Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Ultrasonic or cup weather station: WS90 against a funnel

Updated: October 2026

An ultrasonic or cup weather station choice, in this amazon.co.uk set, is the Ecowitt WS90 against a vane, cups, and a rain gauge. Choose the WS90 when you are tired of cups and you can live with haptic rain. Choose cups and a funnel when you want a local screen near £100 and you will clean the spoon. Neither design gets a free pass at 10 m, and neither was lab-tested here for drizzle or gusts. The [professional weather station comparison](/hub/climate-measuring/professional-weather-station) holds the ten listings, from £94.99 to £309, read on 15 October 2026 by the Products Compared editorial team. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

An ultrasonic or cup weather station choice, in this amazon.co.uk set, is the Ecowitt WS90 against a vane, cups, and a rain gauge. Choose the WS90 when you are tired of cups and you can live with haptic rain.

Our top picks

Ecowitt Ecowitt WS2910

Best overall

Ecowitt Ecowitt WS2910
8.6/10about £134.99
View offer
AIRAIN TECH AIRAIN TECH AIR6

Best value

AIRAIN TECH AIRAIN TECH AIR6
7.3/10about £99.99
View offer
Ecowitt Ecowitt HP2564

Alternative

Ecowitt Ecowitt HP2564
7.2/10about £309
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two outdoor heads
  2. 2.When cups and a gauge are the better buy
  3. 3.When the WS90 is the better buy
  4. 4.The row that does not pick a side
  5. 5.Height still beats the sensor

Two outdoor heads

A cup array is cups, a vane, and a funnel that tips for rain. The Met Office still treats cups as the usual wind instrument, and sonic sensors as the tool for extreme sites. That is their network, not a ranking of these consoles. The WS90 is ultrasonic wind and a haptic rain plate, with no cups in the bullets. It appears on the WS3901 and the HP2564, and the HP2564 prints 868 MHz. The cheap cup-and-gauge screens are the AIR6 and the SQECH. The VP7 and the Temtop do not say which method. Read those rows on the buying guide.

When cups and a gauge are the better buy

Buy cups and a funnel when the job is a kitchen screen and the budget is about £100. The AIR6 includes the pole and states no Wi-Fi. The SQECH includes a rod and bracket, and also has no Wi-Fi in the listing. You will clear leaves from the funnel and accept that cups can stall or ice. That maintenance is the price of a tipping gauge you can understand. MN6 reviews describe cups spinning in Storm Éowyn while the gust stayed at 18 mph in one report and no higher than 22 mph in another. That is a sheltered cheap array, not a rule for every cup set on a clear mast. The best station page puts the WS2910 ahead when you also want 868 MHz and a phone log. Its bullets describe a rain gauge, not a WS90.
Ecowitt Ecowitt WS2910

Testsieger

Ecowitt Ecowitt WS2910
8.6/10about £134.99
View offer

When the WS90 is the better buy

Buy the WS90 when cups already clog or ice for you. Then accept the rain note. Ecowitt says light rain reads low because the drops lack vertical momentum, and heavy rain can be counted twice. They point at a WH40 gauge as the reference. The WS3901 suggests that WH40 if you need a tighter figure. Snow is the other limit. The manual wants an external 12 V, 1 A supply for the heater plate. The HP2564 and WS3901 bullets say that heater will not melt snow on top of the head. The HP2564 also says seawater corrodes the temperature module, and it bolts to 1 inch pipe. Pay for the HP2564 when you need 868 MHz printed. Pay for the WS3901 when the bullet must name WOW and you can accept an unstated frequency. Both need batteries and a pole you supply.

The row that does not pick a side

The ACCUR8 does not belong cleanly in either column. The attribute says ultrasonic. The bullets say a wind meter and a weather vane, plus a rain gauge. Treat that clash as unsettled until you can see the outdoor unit. Several reviews say Wi-Fi failed, and one says the solar cell did not work. If a seller cannot tell you which sensor is in the carton, leave the row.

Height still beats the sensor

A sheltered cup and a sheltered ultrasonic head both miss the 10 m wind standard. Pole-by-pole notes are on the siting guide. Choose the WS90 if you hate cups and you have read the rain note, or cups and a funnel if you want about £100 and will clean the gauge.

Common questions

Will the haptic sensor catch drizzle?
Ecowitt says light rain reads low and intense rain can be counted twice. The WS3901 offers a WH40 tipping gauge if you need a tighter figure. Treat drizzle on a WS90 as a hint, not as a total you would compare with an official gauge.
Do cups clog or under-read gusts?
Cups and funnels need cleaning, and they can stall or ice. The Storm Éowyn notes on the MN6 are one sheltered array, not a rule for every cup set on a clear mast. A level funnel you empty of leaves is still the simpler rain instrument.
Does the WS90 heater clear a snow cap?
The HP2564 and WS3901 bullets say the heater will not melt snow built up on top of the head. Ultrasonic wind is not a promise of an ice-free winter on a UK roof.
Which listings here are ultrasonic, and which are cups?
The WS3901 and the HP2564 are the WS90 heads. The AIR6 and the SQECH are cup-and-gauge screens with no Wi-Fi. The WS2910 bullets describe a rain gauge, so it sits with the gauges even though one attribute line says ultrasonic. The ACCUR8 attribute and its vane bullets disagree. The VP7 and the Temtop do not state the method.
Is the HP2564 worth £90 more than the WS3901 for the same head?
Only if you want 868 MHz printed, the touch console, and SD history, and you can do without WOW on the bullet. The WS3901 names WOW at £219 and does not print the outdoor frequency. The extra £90 is the console and the stated radio, not a more accurate drizzle sensor.
Can either design on a fence give you a gale figure?
A fence under-reads wind for cups and for ultrasonic heads. The 10 m standard is about exposure. If the anemometer must be on the roof and the gauge on the lawn, leave this shelf for a separable Davis.

Related pages

Weather station

Professional weather stations

Best professional weather station UK: one garden pick

Professional weather station UK: checks before price

Weather station Wi-Fi upload UK: what happens to WOW

Where to put a weather station in a UK garden safely

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices are from amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026.

  1. Ofcom — short-range devices (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) Regulations 2021 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK — Radio Equipment Regulations 2017, Great Britain (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. NPL — MSF radio time signal (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Met Office — Weather Observations Website retirement (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Royal Meteorological Society — amateur AWS guide (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  9. Met Office WOW — site exposure ratings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  10. Weather Spares (retrieved 15 October 2026)