australia’s best home weather stations. We’ll keep this list regularly updated.

The Ecowitt HP2553 is the company’s high-end weather station (sold as the Ambient Weather WS-5000 in the U.S., with a few differences). With practically nothing different — save for the lack of smart home support — this station is easily one of Australia’s best home weather stations. Our tests of the American version of this weather station were stellar, and we can’t see why the HP2553 would be any different.

The HP2553 features a redesigned sensor suite and an ultrasonic anemometer: the rain gauge contains the only moving parts in this setup. As a result, the HP2553 will have a much longer usable life than a traditional home weather station. The sensors are more accurate in our tests than in previous Ecowitt stations, and you can add additional sensors, including air quality, soil moisture, water temperature, and lightning. The brilliant colour, easy-to-read LCD console looks great just about anywhere.

The company’s made it easy to share your data publicly through Weather Underground, Ecowitt.net, and many other networks, which is a nice touch and view station data from the Ecowitt app.

The Wittboy is Ecowitt’s latest Wi-Fi weather station, and it’s aimed at that outside of the U.S. who might not want to pay the extra duties to import in the WeatherFlow Tempest. It doesn’t have lightning detection or smart home capabilities (that we can tell), but it does pretty much everything else the Tempest does.

The outdoor sensor contains a haptic rainfall sensor, light and U.V. sensors, an ultrasonic wind speed sensor, and temperature and humidity sensors. Ecowitt also includes its Wi-Fi hub, which allows you to send your data to Weather Underground. The Wittboy is new, so we’re hesitant to give it our full-throated endorsement, but it’s worth considering.

Ecowitt takes another spot in our list of Australia’s best home weather stations with the HP2551. This model is similar to the Ambient Weather WS-2000 sold in the States. The HP2551 is Wi-Fi compatible and doesn’t require software to share data with Weather Underground and other services.

However, if we had to pick, we’d certainly go with the HP2553 over the HP2551 if you can afford it. The sensor quality in the HP2553 is superior, leading to more accurate observations.

Unlike most home weather stations in the U.S., there aren’t many options for those looking to integrate their home weather station with the smart home in Australia. However, French technology company Netatmo’s popular weather station provides one alternative if you want just that. We tested the Netatmo weather station several years ago, loved the app, and were pleasantly surprised with its accuracy.

The only negative to Netatmo’s weather station is everything is sold separately. The package above includes the base station and two temperature/humidity sensors. You’ll still need the optional rain gauge and sonic anemometer to complete the station, which costs an additional $150 AUS. However, it may be worth it if you are looking for a way to use weather data to control your smart home.

The Ecowitt GW1102 is an accurate option for a budget home weather station. All parts are separate (much like the HP2553) but with lower-quality sensors. But you get all the benefits of more expensive stations, including expandability and the capability to share weather data online without much fuss natively.

If budget is an issue, we strongly recommend considering the GW1102 before any options below. You’ll get better performance and accuracy overall thanks to the capability to place each instrument in the best possible spot.

If you prefer an “all-in-one” sensor suite (especially with limited space), opt for the Ecowitt WS2910. It’s slightly cheaper than the GW1102 but includes the same sensor suite as the HP2551, just a more basic console. You lose the capability to expand. However, the WS2910 still features the Wi-Fi connectivity of more expensive Ecowitt weather stations.

Our personal preference is the GW1102, however, at this price point.

Other Options

While we think the best home weather stations in Australia are from Ecowitt, we can understand if you’d still want the accuracy or smart weather station features. You’ll want to import the Davis Vantage Vue, Pro2, or WeatherFlow Tempest.

Far behind its competitors in terms of high-tech features, the Davis Vantage Vue remains the most accurate mid-range home weather station weather watchers can buy. Amazon U.S. sells this package, so there is an additional wait time for it, but it is the cheapest we’ve found the Vantage Vue sold in Oz at the moment, and after the exchange rate, it is similarly priced to the station in the states.

With how expensive the Vantage Vue is in Australia, we’d recommend the Davis Vantage Pro2 instead. This is available from an Australian Davis supplier and is priced competitively considering the USD-AUS exchange rate (it’s a few dollars cheaper!). Plus, the Vantage Pro2 is the best weather station on the market, bar none, and one survived the 2017 NSW wildfires and continued to report data.

We can’t say that many other stations on our list would be able to perform a similar feat. It’s an expensive piece of kit, but you won’t need to buy a new home weather station anytime soon — Davis weather stations are known for providing years of trouble-free service.

Finally, we’d be remiss not to mention the WeatherFlow Tempest in our list. Even though the Tempest is one of the newest home weather stations on the market, the company behind it has spent decades building professional-grade stations, many of which are found at coastal locations throughout the U.S. — and have played a critical role in the monitoring of landfalling tropical cyclones.

The WeatherFlow’s smart home support is another reason why we’re big fans of the Tempest, and with no moving parts, completely solar-powered, and a simple installation, this is as close to “set it and forget it” as you come in a home weather station.

FAQ

Are you thinking about purchasing a weather station? Here are some answers to frequently asked questions from readers, some unique to Australia.

Wrapping Up

Australia has a lot of great options for home weather stations, and we think the Ecowitt HP2553 is by far the best buy. However, if you’re looking for top-tier performance, you can’t beat the Davis Vantage Vue or Vantage Pro2. Have questions? Feel free to ask them in the comments below.