now I have a humidity sensor in my garden bed that tells me how dry my soil is, which is a great way to know I need to turn on my remote sprinklers while I’m on vacation. A air quality monitor Inside my workspace it tells me the temperature and humidity (it’s important to monitor some of my acoustic guitars), and another monitor actually made me open the window when cooking indoors. All of these things are trivially combined by the system and displayed along with my other metrics in the Ambient Climate panel. It is the easiest thing to configure there is.
Recently added ambient weather a better digital display which you can buy on the aftermarket. As I said, the one that comes with the unit is a bit retro-chic, requires you to use physical buttons to enter usernames and passwords, and only has a few selectable layouts. The new Weather Window, as the brand calls it, is much larger and has a more modern feel, and includes touchscreen controls and variable layouts, but it’s still not as fantastic as it could be.
Photography: Parker Hall
I wish there was a way to display the weekly weather forecast on the main screen, instead of having to tap the screen to see it, among other UI issues. I like that the Weather Window comes with a frame-like border, which makes placing it where you might put a family photo or hang it on the wall particularly easy.
By the numbers
Most of us don’t need those minutiae in our lives, and that’s okay. For the person who wakes up and plans their entire day around temperature and precipitation, or constantly checks the weather radar and talks about it, Ambient Weather is the closest we’ll get to nirvana on Earth.
It may not be you, but it’s almost certainly someone you know. I love being outside the house and knowing how moist the soil in my garden is, that the temperature and humidity in my house are correct. I like to see when the sun and moon will rise and set at a glance, and know how many inches of rain, in one spot over my head, we’ve received in rainy North Portland. Every time my dad and I get together, if we’re not talking about Formula One or the current problems of the local football team, we’re talking about what our stations are telling us.
If you’re into learning your garden’s microtrends and meaningfully chatting about the weather with friends, family, and strangers, then an ambient weather system really does. any of them, it’s probably something fun to watch. You may even find it useful.
