WanderRain Family — Comprehensive Spec v1.0
Canonical product spec. For SOP artifact set see _MANIFEST.md. For the running decision log see DECISIONS.md.
Product family: WanderRain (outdoor weather station, block-by-block hyperlocal weather data, identity-aware, mesh-capable) Tiers: 2, Standard (WV-RAIN-STD) and Pro (WV-RAIN-PRO) Category: WV-RAIN (outdoor weather mast, temperature / humidity / pressure / rainfall / wind / UV / lightning) Primary protocol: Matter 1.3+ Weather cluster over WiFi (both tiers); LoRa 915/868 MHz mesh + BLE 5.0 commissioning Date: 2026-04-24 Revision: v1.0-candidate
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1. Family premise
What it is: the dedicated, outdoor-mast, mesh-capable weather station for the WanderVerse home, the source-of-truth for outside conditions. Beautiful enough to install visibly on a fence-post or rooftop, accurate enough to drive HVAC + sprinkler + window automation when conditions cross thresholds.
Why it exists: Davis Vantage Pro 2 + Tempest WeatherFlow + Ambient Weather WS-2902 + AcuRite Atlas + Ecowitt HP2553 are the closest competitors. None offer:
- Privacy-first architecture (zero-cloud default; user-chosen backup; covert mode)
- Identity-aware setup (covert mode; survivor-aware; anonymized PWS upload defaults)
- 7-year parts + firmware (with honest wear-item carve-outs for anemometer bearings + tipping-bucket pivot)
- Standard-frame open-STL chassis
- Ambassador-assembled supported-employment manufacturing
- 60/30/10 Community Pool revenue model
- Native Matter Weather cluster at every price point (not "premium feature")
- Cross-product trigger logic to a sibling Hub line (WanderNode Hub for HVAC + sprinkler + window)
- Block-by-block community mesh contribution (works with WanderSafeMesh, the nonprofit community mesh (wanderingwithpride.org), plus the WanderRain peer protocol)
- FEMA-IPAWS severe-weather receiver (Pro)
- Premium honest-mechanical-instrument design (cream + brass-rose-gold + saffron) at sub-Davis pricing
WanderRain fills every one of those gaps at parity-or-better pricing.
Distinguish from siblings:
- WanderBreath: premium-shelf indoor IAQ monitor; one per home; no IP rating; wall-powered; central living area
- Sensor Pod: multi-purpose room/door/desk presence + comfort sensor *fleet*; many units per home; tile pricing
- WanderAway: emergency LoRa beacon + carry SOS + Iridium-tier; portable; IP68; Iridium SBD (Expedition+)
- WanderRain: fixed-installation outdoor *weather station*, mast-mounted, IP65, LoRa-only mesh; one per home (or one per block via mesh)
Who it serves (audience-explicit, per Standard 3):
- Privacy-first households who want hyperlocal outdoor truth without an Ambient Weather / Weather Underground account
- HVAC + sprinkler + window automation enthusiasts (Mode 3)
- Wildfire-prone households (PM2.5 outdoor cross-cal with WanderBreath indoor + auto-recirculate trigger)
- Severe-weather-prone regions (FEMA-IPAWS receive on Pro)
- Coastal households (Pro salt-spray cert)
- Outdoor agriculture / community garden / urban farm (rain + UV + frost-warning)
- Sailing / paragliding / outdoor sports households (anemometer + wind vane Pro)
- Storm-spotter + weather-citizen-science enthusiasts (block-by-block PWS contribution)
- HAVEN safehouses + trans clinics in severe-weather-prone regions
- Apple Home / Google Home / Home Assistant power users who want a Matter-native premium outdoor weather source-of-truth
- Anyone whose previous outdoor weather station became a paywalled-feature subscription
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2. Family architecture: 2 SKUs
2.1 WanderRain Standard (`WV-RAIN-STD`), retail price TBD
Form factor: vertical mast assembly, 460 mm tall total. Matte cream-painted aluminum mast (300 mm) + cream-anodized tipping-bucket rain gauge body + slim cream electronics enclosure (90 × 140 mm) with saffron pinstripe + saffron status LED. Integrated cream-anodized base flange with 4× M6 stainless mounting holes.
- MCU: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 (16 MB flash + 8 MB PSRAM)
- PMIC: TI TPS65086100 (multi-rail PMIC; shared platform component)
- Temperature + humidity + secondary VOC: Bosch BME688 (mature; same part as WanderBreath)
- High-precision barometric pressure: Bosch BMP390 (±3 Pa = ±0.025 m altitude, far better than BME688 alone)
- Rainfall: custom-tooled tipping-bucket rain gauge (0.2 mm / 0.01 in per tip, Davis 7852-class architecture, cream-anodized aluminum body, reed-switch sensor)
- Radio: LoRa 915 MHz (US) / 868 MHz (EU) via Semtech SX1262; +22 dBm TX; integrated Meshtastic-compatible peer
- WiFi + BLE: 2.4 GHz via ESP32-S3 native; Matter 1.3+ Weather cluster
- Power: 12V/1A outdoor-rated wall PSU + internal LiFePO4 buffer cell (3.2V/1500 mAh, 14-day standby)
- Status indicator: saffron-tinted Cree CLM3C-AKA single LED in PMMA light-pipe ring (top of electronics enclosure)
- Input: single tactile button under recessed cover (mode + acknowledge + 10-sec hold = factory reset)
- Chassis: matte cream-painted aluminum mast (5052 alloy, type II anodize) + saffron pinstripe upper third + cream tipping-bucket body + cream electronics enclosure with saffron pinstripe band
- IP rating: IP65 (dust-protected + water-jet protected) at every interface
- Operating envelope: -30 to +60 °C
- Mast top: simple cream-anodized cap (no anemometer / vane / UV / lightning at this tier)
2.2 WanderRain Pro (`WV-RAIN-PRO`), retail price TBD
All Standard features plus:
- Anemometer (cup-rotor): three-cup brass-rose-gold finish (Inspeed POL2 reference architecture; ±2 mph at 0-100 mph; magnetic reed-switch pulse output; miniature stainless ball bearings, wear item, 3-5 yr cycle)
- Wind vane: brass-rose-gold finish; 360° magnetic-rotary encoder
- UV sensor stack:
- Vishay VEML6075 (UVA + UVB raw irradiance)
- Liteon LTR-390 (calibrated UV index 0-12, WHO scale)
- Mounted under PMMA UV-transparent dome
- Lightning detector: Franklin AS3935 (40 km detection range; storm-distance estimation; firmware noise-floor autocal at install)
- FEMA-IPAWS severe-weather receiver: CAP-over-EAS decoder; FCC OET-registered receiver; tornado / flash-flood / hurricane pre-alert
- Solar: Maxeon C60 monocrystalline 6W panel (sapphire-glass-class IP65 protected; mounted to mast top above anemometer rotor)
- Charge controller: TI BQ25798 MPPT (I²C configurable; same part as WanderAway Ultra)
- Power: Solar + 2× LiFePO4 18650-form buffer cells (3.2V/3000 mAh parallel; 21-day standby; indefinite at ≥3 hr direct sun / day)
- Mast height: 720 mm tall (300 mm mast + 420 mm sensor stack incl. anemometer + vane + solar panel)
- Saffron pinstripe upper bezel: deeper saturation vs Std (Pro is the visible-architectural piece)
- Salt-spray ASTM B117 1000 h cert: coastal-use claim
- Wall-power fallback option: Pro user can also order Pro-with-wall-PSU configuration if rooftop solar is impractical
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3. Dual-mode + tri-mode principle enforcement
Per _STANDALONE-AND-PLATFORM-INTEGRATION.md. WanderRain supports all three modes simultaneously per [rule: dual-mode].
Mode 1: Standalone (zero other WanderVerse purchases, no internet)
- Unit measures + logs continuously. No phone required. No account required. No subscription ever.
- Reading data: LoRa peer-to-peer to a companion display SKU (
WV-RAIN-DISP-MIN desktop weather console, optional $39) OR direct USB-C plug into electronics enclosure for CSV ring-buffer read OR via LoRa to any Meshtastic-compatible reader.
- Saffron status LED ring: healthy (saffron solid) / moderate (saffron pulse) / unhealthy (saffron blink) / hazardous (saffron rapid blink + button-acknowledge)
- 12-month ring buffer on 16 MB flash; user can plug into a computer over USB-C and read CSV directly (Standard 4 transparency)
- Covert mode (default ON for survivor / hostile-state profile): no SSID broadcast; rotating LoRa pseudonymous ID; no MAC ever broadcast
Mode 2: Industry-integrated (Matter Weather + HomeKit + Google + Alexa + HA + PWS + FEMA-IPAWS)
- Matter 1.3+ Weather cluster over WiFi, native
Pm25ConcentrationMeasurement (forwarded from WanderBreath if integrated) + RelativeHumidityMeasurement + TemperatureMeasurement + PressureMeasurement + custom Weather attributes (rainfall, wind, UV, lightning where applicable per tier)
- Apple HomeKit Accessory Protocol (post-MFi cert), natively appears as Outdoor Sensor + Temp + RH + (Pro) Wind + UV
- Google Home + Nest: Matter
- Amazon Alexa: Matter
- Home Assistant: first-class via ESPHome upstream
wanderrain component + MQTT + mDNS auto-discovery
- Weather Underground PWS: opt-in upload (city-rounded coordinates by default; precise-coordinate opt-in)
- Ambient Weather PWS: opt-in upload (same anonymization defaults)
- FEMA-IPAWS receiver (Pro): decodes CAP-over-EAS messages from FEMA broadcast; pre-alert delivered before regional cellular networks light up
- Setup time: <2 min via Matter QR on the bezel
Mode 3: WanderVerse-native (with WanderNode Hub + WanderSafeMesh + WanderAir + WanderBreath)
- WanderRain as outdoor source of truth: WanderNode Hub orchestrates home response from local outdoor conditions
- Wildfire mode: when WanderRain (cross-cal'd outdoor PM2.5 via AirNow API) + WanderBreath indoor PM2.5 cross-rise, Hub closes windows + recirculates HVAC + ramps WanderAir purifiers max
- Sprinkler suppression: WanderRain rain detection >2 mm/hr → Hub suppresses WanderNode-controlled sprinkler schedules for 24-48 hr rolling
- Storm warning (Pro): AS3935 lightning detection within 10 km → Hub triggers severe-weather routine (close skylights / shutters / smart-lock garage / phone-app alert)
- FEMA-IPAWS pre-alert (Pro): Hub receives Pro's FEMA-IPAWS event → triggers home-wide severe-weather routine + phone-app alert
- Block-by-block mesh: every WanderRain unit publishes to a WanderSafeMesh (nonprofit community mesh) aggregator; aggregator computes block-by-block weather metrics (e.g., rain-front arrival times, wind shifts, microclimate temperature gradients)
- HVAC efficiency: WanderRain outdoor temp + humidity + pressure feeds WanderNode Hub HVAC algorithm; reduces over-cooling on cool-but-humid days
- Identity-aware defaults propagate from user's WanderOS profile (covert mode → no SSID broadcast even on home WiFi; survivor mode → all PWS uploads disabled)
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4. Feature matrix summary
| Feature | Standard | Pro |
|---|
| Temperature (BME688) | yes | yes |
| Humidity (BME688) | yes | yes |
| Barometric pressure (BMP390 high-precision) | yes | yes |
| Rainfall (tipping-bucket 0.2 mm/tip) | yes | yes |
| Wind speed (anemometer cup-rotor) | — | yes |
| Wind direction (vane 360° rotary) | — | yes |
| UV index (calibrated 0-12) | — | yes |
| UVA + UVB raw irradiance | — | yes |
| Lightning detection (40 km AS3935) | — | yes |
| FEMA-IPAWS severe-weather receiver | — | yes |
| LoRa 915/868 MHz mesh | yes | yes |
| WiFi + BLE + Matter Weather | yes | yes |
| Apple HomeKit native | post-cert | post-cert |
| Solar (Maxeon C60 6W) | — | yes |
| LiFePO4 buffer (7-yr replaceable) | yes (1×) | yes (2×) |
| Wall-power option | yes (default) | yes (alt config) |
| Saffron pinstripe band | yes | deep |
| Saffron status LED ring | yes | yes |
| Cream-painted aluminum mast | yes | yes |
| Brass-rose-gold accent | — | yes (cups + vane) |
| 12-month ring buffer | yes | yes |
| User-chosen cloud backup (anonymized) | yes | yes |
| Identity-aware defaults | yes | yes |
| Covert mode (no SSID broadcast) | yes | yes |
| 7-year parts + firmware (electronics) | yes | yes |
| Anemometer bearing service (3-5 yr) | — | yes |
| Tipping-bucket pivot service (5-7 yr) | yes | yes |
| Open STL chassis (CC-BY-SA) | yes | yes |
| Ambassador-assembled | yes | yes |
| 60/30/10 Community Pool | yes | yes |
| IP65 ingress rating | yes | yes |
| MIL-STD-810G drop 2 m | yes | yes |
| ASTM G155 UV exposure 1000 h | yes | yes |
| Salt-spray ASTM B117 (coastal claim) | — | yes |
| Block-by-block mesh contribution | yes | yes |
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5. Identity-aware-by-omission: enforcement
This section is non-negotiable per Platform Standard 3.
Never-present capabilities in any WanderRain SKU:
- Cameras (zero: RGB or IR)
- Microphones
- Presence sensors (no PIR, no radar, no mmWave, no ToF. That is Sensor Pod's job, not WanderRain's)
- GNSS receiver (intentional omission per D-09, privacy by architectural-choice)
- Cellular trackable IMEI
- Bluetooth advertising that identifies the household (rotating BLE address)
- WiFi SSID broadcast (covert mode default ON for survivor / hostile-state profile)
- Image-based weather sensing (no sky cam, no cloud-recognition camera)
Data that leaves the unit:
- Weather readings (temp, humidity, pressure, rain, wind Pro, UV Pro, lightning Pro)
- Device self-diagnostics (firmware version, sensor health, signal strength)
- Anonymized when contributing to PWS networks: no household ID, no MAC, city-level coordinates by default; user can opt to publish precise coordinates with their own community
Data that NEVER leaves the unit:
- Anything that could identify the household
- Raw sensor waveforms (processed on-device; only derived metrics emitted)
- Patterns inferable as occupancy (rain detection at 4am could in theory leak occupancy: WanderRain therefore quantizes to coarsest-acceptable resolution and rate-limits PWS export to hourly aggregates by default)
Anonymized PWS export: the canonical guarantee:
"When you contribute to Weather Underground or Ambient Weather PWS networks, your readings go up tagged only with city-level coordinates (rounded to 0.5° = ~50 km grid cell). Your household ID never leaves the device. You can opt to share precise coordinates with your own community PWS group, but that is a deliberate per-community choice, never a default."
Policy: if a future firmware release introduces any feature that could theoretically identify a person or household from weather data (e.g., "learn the household's HVAC fingerprint"), that feature must be opt-in, off-by-default, reversible, and accompanied by a Platform Standard 3 review.
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6. Pricing + margin (detail in `BOM-platform.csv`)
Target FOB costs + retail (1k-unit volume)
| SKU | FOB landed | Assembly (Ambassador) | Full FOB | Founding | Standard | Nonprofit |
|---|
| WanderRain Std | $67.85 | $3.50 (18 min) | $71.35 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| WanderRain Pro | $156.40 | $5.50 (28 min) | $161.90 | TBD | TBD | TBD |
Target margins (planning estimate): Std 58%, Pro 54%. Both healthy, outdoor mast positioning + commodity-where-possible BOM (BME688 + BMP390 + ESP32 + LoRa shared with WanderAway + WanderBreath) delivers strong unit economics.
60/30/10 enforcement: gross margin allocates per Community Pool spec. Planned split of each unit's gross margin: 60% Ambassador wages (hourly direct + benefits/training overhead amortized), 10% PrideFund, 30% Community Pool. Dollar amounts depend on a retail price, which is not set. See BOM-platform.csv for full breakdown including labor-attributable share.
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7. Configurability / modularity (see `CONFIGURATOR.md` full matrix)
Per-order axes:
- Tier (Std vs Pro)
- Mast height (Std default 460 mm / Pro default 720 mm; both can order +120 mm extension)
- Mounting: J-bolt fence-post default / wall-mount bracket / rooftop-tripod base / chimney-strap
- Power source: wall-PSU (Std default + Pro alt) / solar (Pro default)
- Anemometer cup material upgrade (Pro): brass-rose-gold default / Lux Hand-Polished brass option
- Wind vane upgrade (Pro): default fin / Lux Hand-Etched fin option
- Solar panel size (Pro): 6W default / 10W extended
- Ambassador signature: standard card / Lux glyph (Pro+) / Lux Artisan brass (Pro)
- Custom engraving (Pro): name or quote on base ring
- Extended warranty: 1-year base / 3-year extended
- WanderAssist subscription: optional monthly price TBD (free lifetime for Founding Members)
- HAVEN bulk preset: opt-in for Mission Partners
- Coastal cert (Pro only): salt-spray ASTM B117 cert sticker
Upgrade paths:
- Std → Pro: trade-in, 60% credit (new unit shipped, Std mast lacks anemometer + vane + UV + lightning sensor stack)
- Within tier, all upgrades are module-level (no mainboard swap needed)
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8. Assembly + service
- All units Ambassador-assembled per WanderVerse Standard 1
- Ambassador signature card in every unit (QR to Ambassador's page)
- Lux glyph etched aluminum (Pro) option: $49 add-on at order
- Lux Artisan brass glyph (Pro) option: $129 hand-etched
- 7-year parts for structural electronics (mast, electronics enclosure, PCB, MCU, sensors except wear items, status LED, button, mounting flange, USB-C / barrel-jack)
- Wear items NOT in 7-year electronics commitment (each has explicit cycle):
- Anemometer bearings: 3-yr clean+regrease + 5-yr full bearing replacement (Pro)
- Tipping-bucket pivot: 5-yr recalibration / 7-yr replacement
- LiFePO4 buffer cells: 7-yr replaceable
- Solar panel cover (Pro): 10-yr UV-degradation cycle
- Send-back repair: 5-7 business days typical turnaround; $25 service fee out-of-warranty
- DIY-friendly: all fasteners T10 Torx (not Pentalobe); chassis open-STL; published schematics
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9. Timeline
| SKU | EVT | DVT | PVT / first customer ship |
|---|
| Standard | 2026-Q4 | 2027-Q1 | **2027-Q2** |
| Pro | 2027-Q1 | 2027-Q2 | **2027-Q3** |
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10. Why this family wins
1. Privacy-first by architecture: zero-cloud default; covert mode; anonymized PWS uploads; no GNSS receiver; Davis / Ambient / Tempest cannot match this without breaking their own subscription business models 2. Identity-aware defaults, survivor / hostile-state / HAVEN / coastal modes; no competitor has any 3. Native Matter Weather cluster at every tier, not a premium upsell 4. Pro is the only mid-shelf outdoor weather station with anemometer + vane + UV + lightning + FEMA-IPAWS bundled, aims to undercut Davis Vantage Pro 2 ($595-795) on price + privacy + repairability + FEMA-IPAWS receive 5. 7-year parts on electronics + honest wear-item disclosure, repair culture without overstating reliability 6. Open STL chassis + published schematics, outlives the company if needed 7. Ambassador-assembled + 60/30/10 Community Pool, every unit funds the mission 8. Cross-product trigger logic (Mode 3): WanderRain drives WanderNode Hub (HVAC + sprinkler + window + WanderAir + WanderBreath integration) automatically; the most-frequently-cited Davis complaint (it just shows numbers) is solved by design 9. No vendor lock, anonymized cloud export to user's storage of choice; standard-module BOM; LoRa is open Meshtastic-compatible 10. Honest mechanical-instrument design, cream + brass-rose-gold + saffron at sub-Davis pricing; not friendly-blob plastic
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Canonical spec. All 10 SOP stages processed. Engineering handoff-ready.