Difference between revisions of "Introduction"

Latest revision as of 14:10, 9 February 2020

Meteoplug - Store and Compute Weather Data in the Cloud

Meteoplug is a cloud-based approach for logging and processing weather data from automated weather stations. The client application needs minimal storage and computing power, which allows for embedding into "computers" of minimal size and with minimal power demands down to 1 watt (depending on efficiency of power supply it can be 1-2 watts more on mains). These clients upload weather data to a server on the internet which stores it and provides a broad range of computations and services. The server application is based on a professional database and can handle hundreds of clients simultaneously. Each user has access to his private weather data and the server application acts like being a dedicated device. The server is a fully-fledged computer which consumes quite some power, but by being shared by hundreds of users this just adds another 1 watt on total power consumption per user.

Having a weather data logging and an evaluation service around the clock in the internet for just 1+1 watt per user is something that has not been possible before. In that way Meteoplug is a breakthrough in doing weather observations at a minimum environmental foot print.

Meteoplug provides support for many weather networks, can generate user-defined graphs and allows download and upload of data to and from your PC. Meteoplug is compatible with a long list of weather stations. One Meteoplug client can handle multiple weather stations simultaneously if you have more than one station at hand.

The only prerequisite to be met is that the client device is connected to a router that provides a connection to the internet. Configuration of the client can be easily done by the server application, you don't even need to know the IP nor other details of your client. After having created an account for the server application, setup is mainly done by a couple of clicks. This dead simple operation - just plug in your weather station and connect the client to your LAN - gave this solution the name "Meteoplug".

You try Meteoplug free for 30 days of usage. After that, you have to decide if you want to continue to use it. The fee for 12 months of usage is 29 Euros. As the internet server that acts as the backbone of Meteoplug generates significant monthly cost, licenses are valid for limited time. That might be seen as a disadvantage first, but please keep in mind that your investment in hardware is very low, so it might turn out to be more economical than buying and owning hardware capable of doing all the weather storage and computation yourself.

When you want to start using Meteoplug, get a Meteoplug client and start setting up your account here.

A Meteoplug forum, where users discuss setups, exchange ideas and support each other, can be found here.