Ambient Weather WS-4000 review: Standard look, same problem

Price Upon Review

$369.99

Today’s Best Values: Ambient Weather WS-4000

The haptic rain sensor in the WeatherFlow Tempest was different when I reviewed TechHive’s home weather station four years ago. But like everything in tech, some manufacturers are moving too fast in terms of design. The Ambient Weather WS-4000 reviewed here is one example, although the Ambient Weather isn’t specifically aping.

That was the work of Fine Offset Electronics, which includes a remarkably similar device in the sensa suite of the Ecowitt Wittboy series of weather stations. Ambient Weather’s parent company Neilsen-Kellerman similarly licensed the Fine Offset weather station designs to create the Ambient WS-1965, WS-2902, and WS-5000 (and now bundles the latter two models with AccuWeather). The WS-4000 itself is identical to the Ecowitt Wittboy Pro.

Over time, it has been found that haptic rain sensors are not as accurate as other types. WeatherFlow Tempest’s accuracy has improved, but it’s still not good for heavy rain. I don’t think Fine Offset solved the issue either. A description of the Wittboy series of weather stations on Amazon reads “rainfall size and wind speed can have a different effect on sensor output…. If you’re looking for more accuracy in rain data, we recommend you buy [the] WH40 [rain gauge].” That Ecowitt accessory costs an additional $50.

Ed Oswald/Foundry

That doesn’t go down well with the WS-4000, and its sensor design doesn’t seem as polished as what you’ll find with the WeatherFlow Tempest. But looks aren’t everything, and the WS-4000 comes bundled with a home console, where you’ll need to bundle yours with something like a Raspberry Pi—or just use the WeatherFlow app on your phone—if you buy the Tempest. You have the third time manually, the WS-4000 costs more. And at the risk of making your purchase decision even more difficult, the Ecowitt Wittboy again it comes with an in-home console—for less money than one of those weather stations. While we haven’t gotten our hands on that product yet, it goes without saying that the WS-4000 is based on its design.

Details

The Ambient Weather WS-4000 is an all-in-one sensor with no moving parts. As we already mentioned, it follows the same design as the WeatherFlow Tempest, with temperature and humidity sensors on the bottom and a sonic anemometer on top that looks very similar to the one found in the $450 Ambient WS-5000 I reviewed in early 2021, except it’s taller. This is where the haptic rain, UV, and light sensors come in.

Ambient Weather combines its WH32B Thermometer-Barometer-Hygrometer with the WS-4000, so you can monitor in the house weather conditions, which you won’t get with Tempest, but you won’t get a lightning sensor like you do with the WeatherFlow product. The Wittboy includes a thermometer, barometer, and hygrometer on its console, but lacks a lightning sensor.

Ed Oswald/Foundry

Like other Ambient Weather stations, the WS-4000 uses the Ambient Weather Network for network connectivity. The service is free, but if you want up to three years of historical data and other map layers, you’ll need to sign up for a $50-a-year subscription.

Installation and setup

The WS-4000 is easy to set up, which is great because it doesn’t come with a full user manual, just a quick start guide. And that’s fine, with one exception: All of the recent weather stations I’ve reviewed go up to a 1.25-inch antenna mast. I was surprised to find that this one required a 1 inch pillar.

As I was testing the channel for a short time, I grabbed a 1-inch wooden dowel from Home Depot for work. The 1 inch column requirement will not be a surprise to anyone replacing an existing weather station, and Ambient Weather should prominently disclose this in its product descriptions.

Since the WS-4000 comes with a console and that’s an internal sensor, setting it up involves a few extra steps; you will also need to install two AA batteries (included) in the sensor suite for backup power (there is a solar panel on top of the station).

The Ambient Weather Network app is great

Ambient Weather

Ambient Weather app and smart home support is why we recommend these home weather stations for the connected home. The Ambient Weather Network service is free, and you can use IFTTT or Amazon Alexa (Google Home is no longer supported because Google has changed its API, which would require a rewrite of the AWN platform to restore compatibility. Ambient Weather said it does not plan to do that.)

I have discussed the Ambient Weather app in detail on other Ambient Weather channels. Not much has changed, so I’ll refer you to my Ambient WS-5000 review if you want to read more about it.

Hard sensor performance (except for the rain gauge, that is)

The temperature, humidity, and sonic anemometer in the Ambient Weather WS-4000 worked well. Sonic anemometers are more sensitive, and in my opinion, more accurate than traditional cup and vane. The accuracy of the sonic anemometer suffers as the wind speed increases, but most people won’t need to worry about it. That’s because this type of gauge comes out at a higher speed than most of us will ever experience: about 85 mph.

The small footprint of the WS-4000 also makes it invisible in your yard. The KestrelMet 6000 in my yard sticks out like a sore thumb, where the smaller size of the WS-4000 allows it to blend in (even better than the larger Storm).

The top Ambient Weather console also allows you to add additional sensors, and there are quite a few to choose from. The console it should automatically detect any additions and automatically display their learning data. That’s been my experience with this, although I’ve had mixed results with my reviews of other Ambient Weather stations.

The haptic rain sensor is short—again

About the Ambient WS-4000’s haptic rain gauge: I wish I had better news, but this iteration is no better than any of the previous haptic designs I’ve reviewed. A rain gauge cannot measure rain correctly unless the top of the sensor suite is perfectly level. And like a storm, the WS-4000 doesn’t work well in light rain or drizzle, which is what I found during my testing.

Using haptic sensors to measure rainfall seems like a good idea in theory; in fact, haptic rain sensors have recently proven to be inaccurate more often than not. That said, if you can deal with the extremely inaccurate rainfall estimates, all the other features of this home weather station are great.

Should you buy the Ambient Weather WS-4000?

I will test the Ambient Weather WS-4000 in the long term, as I have a Storm; in fact, the station is now facing the West Coast—just in time for their rainy season. This will be a good opportunity to see if my experience with its haptic rain sensor is what consumers should expect.

In the meantime, I would heartily recommend the WS-4000 to owners of sub-Ambient weather stations who want to upgrade to something better without switching platforms (that’s a pain you don’t want to deal with). If you want to buy yours first weather station, be sure to also consider the Ecowitt Wittboy Pro. Again, I haven’t personally tested that product, but it’s based on the same design and costs $70 less.