Compact Automatic Weather Station | Education, Research, and Industrial Environmental Monitoring Solution

In education and scientific research, campus science popularization, agricultural demonstration zones, ecological environment monitoring, and small-to-medium industrial projects, compact weather stations serve as lightweight, cost-effective environmental perception nodes and are gradually becoming a standard selection option for system integrators and engineering contractors. The NiuBoL compact weather station is built around modular design, flexible configuration, and industrial-grade stability, supporting multiple communication protocols such as RS485, 4G/5G, and seamlessly integrating with smart campus platforms, research data centers, or regional environmental monitoring networks. This article focuses on its core components, technical features, integration compatibility, typical project applications, selection guide, and precautions to provide reference for weather station procurement decisions.

Core Components and Engineering Design of NiuBoL Compact Weather Station

The NiuBoL compact weather station adopts a modular architecture, facilitating quick on-site assembly and future upgrades. The system mainly consists of the following parts:

Mast System: Includes bottom fixed base, vertical pole (standard 2–4 m height, optional stainless steel or galvanized steel material), and top crossbeam. The mast design considers wind load resistance and installation convenience, supporting ground cement foundation fixation or rooftop flange connection, compatible with wind-resistant guy wires and lightning rod extensions.

Sensor Array: Core perception layer, supports on-demand configuration of seven elements or simplified version (commonly temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, total radiation sensors). All sensors use industrial-grade encapsulation with protection rating IP65 or above, integrated into a louvered box or dedicated mounting arm to avoid mutual interference.

Data Acquisition and Processing Unit: Built-in low-power collector (data logger), equipped with LCD real-time display, built-in clock, standard ≥20,000 records storage (supports SD card expansion), RS485/RS232 interfaces, and Modbus RTU protocol support. The collector handles sensor data sampling, preprocessing, and local caching.

Communication Module: Supports 4G/5G wireless transmission (mainstream), WiFi, LoRa, or wired RS485; data can be uploaded to the cloud in real time or exported locally (USB/SD card/U disk).

Power Supply System: Integrated solar power (typical 60–100W monocrystalline silicon panel + 12V lithium iron phosphate battery), also compatible with AC220V/DC12V, standby power consumption<1W, ≥7 days endurance under continuous cloudy/rainy conditions.

Protection and Auxiliary: Lightweight louvered box for temperature and humidity sensor protection, dedicated protective enclosure integrating collector, communication module, and power supply; overall structure is anti-theft, dustproof, and rainproof.

This composition ensures the system is small in size (footprint<1 m²), lightweight (whole unit <30 kg), and suitable for rapid deployment on campus rooftops, research experimental fields, or remote monitoring points.

Core Sensor Functions and Project Value of the Weather Station

The NiuBoL compact weather station offers flexible sensor configuration. Below are common elements and their engineering roles:

Temperature Sensor: PT100 or digital integrated, range -40～+80℃, accuracy ±0.2℃. Used for heat/cold damage threshold monitoring, supporting accumulated temperature calculation for crop growth periods and greenhouse environment control.

Humidity Sensor: Digital capacitive type, range 0–100%RH, accuracy ±2%RH. Assesses condensation risk and humidity windows for disease occurrence, guiding irrigation and ventilation scheduling.

Photosynthetically Active Radiation Sensor (PAR Sensor): Silicon photocell, range 0–2000 W/m², accuracy ±5%. Measures photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), supporting crop photoperiod management and photovoltaic power generation reference.

Wind Speed Sensor: Three-cup or ultrasonic type, range 0–60 m/s, accuracy ±(0.3+0.03V) m/s. Assesses pesticide drift risk and wind disaster impact.

Wind Direction Sensor: Wind vane or ultrasonic type, range 0–360°, accuracy ±3°. Analyzes correlation between wind direction and pollutant/pest migration paths.

Rainfall Sensor: Tipping bucket rain gauge, accuracy ±3%. Real-time recording of precipitation process, supporting flood warning and soil moisture correction.

These sensors are uniformly connected to the collector via RS485 bus, with adjustable sampling intervals from 1–60 minutes, and data accuracy meets the requirements of education, research, and small-to-medium industrial monitoring.

Weather Station System Parameters Overview

For convenient project selection, the following table summarizes key technical parameters:

Weather Station Integration Solutions and Compatibility Advantages

The NiuBoL compact weather station is optimized for B2B projects and supports flexible integration:

Open protocol: Modbus RTU via RS485/RS232, easy connection to Alibaba Cloud IoT, Huawei Cloud, or private servers.

Data interfaces: Open SDK/API, supports MQTT uplink, compatible with GIS platforms and data visualization dashboards.

Networking expansion: Single station independent or multi-point grid deployment, centralized software for unified data aggregation and analysis.

Power compatibility: Solar primary + mains backup, built-in UPS switching.

Scalability: Reserved interfaces for adding soil sensors, CO₂ modules, or cameras to form multi-element monitoring stations.

Easy installation: Non-professionals can complete basic fixation and sensor connection following the manual; engineering teams are recommended for electrical safety and lightning protection measures.

Typical Application Scenarios and Project Cases of the Automatic Weather Station

Campus science popularization and education: University/primary and secondary school meteorological science bases, 2–3 m mast + temperature/humidity/rainfall configuration, supports LCD display and WeChat mini-program viewing, used for geography/science courses and club activities.

Research experimental fields: Small climate observation in agricultural research institutes, integrated radiation/wind elements, providing long-term continuous data to support crop model validation.

Ecological environment monitoring: Nature reserves or wetland projects, lightweight solar version + 4G transmission for real-time cloud upload at remote sites.

Small agricultural demonstration zones: Family farms or cooperatives, extended with soil moisture for guiding precision irrigation and pest & disease warning.

Industrial auxiliary monitoring: Perimeter environmental stations in chemical parks, monitoring wind direction/pressure changes to support diffusion simulation.

In these scenarios, the system’s small size, fast deployment, and low maintenance significantly reduce project cycles and costs.

Weather Station Selection Guide and Integration Precautions

Selection guide:

Scenario orientation: Campus/teaching selects LCD + solar basic version; research/environmental monitoring prioritizes expanded storage and multi-elements.

Communication needs: Remote areas choose 4G/5G; industrial integration chooses RS485 Modbus.

Height and protection: Rooftop installation selects 3–4 m + wind-resistant guy wires; ground selects 2 m + cement foundation.

Budget consideration: Standard configuration covers 80% of scenarios; SD card or 5G module added as needed.

Integration precautions:

Site selection should be open and unobstructed, avoiding heat islands and reflection interference.

Foundation fixation: Pour cement base on ground + expansion bolts; add lightning rod and guy wires on rooftops.

Electrical safety: Wiring protected with PVC conduit, install air switch.

Test verification: After deployment, calibrate sensors and simulate offline/extreme weather conditions.

Maintenance planning: Clean sensors quarterly, inspect battery and mast annually.

FAQ

Conclusion

With modularity, lightweight design, and high compatibility as its core, the NiuBoL compact weather station provides efficient environmental monitoring infrastructure for system integrators, IoT solution providers, and engineering contractors. It demonstrates significant advantages in education and scientific research, campus science popularization, ecological monitoring, and small agricultural projects: fast deployment, low maintenance, reliable data, and flexible expansion. As the demand for smart agriculture and environmental monitoring continues to grow, such solutions are becoming the preferred perception-layer equipment for more and more projects, driving the implementation of data-driven refined management and providing solid support for the digital transformation of the industry.