Wind & Weather: Weather Direct Forecast Station {Review & Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, hendy!}

Around here, you never know what the weather is going to be like. Even if it is 85° and sunny today, it might be overcast and 60° tomorrow. There's nothing wrong with a little variety, it's just that it makes it slightly difficult to plan ahead for which days are best to play at the park versus staying inside at the library without having to turn on the television or computer all of the time to check. Where's my personal weatherperson when I need one?

Actually, the answer to that is right here. No need to go search for an updated forecast when I have the Weather Direct Basic from Wind & Weather to turn anyone, and I mean anyone, into a weatherperson.

A satellite-assisted, internet-powered weather station, the Weather Direct Basic gives you the ability to have up-to-the-date forecasts at any time that are customized just for your area. By plugging the transmitter into your high-speed DSL or cable router, weather information can be sent to the display in any room of your house all without any wires or cords to get tangled. For an even more personal report, set up the additional sensor in your yard and you can have the accurate outdoor temperature at the press of a button.

When I pulled the Weather Direct Basic out of the box, I was first struck by its great size. Measuring a total of 6 x 6", this isn't large bulky gadget that is going to stick out in a room nor is it so tiny that you have to be inches from it in order to read the display. Looking further into the box, I was glad to see the small number of parts and pieces that come with it. How hard could setup be when it just needed to be plugged in and turned on?

The answer: easy. With a brief introduction in the instruction manual, I was directed to the Weather Direct website to follow the clear, easy-to-follow steps that were laid out there.

After connecting the Gateway receiver to our router (which can be purchased right on Wind & Weather if you don't already have one) and plugging it in, I headed to my computer to register my Weather Direct Basic. Entering in my information was simple and I was able to choose my state, county and then city (there are 60,000 across the U.S. and Canada to choose from) to create my account.

From there, I simply followed along for another few minutes and selected the options that would make this work best for us. I was happy with how easy the entire setup process was, as the illustrations were extremely clear and showed everything from where to find the serial number to how the gateway should be positioned to where to find the port to connect the cable. For more help, there are even instructional videos available for complete visual assistance.

After just a short time (and a few batteries), the Weather Direct Basic display was on and running and all of the options I had customized had appeared on the screen. Across the top I can easily see today's forecast, including the day's high and low, as well as the time and choice of date, seconds or indoor temperature (which can be changed with the press of a button).

In the middle, the next three days are shown as well as their predicted high and low temperature and images that are clear enough that a 3-year-old can read them. "Today it's sunny," Big Sister E will say, "and tomorrow rain. And then more rain. And then clouds." I think I see a future career here, no?

The bottom line of the display scrolls through more detailed information about the 4-day forecast as well as sunrise and sunset times, which I have found interesting to notice. In just the short time that we have been using the Weather Direct Basic, the sun now sets 20 minutes earlier than it did before - no wonder it seems like it is getting dark so much sooner than a few weeks ago!

Another nice feature that we are enjoying is that by setting up the outdoor sensor (which only involved finding a place to put it and screwing on the holder), I can perform my is-it-cool-enough-that-we-need-a-jacket? test without having to open the door to check. With the press of a button, the scrolling line on the bottom of the display tells me the current temperature right in my own backyard.

For a weather enthusiast or if you just want a quick and versatile way to know if you need to grab an umbrella, the Weather Direct Basic is a great weather station to have around or give as a gift. You can even customize your your forecasts to include up to five cities so that you can keep tabs on comprehensive, reliable information for the locations that matter most to you (and can be changed online at any time).

I really like that the graphics and data are easy to read and that I was able to choose which options I wanted to see. The Weather Direct Basic even lets me know when a storm warning has been issued so that we can be prepared. Now when Big Sister E wants to go outside and play, she is the one to tell me if it's a good day for it. I love convenience!

For all of the weather instruments that you could ask for and the yard and garden objects and decor to go with them, Wind & Weather has a large collection of items for your home (or that of the lucky recipient of a great gift). Plus, thanks to their generosity, one person will be able to forecast the weather in their area with ease, because...

One lucky person will win a Weather Direct Basic from Wind & Weather! ARV $69.95!

To enter to win: Visit Wind & Weather and tell me another of their innovative products that you would like to own.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you sign up for the Wind & Weather email newsletter to find out about new products, clearance sales and special promotions!
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the giveaways running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Will it be sunny or rainy? WIN a Weather Direct internet-powered weather station ($70)! @thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/aHrOaD #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and Wind & Weather.

Giveaway will end on October 8th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

A big thank you to Wind & Weather for providing a Weather Direct Basic for review as well as for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.