Sorry if this is an old topic and I am just now getting back to speed…
I use this LUA to read the outside temp from a device created by the Wunderground Weather plugin:
local outside = luup.variable_get(“urn:upnp-org:serviceId:TemperatureSensor1”,“CurrentTemperature”, 20)
to get the current outside temp, which I then test.
Today the value returned is wrong, and when looking at the Wunderground Weather plugin site, it says that they are no longer providing this service and key for free.
So, what is the easiest way to get the outside temp? I have a Nest which should know that although I am unsure what the variable would be. LUA examples please!
OK, I found the MIOS Virtual Outdoor Temperature Plugin and that seems to work fine. I just had to change the device number in the LUA.
BUT, now I see that the temperature shown at the top of the UI7 screen is wrong. It shows F but even if it was C the value is wrong. The value returned by the variable_get is the same, but also wrong.
@beachboync, the plugin creates a temperature sensor with name “Outside temperature sensor” which reports the temperature retrieved by weather service.
If the temperature is wrong, navigate to “Unit Settings” tab and there setup the Weather Settings.
Here’s a SiteSensor recipe, if going that direction is an option:
Using OpenWeatherMap to Get Current Conditions
Many weather services have converted to subscription models for their APIs, so the old Vera plugins for WeatherUnderground and others now no longer work without sign-up and monthly payment to their data sources. But OpenWeatherMap.org is still free, and you can use SiteSensor to get the current weather conditions in your area. You will need to sign up to get an “APPID” (which is basically an API key), but it’s free.
Request URL: http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?zip=your-ZIP-code&APPID=your-app-id
Request Headers: none
Request Interval: 7200
Response Type: JSON data
Response Trigger: The result of an expression is true
Trip Expression: response.cod == 200
Expression 1: last(response.weather).main
Expression 2: response.name
Expression 3: round(response.main.temp * 9 / 5 - 459.97,1)
Expression 4: response.main.humidity
Expression 5: round(response.main.pressure * 0.029529988,2)
Re-Evaluate Expressions: Only immediately after requests (default)
Note that in expression 1, I’ve used the last() function, because response.weather is returned as an array. It only ever has one element that I’ve seen, so this construction quickly selects that element. There are unit conversions in expressions 3 and 5 from OpenWeatherMap.org’s published units to common US units. Expression 3 converts temperature in degrees Kelvin to Fahrenheit, and expression 5 converts pressure in millibars to inches of mercury. One could also convert the response’s temperature to Celsius using response.temp - 273.15.
In this example, I’ve set the query interval to every two hours (7200 seconds); you can use a shorter interval, but be aware of the query quota and your API agreement!
You can also adapt this recipe to here.com’s free tier RESTful API, which allows 250K queries per month.
When I saw -3 as the temp this morning I thought that the wunderground plugin had failed which started me on this journey. But to make a long story short, the temp indicated by wunderground ON THEIR WEBSITE is wrong! Other weather websites like intelicast have it correct. Some other websites that use the same source as wunderground are also bad. The temp here now is 84.
beachboync, I have had several similar occurrences with Weather Underground. I rely heavily on weather conditions & inside and outside temps to control thermostats, fans, garage door position and several other items. Living here in Florida I was surprised to get sub-zero outside temps with an associated bump in t-stat settings on more than once occasion, so I decided to purchase a weather station as my primary outside indicator. I still use WU, and actually report to it via my PWS (personal weather station) software which also seems to allow me to continue to use the API. In the WU settings page, simply enter your station ID in the location field like this: pws:KFLJACKS3188 with the pws: part in front of the ID. KFLJACKS3188 is my public address to my station.
Now that I get my weather directly from the weather station things are a lot more stable. I would highly recommend looking into purchasing one, registering it with WU and setting your station as the primary point for data. Its really easy, surprisingly affordable and much more stable. Amazon link to the station I use:
[url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T0K8MN8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T0K8MN8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url] along with a newer model with a new hub here: [url=https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-01012M-Weather-Monitoring-Compatible/dp/B074ZNJYT8/ref=dp_ob_title_home]https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-01012M-Weather-Monitoring-Compatible/dp/B074ZNJYT8/ref=dp_ob_title_home[/url]. Both work very well but the older style hub is being phased out. The newer one is more expensive but I guess you could have guessed that all on your own.
Finally, you could always piggyback onto an existing PWS. Take a look at this page, zoom into your exact location and see if there is a closeby station that would work for you/ Enter that stations PWS ID into the WU plugin settings and you’re good to go.
