Davis

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Davis Weather Stations and WeatherCat

Compatible Davis Hardware

WeatherCat is able to obtain data from the following weather station models from Davis Instruments:

  1. Vantage Vue
  2. Vantage Pro-2 product line, including the Weather Envoy
  3. Complete Weather Monitor II (discontinued)
  4. Weather Wizard III (discontinued)
  5. Vantage Pro (discontinued)

Setup Quickstart

  1. Install the current SiliconLabs USB-to-serial bridge driver for MacOS.
  2. Power off your Davis console - remove batteries and AC adapter
  3. Plug the data logger into the console and plug the USB cable into the Mac. On a USB-C Mac, you'll need a hub, CalDigit box, etc. that has traditional USB ports.
  4. Power up the Davis console.
  5. Launch WeatherCat. If it was previously configured for another device, you need to use the "Configure Comms & Exit" button first and then re-launch WeatherCat.
  6. In WeatherCat, select the Davis Vantage family hardware group and set the comm port dropdown to /dev/cu.SLAB_USBtoUART . If that device isn't present in the list, you may need to reboot the Mac.

Davis Data Logger Required

In order to connect your Macintosh WeatherCat to a Davis Vantage station (either the Vue or Vantage Pro-2 line) you need one of the Davis data loggers. These are hardware interfaces that plug into a Davis console or Weather Envoy and have a cable for connection to a computer. There are three usable choices:

Davis WeatherLink Software Still Needed for Some Operations

You do *not* need to run the Davis WeatherLink software in order to set up a new Davis Vantage product connected via the WeatherLinkUSB logger. You can just run WeatherCat - a new data logger will come up in USB-to-serial mode.

However, for the present, the Davis WeatherLink software is required for a number of tasks not yet supported by WeatherCat like adjusting the baseline values of a Davis Weather Envoy. The WeatherLink software must be downloaded from WeatherLink.com (free account required). Windows and Mac versions are available.

Data Logger Direct USB vs Serial Configuration

The information here applies if you have a USB data logger that was previously set into direct USB mode for use with the Davis software on a Windows computer, or if you want to use your Davis system with both Windows and Mac software.

Formerly there were separately versions of the USB data logger for Windows and Mac, and the dongle needed to be reprogrammed to switch between system types. There is now only one version of the USB logger, which can be configured for direct USB (for Davis WeatherLink software) and USB-to-serial bridge mode for WeatherCat and other 3rd party software. Davis recommends that if you need serial mode, that it be configured when the logger is first set up. It can be reconfigured back to direct USB, but you need to use a separate utility for this.

Comparison of Davis USB and IP data loggers

We have compiled a list of the trade-offs between the Davis USB and IP data loggers:

A comparison of the Davis USB and IP data loggers for the Vantage-2/Vue line of weather stations

For the Davis USB data logger, you'll need to download the latest SiliconLabs USB-to-serial bridge drivers to emulate serial communications on the USB interface. See Obtaining the latest drivers for use with Davis data loggers .

Troubleshooting and general tips for users of Davis Vantage Pro-2 and Vantage Vue stations:

Electronic Interference Effects on Station Hardware/Data Logger/USB Cable

Potentially incompatible weather station hardware for use with Macintoshes

Obtaining the latest drivers for use with Davis data loggers

Correcting erroneous barometric pressure readings from Davis Weather Envoys

Errors resulting from not having all instruments connected to ISS station: comms are "Bad - Check Installation (0.00%)"

Capacity of the Davis data-logger to store weather data depending on the chosen sampling interval

Retain rain and evapotranspiration data when replacing your old Davis console with a new one

How to change the station transmitter IDs for Davis Vantage Pro-2 hardware

How to clear the data logger in a Weather Envoy using Davis WeatherLink software for Mac

How to setup the Davis WeatherLinkIP™ data logger

How to reset a Davis WeatherLinkIP data logger and other troubleshooting tips

How to upgrade a Davis WeatherLinkIP data logger to the latest firmware

Additional resources for troubleshooting Davis weather stations

Davis Weather Support page This page includes links to the Davis knowledge base, downloadable documentation, software updates, hardware specifications, installation guides and much more.

Davis Instruments channel on YouTube This is the company presences on YouTube and includes general interest videos, but also includes videos on performing repairs to your Davis instruments.

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