The wind direction doesn't work withouit a smartphone which I can't afford.I've only had the station since yesterday (received it in two days and in perfect shape) and I'm very pleased. After reading all the other reviews I was a bit worried that setting it up could be problematic - it wasn't - although to be fair, it failed on the first try. I had to do a restart on the base unit search function to connect them. The quick-start directions are a bit confusing and contrary to setting it up so be sure to download the full manual and follow it. I'm guessing the mistake that is made while setting it up is, like the quick-start says, install the batteries in each of the units including the base station first. Then it mentions downloading an APP for your mobile device - that is the step you should do first. Get the APP set up and open and then install all the batteries and it will connect and set up automatically. There is another step, once connected, in your mobile APP to accept the sensors and they won't work with your phone/tablet until you do that.In addition, make sure your smart phone/tablet is running on a 2.4Mhz wireless system. The set-up directions point out that the base unit only works on that frequency.The weather station, once connected, worked like a charm. The plan is to use this system in our travel trailer but I went ahead and installed the outdoor sensors to test them. They all worked well tho there was a 4-degree discrepancy in the outdoor temps with our smart phone weather APP - not sure which was correct.We are very pleased with this unit and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a really good weather station (with all the bells and whistles) at a reasonable cost.Update: 9/2018 - took the weather station with us in the trailer over the Labor Day weekend. It worked like a charm (reconnected to each of the sensors automatically), though the tail of the trailer (where I had mounted the anemometer) was a bit sheltered so the wind speeds were probably higher than the base unit showed.I am very pleased with this weather station and would still highly recommend it.New Update: 2/2019 - used the weather station on our final trip in the fall and a large "hedge ball" fell from the tree we were parked near and broke off the wind cups. I ordered a new set (before realizing it was under warranty) and received them in about a week from La Crosse. I then called La Crosse - the technician was very helpful and took my information and several days later received a large box with the entire anemometer sensor. After attempting to sync it with the base station I realized it was not the correct unit for my system. After another phone call and multiple emails with La Crosse they sent me a new set of wind cups and told me to simply dispose of the sensor - which I did after removing the wind cups (I now have two spare sets). The unit is still working well and we appreciate having it. In addition, La Crosse was responsive and easy to work with even tho the information got crossed at some point and I got the wrong item - they fixed it without question! I would still highly recommend this unit.After submitting the review below, I realized that I could configure my Wi-Fi access point with an additional network that didn't have as long a password. When I discovered that a recent update to my access point also enabled me to use MAC filtering and only allow the specific device to connect to that network, I was set. It took less than a half hour to make the needed changes to my network, reinstall the APP and connect all of the sensors. Now, I just have to install the outdoor sensors and I'll be finished. We'll see how it goes. I'll stand by the title of the review, since I think the limitation on the password length is silly.Original - unedited review - I wasn't able to connect to the base station with the App while using my Wi-Fi. Then I saw in the Quick Start Guide that it was restricted to SSID and passwords of 45 characters or less. I'm not sure if that limit is for each or total. It doesn't matter because my password has more than 45 characters by itself. I'm not going to reconfigure my network and everything that's already connected just because this device has that limit. I returned the weather station. If the limit had been indicated in the product description, I wouldn't have wasted my time with it. Interestingly, I couldn't find anything about the limit in the full user manual on the manufacturer's website.Suppose to be easy to install and connect to Wifi !!! Forget it, Out of Box for 3 days and Following the instructions and online help, Unit will Not connect to 2.4Ghz wifi router, which is only 2 ft away from it !!! Contacted La Crosse, No answers there except same as online help....Got to thinking, and Was able to connect The display to the router with basically one of the easiest steps that none of the Techs thought of !!!! I will keep you guessing !!!The product functions relatively well, once setup. Setup is not as easy as it should be due to the fact that the base station cannot use some more expensive 2.4 Ghz dual band wireless routers/access points. If you have a wireless router doing dual band, and it's not working, you may need to try a different 2.4 Ghz router, access point, or network extender. This product only works on the 2.4 Ghz band, so keep that in mind. We use Cisco Meraki Business dual-band access points in the house, and the La Crosse base station would not connect. Support is lacking, and advanced support called back 2 weeks later (after we got it working ourselves). So essentially, support is a joke. We got ours working on an older 2.4 Ghz network extender by Netgear. The mobile app is easy to setup, albeit there is a slight delay, and sometimes a mismatch with the base station. However this is not prolonged, and doesnt seem to affect overall useability. We give this 3 stars for cheaper build quality and poor support. Overall, the product works well.Everything worked except the rain sensor. It went On and off. Since I live in an apartment and the patio rails Are metal Attaching the gauge directly on the metal rail created sensor reading interference . It took a while but what I did was to place a 1/2” wood block on top of the railing then I placed the rain gauge on the wood block. That eliminated the rain gauge sensor first bouncing off metal. So far all the readings are comparable to a Weather Underground station within a 1/2 mile from my station. Taping using electrical tape running over the top of the rain gauge to under the top of th metal rail does take away a little of the top rain tray but it seems not to affect the readings coming close to nearby stations.ExterieurGreat weather station, easy set up, so far its working very good.Hopefully it will last.Thanksluis