Davis Vantage Vue Review
The Vantage Vue 6250, from Davis Instruments, is a weather station that will be a perfect addition to any yard because of its incredible feature set. Unlike more basic weather stations, the Davis Vantage Vue comes with the ability to measure almost any weather phenomenon, not just rainfall, temperature, and humidity. Most measurements are updated in less than 3 seconds, making it perfect for the savvy independent forecaster.
The major takeaway from this weather station is the absurd amounts of data which it can transmit, especially historical, and looking at periods of over 25 days. If you’re a data kind of person, then the Vantage Vue 6250 may be for you.
The Davis Vantage Vue 6250 won the Best Wireless Weather Station in our Review Round-Up.
Let’s take a look at some of the details.
Davis Vantage Vue 6250 Product Review
There are a number of substantial factors differentiating the Vantage Vue 6250 from its competition (like the AcuRite Wireless Weather Station) to give it a leg up on its competition.
In this review, we’ll be looking at what makes the Vantage Vue 6250 one of the best personal weather systems on the market. We’ll look at its basic features, the dimensions and specs, how it looks aesthetically, and most importantly, how it functions compared to other weather systems.
Basic Features
The Vantage Vue 6250 wireless weather station features two main units: the Console and the Integrated Sensor Suite, or ISS. The Console is the screen and control panel you’ll keep inside, while the Integrated Sensor Suite is the actual weather station that goes outside and transmits data back to the Console.
The Console is rich with features, some of which the average user may never even get to use. With that said, it’s always better to err on the side of having too many than not enough. Here’s a list of some of the major features:
- Easy to read forecast icons which will let you know what to expect, whether it’s bright sunshine or relentless rain
- In-depth information for each factor, like hourly temperature changes, barometric value changes, and even daily highs or lows
- Glow in the dark keypad which makes it so you can use this day or night
- Built-in clock featuring time of day, date, time of sunrise and sunset
- Various alarms (up to 22) to warn of impending bad weather, including floods, lightning storms, and so forth
- Other simple measurements including rain, wind speed, temperature and humidity
The Integrated Sensor Suite, or ISS, also has an impressive array of features. Among them are:
- Wireless, up to 1,000 feet. This is beyond the standard for most weather stations, which normally cap out at 300-500 feet
- Solar powered with stored energy back up, meaning the lithium battery will rarely see use
- Weatherproof cover and radiation shield, giving this the ability to withstand the harshest of elements or brightest of sun
- Anemometer, measuring wind up to 150 mph
All Davis products, including the 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station, come with a 1-year limited warranty. For more information on this, head right over to their warranty page on their website. You’ll want to register your product with them upon arrival so it makes the warranty process easier should you have to go through it.
Dimensions and Specs
- 19″ x 5″ x 7″
- 7 pounds
- 3″ x 4.375″LCD display
- Glow in the dark keypad
- Transmission from outdoor unit to console up to 1,000 feet,
- Updated less than every 3 seconds
Aesthetics
The weather station should fit in any setting, and the physical portion of the console is sleek greyish-black, with a pleasing array of buttons that are self-explanatory. For those that are tech savvy, the display may look a bit clunky, of a generation past its time. Compared to the screen on the cheaper AcuRight Wireless Weather Station, the Vantage Vue 6250 certainly looks old fashioned, but it has a lot of power behind the old school LCD panel.
Don’t let the look hold you back: the display is still functional and effective, and you can always download it to a computer if you please.
Functionality
One of the major themes for weather stations now asked is, do you HAVE to hook it up to a computer? It’s certainly helpful to do so with the Davis Vantage Vue 6250, as numerous graphs will become available beyond the data that’s present on the console. To connect to a computer, you’ll need the WeatherLink USB dongle and software (not included).
Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you’re into sending data to a central server, then this is another plus for the Vantage Vue 6250 – using the WeatherLink System, you can send your personal weather report into any central service that you please.
The main thing to consider about this weather station is the amount of data it provides. Based on standard units found in the US, the measurements are wide-ranging, from wind speed, to rain, temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, “This Time Yesterday”, a wide array of alarms, and so forth.
For someone interested in historical data, and how today’s weather measures over a period of time, this weather station gets the job done perfectly.
And lastly, what is a weather station without accuracy? The good news here is a high number of users have reported highly accurate readings over a number of variables. Like other weather stations, there are some erroneous reviews of misreadings, but this may be likely due to improper placement, lack of maintenance, or an error with that specific device.
As a whole, it seems the Vantage Vue 6250 is quite accurate when it comes to measuring the weather.
Material and Build Quality
There are two aspects to Davis’ product design that give us good faith about the Vantage 6250: most parts are replaceable, and Davis is quick to ship them out.
That’s if it ever comes down to part replacement, which hopefully will not be required.
The Vantage 6250 has a pair of considerable advantages compared to other weather stations when it comes down to the elements: there is a radiation shield and a weatherproof cover. The unit is expected to last up to 5 years.
Assembly
The following video is great in showing the complete set up of the Davis Vantage Vue 6250 straight from the box to finished product. It takes less than 10 minutes in the video, but do note they already have all of the parts required.
After setting up the weather station portion, just power up your Console. Enter your local data and preferences, date, and timezone to ensure the readings are historically accurate to you.
Cleaning and Maintenance
It is recommended to clean the Vantage Vue once a year for good maintenance — perhaps more depending on the severity of the weather. Specifically, be sure to pay attention to the rain gauge trap to make sure there isn’t any blockage which could impact the numbers your Console receives.
Accessories
The most significant accessory to the Davis Vantage Vue 6250 is the Weatherlink USB Dongle and Software. This USB system will be needed if you seek to download all the data onto your computer to view it instead, or to upload it to a central repository.
For other accessories, depending on where you want to place the ISS, you may want a mounting tripod kit or a mounting pole kit. These help raise the Integrated Sensor Suite portion of this weather station in order to ensure clear, accurate readings.
The Bottom Line
The Davis Vantage Vue 6250 stands perfect middle ground between the more limited, cheaper weather stations like the AcuRight Weather Station, and their highest end counterparts. Davis does carry one weather station which is a bit higher priced, the Vantage Pro 2, which offers more various customizable features than the Vantage Vue.
The equipment of the Davis Vantage Vue 6250 should stand the test of time. For more tech-savvy users, the software may look a bit behind the times, but it does not negatively impact what the Vantage Vue 6250 was meant to do: accurately collect weather via its outdoor weather monitoring system. And it does that among the best, with its 1000 feet range, the plethora of measurements and features, and sturdy design.
Best of all, it’s easy to install and get started, which should save you the headache when looking at other popular weather stations on the market.
We do suggest you pick up the Wireless Dongle if you plan on doing much with it on a computer, but you can always pick that up later once you’re used to the whole system. The Davis Vantage Vue 6250 is an excellent choice for a mid-range wireless weather station and is strongly recommended.
- Self-contained weather monitoring system includes Integrated Sensor...
- Console features an easy-to-read, backlit 3 by 4.375-inch LCD display...
- Wireless transmission from ISS to console of up to 1,000 feet with...
- Reports current weather conditions, including indoor and outdoor...
- Console includes weather forecast icons, moon phase, sunrise/sunset...
Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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