Weather Station Products and Monitoring Equipment

NiuBoL provides weather station products for automatic meteorological, agricultural, hydrological, environmental and industrial monitoring. The product range includes complete automatic weather stations, individual meteorological sensors, integrated ultrasonic weather sensors, rain gauges, wind sensors, solar radiation sensors, data loggers, IoT communication equipment and field installation accessories.

A weather station can be configured as a simple local monitoring station or as a complete remote IoT system with RS485 Modbus sensors, 4G or Ethernet communication, solar power, local data storage and cloud or private-server integration.

The correct configuration should be selected according to the parameters that need to be measured, required accuracy, installation environment, communication method, power supply and final data destination.

Recommended Weather Station Products

The following products cover the main measurement requirements of automatic weather stations. Individual sensors can be used separately or integrated into a complete monitoring system.

Weather Station Reference Parameters

A modular automatic weather station can combine different sensors according to project requirements. The following table shows reference specifications for common NiuBoL sensor configurations. Because different models and output versions are available, the final quotation and datasheet should be used to confirm exact specifications.

Note: A weather station is a configurable system, so not every station includes all parameters in this table. Soil, PM, CO₂, noise, visibility and other environmental measurements are optional additions rather than mandatory meteorological parameters.

What Is an Automatic Weather Station?

An automatic weather station (AWS) is a field monitoring system that automatically measures, records and optionally transmits meteorological data.

A complete station normally consists of:

• Meteorological sensors

• Data logger or controller

• Communication module

• Power supply

• Protective enclosure

• Mounting pole and sensor brackets

• Software, cloud platform or private server integration

Weather Sensors → RS485 / Analog / Pulse → Data Logger → 4G / Ethernet → MQTT / HTTP / TCP → Cloud or Private Server

1. Wind Speed Sensor

An anemometer measures wind speed. The NBL-W-SS uses a three-cup design and is available in 0–45 m/s and 0–70 m/s measurement-range configurations.

Reference specifications include:

• Resolution: 0.1 m/s

• Starting wind speed: ≤0.5 m/s

• Accuracy: ±(0.3 + 0.03V) m/s

• Outputs: RS485, 4–20 mA, voltage and pulse depending on configuration

View NBL-W-SS Wind Speed Sensor →

2. Wind Direction Sensor

A wind direction sensor determines the direction from which the wind is coming. The NBL-W-DS uses a wind vane and magnetic sensing technology for continuous outdoor monitoring.

Reference specifications:

• Measurement range: 0–360°

• Resolution: 1°

• Accuracy: ±3°

• Starting wind speed: ≤0.5 m/s

• Outputs: RS485, 4–20 mA and voltage depending on configuration

View NBL-W-DS Wind Direction Sensor →

3. Air Temperature, Humidity and Pressure Sensor

Air temperature and relative humidity are fundamental meteorological measurements. Outdoor sensors should normally be installed inside a suitable radiation shield to reduce measurement errors caused by direct sunlight and precipitation.

The NBL-W-LBTH can combine temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure in one louver-type sensor.

View Temperature, Humidity & Pressure Sensor →

4. Rain Gauge and Rainfall Sensor

A rain gauge measures precipitation. It does not measure atmospheric water vapor; atmospheric humidity is measured by a humidity sensor.

The NBL-W-RS tipping bucket rain gauge can measure accumulated liquid precipitation and provide the data required to calculate rainfall intensity.

View NBL-W-RS Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge →

5. Solar Radiation Sensors

A solar radiation sensor or pyranometer measures solar irradiance, normally expressed in W/m². Solar radiation data is useful in agriculture, evapotranspiration analysis, photovoltaic monitoring and environmental research.

Solar irradiance should not be confused with illuminance. A pyranometer measures radiation power, while an illuminance sensor measures visible light according to human visual response.

View Solar Radiation Sensors →

6. PAR Sensors

A PAR sensor measures photosynthetically active radiation used by plants for photosynthesis. It is particularly useful in greenhouses, crop research and controlled-environment agriculture.

View PAR Sensor →

7. Illuminance Sensors

An illuminance sensor measures visible-light intensity in lux. It can be used in agriculture, greenhouses, buildings and environmental monitoring when illuminance rather than solar irradiance is required.

View Illuminance Sensor →

8. Integrated Ultrasonic Weather Sensors

Integrated ultrasonic weather sensors combine multiple meteorological measurements into one compact housing. They reduce the number of separate sensors, mounting brackets and external cables required at the monitoring site.

Available configurations can include wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, illumination and electronic rainfall measurement.

Integrated sensors are useful for compact IoT stations, distributed monitoring networks and installations where mechanical wind-sensor maintenance should be minimized.

View 6-in-1 Ultrasonic Sensor →  |  View 7-in-1 Ultrasonic Sensor →

9. Environmental Sensors

A weather monitoring system can also include additional environmental sensors when meteorological measurements need to be analysed together with local air-quality or visibility data.

These sensors are optional additions. They should be selected only when required by the project and should not be treated as mandatory components of every automatic weather station.

10. Soil Sensors for Agricultural Weather Stations

Agricultural weather stations can also connect to soil sensors to monitor root-zone conditions. Typical measurements include soil temperature, moisture and electrical conductivity.

Soil sensors are not meteorological sensors, but integrating them with weather data can provide a more complete view of crop water conditions.

For example:

Rainfall + Solar Radiation + Air Temperature + Soil Moisture → More Complete Irrigation Information

11. Data Loggers and IoT Communication

A data logger collects measurements from the sensors and is the central acquisition device in a modular weather station.

Depending on the selected model, the logger or gateway can:

• Read RS485 Modbus sensors

• Read analog or pulse inputs

• Add timestamps

• Store measurements locally

• Upload data through 4G, Ethernet or Wi-Fi

• Transmit data through MQTT, HTTP or TCP

• Connect to a NiuBoL platform or customer-owned server

View Data Loggers and IoT Communication Devices →

RS485 Modbus Weather Station Products

RS485 Modbus RTU is widely used in industrial weather-monitoring systems because several compatible sensors can share one communication bus.

Weather Sensors → RS485 Modbus → Data Logger → 4G / Ethernet → MQTT / HTTP → Cloud or Private Server

For a multi-sensor RS485 network:

• Assign a unique Modbus address to each sensor.

• Connect RS485 A and B correctly.

• Use twisted-pair cable for communication.

• Prefer daisy-chain wiring where practical.

• Consider DC voltage drop over long cable runs.

• Use termination when required by the network length and communication conditions.

Modular vs Integrated Weather Station Products

Neither design is universally better. Selection should be based on required parameters, serviceability, installation conditions, project budget and measurement requirements.

Solar-Powered Weather Stations

Remote weather stations can operate from a solar panel and rechargeable battery when grid power is unavailable.

A typical solar power system includes:

• Solar panel

• Rechargeable battery

• Charge controller

• Power distribution equipment

• Protection components

• Solar-panel mounting bracket

The panel and battery should be sized according to actual sensor, data logger and communication power consumption, local solar conditions, reporting interval and required backup autonomy. One fixed solar configuration should not be applied to every project.

Weather Station Product Applications

How to Choose Weather Station Products

A weather station should be configured from the monitoring objective backward. Before requesting a quotation, confirm:

• Application: agriculture, hydrology, environment, solar energy, research, industry or another use

• Measured parameters: exactly which environmental conditions need to be monitored

• Measurement requirements: range, resolution and required accuracy

• Number of stations: one monitoring location or a distributed network

• Sensor output: RS485, analog, pulse or another interface

• Communication: 4G, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, LoRaWAN or local storage

• Power supply: mains, DC or solar + battery

• Mounting: pole height, brackets, enclosure and foundation

• Cable length: distance between sensors and data logger

• Data interval: sampling and upload frequency

• Server: supplier platform or customer-owned server

• Protocol: MQTT, HTTP, TCP, API or another integration method

Weather Station Products FAQ

Q1. What products are included in an automatic weather station?

A1. A typical automatic weather station includes meteorological sensors, a data logger, communication equipment, power supply, enclosure, mounting pole and software or server integration.

Q2. What are the main weather sensors?

A2. Common meteorological measurements include air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall and solar radiation.

Q3. Does a rain gauge measure humidity?

A3. No. A rain gauge measures precipitation. Relative humidity is measured by an air-humidity sensor.

Q4. Can weather sensors use RS485 Modbus?

A4. Yes. Many NiuBoL weather sensors are available with RS485 Modbus RTU for connection to compatible data loggers, PLCs and RTUs.

Q5. Can several weather sensors share one RS485 bus?

A5. Yes. Compatible Modbus sensors can share one RS485 bus when each device has a unique address and the wiring, power supply and termination are designed correctly.

Q6. What is the difference between a modular and an integrated weather station?

A6. A modular station uses separate sensors and provides more configuration flexibility. An integrated weather sensor combines several parameters in one compact housing and generally requires less wiring.

Q7. Can a weather station use solar power?

A7. Yes. Remote weather stations can use a solar panel, rechargeable battery and charge controller. Capacity should be calculated according to system power consumption and local solar conditions.

Q8. Can weather data be uploaded through 4G?

A8. Yes. A compatible data logger or IoT gateway can upload measurements through a cellular network.

Q9. Can weather station data be sent to our own server?

A9. Yes, when a compatible logger or gateway is selected. MQTT, HTTP, TCP, authentication, payload format and reporting interval should be confirmed before ordering.

Q10. Can soil sensors be added to a weather station?

A10. Yes. Agricultural monitoring systems can combine weather sensors with compatible soil temperature, moisture, EC and other soil sensors.

Q11. Which is better: cup wind sensors or ultrasonic wind sensors?

A11. Cup and vane sensors are mature and economical for modular stations. Ultrasonic sensors avoid conventional rotating wind-measurement parts and provide a compact integrated solution. Selection depends on project requirements.

Q12. What information is needed for a weather station quotation?

A12. Provide the required parameters, station quantity, installation country, required accuracy, communication method, power supply, cable lengths, pole requirements and whether data must be sent to a cloud platform or private server

Weather Station Products from NiuBoL

NiuBoL provides individual weather sensors, automatic weather stations, ultrasonic integrated sensors, rain gauges, radiation sensors, environmental sensors, data loggers and IoT communication equipment for agricultural, meteorological, hydrological, environmental and industrial monitoring projects.

For a project quotation, provide the required measurement parameters, station quantity, installation location, communication method, available power supply, cable length, pole requirements and server-integration requirements.

View Automatic Weather Stations →  |  View Data Loggers →