Professional Solar-Powered Weather Station with Precision Rainfall and Wind Monitoring
Industrial-grade meteorological monitoring combining mechanical reliability with remote LTE connectivity for critical infrastructure protection
Engineered for Critical Infrastructure Monitoring
This professional weather station delivers laboratory-grade meteorological data from remote locations without mains power. Designed for harsh outdoor environments, the system combines proven mechanical sensing technology with modern LTE cellular connectivity, providing reliable weather data where it matters most.
The station measures rainfall with 0.1mm resolution using a stainless steel dual tipping bucket gauge, monitors wind speed up to 60 m/s with a precision three-cup anemometer, and captures 360° wind direction. An integrated water level input enables simultaneous monitoring of rainfall accumulation and downstream water response in drainage infrastructure.
Data is sampled every second and transmitted via 4G LTE at fifteen-minute intervals, with alert-triggered immediate transmission available for threshold events. The system operates year-round from an integrated solar panel and battery, requiring no external power infrastructure.
Why Mechanical Tipping Bucket Technology Outperforms Optical Sensors
Proven Reliability in All Conditions
Tipping bucket rain gauges have served as the meteorological standard for over a century. This mechanical measurement principle uses gravity and precise calibration rather than electronics exposed to the elements, delivering consistent accuracy across decades of operation.
Optical rain sensors rely on infrared beam interruption or capacitive surface detection. These technologies work well in controlled environments but face significant challenges in outdoor deployment. Dust accumulation, spider webs, condensation, salt spray, and ice formation all interfere with optical sensing surfaces. A tipping bucket mechanism remains unaffected by these contamination sources.
Superior Performance in Heavy Rainfall
Optical sensors struggle during intense rainfall events when water sheets across the sensing surface rather than forming discrete droplets. This is precisely when accurate measurement matters most for flood warning applications.
The tipping bucket mechanism handles high-intensity rainfall through its self-draining design. Each bucket tips, empties completely, and resets for the next measurement cycle. Our gauge maintains accuracy up to 8mm per minute rainfall intensity, capturing extreme storm events that optical sensors often undercount.
Lower Long-Term Maintenance
Optical sensors require regular cleaning of sensing surfaces and eventual replacement of optical components as they degrade under UV exposure. The stainless steel tipping bucket mechanism has no optical surfaces to clean, no UV-sensitive components, and no consumable parts. Periodic inspection and occasional debris clearance represent the only maintenance requirements.
Independence from Electrical Conditions
Optical sensors produce analogue signals affected by temperature drift, component ageing, and supply voltage variations. Each installation requires calibration, and recalibration may be needed seasonally or after component replacement.
The tipping bucket produces a simple pulse output with each tip representing exactly 0.1mm of rainfall. This digital signal is immune to noise, requires no calibration in the field, and maintains specification accuracy throughout the product lifetime.
Why Dual Tipping Bucket Design Delivers Superior Accuracy
Eliminating the Dead Time Problem
Single tipping bucket gauges have an inherent limitation known as dead time or transition error. When the bucket tips, a brief period occurs during which incoming rainfall is not captured in either bucket. During light rainfall this effect is negligible, but during heavy precipitation the cumulative lost volume becomes significant.
The dual tipping bucket design uses a precisely balanced seesaw mechanism where one bucket fills while the other empties. The transition occurs instantaneously with the incoming water stream always directed into a receiving bucket. This eliminates measurement loss during bucket transitions.
Consistent Accuracy Across All Rainfall Intensities
Single bucket gauges often show calibration that varies with rainfall rate. The gauge may be accurate at moderate intensities but undercount during heavy events. Dual bucket mechanisms maintain consistent volumetric accuracy from the lightest drizzle to the most intense cloudburst, as the mechanical timing of the tip is independent of fill rate.
Longer Component Life
Single bucket gauges place all mechanical wear on one pivot point and one bucket. The dual design distributes this wear across two buckets and a central pivot, effectively doubling the mechanical service life of the gauge assembly.
Redundancy and Self-Verification
With two buckets in the mechanism, any asymmetry in the system becomes detectable through uneven tip counts over extended periods. This provides a built-in diagnostic capability not available with single bucket designs.
Why Three-Cup Anemometers Outperform Ultrasonic Sensors
Robust Performance Without Power Overhead
Ultrasonic anemometers measure wind speed by timing acoustic pulses between transducer pairs. This requires continuous power to drive the ultrasonic emitters and process the received signals. Typical ultrasonic sensors consume several watts during measurement, making them poorly suited for solar-powered remote installations.
The three-cup anemometer generates its own signal as it rotates, requiring only milliwatts of power for the pulse detection circuit. In a solar and battery system, this order-of-magnitude reduction in power consumption directly translates to smaller solar panels, smaller batteries, and greater reliability during extended cloudy periods.
Immunity to Environmental Interference
Ultrasonic wind measurement depends on clean acoustic paths between transducers. Rain droplets passing through the measurement volume scatter the acoustic signal, causing measurement errors during the very weather events of greatest interest. Heavy rain, snow, and hail can all degrade ultrasonic accuracy or cause complete signal loss.
Ice formation presents another challenge for ultrasonic sensors. Even a thin ice layer on transducer faces can prevent signal transmission entirely. Heated transducers are available but add to power consumption and system complexity.
The three-cup anemometer operates through precipitation without degradation. Ice may slow rotation temporarily but does not cause erroneous readings, and any ice accumulation that does occur is shed naturally as the cups rotate.
Field-Serviceable Design
Ultrasonic sensors are sealed electronic assemblies with no user-serviceable components. Any fault requires complete unit replacement at significant cost.
The rotating cup assembly can be inspected visually, cleaned if necessary, and bearings can be serviced in the field. This practical maintainability suits applications where equipment may be difficult to access or where replacement lead times would create unacceptable monitoring gaps.
Proven Technology with Understood Behaviour
Three-cup anemometers have been the meteorological standard for wind measurement since the nineteenth century. Their characteristics are thoroughly documented, their error sources well understood, and their data directly comparable with historical records and other installations.
Ultrasonic technology continues to evolve with varying implementations between manufacturers. Data may not be directly comparable between ultrasonic sensor models, and long-term performance characteristics of specific designs may not be fully established.
Integrated Water Level Monitoring for Complete Flood Response Assessment
From Rainfall to Water Response
Measuring rainfall tells only half the flood risk story. Understanding how that rainfall translates into rising water levels in drainage systems provides the actionable intelligence needed for effective flood management.
This weather station includes a dedicated high-resolution input for external water level sensors, enabling simultaneous measurement of precipitation and its downstream effects. Monitor rainfall accumulation alongside water depth in culverts, catchpits, drainage channels, or watercourses from a single integrated system.
Correlation Analysis and Predictive Capability
With one-second sampling of both rainfall and water level, the relationship between precipitation and drainage response can be characterised for each location. This data reveals how quickly water levels rise in response to rainfall, how catchment saturation affects response times, and how drainage infrastructure performs under various conditions.
Over time, this correlation data enables predictive capability where current rainfall intensity can be extrapolated to likely water level outcomes based on established location-specific relationships.
Early Warning for Infrastructure Protection
Critical thresholds can be set for both rainfall accumulation and water level. When either parameter approaches warning levels, immediate alert transmission supplements the standard fifteen-minute reporting interval. This provides maximum advance warning for personnel safety and asset protection decisions.
Seamless Integration with Visual Monitoring
The weather station is designed for full integration with our Solar LTE Pro camera systems, combining meteorological data with visual verification from a unified platform.
When weather thresholds are exceeded, linked cameras can capture images automatically, providing visual confirmation of conditions alongside numerical measurements. Verify flooding extent, assess visibility conditions, confirm ice formation, or document storm damage with synchronised imagery and weather data.
Shared power and communications infrastructure reduces total installation cost and complexity compared with separate weather and camera deployments. A single solar array, battery system, and LTE connection serves both monitoring functions.
Rain Gauge Specifications
The rainfall sensor uses all stainless steel construction with a double tipping bucket mechanism. The collection funnel has a 200mm diameter meeting World Meteorological Organisation standards. Measurement resolution is 0.1mm per tip with accuracy within three percent across the full intensity range. The mechanism handles rainfall intensities from 0.01mm per minute to 8mm per minute. Daily accumulation measurement range is 0 to 100mm standard, expandable to 6553.5mm for extreme environments.
Anemometer Specifications
The wind speed sensor is a three-cup rotating assembly measuring 0 to 60 metres per second with 0.1 metres per second resolution. Wind direction is measured through 360 degrees. The combined assembly has power consumption below 0.4 watts with operating temperature range of minus 40 to plus 60 degrees Celsius. Accuracy is within 0.2 metres per second and response time is under 0.2 seconds.
System Performance
Data sampling occurs every second for all channels. Remote transmission via 4G LTE occurs at fifteen-minute intervals with threshold-triggered immediate alerts available. The system operates year-round from integrated solar power with battery backup providing operation through extended low-light periods.
Designed for Critical Infrastructure Protection
This weather station addresses demanding monitoring requirements across multiple sectors.
Railway infrastructure benefits from trackside weather monitoring for wind speed alerts, rainfall accumulation tracking, and drainage performance assessment. The combination of meteorological data with water level monitoring supports informed decisions about line safety during adverse weather.
Highway authorities can deploy stations for visibility assessment, surface water risk monitoring, and flood warning on routes crossing floodplains or areas with known drainage constraints.
Construction sites gain weather documentation for contract purposes alongside practical alerts for wind limits on crane operations and rainfall limits for earthworks.
Environmental monitoring applications include catchment hydrology studies, urban drainage performance assessment, and flood defence monitoring where both rainfall and water levels require measurement.
Agricultural deployments benefit from irrigation management data, frost warning, and crop spraying condition monitoring with the solar-powered design eliminating the need for mains power in field locations.
Professional-Grade Components for Long-Term Reliability
Every component is selected for extended outdoor service in harsh conditions. The rainfall gauge and anemometer both use stainless steel construction resistant to corrosion and UV degradation. The electronics enclosure provides IP-rated protection against water and dust ingress.
Operating temperature range spans minus 40 to plus 60 degrees Celsius, covering the full range of conditions encountered in temperate and continental climates. Humidity tolerance extends from zero to eighty percent relative humidity for the electronics, while the mechanical sensors operate without humidity constraints.
Common Questions About Weather Station Technology
Why choose mechanical sensors over electronic alternatives?
Mechanical rainfall and wind sensors have proven reliability spanning decades of meteorological service. They operate with minimal power consumption suitable for solar installations, require no calibration in the field, and deliver consistent accuracy without the maintenance burden of keeping optical or acoustic sensors clean and aligned.
How does the dual tipping bucket improve on single bucket designs?
The dual bucket mechanism eliminates measurement loss during bucket transitions, maintains accuracy across all rainfall intensities, distributes mechanical wear for longer service life, and provides inherent self-checking capability through bucket symmetry monitoring.
What makes cup anemometers preferable to ultrasonic for remote sites?
Power consumption is the primary advantage, with cup anemometers using a fraction of the power required by ultrasonic sensors. Cup anemometers also operate through precipitation without degradation, have no acoustic paths to be blocked by ice, and can be serviced in the field without specialist equipment.
How does water level integration enhance flood monitoring?
Rainfall measurement alone cannot predict flooding, which depends on catchment saturation, drainage capacity, and antecedent conditions. Simultaneous water level monitoring captures the actual response of the drainage system to rainfall, enabling correlation analysis and earlier, more accurate flood warnings.
Can the system operate through winter with minimal sunlight?
The low-power mechanical sensors and efficient electronics are designed for solar operation through extended periods of reduced solar input. Battery capacity is sized for multi-day autonomy during cloudy periods, and data transmission can be reduced during prolonged poor weather to extend battery life further.
Deploy Professional Weather Monitoring at Your Critical Sites
Contact our technical team to discuss your meteorological monitoring requirements and receive a specification tailored to your operational needs. Whether monitoring a single critical location or deploying a network across extended linear infrastructure, we provide complete solutions from initial survey through installation and ongoing support.