Netatmo weather station forecasts clear skies using ST components

SWITZERLAND: STMicroelectronics and Netatmo, a designer and manufacturer of elegant lifestyle-enhancing products, revealed ST’s contributions to the award-winning Netatmo Urban Weather Station.

The Weather Station is the world’s first personal weather station designed for users to monitor indoor and outdoor environments using a free app running on an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or an Android mobile device.

The stylishly unique Weather Station uses an ST pressure sensor, 2 STM32 microcontrollers, and an ST MEMS microphone to accurately monitor environmental conditions, including temperature, air pressure, and even ambient noise levels. Monitoring the environment can help users improve their indoor wellness and adapt their outdoor activities to current air quality.

ST has its MEMS sensors enabling motion-activated user interfaces in many popular consumer devices, with leadership in all major mobile operating systems. Replicating the huge success in motion sensors, ST shipped more than 60 million MEMS microphones in 2012 and these devices are finding increased use in new applications, such as Netatmo’s Weather Station and mobile communications.

ST’s STM32 microcontrollers are based on the industry-standard ARM Cortex‑M processor. The STM32 family covers 32-bit processing across the range to offer, at the high-end, digital signal processing and industry-leading performance, to higher value, more cost-effective replacements for 8-bit microcontrollers.

All STM32 devices deliver outstanding real-time capabilities and low-power, low‑voltage operation, along with a complete ecosystem that assures ease of development alongside hardware and software compatibility.

“Working with ST as our supplier of both microcontrollers and sensors has allowed us to control the design with precision, focus on style and elegance and deliver to our customers a truly useful and elegant Weather Station,” said Fred Potter, CEO, Netatmo. “The outstanding features of their MEMS and Micros make them a winning combination and our weather station not only accurate but a fun and easy way to monitor environment conditions for indoor and outdoor activities.”

“With ST’s strong market leadership and technology in both sensors and 32-bit microcontrollers, it makes sense to insure compatibility and simplify the design by using the same supplier for both,” said Benedetto Vigna, executive VP and GM, Analog, MEMS and Sensors Group, STMicroelectronics. “From sensors to secure communications, from power management to display driving and projection, ST solutions are enabling wave after wave of innovation in the wireless world that is changing the lives of people everywhere.”