Siltwell
Weather-station setup

Turn your weather station into a smart garden.

Siltwell connects to your Ecowitt, Ambient, Davis, or Tempest station and your per-bed soil sensors. It tells you exactly which beds to water and warns you about frost tuned to your own backyard. Here's what to buy if you're starting out, and how to connect a station you already own.

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Compatibility

Two things make it work.

Any station can show you the weather. For per-bed watering alerts, Siltwell needs a station that (1) supports soil-moisture sensors and (2) shares its data through an open API. Microclimate frost alerts need only the open API. That's a shorter list than the wall at the hardware store. It's why we support the brands we do.

  • EcowittSoil · YesWH51 (add one per bed)API · YesFree APISiltwell · YesSupported, best value
  • Ambient WeatherSoil · YesWH31SM (needs WS-2000/5000 console)API · YesFree APISiltwell · YesSupported
  • TempestSoil · NoNone (all-in-one)API · YesFree APISiltwell · YesSupported (weather only)
  • DavisSoil · YesWatermark (soil tension)API · YesWeatherLink v2 APISiltwell · YesSupported
  • AcuRite / La CrosseSoil · NoAPI · NoSiltwell · NoNot supported. See the open path

What to buy

The setups we recommend.

Best value, what we use

Ecowitt: the complete Siltwell setup

It's the cheapest path to everything Siltwell does, weather and per-bed soil, in one ecosystem.
  • The Ecowitt Wittboy is an all-in-one solar weather station. It ships with a display console for wind, rain, temperature, humidity, and UV, and it runs on Ecowitt's free API.
  • One or more WH51 wireless soil-moisture sensors pair straight to the Wittboy's console. Bury one at root depth in each bed you want to watch.
  • That kit covers frost alerts, rain-skip, and per-bed watering alerts, all from one Ecowitt account.
Ecowitt WittboyEcowitt WH51 soil sensor
Polished console

Ambient Weather

If you prefer Ambient's consumer-friendly console, the WS-2902 is a solid weather station for rain, wind, and temperature-driven frost alerts, on a free API. It doesn't read soil moisture, so add an Ecowitt WH51 and an Ecowitt gateway alongside it for per-bed watering alerts. The two setups run side by side.
Ambient WS-2902Ecowitt WH51 soil sensor
All-in-one weather

Tempest

A Tempest is a beautiful, zero-maintenance all-in-one. It's excellent for rain, wind, and temperature-driven frost alerts. It has no soil sensor, so pair it with an Ecowitt gateway and an Ecowitt WH51 for per-bed soil moisture. The two setups coexist happily.
TempestEcowitt WH51 soil sensor

Siltwell works with Davis stations too. The Vantage Vue is one of them.

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Setup

Connect the station you already have.

Siltwell connects through your station's own account and uses your API keys only to read. There's nothing to install. Your credentials are stored write-only. Once they're saved, we never show them again, to anyone. Pick your brand.

Ecowitt

  1. 1Sign in at ecowitt.net and confirm your gateway/console is added and reporting.
  2. 2In the API settings, generate an Application Key and an API Key.
  3. 3In Siltwell, open Settings → Weather station → Ecowitt. Paste both keys and your gateway's MAC address.
  4. 4Your sensors appear automatically. Map each soil sensor to the bed it's in.

Ambient Weather

  1. 1Sign in at ambientweather.net.
  2. 2In your account, create an API Key and note your Application Key.
  3. 3In Siltwell, open Settings → Weather station → Ambient Weather. Paste both keys and the device MAC from your dashboard.
  4. 4Map your soil sensors to beds.

Tempest

  1. 1Sign in at tempestwx.com.
  2. 2Create a Personal Access Token, and note the Station ID from your station's settings.
  3. 3In Siltwell, open Settings → Weather station → Tempest. Paste the token and your Station ID.

Tempest has no soil sensor, so you'll get weather-driven alerts. Add an Ecowitt gateway and a WH51 probe for per-bed soil moisture.

Davis WeatherLink

  1. 1Sign in at weatherlink.com and confirm your station is reporting.
  2. 2Generate a WeatherLink v2 API Key and API Secret, and note your Station ID.
  3. 3In Siltwell, open Settings → Weather station → Davis WeatherLink. Paste all three.

Davis Watermark soil sensors read soil tension in centibars, which is how hard roots must pull to get water. The number rises as the soil dries, and Siltwell alerts on it automatically. If you don't have a Watermark sensor, add an Ecowitt gateway and a WH51 for per-bed soil moisture.

What you unlock

What your station does inside Siltwell.

  • Per-bed soil-moisture alerts that tell you to water this bed and skip that one.
  • Frost warnings calibrated to your station's readings, after about 14 days of overlap with the area forecast.
  • “Your station vs. the area”, a view of your own microclimate.

All of this is part of Siltwell Pro, $22 a year (list $39). It comes with a 14-day free trial, and the founding price is locked in while you stay subscribed.

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Common questions.

You need one per bed you want to monitor. Start with your highest-value beds and add more anytime.

A gateway and a soil sensor are enough for per-bed watering alerts. A full station adds rain, wind, and temperature sensors. Siltwell then uses your own rain gauge for rain-skip, and after about 14 days it calibrates your frost alerts to your yard.

Bury it at root depth in the bed, where the roots draw their water. The WH51 is wireless and weatherproof.

You can't connect them directly. They have no soil-moisture sensor and no open API. The open path is at siltwell.com/acurite.

We store your keys write-only and use them only to read your own station. You can delete your data anytime.
Siltwell

Weather-station setup

Put your weather station to work in the garden.

Start free, then try Pro