BloomSky: the smart weather station with an outlook
2.10.2018
Translation: Eva Francis
Born three years ago as a Kickstarter project, the smart weather station with a camera and community connection is now rolling out worldwide. I put the one-eyed sphere and its network through their paces.
On 23 July 2006, only two days after the project launch, BloomSky’s Kickstarter campaign for the «world’s first community-based smart weather camera station with real-time images, time-lapse and precise weather data» had reached more than double its target of 80,000 dollars. It finished up with almost 700,000 dollars in fact. I wanted to know what the Sky2 and its Storm accessory had to offer, so I put them both to the test.
The Sky2 is the limit
BloomSky’s main element and centrepiece is the camera-equipped Sky2 weather station. Its predecessor, the Sky1, was successfully financed and manufactured through Kickstarter in 2014. The latest version has been updated after copious community feedback and now offers a Bluetooth-enabled setup, simplifying and speeding up the installation process. The UV sensor on the Sky1 has been removed and is now available in the optional Storm accessory device.
Unboxing was a fast affair, as apart from the main product – which reminds me of a futuristic cycloptic spaceship – the box holds a post for plastic assembly in two parts and a charging cable. That’s it. I was pleasantly surprised, as that’s all I wanted and needed. That said, the weather station is much bigger than I expected. It’s very solid and well designed, and it’s a good job – according to BloomSky, it will be fine out in the fresh air all year round.
A second box housed the solar panel and a third contained the wall bracket, in case you’d prefer to attach the weather station to a wall rather than driving it into the ground. The size of the solar panel also took me somewhat by surprise. Compared to the Sky2, however, the whole thing is straightforward and no longer so oversized. Once it’s fully charged, the weather station lives out in the wild and works on solar power.
Storm: a stormy affair
If you’re looking for a more accurate weather station, you’ll need the separate Storm accessory device, which measures rainfall, wind speed, wind direction and UV. However, it only works in combination with the Sky1 or Sky2. This is another thing that I thought would be smaller. On the contrary: the Storm is even bigger than the Sky2. Under the rain collection container is a small wheel that measures wind direction and speed.
The solar panel that supplies the Storm with power is much smaller than that of the Sky2. It’s understandable, as it doesn’t have to keep a HD camera going. Whereas it takes three hours to fully charge the Sky2 the first time, the extremely minimal manual states five hours for the Storm. No sooner said than done: after unboxing, both weather stations had to be fully charged before getting started.
Installed like the wind
Batteries fully charged, I could finally get it all set up. The Sky2’s three-hour charging time was a bit of an overestimation, whereas five hours wasn’t enough for the Storm. Nevertheless, both devices were good to go. First up, I had to download the BloomSky app for iOS or Android and create an account. All you need is an email address and a password, then you can add a new device.
I started with the Sky2, as the Storm needs a Sky base station. The app instructed me to fully charge it, then press and hold the power button until the WiFi LED lights up. Then, just connect your smartphone with the same WiFi network as your Sky2 (and later the Storm). The app will ask for the WiFi password and then the weather station will pair with the network. Important: the whole thing only runs on 2.4 GHz bands; 5 GHz networks are not supported. Finally, give your Sky2 a name and then it’s ready to head out into the field.
Installing the Storm was somewhat more complicated, but nothing too difficult. In the app, click on «Add new device». As the Sky2 is already connected, it will ask you again whether you wish to pair another Sky or a Storm. Select the Storm, plug the dongle provided into your router via a network cable, then into a socket with a power cable. Then, create a physical connection between the Storm and the dongle using the USB cable provided. When the Storm has been recognised, it’s ready to use. Tip: the app takes you through everything step by step – you can’t go wrong.
App in the sky
The BloomSky app is the weather station’s control centre. You can call up your current location and the live data from your Sky, and the Weather Map, which is also available on the BloomSky website, shows all users who have marked your weather station as «public» and made it accessible to the public. Of course, that’s what I did too, so you can find my Sky2 here. Nice to know: the camera turns itself off at sunset and back on at sunrise to save on battery power. Nevertheless, data is updated every hour. You can also activate the time-lapse feature, which creates a video montage of the day’s images after sunset and makes it available to share or download.
Sunny and clear
I relocated outside and, luckily, my WiFi was strong enough to reach my terrace. The gravel made placement tricky, but a wooden herb box soon provided the solution: I’d found the perfect spot for my Sky2 and Storm. Whether or not it was the perfect spot for my partner, who chose the herbs, I’ll find out later. Anyway, the solar panels seemed to work, as the corresponding LEDs showed the electricity flowing. Chapeau, BloomSky: I’ve never found a smart product so quick and easy to use.
The camera takes a photo every five minutes, so I could adjust the whole thing at even intervals. The camera and the Storm had to be correctly positioned, with the logo towards north and as level as possible. The solar panels should face south to get the maximum possible sun. I also installed six bird deterrent wires on the Storm to measure rainfall and nothing else. The BloomSky devices look like a nuclear power plant in the little herb planter, but that doesn’t bother me. As a self-confessed gadget and smartphone freak, I’m really excited. When the thing lasts several days, it can only be a good thing.
Even after more than a week, the batteries were still going – as long as you plug the solar panel into the accessory device properly, which is precisely what I didn’t do the first time. I had to fully recharge it overnight. Afterwards, though, it ran like clockwork with no dropouts. The first photos in the morning looked a little blurred until the dew had disappeared. The app was stable and smooth, and the measurements were mostly accurate – I monitored them with a standard thermometer. Only the humidity was consistently too high at the start of each day, also because of the dew. The time-lapse videos functioned smoothly and there were no connection issues with the BloomSky products. Whether the whole thing will work in freezing winter temperatures remains to be seen, though.
Verdict
The Sky2 and Storm are very impressive together. The Sky2 is bigger than it seems, solid and is exact and reliable in the vast majority of cases. Setting it up is child’s play, the fully-charged batteries last as long as they’re supposed to and are reinforced by the solar panel. There are no interruptions to the camera feed and it broadcasts in HD flawlessly. The community features are cool, nerdy and helpful. I can definitely imagine BloomSky’s products being used for research. It would be great to not only watch a time-lapse video at the end of the day, but also read detailed statistics on all your measurements.
Would I buy the Sky2 for 319 Swiss francs and the Storm for another 159? I’m a gadget geek and love smart technology, cameras and having weather stations in my own garden. On that basis: yes. Do I think the prices are fair? The pricing is definitely at the higher end of the spectrum, even for a fanboy like me. Therefore, I understand if you say a standard thermometer with an external sensor that costs 50 Swiss francs would also do the job. It would, but it would never be as much fun as with BloomSky.
Header image: It might look like an Area 51 crash site, but it's the BloomSky weather station.
Raphael Knecht
Senior Editor
raphael.knecht@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I'm not stuffing my face with sweets, you'll catch me running around in the gym hall. I’m a passionate floorball player and coach. On rainy days, I tinker with my homebuilt PCs, robots or other gadgets. Music is always my trusted companion. I also enjoy tackling hilly terrain on my road bike and criss-crossing the country on my cross-country skis.
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