I like to keep up with the weather, especially some of the extremes here in Alaska.  But this new device is as much a current weather display, as it is a five day forecast tool.  It doesn’t require any sensors, and runs on battery or AC via a small wall wart.  (More in a minute on that…

So without any sensors, how does it know the weather, temperature, and more so the forecast.  The packaging indicates “wireless” and specifies coverage areas in all fifty states.  So how do they do it?  My first thought was 802.11 wi-fi, but that quickly didn’t make sense, as not everyone has broadband access, or wi-fi connectivity in their home.  The next thought was cellular, similar to the way the Amazon Kindle works.  The ability to update the information on that device doesn’t require a subscription and operates on the CDMA cellular network.  There is no recurring fee, and it’s “free” as long as you don’t utilize web surfing, or other premium services.  So, is that how the Ambient device works?  No.

The technology folks at Ambient have figured out how to deliver data, in as little as one byte.  They utilize a very efficient technology based on the Flex paging protocols.  Initially the devices are one-way receivers, but apparently there is no limit by using two-way paging technology.

Using the device

I quickly removed the device from the packaging and loaded four AAA batteries (not included.)  The device went through a diagnostic and within a minute displayed a message that defaulted the location to somewhere in the Lower 48.  I selected “Anchorage” from the list of supported cities and a message was displayed that said it would acquire a signal and be operational within an hour.  So, about three to four minutes later, as I was scanning the manual, I noticed it was coming “alive.”  Signal strength showed excellent, and it soon displayed the current day’s high and low temp, a weather icon showing sunshine, the current temp, and the forecast for the next four days!

The only thing, the time was defaulted to midnight, with the correct minute showing.  I noticed a small “Time zone” button on the back of the unit.  It wasn’t necessarily intuitive, but working between the three buttons on the device, I was able to select my Alaska TZ.

Further reading of the manual mentioned a backlit display that is color coded to the temperature.  I unpacked the AC adapter and plugged it in.  It immediately illuminated the display in a bright green.  I’m not sure if this is totally accurate, since the temperature was displayed in the low 70′s and falling.  Green indicates temps in the 60s.  We will have to wait and see when the temperate fluctuates to see how that works.  I also don’t know if there is a way to dim the backlight.  It would be too bright in a bedroom, but is certainly easy to see and improves the contrast of the (already fine) LCD display.

Overall, I’m really impressed.  Not only with the technology behind the device, but also the device itself and it’s functionality.  I’m lucky to live within supported nationwide 900MHz paging network.  I’m not sure how the device would work in a fringe area, and of course, it wouldn’t work at all in those areas without nationwide paging coverage.  The unit uses AccuWeather as the basis of their forecasting.  In my area, they seem to do a good job (as good as any) forecasting the weather.  I’ve seen worse on the Internet or my iPhone.  Another plus is there are no subscription fees.   Overall the unit seems to offer a lot of functionality in a small package.

Thanks, Dad!