What do a weather station, a wireless rain gauge, an umbrella and hygrometer have in common? These practical and fun gadgets focus on weather and make learning about and understanding it an interesting hobby for all generations; the young, the old and everyone in between. Any one of these is applicable for use in the home and can add a fun, practical element to your decor. Let’s look at what each of them does and how they can make your life a little bit easier.
First up are weather stations. A weather station is a desktop weather center that is designed for those who are interested in achieving and maintaining optimal conditions in their living area or garden space. Weather stations usually display temperature and humidity levels for several locations and twelve to twenty four hour advanced forecasting. In general, a desktop weather station will show you forecasts for rain, sun, snow, clouds and partial cloud cover at a glance.
If you want instant feedback when you measure rainfall amounts, then put a wireless rain gauge in your garden. A wireless digital rain gauge allows you to get this information without leaving the comfort of your home. They have a tracking range of approximately one hundred feet and will usually display a temperature reading, as well as a rainfall measurement.
There are now wind resistant and lighted umbrellas. No one could have suspected that even the umbrella would go high tech. If you are like most people, you have had your umbrella turn inside out in high winds, causing you to get soaked and wondering why you bothered with an umbrella in the first place. Now there are wind resistant umbrellas that are designed to prevent that unpleasant problem. Another new feature for umbrellas is the lighted umbrella. Lighted umbrellas have a clear acrylic shaft which contains a light source that doesn’t require the bulb to be replaced. Not only does this feature allow you to see your way in the dark, it allows others to be able to see you.
A hygrometer measures relative humidity and has been added to the list of gadgets because they are now programmed to display not only the humidity, but temperature and almost every environmental factor imaginable. A recent trend has hygrometers scaled down to hand-held sizes, designed for portability for outdoors enthusiasts. These units display current conditions on a digital display.
A digital rain gauge that has a large screen can help people who might want to see the temperature without needing to walk right up to the base to see it. If it is important that the screen be visible in the evening hours, then choose a model with a base unit that has back lighting to make viewing the display easier. Many times you can find a wireless rain gauge that has other features too, such as temperature display that can be programmed to give a history of the weather within the last few days or weeks.