If your weatherstation is not located near your PC, you can use a port device server to convert the serial interface to an Ethernet network interface. You do have to install an application on the host PC that will create a virtual COM port. I am using a DeviceMaster
Sounds like a winner 
What weather station do you have? What OS are you using? This is working with WD - right?
I am running a Lacrosse WS-2310 weatherstation with WD running on a Win XP platform. Comtrol makes drivers for platforms going back to Win 98. I have no problems with WD interfacing with the device, I just had to pick an unused COM port in the setup program and point WD to it. COM 5 works well because in most cases, it is not assigned to any devices in the PC.
Thanks, sounds good. I looked around Comtrol’s website and they seem to be pretty sharp folks wth good support. You sure got lucky on ebay, best I see on the net in general is about $135, which isn’t too bad I guess. Probably cheaper, and certainly more flexible, than having some poor sucker run a serial line past the black widows in the crawl space :lol:
If you do a search on Ebay for DeviceMaster, you will find them. Sometimes the seller doesn’t list the entire name of the device.
This is the model I am using.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1484&item=5703097602&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW
This model is a little less sophisticated than the one they show on the Comtrol website, but the only difference is that this one you have to configure using Telnet instead of a webpage.
sounds great for if you want the weather station console say in the kitchen or bedroom…but still have it accesible to the pc!
(i.e cheaper than another console even?)
It is very useful. I have the weathersation setup for wired operation and the cable is already running 100ft, so I didn’t want to run it any farther. With the DeviceMaster, I can run the cable up to 100M without a problem. It acts like the weatherstation is plugged right into the COM port of the PC.
I use similar devices for my seismic equipment. I got mine from eBay and specifically wanted the Lantronix brand since I had seismic software and hardware calling for that brand. I use the UDS-10 external device server which is a serial-to-ethernet device. They also make a wireless device called a WiBox.
I bought a Comtrol but got totally frustrated trying to set it up. Seeing your post reminds me it’s time to take another shot at it, maybe literally if I don’t succeed :lol:
nikoshepherd, what model Comtrol are you using?
On the model that I have, you have to configure it initally using the serial port. There is a DIP switch that turns the serial port into a console connection. Once it has the basic network settings setup, you can configure it directly through the LAN.
I have the current (or at least it was at the time) model Device Master RTS single port. No dipswitches, set up is via the ethernet. I need to just start over, it was a comedy of errors from start to finish. The documentation didn’t match the CD software (both were out of date), Comtrol’s ftp site was down, and then all the file locations had been changed. After emailing tech support I finally got current software and doc, then found the default IP wasn’t allowed on my network. I set it up on its own with a PC, and followed the “change the IP” instructions several times but the new IP just wouldn’t stick. At that point I’d put way too much of my time into it without getting aywhere so I put it away for a rainy day. It’s surely my fault, I’m probably missing something really basic.
Maybe over the holidays I’ll take up the challenge again.
If you have a DHCP server, you could try setting it for DHCP.
I’m not sure that’s an option, I think it needs a fixed IP otherwise the driver wouldn’t know how to find it.
Is your model the Devicemaster RTS? If so, it does support DHCP.
Well, kinda, as I read the doc this morning I see you can use DHCP (assuming it will accept a change to the IP setup - which was my problem) but then you have to use MAC addressing rather than TCP/IP which opens up a whole new can of worms. The TCP/IP section says “Note: This IP address must be a unique reserved IP address. Do not use an address from a dynamic address pool. If necessary, see the system administrator for an IP address”. Anyway, I guess I’ll rescue this thing from the unfinished projects pile tonight and give it another try
Yes, I am using mine via TCP/IP. I have used mine both with a static IP and one assigned by DHCP. In both cases it worked fine. If you do use DHCP, the unit will continue to be assigned the same address until the unit is disconnected long enough for the lease to expire or you change the range of addresses assigned by your DHCP server.
Some DHCP servers will allow you to assign a specific IP to a specific mac address. That way you always know the IP each mac address will receive no matter what the state of the lease is or was…
I thought all DHCP servers supported static reservations, e.g. always allocate 1.2.3.4 to MAC address 0xffffffff
I think that’s true, but for various reasons I don’t want to start messing with the network side, esp not at the same time as trying to get it setup. It should be relatively simple to assign this thing an address in the range allowed for fixed addresses on my puny little networks.
That could be true, but it seems there is always an exception to be found…