Why do I need a weather station in the system?
Weather data is the foundation of everything in VineyardElf:
- Disease models need temperature and humidity
- Frost protection requires accurate readings
- Alerts depend on current conditions
You can connect your own Ecowitt station or use online data - pick whatever works for you!
What are my options?
Option 1: Ecowitt station (recommended)
Got an Ecowitt station? Great! Connect it to VineyardElf:
- When creating a Weather Station, choose Ecowitt
- Enter the Application Key and API Key from the Ecowitt console
- The system will fetch the data automatically
How do I get Ecowitt keys?
- Log in at ecowitt.net
- Go to Settings > API Keys
- Generate new keys
Option 2: Shelly thermometer
Got a Shelly sensor (e.g. Shelly H&T)? You can use it too:
- When creating a Weather Station, choose Shelly
- Enter the device’s IP address on your local network
- The system will poll the sensor for temperature and humidity
Option 3: Open-Meteo data (free)
No station? We fetch weather data for your location from the internet:
- When creating a Weather Station, enter your vineyard location
- The system automatically pulls data from Open-Meteo
IMPORTANT: Online data is less accurate than a dedicated station - especially for temperature. For frost protection we recommend your own sensor!
What does the weather widget show?
On the dashboard you’ll see:
Current values:
- Air temperature
- Humidity
- Atmospheric pressure
- Wind speed and direction
- Total rainfall (today)
History - a temperature chart from recent measurements
Forecast from Open-Meteo for the coming days
Which parameters are used?
| Parameter | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Disease models, frost |
| Humidity | Fungal infection risk |
| Dew point | Frost forecasting |
| Rainfall | Downy mildew model |
| Leaf wetness | Disease models (if the station measures it) |
Tips
- Place the temperature sensor at shoot height (50-80 cm) - the temperature near the ground can be different!
- Check regularly that the station is working - the system alerts you when data is missing
- Compare with the forecast - if the values differ a lot, there may be a problem with the sensor
Problems?
No data from the Ecowitt station?
- Check that the station is online at ecowitt.net
- Verify the API Keys
- Make sure the station is sending data to the cloud
No data from Shelly?
- Check that the device is on the network
- Verify the IP address
- Check that Shelly Cloud is configured
Strange readings?
- Clean the sensors (dust, cobwebs)
- Check the batteries in wireless sensors
- Compare with another thermometer