Asahi Rain Sensor too little too late

I’m not sure why anyone can’t take the trouble to peek out the window to see if it is going to rain or not, or better still, check out the local weather report instead of resorting to devices that predict a rainfall. The Asahi Ran Sensor does exactly this, using a couple of sensors to alert you when it starts to rain, which by then, would be too late as your laundry sitting outside would definitely have soaked up a fair bit of raindrops. Keeping the Ambient Forecasting Umbrella around is more handy than forking out $34 for the Asahi Rain Sensor.