It’s going to be a little family project so my two kids will be helping with setting it up
I’ve been looking at different smart weather stations for a while now such as the Netatmo but only found this Bresser model recently which should allow me to add it as a sensor device through my SmartLife app which keeps everything under the same app.
I’m curious as to how it will appear under Apilio devices as my SmartLife account is already linked.
I’ll give a project update once I have it up and running but apart from weather information I’m hoping to use the UV sensor it has to determine if the lights need to be switched on and also possibly a push notification to tell me the best time to walk the dog tomorrow based on the forecast
Please, keep us updated as I will be following this. I have Netatmo weather station which i used to control the indoor temperature. IE above 15c outside turn heating off. My boiler is due for replacement and I am looking at IR heating to replace central heating https://www.herschel-infrared.co.uk/ and these use the smartlife app to control temperature settings etc.
I see some on Amazon.co.uk but I’m not sure that model is available there. Yeah mine is coming from Germany but I’m living in Ireland so there were no shipping issues.
Hi all,
So I’ve configured and setup the new weather station now.
For anyone who’s interested I used a TV aerial pole and bracket that you would usually use for mounting an aerial to a chimney. I fixed the bracket to the concrete block supports under our oil tank - it worked out great.
The initial setup of the station is really easy and the instructions are good. It comes with different mounting options (horizontal, vertical and pole which I used).
The base station (screen) is plugged in on our kitchen counter and it connects via RF 868Mhz to the outdoor weather station.
In terms of SmartLife app setup it couldn’t have been easier.
When I powered on the base unit it was already in AP Wireless config mode so was advertising itself as a sensor. I simply opened the SmartLife app and without doing anything it found the device and asked if I wanted to register it. No different than adding a bulb or socket!
Tapping on the new device/sensor in the app brings up the sensor readings. You also get a history screen with trend graphs for data over the past day, week, month.
This is a screenshot from SmartLife from Christmas Day - The rain gauge was put to the test as we had over 50mm of rainfall that day within a few hours!
The only downside is that the app is missing one important piece of information which is the forecast for the next 12-24hrs (e.g. cloudy, rain, sunny etc.). This is displayed as a graphic on the base unit screen.
This is obviously calculated by algorithms in the base unit screen itself but it’s a shame that Bresser didn’t push this data as an output via Tuya so that it would show up in the app along with all of the other data values.
In Apilio the device showed up no differently to any other device.
Here you can see some of the available sensor values which are all available in Apilio for use in conditions. They all are part of the single weather station device but are available to select individually via the device dropdown when you configure a condition.
So far, I’m just using the UV lux reading to determine if it’s a dark day (cloudy) outside and if I should have Apilio turn on some lights. It’s working well and just needs a bit of tweaking to get the right lux level.
Here’s the condition I setup to check if it’s dark outside using the UV reading from the weather station.
Overall I’m pleased with the unit and it seems to be reading accurately and giving a reasonably accurate 12-24hr forecast also based on data readings. I might contact Bresser to see if they have any future plans of making the forecast data available via SmartLife/TUYA which would be of use.
I’ve been playing about with the device status page in Apilio as I’d like to be able to read the values from the weather station such as wind direction, speed, pressure etc. so that I can do a bit of graphing or logging of the data myself.
Am I correct in saying that apart from the manual “Export CSV” option there’s no other way to retrieve the device data values - either via IFTTT or a webhook call? Or is there an API call available to export the data?
Ideally, if there was a way that I could push the device status value into a numeric variable in Apilio then I could read it using an API call ?
Thank you Ebay, i have managed to get hold of the 7-1 in weather station and its great so far though i need to get hold a 2 metre pole to attach it to properly. At the moment I have screwed it onto the kids climbing frame . My Netatmo was ok for temperature, but his has so many more options. Now to explore the different data outputs.
For info, I reached out to Bresser about the option to have the forecast parameter available via Smartlife/Tuya (and then through device data in Apilio). Unfortunately it’s not possible so it seems to be calculated and only visible on the weather station’s display screen. Would have been nice to use it in conditions/logic blocks
I did get a nice little automation to work as follows:
I have my kids Xbox plugged into a Tuya WiFi socket.
I have a Tuya panel heater in the same room.
So when the Xbox is turned on via the WiFi socket switching on (Google voice command) the outdoor temperature on the weather station is checked and if it’s below 10 degrees then turn on the panel heater . Oh and also send a Pushover notification to my phone so I know they’re playing Xbox instead of doing their homework
I have an IR panel and intend to install them in every room in the house and get away form central heating. They will also be Tuya controlled.
Mine is not so straight forward, my wife always feels the cold the kids and I don’t so i have a complex logiblock that is told when my wife is at work via Ifttt and google calendar is between a certain time and the outside temperature is between 3 - 15’c it wont come on. But as soon as the temperature drops below a certain temperature or the time parameter is reiched it will turn on to 17c, if the temperature drops below 0 it is set to 18
AND(0500-2200notrigger,outsidebelow15,homent,NAND(2200-1800,ana_work,mum_away,outside3-15),OR(DSmotiont,homet))
That’s an interesting question, and something I hadn’t really thought about until now…
I suppose, in short, myself and my two kids (8 and 11 y/o) would have an interest and understanding of what the system is doing. My wife, not so much - but I don’t think she’s interested in knowing the finer details either!
What I’ve found is that our system is evolving over time with new rules/logic/scenarios.
So we (as a family) might notice or comment on something - “It would be useful if at xx time on a weekend this could happen…”. So that get’s my brain going and then I’ll come up with an automation solution (if it’s possible). The panel heater example above was one of these when we noticed that the room they play XBox in gets cold in Winter but is very warm in summer.
Another one was being late leaving the house for school - So I have a scenario to pulse the hallway and kitchen LED lights bright red for 2 mins when it’s time to leave (then reset back to normal white again). It’s subtle enough that everyone notices it!
Short answer is no, my wife only talks about logical events to complete a physical task, she shuts downs down when I talk and about NAND AND etc and how they work. My daughter (8) understands OR AND. but just accept things work.
Like Joe i wait until an idea comes up or there is a complaint/observation about the house automation
!
. My Netatmo was ok for temperature, but his has so many more options. Now to explore the different data outputs.
. Oh and also send a Pushover notification to my phone so I know they’re playing Xbox instead of doing their homework 