Pro WeatherWeatherLink Live vs Console vs Data Logger: Davis Options
A Davis sensor suite only broadcasts — something on your end has to receive that radio signal and move the data onto the internet. Davis currently gives you three ways to do it: the WeatherLink Live hub, the WeatherLink Console (6313), and the legacy IP/USB data loggers for the old 6312 console. They differ in price, display, local access, and what happens when your internet drops, but they all end up in the same place: your WeatherLink cloud account.
What are the three ways to get Davis data into WeatherLink?
Davis currently sells two receivers — WeatherLink Live, a display-less network hub, and the WeatherLink Console 6313, a touchscreen display with Wi-Fi upload — plus legacy IP and USB data loggers that plug into the older 6312 console. All three push your station's readings into the same WeatherLink cloud account.
This choice is independent of which station you own: the Vantage Vue and Vantage Pro2 both talk to all three receivers, so if you are still weighing the hardware itself, start with the Vue vs Pro2 comparison and come back. Also worth knowing: Davis transmitters broadcast to anything listening, so you can run a WeatherLink Live and a console side by side on the same station.
What does WeatherLink Live actually do?
WeatherLink Live is a small hub that listens to up to 8 Davis transmitters (80+ individual sensors), connects over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and uploads everything to WeatherLink.com. It has no display of its own — you read your weather on the app or the web — but it is the only Davis device with a documented local API.
That local API is the headline feature for tinkerers: the hub answers HTTP requests on your LAN and broadcasts live wind and rain updates roughly every 2.5 seconds over UDP, all documented by Davis. It is how people feed CumulusMX, WeeWX, or Home Assistant without touching the cloud. The Ethernet port is the sleeper feature — Wi-Fi dropouts stop being your problem. Davis explains its own reasoning on the Why WeatherLink Live page.
What does the WeatherLink Console 6313 offer?
The WeatherLink Console 6313 is a color touchscreen console that shows live conditions, logs years of history on the device itself, and uploads to WeatherLink.com over Wi-Fi. The 6313 replaces the older 6312 console, but it has no documented local API — local integrations still need WeatherLink Live.
The Console earns its higher price in one specific way: a glanceable display in the kitchen or hallway that keeps working — and keeps logging — even when your internet is down. It receives the same 8 wireless channels as WeatherLink Live, so multi-transmitter setups (extra temperature stations, soil sensors on a Pro2) display fine. What it does not do is serve data to other software on your network, which still surprises buyers who assumed the newer device would do everything the older one does.
Are the old WeatherLink data loggers still worth buying?
Mostly no. The WeatherLink IP and USB data loggers slot into the back of the older 6312 console and are being phased out. Buy one only if you already own a 6312 and want the cheapest route online — otherwise put the money toward WeatherLink Live or the new console.
The two loggers work differently: the IP version uploads to WeatherLink.com directly over your router, while the USB version needs a computer running the WeatherLink software to do the uploading — effectively an always-on PC as part of your weather station. Both store archive data in the logger's own memory, which was the whole appeal in their era. As stock dwindles, prices on the secondhand market can be sensible, but treat them as a way to extend old gear, not a starting point.
How do WeatherLink Live, the Console, and the loggers compare?
The short version: WeatherLink Live is the connectivity pick, the Console 6313 is the display pick, and the loggers are the legacy pick. All three survive an internet outage without losing data, and all three upload on the schedule your WeatherLink plan allows.
| Factor | WeatherLink Live | WeatherLink Console 6313 | IP/USB data logger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price class | Mid — hub only | Highest — touchscreen included | Lower, but requires a 6312 console |
| Display | None | Large color touchscreen | Uses the 6312's LCD |
| Local API | Yes — documented HTTP + live UDP | No | No official local API |
| Transmitters | Up to 8 | Up to 8 | Whatever the 6312 receives |
| Internet outage | Buffers readings, backfills later | Keeps displaying and logging locally | Logger memory holds data until download |
| Cloud upload interval | By plan: ~15 min on Basic, faster on Pro/Pro+ | Same plan-based intervals | IP uploads directly; USB depends on your PC |
Those upload intervals come from your WeatherLink account plan, not the hardware — the free Basic plan updates roughly every 15 minutes regardless of device. The WeatherLink Basic vs Pro breakdown covers what the paid tiers actually buy you.
Which one should you pick?
Pick WeatherLink Live if you want reliability and openness: Ethernet, the local API, and no screen to pay for. Pick the Console 6313 if a live indoor display matters to you. Pick a legacy logger only to keep an existing 6312 console earning its place.
A few practical patterns from real setups. Headless users — people who read their weather on a phone, the web, or their own website — rarely miss the display and are better served by WeatherLink Live's Ethernet port and local API. Households where someone checks the weather on the way out the door love the Console. And because receivers can coexist, "WeatherLink Live in the network cupboard, Console in the kitchen" is a legitimate endgame, not an either/or.
Does your choice change anything for a hosted weather site?
No. WeatherLink Live, the Console 6313, and the legacy loggers all deliver readings into the same WeatherLink cloud account, and everything downstream reads from there. A hosted site like Pro Weather connects through a free WeatherLink v2 API key and works identically whichever device does the uploading.
That is worth dwelling on, because it removes a whole category of buyer's anxiety: you cannot pick the "wrong" receiver for putting your weather online. Grab your key using the WeatherLink API key walkthrough, and Pro Weather auto-discovers your stations and sensors from there — live conditions, charts, wind rose, records, and a site that updates every 10 minutes, even on the free Basic plan (history builds forward from the day you connect). The broader options are covered in putting your Davis station online, or you can try Pro Weather free for 14 days — no credit card required.
Common questions
Does WeatherLink Live work without a subscription?
Yes. WeatherLink Live uploads to a free Basic account out of the box, at roughly 15-minute intervals, and the local API on your network works regardless of plan. Paid Pro plans buy faster cloud updates and historic data access through the v2 API — useful, but optional.
Do I still need a console with WeatherLink Live?
No. WeatherLink Live is fully standalone — many owners run it headless and read their weather on the app, the web, or their own site. Because Davis transmitters broadcast openly, you can always add a console later and both devices will receive the same station simultaneously.
How many sensors can one WeatherLink Live receive?
One WeatherLink Live listens to up to 8 transmitters in any combination — sensor suites, extra temperature/humidity stations, soil moisture and leaf wetness stations — which works out to more than 80 individual sensors. For nearly every home setup, one hub is more capacity than you will ever use.
Does the Console 6313 replace WeatherLink Live?
No — the Console 6313 replaces the older 6312 console, not WeatherLink Live. The two serve different jobs: the Console gives you a touchscreen display with on-device logging, while WeatherLink Live gives you Ethernet and a documented local API. Davis sells both precisely because many stations end up with both.