ECOWITT GW1100 WiFi Gateway for Weather Station, Temp Humidity Barometer

I bought this because it seems to be one of the only devices that can be accessed from a computer rather than only a phone app, and even if internet service is interrupted. This tiny device (about 1x2 inches) connects via wifi and serves up a web page on my LAN with the entire interface for setup and viewing. I can view it on my phone, too, of course. I have my own custom-built monitoring software (yes I'm a nerd) and I can still access data simply, through the web page interface, and record data even during network outages or even power outages, since my system is on a UPS. The GW1100 has a built in thermometer, but I also bought the WH31 915MHz wireless thermometer module. Setting up the GW1100 and the WH31 was easy. I do have quite a bit of experience, but the setup process was clear and understandable and worked first try. I registered with ECOWITT during setup but I think that wasn't really necessary. The $20 price tag is VERY reasonable. The WH31 was only $16. I've been trying to get similar $35 Ambient add on thermometers to work with my Ambient weather stations' ObserverIP network interface, but even though the ObserverIP serves up a similar LAN accessible web page it refuses to show additional devices on it's web page and requires going through Ambient or Weather Underground servers. Interestingly, the GW1100 also found my Ambient weather station, and will display all of its data. I hesitated to try this product, as it looked too good to be true. But it was true. It does happen once in a while! It's a pleasure to write a positive review about an excellent product.

I have tried sooooo many moisture meters from really cheap crap with double metal rods that show light intensity, moisture, and soil pH which is always inaccurate, single metal rod by XLUX company and those are reliable and very accurate but you have to poke the soil in multiple places which damages roots, also used the Blumat $90 meter which is way overpriced and it only shows the moisture without any graph 📈 or remote Bluetooth or Wi-Fi capabilities, and bunch of other ones that were always showing wrong readings until someone told me to try these Ecowitt WH51 and WH51L sensors. The WH51 model is great and shows moisture levels from the top 7 inches of soil which is great for all types of pots up to 7 to 10 gallons. The beauty about this Wi-Fi Gateway is that you have access to the data from anywhere in the world and it comes with graphs that show previous readings that you can compare and dial in your watering habits for better performance. You can add up to 8 devices per each GW1100 Wi-Fi Gateway and it comes with an app as well as their website and you can set up alerts to come in through the app as well as get an email when soil goes below your indicated level which is very very useful. Now when it comes to raised beds and 20 gallon containers I have to purchase the WH51L model which comes with a probe attached to 1 meter long cable which allows you to use them in deep pots/beds/containers and they can also be connected to the same Wi-Fi Gateway. Both models are very accurate. The Wi-Fi gateway also has a temperature and humidity and pressure sensor which gives you readings of the room where the sensor is located. I plugged mine in inside my grow room next to my grow tents to monitor the temperature and humidity inside that room to make sure my grow tents are in an optimal environment. I can't say enough good things about Ecowitt. Customer service is very helpful and very responsive. The only thing I did not like is that they are based in China and you can't really call them and the only method of communication is via email but like I said they are very helpful and responsive. If you haven't tried this company yet then don't waste your money on anything else and do yourself a favor get this Wi-Fi gateway along with the moisture meters and anything else you might need because you won't be disappointed. I will surprised that they are so inexpensive and work so great. I mean when comparing to the Blumat meter that cost $90 it's like comparing apples to oranges because for $90 it should be able to do more, at least have remote capability but it doesn't even have that option. In my opinion it's extremely overpriced and these Ecowitt devices without a doubt are blowing away Blumat meters. I hope this helps.

I was able to connect the GW1100 gateway after some difficulty using an iPhone 11 and a Nighthawk R7000P router setup with 2.4G and 5G Wi-Fi channels/connections. I initially followed the “recommended” (Method B) from the quick start GW1100 guide: downloaded the ecowitt app to iPhone and established an account using email and a password. Followed the startup instructions from the app and I could see the gateway under the iPhone Settings/Wi-Fi panel but couldn’t get the gateway to connect to our wirelesss network. I plugged the gateway into a USB powered multi-hub using the ecowitt supplied USB cable to the hub and a second USB lightening cable from the hub to the iPhone and was able to click and connect with the gateway in the iPhone Settings/Wi-Fi panel. Went back to the ecowitt app and it was able to advance to next steps- entered name of my local 2.4G network and password. The app screen began downloading data from a WH51 soil moisture sensor that I had installed a battery into. It also downloaded some of the data from our Ambient WS-2000 Weather station: Outdoor Temp & Humidity, Solar and UV, Wind, Barometric Pressure, and Temp and Humidity from a primary and secondary Ambient probe. The ecowitt app did not download rain data from the Ambient RS-2000. I then sequentially installed batteries into three additional ecowitt WH51 watering probes (positive pole towards bottom, red light comes on and then flashes) and they automatically connected with the gateway with no additional setup. Each one measured 0% humidity in air, and between 98-100% humidity when placed in a glass of water. We used a second iPhone and downloaded the ecowitt app and after logging in with the previously established account name and password, it connected with the gateway and provided realtime data. I couldn’t get Ambient WS-2000 display to connect and show the humidity data from the ecowitt WH51 probes. The reason I purchased the ecowitt GW1100 gateway and WH51 humidity probes is because the Ambient watering probes have such terrible reviews- complaints of slowness and inaccuracy. I did a quick check of the four WH51 probes using two different clay pots containing a fast draining cactus soil mix and freshly watered. The probes were inserted completely into the soil (to the green housing) and allowed to come to equilibrium for 40 minutes in pot 1 before measurements were recorded. The 4 probes were then transferred to pot 2 for 5 minutes before taking additional readings. The readings in pot 2 at 5 minutes were stable for an additional 45 minutes. The probes seem to be doing what I wanted and look fairly consistent- the small differences between probes are probably due to inconsistences in the soil humidity or composition in different areas of the pots. The app data is very easy to read (compared to the setup instructions). So I give this product 4 stars minus 1 star for difficulty in connecting the gateway to our internet. And the ecowitt instructions really suck so hopefully those listed here will help a few folks. And maybe Ecowitt will send me 4 additional WH51 probes for assisting them? Humidity in pot 1 after 40 minutes: CH1. 40% CH2. 36% CH3. 40% CH4. 32% Humidity in pot 2 after 5 and 45 minutes: CH1. 26 CH2. 29 CH3. 26 CH4. 30

The GW1000 Sensor Gateway arrived as scheduled and packaged extremely well. I initially bought the gateway and a soil moisture sensor to try out the system and I wasn’t disappointed. After plugging the Gateway into a USB outlet and following directions the gateway attached to my Wi-Fi network with no problems. Now for the soil sensor. Inserted a AA battery, attached the cap and waterproof cover and set the blade portion of the sensor into a glass of water. After downloading and starting up the Ecowitt app I registered the soil moisture sensor which started sending information and showed a soil moisture of 96%. Determining the soil moisture for potted plants was the initial mission for this setup. This was easy, just slide the blade of the soil sensor into the soil in a hanging pot and in a few minutes the sensor was showing a soil moisture of 28%. Since it was watering time I watered the hanging pot and in a minute or two the soil moisture level went to 58 %. Looking good! I watched the app for several days noting the reported falling soil moisture as the pot dried over the course of time. Optimal soil moistures for different types of plants can be found online fairly easily. After about a week I felt secure in ordering more soil moisture sensors as well as a water leak and temperature and humidity outdoor sensor. Having a set of different sensors around my yard helps with determine adequate watering while not over or under watering as well as not wasting water. The system is working well with the single sensor while I’m waiting for the additional sensors I ordered to arrive. Moreover alert levels can be set which generate an email if that alert level is met. I’ve looked for awhile to find an affordable and operable system to monitor the watering and temperature for my yard. Future plan is to integrate the Ecowitt sensor and gateway system to control the watering of inground as well as potted plants. I have a rainwater capture setup using IBC totes as water storage along with a pump to facilitate watering. I envision using the Ecowitt sensors to determine optimal watering times and amount. Overall pleased, so far, with the system. The AA battery in the moisture sensor has been working several weeks with no decline in voltage. Yes, the battery level is monitored by the app. I purchased the additional sensors direct from Ecowitt. The price is lower but there is shipping costs as well as a time factor since the devices have to come from mainland China. I will update this review after the additional sensors arrive.

I couldn’t be happier with the Ecowitt GW1100. What really stands out is how simple it is to set up and use. Within minutes of unboxing, I had it connected to my Wi-Fi and syncing perfectly with my sensors. The intuitive interface makes it easy to monitor all the data without any steep learning curve. Unlike other weather gateways that can feel clunky or overcomplicated, the GW1100 is refreshingly straightforward — just plug it in, follow a few basic steps, and you’re ready to go. If you’re looking for a reliable, no-fuss gateway that just works, the Ecowitt GW1100 is an excellent choice.

Have 3 systems at different locations set up with this gateway or the earlier model (GW1000), combined with Ecowitt temperature, humidity, solar, wind, rain, PM2.5 and soil moisture sensors. Also have two HP3500 readouts and one WN1910 weather station. In 4 years of experience all devices have been very reliable, the sensors are easy to connect up, and have a long range. Compared to prior experience with Oregon Scientific products, the devices are hassle free. Getting the Gateways to connect to the local WiFi can require several tries, but once running they are stable. I had two older-model WH41 PM sensors that died to to a circuit-board failure, and Ecowitt, for no charge, sent me replacement boards that allowed me to fix them and save the cost of buying the newer model. Great products and customer service!

I put this in my attic to monitor Houston heat and humidity. The associated app which I run from my recliner charts the data. I. Works great.

I haven't even powered this up yet, but I just had to comment. This thing (and it's not in any of the pictures) has a fixed male USB plug jutting out at a right angle from the bottom of the back of the unit. And it's not a flip-out. This is just waiting to be sheared off. This has got to be the clumsiest arrangement possible. So I have to find a right-angle female USB cable or plug? --if that even exists? What if I want to mount it on a backboard? Oh, so I get a wall wart USB cube and insert into that? That sure looks nice and neat. How difficult would it have been to just provide a plain female USB port on the bottom edge?

Excellent. Very accurate.

This is better that the original unit. Though I never had an issue with the original. Distances to sensors and my base wifi hub works well 150 feet to the sensors and 40 feet from unit to wifi hub.

Super quick to set up and extremely great value for money.

Set it up in home assistant about 6 months ago, easy and no issues.

The product is good. It has good support. The only problem I have is that if you restart your wifi router then this weather hub needs to be restarted as well because is going to lost connection. In my case, my router is scheduled to reboot some nights at midnight then the weather hub lost its connection until I reset it in the morning.