I have had my Irox for about three years and I would like some feedback from other users before I write to the supplier complaining about the endless problems.
Most of my initial problems were with wireless reception. I live on 3000 square metre (3/4 acre) property in a fairly remote rural area of the South Island of New Zealand. There are a lot of trees on the property and it was a challenge to locate the sensors where their readings were not affected by the trees but still within wireless range of the master station which, from my experience, is grossly overstated.
After nearly two frustrating years of trying every possible location for the sensors I ended up with the master station in a corner of an old lightly constructed shed where it is almost inaccessible to read the display.
It is connected by a 5 metre long USB cable to a computer connected to a wireless network and using Weather Display in master/client mode to display the data on my office computer.
This setup worked perfectly for about 10 weeks then the air temperature/humidity sensor, the UV sensor, and the soil temperature sensor all started missing readings, there were also anomalies in some of the barometric readings. The UV sensor was the most frequent offender with dropouts of up to about four hours though the average dropout time is probably closer to two hours. The air temperature/humidity sensor dropouts were not nearly as frequent but at up to twenty hours were much longer.
I changed the batteries for the umpteenth time even though the master station was not showing low battery for any sensor and the battery voltages were above three volts. But this made no difference and the frequency and duration of the dropouts became more frequent. In the case of the UV sensor they are now almost daily during daylight hours
If I even suggested it I would probably end up being single!
I bought the Irox because that is all the money I had to spare - it was not cheap.
It had a much better specification than the rubbish that Dick Smith (NZ national electronics retailer) had at the time, e.g. up to 100 metre wireless range of external temperature sensors - crap.
It was Swiss made which is synonymous with quality - well you learn by experience.
I guess I am stuck with it but I am going to have a go at the vendor for breaching the Fair Trading Act and the Consumer Guarantees Act.
Maybe I can stop someone else getting caught.
Once again thanks for your input
Ian
PS If anyone else wants to comment on the quality of the Irox I would be pleased to hear from them
I have the Honeywell TE923W, which appears to be the same as the Irox Pro-X, just with a different
name. I’ve fought with this thing for three years, much like yourself. A long time ago, I did the external
antenna modification, which did improve reception, but certainly did not cure the problems. I, too, have
frequent drop outs the UV sensor, sometimes for periods as long as six or eight hours. I rarely see loss
of signal from the outside temp/humidity sensor, but do occasionally lose the anemometer.
I’ve also had an occasional problem with the barometer going flat line, which can only be corrected by
a complete power down of the unit.
In my opinion, the station is incredibly unreliable, at least as far as reception from external sensors.
My sensors are all line of sight, through a window, and less than 50’ from the base, which is well within
the manufacturer’s specification, yet connectivity is always fragile. I consider the manufacturers claims
to be false advertising; the unit is not worth the purchase price. I would never recommend the unit to
anyone.
I have the later version without the UV, but with a solar wind instrument and I have found that the sensors do drop out if you either have anything Wi-Fi near the console (I have an eee-box mini PC connected to it) I moved this about 3 feet away which then solved the issue. Also, I found if you have any other USB devices connected to the same PC, it drops the sensors too. I can’t explain the last issue Perhaps a ferrite ring as a choke on the USB cable would help things ?? Sensors are 9m away and work fine when they are connected.
I think I would have got the Davis Vue if it had been available when I bought the Irox. I know it’s more expensive than the Irox, but it’s much better quality.
I will clarify my setup. I do have WiFi in the same room with the console, but the router is at least
eight feet away. The console is not the only USB device on the system (that would be a ridiculous
and completely unacceptable requirement), but is hooked into a powered USB hub, which is supposed to be one solution to the sensor issue, but certainly is not the case in my situation.
I, too, would have gone with a Davis unit if the budget had allowed at the time. I’m slowly saving
up the funds to purchase a Vantage Pro2 Plus and when the time comes, the Irox/Honeywell heads
straight to the electronic recycling facility…
I have a dedicated computer for my console - which is connected through an unpowered hub - there is nothing else connected to the USB.
The only peripherals connected to the computer are the keyboard, mouse and monitor. The computer has an internal wireless network card connected to a high gain aerial situated as far away from the computer (and console) as the cable will allow.
There is no other electrical or electronic equipment within at least 10 metres.
It is the random and intermittent nature of the problem that is so frustrating.
The only way I can get closer to the sensors is by installing the console and computer in a weather proof box adjacent to them. That would involve running a power cable and probably a network cable as it would probably be outside the range of the wireless network.
I wonder if an external wireless receiver might be a solution rather than just an external aerial. Any ideas as to how practical that might be? Does anyone know if the existing receiver has an integrated analogue/digital converter or does it just feed the raw analogue signal to a separate a/d converter?
Hi, I’ve had an Irox Pro-X USB weather station since April 2007. It was initially set up in Ireland and operated there until July 2009. It has now been set up here in Cyprus, but I’ve had the same problems as discussed here. Both in its previous location and here the base unit is located within 10m direct line-of-sight from the sensors. In the first 2 years I had to replace the external temperature sensor twice as it failed completely (I was an electronics engineer before I retired, so I’m quite familiar with these devices.) The first unit failed with a blank display, although it was still transmitting. The second failed completely, the display would show all 8’s, the LED was permanently on. The most persistent fault however is the frequent loss of signals from the UV sensor, the anemometer, and sometimes from the external temperature sensor. There are no other wireless devices anywhere near the base station, and as the unit is on a window sill and in direct line-of-sight of the sensors which are no more than 10m away I would have expected a solid signal all the time, but no such luck. There does not seem to be any correlation with, for example, outside temperature. This has been my unhappy experience both here and in its previous location. Compare this to a cheap Maplin product, which is solid all the time, and whose accuracy is comparable to the Irox (When it is working that is!) I’ve changed batteries, even using Energizer Lithium batteries in the sensors hoping that the slightly higher voltage would provide a small increase in transmitter power, but all to no avail. Several times a day I have to get it to search for the units. The base station is being operated from an AC adaptor, so low battery voltage is not the problem. I’m now going to open it up and see if I can “attach” an external antenna.
I wish you luck with that. I made that modification years ago and, while it did improve reception
from the external sensors, it by no means eliminated the frequently lost connections.
Have you tried replacing the batteries in the master unit?
I did and apart from the UV sensor everything appears to be working OK since then. I will find out for sure when I chart the months readings and will be easily able to spot any anomalies in the readings.
I had not replaced the master unit batteries since new as I had installed long life alkaline batteries with an expiry date of 2015 when I first set up. I assumed that as the external power supply was supplying the master unit the internal batteries were just there as backup in case of mains power failure. But when I changed the batteries their voltage was only 1.4 volts. So obviously they were supplying power to the unit and the external power supply is only for the display back light and to supply the memory when the batteries are changed.
Nowhere in the documentation does it tell you this. This is what it says - Changing Batteries for the Main Console Unit, 1. To avoid losing data and records, connect the AC/DC adaptor to the main unit first. Surely one is entitled to assume that the external power supply powers the entire unit?
Just another example of the poor design and documentation.
The UV sensor is obviously rubbish as it has been discontinued in the units now being sold. The anemometer now has an external aerial!
Further to my previous posts, and comments relating to the AC adaptor and batteries. I have opened my unit and can confirm that the AC adaptor powers the complete unit - I can remove the batteries, and the unit continues to perform normally. I note the comment regarding battery voltage. As an electronics engineer, I can state that for battery operated equipment using alkaline batteries, the normal end-of-life point should be around 0.9V to 1.0V / cell, for a four-cell unit such as this, it means that the unit should “just” continue to operate within specifications at 3.6 - 4.0V total. In my case, on the bench using a digital regulated power supply the display just starts to dim at a voltage of about 3.8 - 4.0 volts, so it would seem that the designers have taken this into consideration. As a point of observation, nowhere in the User’s Manual does it state that the remote control only operates when the unit is mains powered - my unit will not respond to the remote unless it is powered from the AC adaptor. Anyone else confirm this?
Regarding batteries in the base unit, as an experiment, I tried putting a fresh set of batteries in the base
yesterday afternoon after reading the post from Tarras. The unit lost contact with the UV sensor within
30 minutes, so that is not a solution, at least not in my case.
It would appear that it was just a coincidence that the unit started operating “normally” when I changed the batteries.
Yesterday, after 10 days of “normal” operation, I noticed that the grass thermometer was missing readings and this morning I see that overnight there was a seven hour period when the reading was not updated.
In addition to the grass thermometer there was also an anomaly in the pressure readings. Over a period of four hours a rise of 8.6mb and then a sudden drop of 7mb was recorded. We have a large anticyclone moving across New Zealand with no embedded fronts so such an extreme pressure variation is very unlikely. I have noticed similar anomalies in the pressure readings before and they are usually followed by a period when no variation in the readings are recorded for a prolonged period - in fact that was the situation when I changed the batteries ten days ago.
The pressure sensor does not rely on wireless transmission so these anomalies must be connected to an intermittent fault in the master unit - any comments?
And yes my remote does not work if the master unit is not connected to the external power supply.
I’m pretty much in agreement with you all on this. I’m finding the whole Irox experience a complete frustration now. When it works, it’s fine, but the remote sensors are dropping out so often I might as well turn off the Console !! (Distance of 8 metres max.)
I don’t think I can get a refund after all this time, so will have to mark that one up as an experience not to be repeated.
I guess I’m just baffled at the guys that are having so many problems with losing sensor contact on the Irox/Honeywell 923. I’ve had this thing now for 1.5 yrs and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve lost contact with any of the sensors. All of my sensors are at least 40 feet from the base through at least one wall. It’s been a solid unit (for me anyway) for what I paid for it.
I hope you guys can get it sorted out; I know what it’s like to wonder if you should change units. I had a LaCrosse 2310 before this but didn’t care much for the fan-style anemometer and having to scale the house every time a spider decided to make a nest in the fan.
With reference to my previous postings regarding the poor reliability. I may have been a little too critical. In the last few weeks I have been doing some more diagnostic work. My reasoning was that although in its previous location the data records certainly showed large blank areas, particularly for the UV sensor, its performance was certainly far better than it was here, despite the fact that the sensors are, if anything, even closer to the main unit. I’d removed all obvious sources of interference, but still the unit would lose lock on most of the sensors several times a day. To cut a long story short, the problem turned out to be one of these universal switching power supplies. Near the base station is my Sony Walkman docking station, which is powered by one of these ubiquitous universal switching power supplies. When this was re-located, voila, the signals from the sensors were now reasonably solid for days on end. The UV sensor was still the most unreliable, but now the external temperature sensors and the rain gauge and anemometer are all locked up with no breaks in the data record now for over a week. I doubt that the switching power supply’s spectrum of interference extends up to the 433MHz range, but I would not mind betting that it does extend well into the low radio frequency range, probably interfering with the internal signal processing in the base unit, especially as there is no internal screening. Hope this may be of us/assistance to others.
I have to concur with the comments in this thread. The reliability of this unit is rubbish. I originally had it set up in suberbia and lost signals from all outdoor sensors at various times. Distance was about 5 metres through clear glass sliding doors and direct line of site. The problem is cyclical extended periods of no problems then for no particular known reason various sensors would drop out. At one stage I tested the UV sensor and took it to the end of my section on the other side of the house and it worked fine through six walls so not a signal strenth problem. I put ferrit chokes on the USB cable and no difference.
About a year ago I moved to a lifestyle block in the Hunua ranges and hoped that less interference might rectify the problem, no such luck. So I bought a whip 1/4 wavelength aerial and fitted this to the side of the consol (covered in a thread here) . It has improved reception but very occasionally I still get drop outs. The next move is to put a coax line from the console and put the whip aerial right next to the sensors.
I should have saved the pennies for a vantage pro.
Sounds like a localized issue with you; as I’ve said many times on this thread mine has been running nearly flawlessly now for about three years. Still no issues with dropped signals and very few lost sensor signals. Had one on the UV the other day; wound up being a nearly dead set of lithium batteries. Not bad; those batteries have lasted me nearly three years.
Maybe the Honeywell version as opposed to the Irox?
Perhaps a ferrite ring as a choke on the USB cable would help things ?? Sensors are 9m away and work fine when they are connected.