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Agriculture · head to head

Davis Instruments WeatherLink vs Toro Lynx Central Control

Davis Instruments WeatherLink logo

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

Agriculture

Cloud service for Davis weather stations, priced per device per month with a genuinely usable free tier

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Toro Lynx Central Control logo

Toro Lynx Central Control

Agriculture

Golf course irrigation control where the mobile app stops working if you let the NSN subscription lapse

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Davis Instruments WeatherLink has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Davis Instruments WeatherLink pricing is per device, so a grower with a dozen stations pays a dozen subscriptions, and at Pro+ that is over 1,200 US dollars a year in software on top of hardware that already cost several thousand.; Toro Lynx Central Control nSN is free only for the first year after purchase, and the Lynx mobile app is tied to an active NSN subscription, so the remote control feature demonstrated at sale disappears in year two unless the club renews an item the capital budget did not carry.
  • They diverge on capability: Davis Instruments WeatherLink covers Per-station cloud dashboards, Toro Lynx Central Control covers Course mapping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Davis Instruments WeatherLink and Toro Lynx Central Control actually diverge.

Attributes where Davis Instruments WeatherLink and Toro Lynx Central Control differ
AttributeDavis Instruments WeatherLinkToro Lynx Central Control
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer device per monthquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Davis Instruments WeatherLink

  • Per-station cloud dashboards
  • Custom charting
  • Data export
  • Shareable public links
  • Third-party uploads
  • Mobilize agricultural views
  • Integrated pest management models
  • Network map

Only in Toro Lynx Central Control

  • Course mapping
  • Flow management
  • ET and weather adjustment
  • Lynx Smart Module
  • Lynx Cloud
  • Mobile app
  • IntelliDash
  • NSN support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

  • An orchard running frost protection that needs one-minute temperature data to decide when to start wind machinesnot Toro Lynx Central Control
  • A vineyard driving disease models from on-site rather than airport weathernot Toro Lynx Central Control
  • A research station exporting long historical records from several instrumentsnot Toro Lynx Central Control
  • A grower sharing a public station page with neighbours and a spray contractornot Toro Lynx Central Control

Toro Lynx Central Control

  • An 18-hole course replacing a 20-year-old central control where sprinkler-level adjustment currently means walking out with a keynot Davis Instruments WeatherLink
  • A superintendent chasing a night-time main break who needs the flow alarm before the green floodsnot Davis Instruments WeatherLink
  • A resort with three courses on one pump network balancing demand across a limited windownot Davis Instruments WeatherLink
  • A municipal complex under a water restriction that must document applied volume by areanot Davis Instruments WeatherLink

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

  • Pricing is per device, so a grower with a dozen stations pays a dozen subscriptions, and at Pro+ that is over 1,200 US dollars a year in software on top of hardware that already cost several thousand.
  • The free tier only uploads to third parties every 15 minutes, which is too coarse for frost protection and short-interval spray decisions, so the tier that exists is not the tier a commercial grower can use.
  • Davis directs bulk device management to a sales conversation rather than publishing a volume discount, so large networks cannot budget from the public rate card.
  • Three-year commitments are the only way to reach the lower per-device rate, which locks a grower into a platform for longer than a station deployment plan often survives.
  • The hardware is durable enough to outlive several software generations, and owners of older Vantage stations have repeatedly had to buy new data loggers or gateways to stay compatible with the current cloud, turning a maintenance-free instrument into a recurring purchase.

Toro Lynx Central Control

  • NSN is free only for the first year after purchase, and the Lynx mobile app is tied to an active NSN subscription, so the remote control feature demonstrated at sale disappears in year two unless the club renews an item the capital budget did not carry.
  • Lynx controls Toro field hardware, so central control and sprinkler manufacturer are a single twenty-year decision and a club cannot switch software without rewiring the course.
  • It runs on a Windows workstation in the maintenance building as the system of record, which means a machine that has to be patched, backed up and eventually replaced, and courses routinely run it on hardware well past support.
  • Toro publishes no pricing at all: everything comes through a distributor quote inside a large irrigation project, so a club cannot separate the software cost from the pipe and heads to judge whether it is fair.
  • Full capability depends on the field hardware generation, and courses with older Toro satellites cannot use head-level Smart Module control without a field upgrade that costs more than the software ever did.

Pricing, plan by plan

Davis Instruments WeatherLink

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Data viewing and export
    • Custom charting and network map
    • Mobile app access
  • Pro$3.95/month
    • Per device, billed annually
    • 3.35 USD per device per month on a 3 year plan
    • 6 shareable links
  • Pro+$8.95/month
    • Per device, billed annually
    • 7.65 USD per device per month on a 3 year plan
    • 10 shareable links

Toro Lynx Central Control

On request
  • Lynx Central Control$undefined/year
    • Bought as part of a Toro irrigation system through a distributor
    • Lynx Cloud included with each system
    • NSN support free for one year after purchase, paid subscription thereafter

Which should you pick?

Choose Davis Instruments WeatherLink if

  • You need per-station cloud dashboards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want custom charting.
Davis Instruments WeatherLink review

Choose Toro Lynx Central Control if

  • You need course mapping.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want flow management.
Toro Lynx Central Control review

Questions people ask

Is Davis Instruments WeatherLink or Toro Lynx Central Control better?
Neither clearly leads. Davis Instruments WeatherLink starts at Free and Toro Lynx Central Control at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Davis Instruments WeatherLink or Toro Lynx Central Control?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Davis Instruments WeatherLink and On request for Toro Lynx Central Control.
Does Davis Instruments WeatherLink or Toro Lynx Central Control run on more platforms?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink runs on Web, iOS, Android. Toro Lynx Central Control runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Davis Instruments WeatherLink for free?
Yes. Davis Instruments WeatherLink has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Toro Lynx Central Control starts at On request.
What is Davis Instruments WeatherLink best used for?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink is most often used for an orchard running frost protection that needs one-minute temperature data to decide when to start wind machines, a vineyard driving disease models from on-site rather than airport weather, a research station exporting long historical records from several instruments, a grower sharing a public station page with neighbours and a spray contractor. Of those, an orchard running frost protection that needs one-minute temperature data to decide when to start wind machines and a vineyard driving disease models from on-site rather than airport weather are not what Toro Lynx Central Control is typically brought in for.
What can Davis Instruments WeatherLink do that Toro Lynx Central Control cannot?
Davis Instruments WeatherLink covers Per-station cloud dashboards, Custom charting, Data export, Shareable public links. Toro Lynx Central Control covers Course mapping, Flow management, ET and weather adjustment, Lynx Smart Module.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: Is WeatherLink free?

There is a permanently free Basic tier with charting and export, but third-party uploads run only every 15 minutes and there are no shareable links.

Toro Lynx Central Control: Is the Lynx mobile app free?

No. App access is included with an active NSN subscription. NSN is free for one year after the Lynx purchase and paid after that.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: What does the paid tier actually add?

Faster upload intervals, five minutes on Pro and one minute on Pro+, plus shareable public links. The faster cadence is what matters for frost and spray timing.

Toro Lynx Central Control: Can Lynx control another manufacturer’s sprinklers?

Not meaningfully. It is built around Toro satellites and two-wire modules.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: Is pricing per account or per station?

Per device. Every station you own needs its own subscription.

Toro Lynx Central Control: Is Lynx cloud-based?

Lynx Cloud is included and handles remote access and updates, but the core system still runs on an on-site Windows workstation.

Davis Instruments WeatherLink: Can I get the data out via an API?

Yes, Davis publishes a WeatherLink API, but practical use depends on your account tier and station model, so confirm before designing around it.

Toro Lynx Central Control: What does NSN actually provide?

24 hour specialist support, remote diagnostics, the mobile app, IntelliDash and training, delivered from Abilene, Texas with offices in Belgium and Australia.

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