Hi Guys, now that Apple has acquired Darksky and shutting down Android/API just wondering what is the future of the DarkSky plugin. I use it to control my hot-water cylinder (along with other conditions from my Tesla Powerwall battery, solar production, etc.). I like the cloud-cover parameter a lot which helps in estimation of the solar generation and plan controlling loads. Now if this plugin ceases to work, what other alternative is available? Any thoughts? Cheers, Pranay
The Met Office has an good api’s
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I’ve gone through so many weather api’s over the last few years I’ve all but given up on them. All they do is build up a large user base which they can pitch to the big guys for a big fat profit and bang goes the free access.
Are you using the weather forecast or just current local conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.)?
If you’re just using current conditions – for a while I was using data from an Aeon 6-in-1 multisensor mounted outside on my back patio to provide current conditions that I’d use in my logic in the Vera.
I’ve since purchased a simple weather station and wrote some Lua code to read data from it, and retired the multisensor.
Thanks for the suggestion. Looks like most data is for UK, and limited support for New Zealand. Also, struggling to find either irradiance forecast or cloud cover forecast for NZ.
Agree. However, I see the point why the guys have sold their company, they have operated over years without much cash inflow… at some point they needed to make some money. The unfortunate part for this one though is it was bought over by Apple whose business strategy is always “System locking”. If it were Google/Alphabet, it might have been a different outcome. I guess Apple approached them earlier than Google.
I am using weather forecast, especially the cloudcover info, running several conditions using reactor, so say if tomorrow is going to be very cloudy (cloudcover>70) switch on hotwater cylinder today, if today cloud cover>70 but tomorrow cloudcover<20, then wait until tomorrow.
I too have the Aeon ZW100 throughout the house used for lighting, ventilation control, HVAC control, security and so on, but not controlling Hot water cylinder, or garden irrigation system.
Can I please ask what weather station are you using? and does it forecast irradiance/cloudcover?
FYI, I just found this site today (https://toolkit.solcast.com.au/) that offers free API and seems like it can do exactly what I want to do - predict irradiance or solar generation. See below:
I guess all I need to do is get this integrated to sitesensor until these guys too sell off (or stop the free API).
Hi,
The big four truly gobble up anything that can be any form of competition. Quite a bad development imo. I see the API will continue to work for one more year, but no new subscribers so hang on to your keys.
I guess It is time for a more modular approach that can support multiple weather providers. One more to do I suppose.
Thanks Apple, back in the Apple II, Lisa and first Mac times I liked you.
Cheers Rene
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Looks like you’re covered then!
My weather station itself doesn’t do any forecasting, just current conditions. It’s an Ambient Weather WS-1401-IP, configured with just the outdoor sensor package and the Observer IP (has Ethernet interface to home network), and I added a PM 2.5 sensor (air quality). I didn’t buy their weather display panel since I just added weather data to my Imperihome tablet display.
It does measure solar irradiance in visible and UV, but not cloud cover directly. I do a sunny/cloudy determination as part of my window covering control using a couple of light sensors I have outdoors. I don’t need % cloud cover – just “is the sun shining right now?”.
If you did want to buy your own cloud cover sensor, they are made for use by astronomers and weather fanatics.
Yes but it will probably go the same route as WU. They killed off all old keys eventually. The only long term solution imo is to build your own local weather station. Real local conditions and not data from some random location.
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Email from DarkSky today:
Hi there,
We have some important news to share: Dark Sky has joined Apple. You can read more here: https://blog.darksky.net.
The self-service API for existing customers is not changing today, but we will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2021.
Use of the API service is subject to the updated Dark Sky Terms and Conditions, including the Apple Privacy Policy (“Terms”). By continuing to use the API service, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms.
If you have any questions, please contact us at developer@darksky.net.
- The Dark Sky Team
Agree, its hard to find an open source alternative, and of course limitations that come with it.
I use a plugin called IP Site Sensor and in the settings the Request URL is simply
http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?zip=97138&APPID=****
It returns the temp and humidity and whether its raining or not
There’s a few response value expressions you have to add. Somewhere on this forum there’s a post on how to set this up.
PSYCH I bet you thought I put my actual key in that post, har har I hope you tried it and it blew up on you. Don’t assume stupidity!
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Yes, LULZ, clicking your link broke the Interwebz (invalid Key, bishes!) and crashed my Vera. Had to throw her in the trash and extinguish the fire. So much smoke!
(Ironically, I then was forced to exclude Vera from my kitchen… ha ha)
Thanks for putting me out of my misery … and brightening my day. 
- Libra
P.S. For help parsing the returned OWM data, read the thread… New Plugin: SiteSensor - #252 by rigpapa - General Plugin Discussion - Ezlo Community
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Well, apparently 3 people already clicked on the link… before you edited it… Three veras put out of misery? 
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Pshaw, so easy ta fool ta yung whippersnappers! Whall back in MY day we didn’t have no APIese and no JSON’s, we had Jason in de barn and de wether rope! Whan de rope was dry it was sunny - whan de rope was wet it was rainin. And whan de rope was a swingin it was windy!
And we tied da rope to our PDP11’s and we used Terminals! Yep, green screen all ta way! Dats how WE computerized ta weather!
And we LIKED it!
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