Plastic cylinder rain gauges and old-fashioned weathervanes with a rooster on top may be fine for some weather enthusiasts, but for those who are interested in the latest home automation technology - and saving money - only the most state-of-the-art systems will do.

With the help of Advanced Quonset Technology's Home Control Assistant and the new solar-powered Wireless Vantage Pro® weather station by Davis Instruments, weather trackers are now able to not only monitor a multitude of weather variables but also use the data to do things like turn a sprinkler system off, close a motorized skylight, or engage pipe heaters.

The Vantage Pro measures all of the basic weather variables such as barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind direction, and wind speed. It also displays a host of other values calculated from two or more of the measured parameters - so users can monitor rain rate, dew point, heat index, wind chill, and more. With Vantage Pro, you've got real-time information at your fingertips and are better prepared to make adjustments inside and outside the home when weather conditions change.

Data packets are sent to a battery-powered console every 2.5 seconds. The information is shown on a large, 3½" x 6" LCD display. Under optimal conditions, range is up to 400' (120 m) line of sight. Up to eight wireless repeaters can report to a single console in order to boost reception and increase range. Using Davis Instruments' WeatherLink software, the data can be uploaded from the console to a PC and even onto a website.

The Home Control Assistant (home automation software) is a Windows-based program that works with an X10 interface to automate lights and appliances in the home. According to Kimberly Harms of Advanced Quonset Technology, with the help of the X10 home automation technology, signals are sent from the computer to other systems and appliances through the home's wiring. Homeowners are able to set up schedules for things like sprinkler systems and lights but also program intelligent scenarios involving the weather. She says one scenario might be if the Vantage Pro reports low humidity and very windy conditions, then the sprinkler system would not be turned on now but scheduled for a later time when conditions were more appropriate. The same principle can be applied to internal or external systems that are affected by temperature, precipitation, wind chill, sunlight, nightfall, and other weather conditions.

Using technology to streamline processes and make activities in the home more efficient is now more important than ever. In times of rising energy prices and power shortages, combining real-time and historical weather data with home automation can translate into significant cost savings for the homeowner - and that's something no rooster weathervane can ever do.

For more information about the Wireless Vantage Pro and WeatherLink software by Davis Instruments, please visit www.davisnet.com . For information about the Home Control Assistant software by Advanced Quonset Technology, Inc., please visit www.HCATech.com .