Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Review

Davis Instruments is one of the most reputable names in the industry, and their 6250 Vantage Vue certainly lives up to that name. Like most wireless weather stations, installing the 6250 Vantage Vue is fairly simple. It comes with a single LCD console, a particularly rugged outdoor sensor array, and a hardware mounting kit: everything you need to get up and running in no time. The 6250 Vantage Vue measures temperature (indoor and outdoor), humidity, dew point, wind direction, wind speed, rainfall, and barometric pressure.

Features

To set it apart from other weather stations, the 6250 Vantage Vue offers unique features.

Integrated Sensor Suite

Integrated Sensor Suite cases the 6250 Vantage Vue’s advanced electronics, which measure outdoor weather conditions with the utmost accuracy. This thoughtfully engineered casing is what gives the 6250 Vantage Vue the upper hand when it comes to durability. Here are some highlights about this component:

  • Frequency-hopping spread spectrum from 902 to 928 MHz. With the ability to use multiple frequencies on a whim, the transmission of this unit can reach 1000 feet; much further than an entry-level model.
  • Runs on solar power by day and its onboard super capacitor by night.
  • Includes a lithium battery for backup power.
  • A radiation shield that prevents heat buildup, helping to provide more accurate readings.
  • Temperature readings range from -40° to 65°C and relative humidity from 0 to 100%.
  • A rain gauge with a tipping spoon that empties itself automatically and has a resolution of 0.2 mm.
  • An anemometer that measures wind speed from as little as 2 to 150 MPH. The wind direction can be measured in degrees or compass points.
  • An onboard bubble level for precise positioning and better readings.

Console

The LCD console favors practicality over aesthetics. While it does not have colorful icons like many other weather stations do, its unique design allows users to view a considerable amount of information at once. The keypad, furthermore, is constructed with glow-in-dark, domed buttons for superior feel and visibility. Additional features are as follows:

  • Dimensions: 3 inches by 4.375 inches
  • Retransmit feature enables users transmit data further by 1000 feet per each additional console linked.
  • Forecast icons for various weather conditions
  • Displays date and time along with the sunrise and sunset time.
  • Outdoor temperature updates every 10 minutes while indoor temperature updates from moment to moment. Outdoor humidity updates every 50 seconds; indoor humidity every minute. You can also monitor the rise, fall and the stability of the barometric pressure.
  • Rain total and rate are updated in every 20 seconds.
  • View, compare and analyze graphs of the last 25 hours, 25 days or 25 months.
  • Wind speed is updated in every 2.5 seconds providing the average in 2 to 10 minutes intervals. It can be displayed in miles per hour, kilometers per hour, meters per second or knots.
  • Moon phase feature displays all eight moon phases, starting from new moon to full moon.
  • Other weather variables, like heat index and wind chill, are updated every 10 seconds.
  • 22 different alarm tones to set warning alerts for storms, heavy rain, floods, extreme freezing temperatures and much more.

Expansion Capability

An additional feature that sets the 6250 Vantage Vue apart is its radio compatibility with the Vantage Pro2, which is Davis Instrument’s flagship weather station. Having this capability allows users to create a network of weather stations instead of just being limiting to one. Therefore, should you decide to upgrade to the Vantage Pro2 in the future, your 6250 Vantage Vue could combined with it. This makes the Vantage Vue 6250 a sound investment for weather enthusiasts who may decide to expand on their hobby later down the road.

Potential Drawbacks

Although the Vantage Vue 6250 is a solid piece of technology, there are some aspects to consider before deciding if it’s right for you. One consideration is this: the rain gauge bucket might not lose all their water in the tipping process, which means the rain data could be slightly off. Another possible downside is that very strong winds have the potential to blow water out of the rain gauge bucket, which would also result in an inaccurate reading. These issues are not very common, however.

As for reliability, the Vantage Vue 6250 might miss a few transmissions here and there since it is a wireless unit. Although the difference is nominal, wired units do have a tendency to be more accurate. Lastly, while solar power is most definitely a plus, it can be unreliable during times of low light. For this, the unit has a lithium battery as backup. It too, however, can run low at times. Thus, it would be wise to closely monitor the power levels of the Integrated Sensor Suite, especially during the winter months when sunlight is not as abundant.

Conclusion

All in all, the 6250 Vantage Vue Wireless Weather Station is one of the most precise and reliable weather stations available in its price tier. It might not be the cheapest weather station, but it is well worth the investment if its capabilities fit your needs. Besides, when you buy a weather station from a name like Davis Instruments, you can be sure that you’re making a solid investment.

12 thoughts on “Davis Instruments 6250 Vantage Vue Review”

  1. Well the only issue I have with this is price, I think not only for me but anyone withing my region may feel like it’s pricey.

    Reply
  2. Another disadvantage is you need to buy ADDITIONAL hardware in order to make your data available to your computer OR publish to, say Weather Underground.

    Reply
  3. Purchased this unit in 2016. It appeared to be a quality product but we have had several problems to date. First let me say that we live in Florida – the land of almost constant sunshine. The unit is solar powered but it does not recharge the battery. So even though we have almost constant sunshine the battery needs to be replaced about every 9 months. This means taking it down from the flagpole that we have it mounted on and replacing the battery. Not an impossible task but why doesn’t the unit recharge a rechargeable battery??? Now, about a year and one half after installation, the unit went through hurricane Irma with winds in this area about 70 mph. While the flagpole did withstand the storm with only a slight bow (we are replacing the flagpole with a stronger unit) the Davis Vue wind meter did not! The unit on the pole is in tact but the wind indicator only moves in a stronger wind. It apparently does not turn as freely as it did. I contacted technical support and, while they were very nice, they stated that the wind indicator “never fails”. So, even though it was less than a year and one half old they wanted $30+ for a replacement module, which I would have to install or they would repair the unit for $100 plus shipping!! This was very disappointing. There are cheaper units on the market and for this price the battery should be recharged by the solar panel and they should stand behind their product!!

    Reply
  4. If have this unit and it is fantastic as a standalone unit. It seems that Davis forgot about connecting to the internet as the adapter they use has terrible reviews. Also, it has a battery which seems to not recharge, even with a south facing solar panel. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Buy something different like I am. My Vantage Vue has started having problems again and this is the third time. The first time I had to send it in to have the complete ‘octopus’ (as they called it) replaced. Now the super cap is not holding enough charge to last through the night and I live in San Diego where it is always sunny.

      Reply
  5. I live at 8100 feet in the foothills of the Rockies. Is there a home unit that will record barometric pressure changes reliably at that altitude?

    Charlie

    Reply
  6. This system is not quite as advertised.
    I bought the system and put it through the tests using known accurate standards.
    I compared temperatures, humidity, rain accumulations, etc.
    I could not measure the wind velocity because of not having another standard.
    Relative humidity varies from location to location and is always changing so it wasn’t important to me.
    Temperature was compared with a known standard and I had to adjust the console slightly to agree with my standard.
    Rain accumulation was a real problem. I used a very accurate standard (The Stratus professional rain gauge) as recommended by as Davis Instruments support person. I kept recalibrating the console to agree with the Stratus rain gauge. The gauge was put directly next to the Vantage Vue ISS and readings were taken only with straight down periods of (no wind) rain. For a long while I believed the console was giving me bad readings. However, this could not be true because once set with a particular calibration number, it could not change. I then considered the method of rain collection in the Vantage Vue. It uses a mechanical tipping spoon. When a certain amount of rain fills the spoon, it tips and dumps the rain, then comes back level for more water. I wondered how fast the tipping spoon could react to a heavy downpour? I sent my last email to Davis Support and received the reply I suspected. “Under heavy rain it will under report”. The mechanical tipping spoon cannot react fast enough to fast water through the funnel.
    When I thought it was not reporting enough rain, I would adjust the console. Then when the rain was light, the console would over report, because I had compensated for the heavy rain on the last rainfall.
    Back and forth until gave up on believing the Vantage Vue was accurate.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.