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Remote wireless PC/Console conection

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Nigel
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat 05 Jan 2013 6:36 am
Weather Station: WH3081, WS-23xx or c86234
Operating System: Win7
Location: Benalla, Australia

Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by Nigel »

I am about to order a WH3081 and it seems obvious to me that all ofthe weather station consoles rely on an attached USB connection to the PC. Is there a USB/Wifi/Bluetooth device that plugs into the console that allows for a wireless PC/Console connection?

I would like to go totally wireless
AllyCat
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat 26 Feb 2011 1:58 pm
Weather Station: Fine Offset 1080/1 & 3080
Operating System: Windows XP SP3
Location: SE London

Re: Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by AllyCat »

Hi Nigel,

Despite the type of USB connector fitted, the Console is only a "USB Slave" (not a Host, like a PC) so it can't accept a wireless or network "dongle". There have been a few discussions on this forum suggesting the use of (expensive) wireless USB extension cable adapters, or special, long USB extensions using CAT5 (network) cabling, but I don't think anybody has reported success. I believe they only work at USB1 speed, and considering the current "issues" with FO Console USB lockups, I certainly wouldn't try making the system any more complicated.

However, many members do just use the Console AS the PC wireless receiver (i.e they locate the Console near to the PC and ignore the LCD display) and some have two Consoles (which can happily run from the same transmitter), one for the PC and one for the LCD display. But placing the Console too close to a PC can lead to radio interference problems with poor reception and "Lost Sensor Contacts".

Cheers, Alan.
peterh
Posts: 150
Joined: Fri 21 Dec 2012 1:08 pm
Weather Station: Alecto WS-5000 rebadged FO 3081
Operating System: Windows server 2008R2
Location: Nederland

Re: Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by peterh »

Nigel wrote:I would like to go totally wireless
Wouldn't we all. :roll:
You'll still have to power the system - you cannot do that wireless too, so some wires will remain for the foreseeable future.

In case you just want to get the console in a different location, you can extend the distance between PC and console. The maximum length of a USB cable is 5 metres, but apparently you can extend the maximum cable length to as much as 30 metres if you use powered USB hubs at each 5m interval.

As stated by Alan, any radio interference in the vicinity of the console is a complicating factor.
An opinion should be the result of a thought process, not a substitution.
http://www.dnl-core.net/CothenWeather/
cutter
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun 22 Nov 2009 1:09 pm
Weather Station: WH1080 & La Crosse WS2800
Operating System: Windows 8.1
Location: Bradford West Yorkshire England

Re: Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by cutter »

My LaCrosse WS2800 is totally wireless solar powered wind & rain, C battery`s temperature & console USB dongle plugs into PC, but after startup on PC you do have to go and press SET on the console to make a connection. Alan
Nigel
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat 05 Jan 2013 6:36 am
Weather Station: WH3081, WS-23xx or c86234
Operating System: Win7
Location: Benalla, Australia

Re: Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by Nigel »

cutter wrote:My LaCrosse WS2800 is totally wireless solar powered wind & rain, C battery`s temperature & console USB dongle plugs into PC, but after startup on PC you do have to go and press SET on the console to make a connection. Alan
Thanks for the replies.
The WS28xx series and the c86234 are near impossible to get in Australia, but I will keep looking as they would give me a better solution for what I am looking for.
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pete_c
Posts: 228
Joined: Wed 12 Oct 2011 11:22 pm
Weather Station: Davis Vue-Pro2 - Fine Offset
Operating System: W2003-XPSP3-Linux
Location: Time Traveler

Re: Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by pete_c »

I have the Fine Offset configured in Florida with an IBM Model T-XX (old) wirelessly connected laptop. The laptop and the USB connected console site on a shelf maybe some 30 feet from the communications closet. It sits with the lid folded down and the console on top of the laptop and the only access to it is via another box on the network remotely. It has worked fine in this manner now for almost a year. I do not have RF issues with the FO weather station to and from the laptop concurrent with the wireless network access to and from the laptop. That said though there is an additional cost involved to having a dedicated PC or Laptop just for running Cumulus and nothing else.

A couple of years ago I played with extending USB. I used powered extenders and still had issues with it (some 100 feet or so). The unique pieces though was that I was driving a USB touchscreen Mimo Monitor. The USB cable provided the power, touch and video display. That said I tried to do local to device power with a USB splitter and the USB extender and still had some major issues with it. Now this is totally different than driving a USB connected Fine Offset console; as its just doing communications and power. That said though USB connectivity over some extended lengths have been problematic for me.

In the midwest I am using a Davis Vantage Vue. The console sits on a bookshelf in one of our spare rooms and it is connected serially to a Quatech serial server on the network. Cumulus runs on a dedicated W2003 server in the communications closet two floors down and in the basement (which has about 9 feet of cement for walls). It has done well. You could take the serial connection to the Davis Vantage Vue wirelessly as other Vantage Vue to computer folks are already doing this and it does work.
- Pete
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Karv
Posts: 40
Joined: Sun 16 Dec 2012 11:19 pm
Weather Station: WH-1080
Operating System: Windows XP / 7, Ubuntu, Centos
Location: South Gloucestershire

Re: Remote wireless PC/Console conection

Post by Karv »

I was wondering if something like this might work?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belkin-F5L009uk ... 676&sr=8-1

Anyone tried anything similar?
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