AcuRite 01036M Wireless Weather Station with Programmable Alarms, Gray

It took a couple of attempts to find a unit we were happy with, and that provided all the features we wanted but we got it with this one. It does everything the description claims to our satisfaction. Two things that don’t bother us, but a buyer should be aware of are (1) the display is not clear when looked at directly. Stand a little off centre and it’s fine. (2) At night the unit glows very brightly…enough to use it as a night light. People who need darkness in order to sleep will want to position it away from sleeping areas.

This unit MUST stay connected to the computer, computer CANNOT go into sleep mode and programs MUST stay open. There are two of programs – My Acurite and PC Connect. The nice monitor it comes with will need to stay connected to your computer way out of the way, so when we walk into your house you cannot just have a quick look at it as you walk by. When you go on holidays you cannot shut down your computer, let alone it cannot go into sleep mode……security issues!! When talking with support they suggested we purchase Access for a mere $129.99!!

Caution, there are 2 different 5-in-1 sensor units from acurite, a standard and a pro — this unit is described in the listing as the 01036 PRO, which according to the acurite product description page, includes the PRO sensor unit (2 solar cells). What I received, however, is the ‘standard’ sensor unit (1 solar cell). I will say the image in the listing is correct — single solar cell. Do not be confused on this — I think the listing should not include the word “PRO” at all, but please keep this in mind if you are researching the product or comparing prices – do not be caught off guard.

That said, the single-cell unit does work fine, signal is strong, base unit display is bright and readable, many configurable items. Wind senses down to 1mph and rain measure seems spot on.

The outdoor temperature quit working about 5 months ago. I have had less than a year. I cannot get assistance beyond them explaining to remove/replace batteries, and the sensor replacement is essentially as much as the item. My grandfather is so sad, he was truly enjoying it while it was functioning.

Went to install the software for remote montoring capabilities. The web page the directions instructed me to navigate to retrieve the required file generated a 404 error, it did not exist. Called the,support number and after a short wait was answered by the most condescending person on the earth. She was disinterested in hearing that the instructions sent me to an erroneus page, her comment was ” the information is in the instructions” i ask her if she wanted me to read them to her, her reply ” i have them, they tell you where to go.”
I then read it to her, instead of apologizing, she made more snide comments. She did tell me how to get to the file,( totally different location than published) After i dressed her down about her attitude I asked to be connected to her supervisor, her reply was that she was part of the “escalation team”. After several attempts to be connected to someone,of authority which all went without being complied with I informed her that this review was going to be posted.

I’ve had this station up and running for several months now and I’m pretty happy with it overall. The station is mounted on a pole 18 feet in the air and well over 150 feet from the console, which is indoors and has a bit of house to go through. The range seems pretty good (4-5 bars out of 5) although every now and then the signal strength drops low or even disappears completely for short periods (perhaps there is random signal interference from somewhere nearby). I haven’t had any significant rain yet, but one tiny rain event which barely dampened the ground managed to register .01″ on the rain gage, which indicates that it is pretty sensitive. The wind-vane tends to wobble around a lot even in steady wind, but seems to average-out the correct wind direction fairly well.

I had some trouble getting the USB communication going, but this may be due to my use of an old laptop (Windows Vista) which was already running 24/7 with other low-intensity tasks. After some re-installs and tweaking I finally got the app to load reliably and detect/read the console for data collection and streaming. Now its just a matter of longevity – I’m looking forward to long and reliable service from this product…

Update 2-17-2017
The unit is still working well, with lots of rainfall measurements verified using the standard straight-sided container method. I have the sensor unit mounted to the top of a small building on a 6-foot aluminum pole (the high mounting position makes temperature and wind readings more accurate), but the long, flexible gave me some false rainfall readings whenever it swayed around in high winds. A couple of guy wires to stabilize the pole solved that issue, and I’m quite happy with everything now.