LoRaWAN Weather Station Systems

System Components

Basic station:

• BME280: temperature, humidity, pressure (±0.5°C, ±3% RH accuracy)
• Tipping bucket rain gauge (0.2mm resolution)
• Solar panel + 18650 battery (2+ years runtime)
• LoRaWAN transmitter (5km urban, 15km rural range)

Advanced station:

• Cup anemometer (wind speed, 0.5 m/s resolution)
• Wind vane (16-point compass direction)
• UV sensor
• Soil moisture probe (30cm depth)

Temperature, Humidity, Pressure

Sensor selection:

• DHT22: irrigation decisions (±2°C acceptable)
• BME280: HVAC control (±0.5°C matters)
• Vaisala: traceable calibration required

Installation requirements:

• Radiation shield mandatory (white, ventilated)
• Avoid heat sources: roofs, concrete, exhaust vents
• 1.5-2m height standard

Rain Measurement

How tipping buckets work: Rain fills bucket until it accumulates 0.2mm or 0.5mm, then tips, empties, triggers count. No calibration drift, works for years.

Resolution matters:

• 0.2mm: agriculture, flood prediction (detects light rain, accurate intensity)
• 0.5mm: general weather monitoring

Hardware: Davis, Onset, Pessl Instruments with LoRaWAN pulse counter. 10-30 minute transmission intervals. 5-10 year battery life.

Placement requirements:

• Open area, no obstructions within 4x gauge height
• Level within 2° (critical - affects accuracy)
• 1-1.5m standard height
• Clear gateway line-of-sight
• Accessible for maintenance

Wrong location undercounts by 30% due to wind effects. Obstructions create turbulence.

Data processing:

• Running totals: 1h, 24h, 7d, 30d periods
• Rainfall intensity: mm/hour for storm classification
• Distinguishes 20mm over 6 hours (beneficial) from 20mm in 30 minutes (erosion risk)

Applications:

• Frost protection: activate sprinklers only below 2mm/hour (60-70% water savings)
• Urban flood prediction: intensity >15mm/hour triggers pump activation 20-30 minutes faster
• Insurance claims: calibrated gauges with GPS timestamps provide verifiable records

Maintenance:

• Monthly funnel cleaning (5 minutes)
• Annual calibration: pour 100ml, count tips
• Winterization for freeze-prone areas
• Clogged funnels under-report by 20-40%

Wind Monitoring

Sensor types:

Cup anemometers: Standard for long-term monitoring. 3-cup design, 0.5 m/s threshold, ±0.3 m/s accuracy. Brands: NRG, Thies, Vector Instruments. Bearings wear out every 2-3 years in harsh conditions.

Sonic anemometers: No moving parts. Ultrasonic time-of-flight measurement. Measures 3D wind vector. More expensive but maintenance-free except cleaning. Better for icing conditions.

Wind vanes: Potentiometer or magnetic encoder. Mount above anemometer to avoid wake effects.

Installation height:

• Agricultural applications: 2-10m
• Wind energy assessment: 40-120m (hub height)
• Environmental monitoring: 10m standard
• Building-mounted: 2x building height above roofline

Placement rules:

• Open terrain, no obstructions within 10x sensor height
• Building edges create turbulence, not representative data

Applications:

• Wind turbine site assessment: 1-2 years data at hub height. Regional estimates can overestimate by 30% due to terrain effects.
• Agriculture: spray timing requires <5 m/s, frost protection systems use wind + temperature thresholds
• Construction: crane operation limits typically 12-15 m/s
• Aviation: wind shear detection

Data outputs:

• Wind speed (average + gust)
• Direction (degrees from north)
• Standard deviation (turbulence indicator)
• Wind roses (16 or 36-point compass)
• Statistical analysis: Weibull distribution, power density

Maintenance:

• Cup anemometers: bearing replacement 18-24 months coastal/dusty conditions
• Sonic anemometers: annual cleaning (spider webs cause errors)
• Calibration: annual field checks agricultural use, certified lab every 1-2 years wind energy

Data Pipeline

LoRaWAN → ChirpStack → InfluxDB → Grafana:

• 1-10 minute transmission intervals (application dependent)
• Local alerting for out-of-range values
• Historical comparison (current vs same period last year)
• API access for irrigation controllers, HVAC, etc.
• Calculate cumulative rainfall totals, intensity, wind roses

Real Applications

Agricultural monitoring: Multiple stations across hectares map microclimates. Temperature variations affect planting density and yield optimization.

Ski resort operations: Stations at different altitudes track temperature and snow depth. Feed snowmaking systems - run compressors only when optimal (<-2°C, <60% humidity).

Urban planning: Map temperature variations across neighborhoods. Identify heat islands, inform urban greening decisions.

Renewable energy: Site-specific wind data over months beats regional estimates. ROI calculations depend on accurate wind speed distribution.

Hardware Components

You source:

• BME280 or equivalent temp/humidity/pressure sensors
• Tipping bucket rain gauges (Davis, Onset, Pessl)
• Cup anemometers or sonic anemometers
• Wind vanes (if directional data needed)
• LoRaWAN transmitter with analog/pulse inputs
• Solar panels and battery systems
• Mounting mast and hardware
• Lightning protection (tall masts)
• LoRaWAN gateway (if needed)

Typical specs:

• LoRaWAN range: 5-15km depending on terrain
• Battery life: 2-5 years (depends on transmission frequency)
• Solar systems: 10-20W panels with 20-50Ah batteries

I specify what you need based on accuracy requirements and budget. I don't sell hardware.

What I Provide

Services:

• Sensor selection and specification
• Installation site assessment and placement planning
• Network planning and coverage analysis
• Data pipeline setup (InfluxDB + Grafana)
• Dashboard configuration and alerting
• Wind rose and statistical analysis

You own everything:

• Complete system source code
• Self-hosted infrastructure (or cloud if preferred)
• All calibration and installation documentation
• No monthly fees after setup