NEXRAD, Cirrus, and ESPHome: The Battle for Dominating Weather Data in Home Assistant
For Android weather, Cirrus is pushing hard due to its widget integration and GPL-3.0 status. For self-hosted monitoring, the tech is complex, involving stacks like ESP32 running ESPHome feeding data into Home Assistant.
Users are split on the DIY vs. commercial approach for weather hardware. Some experts like digdilem and JelleWho detail successful, purely open-source hardware builds using anenometers and gauges wired via ESPHome. Conversely, others mention commercial options like Ecowitt for their durability, even if they aren't fully FOSS. Meanwhile, the bleeding edge for deep monitoring involves jury-rigging a USB SDR setup to pull raw data from external sources like 'zelifcam'. On the app front, Supercell Wx gets top marks for visualizing complex NEXRAD data, while bad1080 complains that map-like rain radar views are almost impossible to find in any single app.
The consensus points toward a dual reality: for mobile use, Cirrus or Quickweather are the current go-to apps, though map-level radar remains a weakness. For technical enthusiasts, the fight is between proving pure DIY stacks (ESP32/ESPHome) versus accepting reliable, closed-source gear. The only thing clear is that raw, granular data requires advanced, multi-component hardware linking into Home Assistant.
Key Points
Cirrus is a top recommendation for Android weather apps.
mike_wooskey specifically backed Cirrus, noting its widget function and GPL-3.0 license.
The ideal weather app needs map-like radar visualization.
bad1080 stated this combination (map/radar) is difficult to find in current apps.
Purely open-source DIY hardware is achievable.
digdilem and JelleWho detailed successful setups using anenometers, rain gauges, and ESP32/ESPHome into Home Assistant.
Commercial hardware works but isn't fully FOSS.
The analysis notes that commercial units like Ecowitt integrate well with Home Assistant despite not being FOSS.
Advanced monitoring uses SDR for deep data acquisition.
The most complex method involves linking a USB SDR with services like Home Assistant for area station data ('zelifcam').
Supercell Wx is noted for advanced NEXRAD visualization.
andybytes highly recommended Supercell Wx as a free, open-source AppImage for visualizing NEXRAD Level 2/3 data.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.