Sainlogic Weather Station SA1 Review

Over the years I have dabbled with weather stations.  However, I haven’t touched one for ages.  The older I get though, the more I realize that weather is something I stay on top of more and more.   I’m old but I still ride a bicycle and daily I check the temperature and wind to see if I can ride.  I was pretty happy when Sainlogic approached me to test and review their new SA1 Home Weather Station ($69.99).

After I unboxed the SA1 and did a quick setup I came to realize that I personally would level up to one of their higher end stations if I were spending my own money.  Allow me to explain why.

The following comment is not meant to be negative in any fashion.  And it pertains only to me and others like me. I mentioned WIND earlier.  Every morning I ask my Alexa what the temperature is and then what the wind is.  Also, I won’t go out if the wind is 10 mph or faster unless it is blowing West or South West.  I want to be able to look at that screen and see the wind speed and direction.

I imagine that 98% of people are content to look outside and say “It sure is windy, eh?”.  So I know I am the exception here.  All I am saying here is that wind speed is a super important statistic to me. And what I’m really saying is that I WOULD BUY A MORE EXPENSIVE WEATHER STATION FROM SAINLOGIC to satisfy MY requirements.  In absolutely no way am I dismissing the SA1.  But the fact is, the SA1 does not display wind speed on its screen.  It can however we obtained from the app “Weatherseed” at any time. Weatherseed is required to set up the SA1.

All this being said I’ll start my shakedown of the Sainlogic Weather Station SA1 and I think it is pretty darn cool.

Unboxing Of The Sainlogic Weather Station SA1

Inside the box is:

• Display
• AC power brick
• Sensor
• Manuals

Key Features

• 24/7 Weather Display
• 8.15″ Display
• Stores 2 years of historical data
• WeatherSeed App
• Connects and Uploads station data to WeatherUnderground API.
• Also measures humidity, pressure, dew point, etc.

Before We Get Started

If ever there were a device where RTFM (Read The Fine Manual) applied it is the Sainlogic Weather Station SA1.  Seriously, just grab the book and follow along slowly and you’ll be all set.   The first go around really requires some close attention to the manual.

Sainlogic Weather Station SA1 Alarms

This threw me for a mighty loop.  I was messing around in the Weatherseed app and saw the alarm settings.  I subsequently set them where I thought I wanted them.

Then alarms began going off on the SA1 display.  To my surprise the alarm settings were not the same on the device as was depicted in the app.

I reached out to my Point of Contact at Sainlogic who stated the following:

 

So at least for now, the alarms have to be manually set on the SA1 display.  I’m looking forward to the day when changing the settings in the app will also change the weather station settings.

And I’m more grateful than he knows for sending me a digital manual and telling me what section to review.  I think I had downloaded a manual already but that’s just plain good old customer service to be specific.

Manual Needs Tweaked

The high/low alarm settings in the manual read this way:

3.4.2. Setting High/Low Alarms

Press and hold the ALARM key for three seconds to enter the alarm mode. Press and hold the SET key for three seconds. The first alarm parameter will begin flashing.

On my SA1 I need to tap the ALARM key and then hold the SET key for 3 seconds.  Holding ALARM for 3 seconds and then SET for 3 seconds doesn’t get you to the high/low settings as demonstrated in the video below.

There was a firmware update so maybe the manual just hasn’t caught up yet.  Anyway, I recommend they check this.

WeatherUnderground

I’ve been using the WeatherUnderground API for years in a variety of projects and I love knowing that I am contributing to that platform by sharing my data.  Once your station is set up the Sainlogic SA1 uploads and continues to upload weather data.

In return you get some map data and the knowledge that you are not the only station in town.  There are several near me. Again, I’d like to point out that in the data provided to WeatherUnderground you don’t see any wind data.  And that is because my weather station doesn’t record wind data.

And I’ll say this again.  That wind data is important to me and to mitigate this issue I’d simply purchase a Sainlogic weather station that has an anemometer device.  They seem to sell several well equipped weather stations.

Flexibility

The SA1 comes with an outdoor sensor however, you could just as easily set that sensor indoors.  This could allow you to monitor the temperature and other data in the room with the brand new baby.  Or do you require strict environmental controls for things like exotic fish or maintaining a freezer full of food?  The SA1 can be used in a variety or ways.  I’m thinking about putting my sensor in my wood shed and setting low/high alarms.  My shed does have a window unit heater / AC and it might be nice to keep closer controls over the temps inside the shed.

Should You Buy One?

If you are a weather geek and like to glance at a large screen and get the indoor and outdoor data you need to plan your day, then, yes.  With the WeatherSeed app you can of course view all the data.

If you are a weirdo weather guy like me who needs to know the wind speed and direction every morning then you need to level up.  I want one of these stations that captures and uploads wind data AND displays it.

There are a lot of free weather apps out there and this isn’t much different, however you do get that large, pretty display where a single glance lets you basically know what is going on.

Probably the best intended gift target for the SA1 could be for a teenager interested in science and technology.  Sometimes all a kid needs is a spark.  In my day there were lots of radio and TV repair shops and as kids we were encouraged to build electronics kits.  There isn’t enough of that today and giving a kid a gift of historical weather gathering data could light that spark.  You just never know.