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Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Thu 09 Jan 2025 12:44 pm
by chsims1
Hi,

I have a WN31 extra sensor, the data from which is displayed under 'Extra Sensors' as 'Sensor 1'. I can see in the wiki a note https://www.cumuluswiki.org/a/Extra_Sen ... ra_Sensors, dated 2013, stating that CMX did not manipulate raw temperatures and humidities of extra sensors for looking back at records, monthly/weekly/daily figures, like is present for the main sensors. Has this situation changed since the wiki entry please?

Ideally, I would like this sensor to be the default for temperature & humidity, since its location is better for making such measurements. I thought that I'd found the solution in the 'Ecowitt Sensor Mapping' under 'Station Settings', where it states that "You can over-ride the default outdoor temperature and humidity sensor by specifying a WH31 T/H sensor channel". I changed the setting to 'Extra TH Channel 1', but it doesn't appear to work; the main sensor array temp/hum is still displayed on the dashboard.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Thu 09 Jan 2025 8:16 pm
by Mapantz
I could be wrong, but i think that the WN32 is needed for that purpose.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Fri 10 Jan 2025 5:39 pm
by mcrossley
Which station types are you using for the main station and the extra sensors?

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Sun 12 Jan 2025 6:37 pm
by chsims1
Mapantz wrote: Thu 09 Jan 2025 8:16 pm I could be wrong, but i think that the WN32 is needed for that purpose.
It actually says WH31 in the CMX dropdown box, but I'm fairly certain that this is essentially the same sensor as WN31.
mcrossley wrote: Fri 10 Jan 2025 5:39 pm Which station types are you using for the main station and the extra sensors?
WS80 main sensor (temp, humidity, solar, ultrasonic anemometer) with separate WH40 tipping bucket, and WN31 temp/humidity (GW2000 wifi gateway).

The WS80 and WH40 readings are displayed fine as main sensors in now/dashboard etc. The WN31 data appears fine in the extra sensors as current readings. What I'm after is getting the WN31 readings used as main sensor for all the historical data manipulation and display, rather than having to derive them myself. Are the extra sensor readings even recorded in the CMX database?

Regards,

Ian

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Sun 12 Jan 2025 7:10 pm
by Mapantz
chsims1 wrote: Sun 12 Jan 2025 6:37 pm It actually says WH31 in the CMX dropdown box, but I'm fairly certain that this is essentially the same sensor as WN31.
The WN31 is a multi channel indoor sensor. The WN32 is a single channel outdoor sensor.

When I had a WS90, for example, I didn't like to use it for the outside temperature, as it was 20ft in the air. I had to get a WN32, which took precedence as the main outdoor temperature sensor.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Mon 13 Jan 2025 4:39 pm
by mcrossley
chsims1 wrote: Sun 12 Jan 2025 6:37 pm
WS80 main sensor (temp, humidity, solar, ultrasonic anemometer) with separate WH40 tipping bucket, and WN31 temp/humidity (GW2000 wifi gateway).

The WS80 and WH40 readings are displayed fine as main sensors in now/dashboard etc. The WN31 data appears fine in the extra sensors as current readings. What I'm after is getting the WN31 readings used as main sensor for all the historical data manipulation and display, rather than having to derive them myself. Are the extra sensor readings even recorded in the CMX database?
OK, what I was after was what station types you have configured in CMX?

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Tue 14 Jan 2025 10:17 am
by chsims1
mcrossley wrote: Mon 13 Jan 2025 4:39 pm OK, what I was after was what station types you have configured in CMX?
My apologies, I misread your question.

Station type is Ecowitt 'HTTP local API'. Nothing was initially set for the extra sensor: the temp and humidity were displayed correctly from the 'Extra Sensors ' dropdown as sensor 1. I then changed the Ecowitt Sensor Mapping for the primary temp/humidity from 'default' to 'Extra TH chan 1', which appears to have no effect.

@Mapantz: With regards to the WN32 sensor, I originally was going to order this, but was advised by Weatherspares to go for the WN31. :x

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Tue 14 Jan 2025 6:24 pm
by Ken22
chsims1 wrote: Tue 14 Jan 2025 10:17 am I originally was going to order this, but was advised by Weatherspares to go for the WN31.
I think you got bad advice. I believe you need a WN32/WH32 if you want to override the outdoor temp/humidity.

Amazon sells these for $16.99 with this statement:
【Note】:WN32(WH32) sensor could override the temperature and humidity value from ws69, 67, 80, 90, as this sensor has the highest priority against other sensor array's temperature and humidity sensor.
My WN32 seems to do the job on both my GW1200 and my HP2560. No changes in Cumulus are needed.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Tue 14 Jan 2025 6:54 pm
by chsims1
Thanks for the reply, but the Ecowitt sensor mappings under 'station settings' states:
You can over-ride the default outdoor temperature and humidity sensor by specifying a WH31 T/H sensor channel.
From an Ecowitt site, the two sensor model numbers, WH31, WN31, are included together in the same description of a sensor:

https://shop.ecowitt.com/en-gb/products ... Fn9B-IYV7K

I'm quite happy to buy another sensor, if necessary, but I'm just trying to clarify what is actually happening, or not, here.

Ian :geek:

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Tue 14 Jan 2025 7:34 pm
by lse-cumulus
My understanding (and experience, as I used WN31 and WN32 sensors) is the following: you have to distinguish two dimensions:
  • 1a) WN32/WH32 (previously legacy WH26) outdoor temperature sensor: only 1; use it if you have no other outdoor senor or if you want to overrule another outdoor sensor, as it has highest priority; the WIKI says: Inside the so-called sensor hierarchy it stands on top. This means that the consoles will prefer its readings over all other outdoor T/RH sensors (of a WS69/WH65, WS80, WS90) registered at the same time to the console.
    On the Ecowitt APP or website ecowitt.net there is only one (1) outdoor temperature displayed, and if you use a WN32/WN32 sensor it will be displayed there.
  • 1b) WN31/WH31 indor temperature sensors; multi channel; these sensors will normally never show up in ECOWITT app or website under "outdoor" and are also not reported from Ecowitt to CMX as "outdoor", but as additinal temperature sensor. The WIKI page says: a WH31 can be converted to a WH32, and even explains that in chapter (21). (I have never done that)
  • 2) CMX side: CMX receives from the Ecowitt gateway exactly one (1) outdoor temperature (or none if you do not have any). CMX cannot influence which of your outdoor temperature sensors is reported as outdoor temperature, that is only determined by the sensor hierachy as explained above (1).
    But CMX offers the oppurtunity in the Settings -> Stations Settings -> Ecowitt Sensor Mappings: to replace the reported outdoor temperature by one of your WN31/WH31 indoor temperature sensors. You can select default = use the outdoor sensor that ecowitt reports based on sensor hierachy (1), Extra TH 1 to 8 = select one of your WN31/WH31 indor sensors, or indoor TH sensor = the built in indoor sensor of your gateway. Note: you cannot select the WN32/WH32 as Extra TH x here (only implictly by selecting default).
Summary:
  • If you want to overwrite the outdoor temperature in your Ecowitt.net or Ecowitt APP, you need to buy a WN32/WH32 outdoor sensor, and no change in CMX is required, just use default mapping. The WN32/WH32 will NOT show up under CMX Extra Sensors but as standard (outdoor) temperature.
  • If you only want to change the CMX dashboard temperature display, you can also use a WN31/WH31 indoor sensor and adapt the CMX sensor mapping. You will see the WN31/WH31 of course also under CMX extra sensors. (I am using a GW1000 and station type TCP local API and that method is working fine). But for chsims1 this seems not to work, although he is just doing that (as outlined in the start of the post stream) and the only difference is that he uses HTTP local API.
I hope that helps.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Tue 14 Jan 2025 9:36 pm
by HansR
I think the WN32 is one option but in CMX you can map the Primary Temp/Humidity sensor to an extra TH sensor (so that would be a WN31)
For this goto: Station Settings=>Ecowitt Sensor Mappings

I don't think that is only for the dashboard but I may be mistaken.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Wed 15 Jan 2025 4:20 pm
by mcrossley
The summaries above are correct. To override *within* the Ecowitt environment you need a WN32, Cumulus will also see this reported as the main temp/hum.

You can override the primary temp/hum within Cumulus with a WN31.

Just investigating now why that may not be working with only a primary station defined...

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Wed 15 Jan 2025 4:24 pm
by mcrossley
And the answer is... A bug in the HTTP Local API station code. Only the humidity from the extra sensor is being used, the temperature is not copied across to the primary outdoor temperature.

Fixed for the next build.

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Wed 15 Jan 2025 4:38 pm
by chsims1
Thanks for all the replies, extra info, & bug squashing.

Ian

Re: Extra Sensors, particularly WN31

Posted: Thu 30 Jan 2025 8:08 pm
by chsims1
Soooo.. I have a brand new working WN32 temp/hum sensor, which has taken over from the default WS80 sensor (the new sensor wil be sited in the best available place for recording "appropriate" readings), and will be subjected to all the data processing that CMX provides out of the box. I still have my original WN31 sensor being picked up by CMX as an extra sensor, and I will use this as a ground/lawn level sensor. I would like for this to be treated by the data processing without re-inventing the wheel, but I would expect that it will not be be done so.

So, firstly does the historical data from this external sensor go into the CMX database, and secondly if not, how do other Ecowitt users deal with additional sensors?

Regards,

Ian

P.S. I assume that the original temp/hum data from the WS80 sensor array is basically obliviated, which actually really grates on my mind about throwing away valid data. This is obviously an Ecowitt decision, and I would love someone to say "no", but I suspect not. :ugeek: