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This is a small tutorial to help people to configure Weather Display to use with IP "consoleless" weather stations like Aercus Instruments WeatherSleuth IP or clones like Ambient Weather WS-1400-IP OBSERVER. In fact, this maybe work with any station that can send data directly to Weather Underground, because the auxiliary program (called IPObserverRecMFC) act as a little "web server" listening connections of the "client" weather station. Could be called as a "fake WU server".

The only requisite is the possibility to change the server IP address on the weather station software (the IP OBSERVER box), or the console on the models that have it like Ambient Weather WS-1001 or clones.

The program listens for connections from the weather station, read the data (and display it, but this is only for testing purposes), and save it to disk as "json WU formatted" that WD can read. You can also specify a max. rate accepting connections, because IP OBSERVER is sending very quickly!.

The considerations for this program IPObserverRecMFC is that NOT resend the data to WU, so if you want to do it, you have to configure on Weather Display to do. The program may run on any Windows computer from XP (included), you only may need to install Visual Studio Redistributable Packages that could be downloaded and installed from Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/download/details.aspx?id=53587

The program also allow the possibility to change the listening port. The default port is 80 (web server port), but you can consider change it if your station allow to send to other ports and you have problems with this, because there are some programs like web servers, skype and others that can be using it and so, the program can't listen there. You can check if there are any program listening to this port with this command on a command prompt: netstat -a -o. On second column (local address) appear a list of IP:PORT, and normally a "LISTEN" in the state column.

Other problems that you could encounter, the Firewall. First time you execute the program, normally Windows Firewall ask you to block or unblock the program. If you allow, it must be able to receive the packets. But if use other Firewall or block the communications, you have to go to the Firewall settings to allow the program.

Lets go to the setup:

I decline all responsibility for damage of any of your hardware following this tutorial, I provide this information as is because it could help someone more with the same problems that I have had to run the station with WD. Maybe in a future WD support the same "direct listening" of the station and the auxiliary program will not be needed longer. This setup is running for more than 2 months without any problem.

You can download the IPObserverRecMFC program here in this link: IPObserverRecMFC

New version with some improvements: Don't show dialog if remote closes connection, try to open consecutive ports if port indicated is used by other app, this allow to use several instances of the program to be used with several stations, file name of saved data is also updated auto, posibility to save a log of received data for debuging purposes. Probably this version DOESN'T work with XP O.S.

You can download the new version IPObserverRecMFC program here in this link: IPObserverRecMFC v2

Manual genérico en castellano cortesia de Vicent Ibañez de AVAMET: ConsolaWUdirectoaWD.pdf