New Davis 6263 Question

I’m looking to get a new Davis 6263 to replace my old unit from 2007.

The new unit has the 6313 console but If I’m not mistaken this unit does not have a way to connect to my PC like my old console did.

What is the best way to get my data into Weather Display? Do I need additional hardware?

Someone recommended the 6100 and reading up on it a little and I’m not sure if it will work.

With the local API can you pull live data? My current setup pulls data every 5 seconds. Can it do this?

If I loose power does it log the data? If I use the local API when power is restored does it pull from the logger or only live data?

There has been much discussion on this over on the WXForum and as I understand it you have to pay fof a Pro subscription to Davis to pull your own data! Yes a power cut will stop the upload but i don’t know if it logs the data if it has batteries. Hopefully someone who knows more will confirm it all.

Stuart

Just checked the WXForum and it seems like you posted over there as well and got loads of info so not sure why you’re asking the same thing here?

Not sure what model your 2007 hardware is, but if you already have the Vue/VP2 console and datalogger I would think they will work with the 6263. Shoot Davis an email to confirm…

Yes the WLL will continue to log data as long as the batteries (or UPS) lasts, or it runs out of memory - a couple of months iirc.

No you cannot access that buffered data locally. The WLL will upload it weatherlink.com when the power and internet is restored. You can download it from there if you have a paid subscription.

Thanks for the information. It looks like the 6100 will not work for me. Looking at the other loggers the Envoy 6316 may work for me. Any one have experance using it with WD?

I find the new Davis product line to be a real dilemma in terms of data collectiion. I have a 2018 model Vantage Pro 2 with the old IP data logger. I can’t imagine what I will do when one of them fails. I moved to Weather-Display precisely because i wanted to setup a webserver for weather data and I found it too messy to deal with the fact that, in effect Davis has placed themselves in between me and my own weather data. I want to control where that data is as well as when and how I access it.

Davis’ choices about their products have made that either difficult, or very expensive. Take your pick, but you have to choose one or the other. All or this was done in the name of forcing the end-user to pay them one or more recurring revenue streams.

I hope they see their way clear to correct this problem with some future product; for example a less expensive console that revives a TCP/IP interface.

You can still get data directly out of WeatherLink Live, although it’s not a logger so historical data can’t be picked up.

I agree that WeatherLink Live is an answer. However, 1) its expensive; 2) it was designed primarily to transmit data to the WeatherLink website and allow Davis to collect a monthly tariff for access to that data (using their web product).

I think Weather-Display will enable a user to access and collect (log) data using that product. Although I have not tried that feature. It seems that the hardware and software world (for the most part) is enamored with monthly revenue streams. oh well…

WLL does send data to the Davis site but you don’t need to pay for access unless you really want access to historic data and pay for the Pro service.

I have some sympathy for companies wanting an ongoing fee to provide a service. Everyone looks at the ‘internet’ as a huge free place to access, but it’s not really free at all. Someone has to pay for servers, electricity to run them, network connections, support staff, etc. If something on the internet is free it means one of a few things:

  1. Someone is being generous and giving you something for nothing. For example, this forum is free isn’t it? Well it is to you. It’s cost me tens of thousands of pounds over its lifetime. Is that sustainable? For now, yes. For ever, no.
  2. You are the product. Your data is being used in some way to target you. Of course nobody likes that, but if you want free stuff then this is the hidden payment sometimes
  3. You’re being targeted by adverts to make you spend more money. Nobody likes adverts but if you want free stuff something has to pay for it. Even if you say “well I never buy from adverts”, it doesn’t matter. The cost of advertising is baked into everything you buy, so even if you use an adblocker so you don’t see the adverts, 20/30/40/??% of whatever you buy is paying for adverts to keep the internet running.

Or you could pay a fee to access a service? I don’t really see any other way to do it, unless you know some magic way to make money that really doesn’t cost the ‘user’ anything at all?

1 Like

After minimal research the 6263 is a VP2+ but this specific “package” comes with the 6313 console instead of the “normal” VP/Vue console. Does your 2007 equipment have a VP2/Vue console and datalogger?

Yes, my old unit has a VP2 console and serial data logger.

That should work with the 6263. I don’t see anything “new” about the 6263 other than they replaced the standard VP2 console with the 6313 console. If you don’t want/need the 6313 console then I would suggest getting a standard VP2/VP2+ and continue to use your console/datalogger.

Or maybe I don’t understand your question…

dcrooks,

I think you understand the question. I think what confuses long term Davis customers is that they have discontinued both the serial and the IP dataloggers. The only datalogger in the current product line is the WeatherLink Live. That product is 4X the price of the older products AND it locks you in to paying monthly for the web service if you want access to your own data history.

It’s only redeeming value is it will (i think, I’ve not tested it) provide an interface to the Weather-Display product.

I am scratching me head a little…you already have a datalogger…

One other thing about the free version is that Weather-Display can only pull data every 15 minutes under the basic Weatherlink (free) account. With the Pro account the API will get data more frequently (every 5 minutes). If you want more frequent than that, the Pro+ account is required.

https://www.davisinstruments.com/pages/weatherlink-cloud

WD can read direct from WLL in real time without needing any form of Weatherlink account.

But it can’t read from the new console which only publishes to the weatherlink.com account to my knowledge. If I am wrong on that, please let me know.

Richard

Sorry I don’t know. Both the new console and WLL have been discussed in the thread and I thought the comment I replied to was referring to WLL.

This has been discussed at length over on tne WXForum and I believe the new console cannot communicate locally with WD or any other s/w you have to get it remotely and need a paid for contract to get it on anything like a reasonable timeframe.

Stuart

I ordered a 6313 console from Davis. I plan to set it up with one of my old Vue stations. Another project I don’t have time for but will attempt anyways :wink: