FAQ

FAQ

What hardware is supported?

Kanfei supports personal weather stations from Davis Instruments, Ecowitt/Fine Offset, WeatherFlow (Tempest), and Ambient Weather. Davis legacy serial stations are the first fully stable driver; other platforms are in testing. See Supported Hardware for the full list with model details and PR links.

Can Kanfei run without connected hardware?

Yes. The web app can run in degraded mode. UI and most navigation still work, but live station readings and hardware actions will be unavailable until the logger connects.

Where is configuration stored?

Runtime configuration is primarily stored in SQLite station_config (key/value). Defaults are sourced from .env and merged with DB values.

Where is weather data stored?

Sensor readings are stored in SQLite (sensor_readings and related tables).

How do I know if the station is connected?

Check:

• Settings UI station status
• GET /api/station

If connected is false, investigate connection parameters, hardware power, and logger daemon health. See Hardware and Connection Troubleshooting.

Why is my dashboard not updating live?

Common causes:

• logger daemon not connected
• WebSocket proxy misconfiguration
• stale connection (serial timeout or network drop)

Validate /ws/live connectivity and /api/station state.

How do I trigger setup again?

The setup flow is gated by setup_complete. You can update config via Settings/API and reconnect station via setup endpoints.

Is AI nowcast required?

No. It is optional and feature-flag/config controlled.

Why did nowcast stop running?

Check:

• nowcast_enabled
• API key validity
• budget auto-pause state (usage_budget_paused)
• location configuration

Does Kanfei upload my data to third parties by default?

Upload integrations are configurable features. Verify wu_enabled and cwop_enabled settings to confirm behavior.

How do I back up Kanfei?

Kanfei has a built-in backup system. Enable automatic backups in Settings > Backup, use the CLI (python station.py backup), or trigger via the API (POST /api/backup). The built-in system archives the database and custom backgrounds with automatic retention rotation. Also back up your .env or /etc/kanfei/kanfei.conf configuration file separately.

See Backup and Restore Playbook for full details.

Is there built-in authentication?

Yes. Kanfei has session-based authentication with API key support. Public weather data endpoints are unauthenticated; all admin endpoints (config, backups, hardware control, bot settings) require login. The admin account is created during the setup wizard. API keys can be generated from the Settings UI for scripts and integrations. See Security and Networking for details.