The US’s largest home weather station manufacturers are AcuRite, Ambient Weather, and Davis. However, buying one of these stations outside the United States is expensive. In the rest of the world, Ecowitt is the largest home weather station manufacturer globally. But like Ambient Weather, this company also licenses its designs from a company called Fine Offset, which explains why both companies have the same weather stations.
We were shocked to find very little on the internet looking at the company’s home weather stations in detail — or Fine Offset for that matter — so we created this guide. Keep reading for an in-depth look at Ecowitt and Fine Offset.
So Who Is Fine Offset Anyway?
Fine Offset, or more specifically Shenzhen Fine Offset Electronics Co., Ltd., is a Chinese manufacturer “of weather-related products.” Founded in 2005, Fine Offset licenses its designs to other manufacturers. As of right now, the following companies are known to use Fine Offset designs:
- Ecowitt
- Ambient Weather
- Sainlogic (outside US)
- Froggit (Europe)
Please note that not all stations from these manufacturers are Fine Offset “clones.” Also, while the stations themselves may be similar in appearance, there are differences in operation and software from company to company.
Ecowitt Weather Stations Currently Available
Editors note: Since Ecowitt is available internationally and prices vary by market, we do not display prices to comply with Amazon policies. Clicking “Find the Best Deal” will take you to your correct local Amazon store. We’ve also listed where each model is available for sale for your convenience.
Ecowitt HP2553 Wi-Fi Weather Station
The HP2553 is Ecowitt's top-of-the-line weather station, and it shows.
The Ecowitt HP2553 is the company’s high-end weather station (and sold as the Ambient Weather WS-5000 in the US). Our tests of the American version of this weather station were stellar. With practically nothing different — save for the lack of smart home support — we had no reservations about making this our top pick.
The HP2553 features a redesigned sensor suite from previous models and an ultrasonic anemometer, drastically reducing the number of moving parts. This should extend its useable life as the traditional anemometer requires ongoing maintenance to ensure trouble-free use. 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.
Ecowitt Wittboy Weather Station
This Tempest look-alike doesn't have all its features, but is significantly cheaper.
The Wittboy is Ecowitt's latest Wi-Fi weather station, and it's aimed at those 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 UV 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 HP2551 Wi-Fi Weather Station
If the HP2553 is too expensive, consider the HP2551 instead.
The Ecowitt HP2551 isn’t sold in the US under the Ambient Weather brand, but its feature set is similar to the Ambient Weather WS-2000. While you won’t get the accuracy of the HP2553, it is significantly cheaper and measures everything its more expensive sibling does. The nice console you get with the HP2553 is paired with Ecowitt’s base instrument suite.
Ecowitt HP3500 Wi-Fi Weather Station
The HP3500B is Ecowitt's entry level Wi-Fi compatible weather station, but it isn't expandable.
The Ecowitt HP3500B is the company’s cheapest weather station that doesn’t require PC software to share your weather data online. The console isn’t as flashy as the HP2551 but is still readable from a reasonable distance and can display graphs on its screen, something the cheaper WS2320 cannot do.
You do lose the capability to add additional sensors, which may be a reason to opt for any of the above three models if expandability is a concern. But the savings make the HP3500B a contender if you want to save money.
Ecowitt WH5360B Wireless Rain Gauge
The Ecowitt WH5360B is one of the better digital rain gauges on the market.
You’re correct if you think the Ecowitt WH5360B looks a lot like the instrumentation from the Ambient Weather WS-5000. Ecowitt licensed its stations to Ambient Weather in the US, but you can still purchase a few weather instruments from Amazon that Ambient Weather doesn’t sell here in the States.
The WH5360B includes only the rain gauge from the WS-5000, with a 300-foot wireless transmission range to a console that includes a temperature and humidity sensor. This is displayed on the included console, along with rain rate, daily rainfall (weekly, monthly, and yearly), a graphical display — and the support for metric measurements for those outside the US.
A rainfall alarm alerts you to events exceeding a set rate or amount, with flood watch alarms when rainfall may cause flooding.
It is much cheaper to buy than the WS-5000 — so if you want the accuracy of the WS-5000 but don’t need all the bells and whistles of a weather station, the Ecowitt WH5360B is a good choice.
- Accurate
- Nice console
- No connectivity options
Ecowitt FAQ
We’ll start with some commonly asked questions about Ecowitt weather stations. But first, here is some bad news for our US readers.
Are Ecowitt Weather Stations Available In The USA?
Not for the most part. This is due to Ambient Weather’s contract to sell some Ecowitt weather stations under its brand. A few sensors are available to US customers, like the digital rain gauge, but most weather stations are not (only the Wittboy is available stateside so far). If you want to purchase an Ecowitt weather station, you’ll need to buy it from a retailer outside of the US. Still, there’s not much point in doing that because Ambient Weather’s rebranded models are essentially the same (with the added benefit of smart home connectivity).
What Is The Difference Between The Ecowitt Weather Station Models?
The differences between Ecowitt weather station models are insignificant, and the main difference is in sensor quality and reporting frequency. The HP2553 reports the most frequently and has a sonic anemometer. Other models, like the HP2551, use lower-quality sensor suites and don’t report data as often.
What Is The Ecowitt Wittboy?
The Ecowitt Wittboy is the company’s newest weather station, with a similar design to the WeatherFlow Tempest. Like the Tempest, it includes a haptic rain gauge and no moving parts. However, it doesn’t have lightning detection capabilities (an optional sensor), and the sensor suite requires batteries: the Tempest doesn’t. It is also one of the first Ecowitt stations directly sold to the US.
Who Should Buy The Ecowitt HP2553?
The Ecowitt HP2553 is the company’s top-end model and features a brand-new sensor suite. Ecowitt replaced the traditional cup-and-vane with a sonic anemometer. We tested the US model, the Ambient Weather WS-5000, and found the station performs near-flawlessly. The Ecowitt HP2553 is identical, except it does not include smart home support. It does support adding additional sensors, which you can view on the large, easy-to-read console.
Who Should Buy The Ecowitt HP2551?
If the Ecowitt HP2553 is too expensive, the HP2551 is a decent alternative. It shares the sensor suite found in lower-end Ecowitt stations but includes the console found in the HP2553. As a result, the HP2551 supports additional sensors, something lower-end Ecowitt station consoles cannot do.
Who Should Buy The Ecowitt HP3500B, GW1102, Or WS2910?
Depending on your market, two lower-end stations from Ecowitt may be available. Canada readers should consider the HP3500B, while UK/EU readers can choose between the GW1102 and WS2910. The GW1102 is an excellent option because the gateway allows for expandability, while the HP3500B is one of the cheapest Wi-Fi-enabled Ecowitt weather stations available. The WS 2910 is quite similar to the Ambient Weather WS-2902C.
Can I Connect My Ecowitt Weather Station To The Internet?
Ecowitt supports sharing your weather data with Weather Underground, WOW, Weather Cloud, and Ecowitt Weather. However, Ecowitt offers no smart home support unlike Ambient Weather’s rebranded stations.
How Accurate Are Ecowitt Weather Stations?
Our experiences with Ecowitt-designed weather stations have been nothing but positive. The sensor suite on the HP2553 is as good as you’ll find on a home weather station without paying for a pro-grade model. The sensor suite found on cheaper models isn’t as good but is accurate enough for casual use.
What Are Some Alternatives To An Ecowitt Weather Station?
It will depend on your market. If you don’t mind paying the premium to import it, the Davis Vantage Vue or the Vantage Pro2 are our top picks and have a significant international presence. We also have market-specific recommendations; see our recommendations for Australian, Canadian, and UK/EU readers.
Wrapping Up
If you can’t afford to import a weather station from the States, Ecowitt weather stations are just as good, if not better. We’re big fans of their stations and highly recommend them if you’re in the market for a well-performing weather station. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below.
I’ve found Ecowitt devices user unfriendly. The software is your typical cryptic Chinese variety that comes up with unintelligible instructions.
My rain guage is very inaccurate, by a factor of 10.
Fine offset is the maker of the Ambient, Ecowitt, Tycon, Froggit weather stations among others. Historically their sensors were inferior to those of Davis with respect to accuracy and durability and fine offset based weather stations were considered cheap, inferior but decent alternatives for those not wanting to spend 5 to 10 times more on a prosumer Davis WS. I have had owned Davis, tycon, ecowitt and ambient WS. The combined cost of the fine offset based WS came to less then half what I paid for the Davis and while the Davis was clearly a better and more reliable unit, the cost difference of the fine offset units is too great to overlook for my casual purposes and fine offset continues to innovate. I turned to fine offset when Davis stopped supporting the unit I had purchased but I had the unit for over a decade.