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We’ve confirmed and continue to recommend our existing picks, and added What to know when buying.
A smart sprinkler controller is like a smart thermostat for your garden or yard—it controls your watering schedule automatically so you don’t have to lift a finger. A smart controller intelligently optimizes your in-ground irrigation system by automatically adjusting to weather conditions, making it easier for you to maintain a healthy landscape while cutting water use. After four seasons of testing more than a dozen models, we continue to recommend the Rachio 3 for most people. It adjusts to real-time weather conditions the most accurately and integrates with the most smart devices, yet it remains simple to use.
These devices require internet access to get weather forecasts, and some won’t function, or only in a limited way, if your service fails.
Ensure the model you buy supports the right number of zones for your irrigation system, typically 8, 12 or 16.
To optimize watering, these devices rely on weather forecasts but also may use the types of plants, flowers, and veggies around your garden.
Only buy if you have or will install a wired, underground irrigation system. Hose timers or battery-powered systems won’t work.
This is the most flexible and easy-to-use smart controller for your yard or garden irrigation system.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings
The Rachio 3 (available in versions for eight or 16 zones, plus a 12-zone version exclusive to Costco) provides straightforward plug-and-play functionality for a beginner gardener, but it also offers enough fine-tuning and advanced settings to satisfy a master horticulturist. Its Weather Intelligence Plus feature allows for hyperlocal forecasting, which makes watering more efficient. We like the option to use the basic (if not comprehensive) onboard controls for a quick watering, and we appreciate that the controller works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant, among other smart-home platforms.
The touchscreen provides complete control, so you don’t have to rely on the app, and the unit doesn’t require an internet connection. But its watering method and forecasting are less precise than those of the Rachio 3.
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $270.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant
The RainMachine Touch HD (available in 12- and 16-zone versions) offers control via an onboard touchscreen, a smartphone app, and a web interface. Unlike all of the other models we tested, this RainMachine controller doesn’t need to connect to the cloud to function, and it depends on the internet only to receive weather updates, so some owners could choose to use it without its smart features. RainMachine also offers a huge range of optional weather services and provides deep, granular control over your irrigation. RainMachine’s app is less intuitive than Rachio’s and doesn’t automatically create schedules, making it more daunting for novice gardeners to use.
A rugged device with on-device and local control, the B-hyve XR can handle larger yards for less money than our picks, but its app isn’t as easy to use as others.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $180.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Designed to be mounted outside without a separate case, the Orbit B-hyve XR uses its smart WeatherSense algorithms to maintain your yard effectively and has three small, full-color displays for extensive (though not comprehensive) on-device control. Its Bluetooth radio is long range and able to connect to, and act as a hub for, other B-hyve devices (such as hose timers and flood sensors); it also allows for control of the system with your phone, even if the internet is down. The B-hyve XR is WaterSense-certified and lets you choose your weather station, too, but it lacks some features we like, and its app isn’t as good as that of our pick, the Rachio 3.
The B-hyve indoor controller is small, effective, and inexpensive, but it lacks some key features.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $57.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The Orbit B-hyve Smart Indoor Irrigation Controller (available for four and eight zones) is the least expensive smart sprinkler controller you can buy, yet it offers many of the same features as our top picks do, including smart auto scheduling, a decent app, and an innovative, slim design. It’s also WaterSense-certified, and it has basic controls on the device and lets you choose your weather station. However, it doesn’t offer 5 GHz Wi-Fi (as all our other picks do), and it works with the same, not-so-easy-to-use app as the Orbit B-hyve XR.
This is the most flexible and easy-to-use smart controller for your yard or garden irrigation system.
The touchscreen provides complete control, so you don’t have to rely on the app, and the unit doesn’t require an internet connection. But its watering method and forecasting are less precise than those of the Rachio 3.
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $270.
A rugged device with on-device and local control, the B-hyve XR can handle larger yards for less money than our picks, but its app isn’t as easy to use as others.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $180.
The B-hyve indoor controller is small, effective, and inexpensive, but it lacks some key features.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $57.
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has been a writer and editor for more than 20 years and has spent the past decade trying to live a greener lifestyle (while writing about it). Along the way, she has turned her home into a smart home to explore more ways to save energy, water, and other resources. Also, it’s super fun.
Jennifer writes about smart-home technology and sustainable living for Dwell Magazine, US News & World Report, Wired, and The Ambient, among others. She has spent countless hours testing smart-home devices—including smart thermostats, smart garage-door controllers, and smart smoke alarms—for Wirecutter. And she has lived in homes with underground sprinkler systems for 17 years, experience that has provided plenty of hands-on time with electronic controllers.
For this guide she reached out to experts in the irrigation field, and she spoke with Guy Fipps and Charles Swanson of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (who have been testing and researching weather-based irrigation controllers for over a decade). She also combed through Environmental Protection Agency research and reports on weather-based sprinkler controllers and their impact on water conservation.
Anyone who has a sprinkler system operated by a mechanical or electronic timer (clock) should consider upgrading to a smart controller, also known as a weather-based controller. Thanks to smartphone control, they are much easier to program—some do it all for you—and can reduce water use by employing real-time weather data to decide if and when to water your yard. A smart controller also automatically adjusts watering based on the season, so once you set it up, you don’t have to reprogram it.
Controlling your sprinklers from your phone also turns out to be really handy and much easier than setting up a typical sprinkler controller. For example, you can turn the sprinklers off when you send the dog out for a break, or when you arrive home early and they’re spraying your driveway, or if you want to pop out to do yard work on a Sunday morning.
In order to use a smart controller, you need to have the right kind of irrigation system installed, specifically an underground sprinkler system with wired controllers. The devices we recommend here don’t work with battery-operated controllers or hose timers (although there are smart hose timers you can buy; we review one in our roundup of smart garden gadgets). These devices also rely on an internet connection to get the latest weather data and to support remote control, so you need to have a good Wi-Fi signal wherever you choose to install your device. (Don’t worry: If your Wi-Fi goes down, they will continue to operate based on a preprogrammed schedule.) And you can program any smart controller to work with local water restrictions, which helps you avoid potential fines.
If you find the dials and buttons or the tiny LCD screen on your existing irrigation clock frustrating to use, you’ll love the ease of setting your sprinkler schedules in a smartphone app or on your computer. You can even set different schedules for each of your system’s zones. Through an app, you can turn your sprinklers on and off remotely, set rain delays, and program new watering times from wherever you are—on your couch or in another country. One important thing to know: Many sprinkler controllers aren’t waterproof, so you need to install them either indoors or in a protected space such as a covered porch or garage, or you need to buy a compatible weatherproof enclosure.
Smart controllers are for use only with underground sprinkler systems that have wired controllers. They don’t work with battery-operated controllers or hose timers.
Most smart controllers connect to smart-home systems such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and a few also work with Apple HomeKit, as well as SmartThings and Wink hubs. These connections let you turn your sprinklers on with a voice command, say, or instruct them to turn off when you open your front door so you don’t get wet on the way to collect the mail.
From a conservation perspective—and that of saving money on your water bills—smart controllers are critical. All of the models we tested are WaterSense certified; similar to the Energy Star program for home appliances, the WaterSense program involves testing products to the EPA’s specifications for water efficiency and performance. Some water utilities offer rebates if you install WaterSense irrigation controllers; rebates can cover a large portion of the cost of the device.
The EPA says that a WaterSense controller could save the average home 7,600 gallons of water a year (PDF). If every home in the US that had a sprinkler system followed suit, that could save 120 billion gallons each year, not to mention $435 million in water costs. If you live in an area that has high water prices or water shortages—40 out of 50 states have at least one region that’s expected to face a water shortage in the next decade—a smart sprinkler controller could be a valuable addition to your home and community.
Based on our research and testing, we determined that the best smart sprinkler controller is one that is easy to install, offers an intuitive user interface, and sets intelligent schedules for you—but also one that allows you to adapt and tailor schedules and evapotranspiration settings to your specific needs. And even though it’s important to keep an eye on your landscape to make sure it’s getting the water it needs, we’ve concluded that the smartest smart sprinkler controller is one that lets you set it and forget it, independently doing the work of supplying just the right amount of water to your yard.
Other important features and capabilities:
For this update, we retested our three top picks as well as four new models: the Aeon Matrix Yardian Pro, the Netro Spark, the Orbit B-hyve XR, and the Wyze Sprinkler Controller. We also looked at any software or hardware updates on models we had placed in the Competition section. We installed each device in the covered porch of a 1960s home in Charleston, South Carolina. The half-acre test yard was equipped with a six-zone underground sprinkler system, and it featured sandy soil, a vegetable garden with drip irrigation, a variety of sprinkler heads, and different types of vegetation (grass, trees, shrubs). We ran each controller for a minimum of three days and up to one week or so, evaluating each controller on ease of installation, setup, and how clearly the controller’s software explained its features and walked us through managing our yard.
All smart sprinkler controllers rely on estimations of evapotranspiration, or ET—the sum of evaporation and plant water use—to figure out when to water your yard and for how long. This information comes from the weather-data service the controller uses, so that source is key to getting the best results. (For a deeper dive into the science behind these sprinklers, see How smart sprinkler controllers work.)
According to experts we spoke with, many weather-based controllers fail to calculate ET effectively and often end up watering when they don’t need to. Keeping that concern in mind, we evaluated how each controller responded to changes in weather during testing and whether it allowed us to select a weather station versus a data source chosen by the controller.
Another issue with accurate ET calculation regards how much specific data the controller has about your yard. The experts we spoke with said that a controller that doesn’t ask for enough information (a trade-off for simplifying setup) has to make assumptions about your yard, so the results may be less accurate.
We determined that the happy medium in this regard is a controller that does the heavy lifting for you during setup but also lets you go in and manually adjust the ET parameters in the settings if you find the controller is not working as you wish.
Smart smoke alarms send alerts to your phone if a fire or carbon monoxide leak occurs. The Google Nest Protect is easy to silence and has other handy features.
A smart lock lets you go key-free and control your door from afar. Our pick, the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro, is small, attractive, versatile, and reliable.
Wirecutter takes security and privacy issues seriously. To help you understand what data the companies you’re bringing into your yard are harvesting, we asked them to complete a privacy and security questionnaire. Here are the results, to help you determine whether you’re comfortable with purchasing these devices.
This is the most flexible and easy-to-use smart controller for your yard or garden irrigation system.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Samsung SmartThings
The Rachio 3 is the most flexible and comprehensive smart sprinkler controller we tested, as it offers the best balance of set-it-and-forget-it convenience and maximum control when you want it. Thanks to its straightforward scheduling options using hyperlocal, internet-delivered weather information, the Rachio 3 can figure out on its own when, where, and for how long to water your garden. Or it can let you run the show while automatically adjusting to save you water if rain, freezing temperatures, or heavy wind is in the forecast.
Available in eight- and 16-zone versions, the WaterSense-certified Rachio 3 is our top pick because it was the most accurate controller in our testing. (Costco offers a 12-zone Rachio 3 model; it’s a Costco exclusive, and it’s the same as the standard Rachio 3 in all respects other than the number of zones covered.) Its Weather Intelligence Plus (WIP) service produces a hyperlocal forecast based on local weather reports, satellite, radar, and atmospheric flight data, as well as other climate sources, and in our testing it proved to be very effective; for instance, the Rachio 3 accurately predicted that it would not rain in our test garden on a day that the software for every other controller said it would. In our long-term testing this accuracy has continued to make the Rachio 3 the most effective controller we’ve tested. We’ve observed several instances when other controllers set rain delays due to forecasted events that didn’t actually happen, and in every case the Rachio 3 wasn’t similarly fooled by the meterologist.
WIP is available only on the Rachio 3. The lower-priced Rachio 3e uses standard weather forecasting from local weather stations, the same as the other controllers we tested. The only other reliable way to get this type of accurate hyperlocal forecasting is by buying and installing a personal weather station; these range in price from $150 to several thousand dollars and require careful maintenance to remain accurate, according to experts we spoke with. However, if you don’t need more than eight zones, HomeKit integration, and this type of hyperlocal forecasting (either because you already have a weather station or because you live in an area with more-predictable weather patterns than those in coastal South Carolina), the Rachio 3e is a great choice, and it saves you $80.
The Rachio 3 works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Control4, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Nexia, SmartThings, Wink, and Xfinity—it has far more integrations than any other smart controller in our test group. In our testing, we found that some of these integrations offered real value and weren’t just gimmicks. For example, voice control through Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, or Google Assistant lets you turn the sprinklers on and off or start a zone for a certain number of minutes with your voice—a real convenience when your hands are covered in mud. The wording can get a bit clunky (for instance, “Alexa, ask Rachio to start zone four for 15 minutes” or “Alexa, ask Rachio to stop watering”), leaving lots of room for miscommunication. We found the HomeKit integration to be the most seamless—if you’re in the yard with your iPhone or Apple Watch, a quick “Hey Siri, stop watering” will shut down your system.
Paired with a SmartThings or other smart-home hub, the Rachio 3 can act as a security tool (for example, turning the sprinklers on if an outdoor camera senses motion in a given zone) or a measure of added convenience (say, shutting the sprinklers off when the front door opens). Currently, you can’t add sprinkler controllers to HomeKit Automations or Scenes. We had the most fun with the IFTTT integration: We set up an applet that turned on the sprinklers for five minutes in the zone we named “chickens” whenever the temperature exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This provided a nice, cooling shower for the chickens in our coop.
The Rachio 3’s app was the easiest to use and the fastest of those we tested. The home screen shows the controller status, the forecast, the last run and the next run, and a graphic of how much water has been used versus saved (an estimate). It also provides a handy Quick Run button, and a pause button appears whenever a zone is running—which is useful when you want to take a shower and you need more water pressure, for example, or when you’re dining al fresco and you definitely don’t want a shower. (The app also has a tab for Rachio’s new lawn-care subscription service, Thrive. But we have not tested this service since it’s a paid upgrade and not essential to the operation of the device.)
The app sends timely and consistent notifications to your smartphone and email, the most useful being a warning that the sprinklers are about to turn on, sent a few seconds before they do; this alert saved us from unexpectedly soaking some guests. The app also tells you when it’s offline, which is key because with a device that’s so easy to set and forget, if it happens to lose power, you might not know until your garden suffers damage. In addition, you can share access through the app, with or without time restrictions, so a landscaper can maintain the system via their smartphone without your having to be there. You can also set an optional delay between zones (say, to allow a well to refill), select a different weather station, or connect to a personal weather station, such as a Netatmo. An informative water-usage screen shows you an estimate of how much water the system applied to each zone both monthly and daily. The Yard Map feature allows you to draw virtual boundaries for each zone in your yard and to specify how many sprinkler heads are in it and where, which Rachio says improves water-usage reporting. And an excellent web portal lets you tinker with your system’s settings from the comfort of a larger screen.
A sleek white box with a long, blue LED light strip, the Rachio 3 has an attractive design that’s a significant upgrade from the look of a standard electronic timer. Basic onboard controls—to trigger each zone for three minutes—are accessible on the outside of the device, and a magnetic cover provides easy access to the wiring.
In our tests, installing the Rachio 3 using our system’s existing wires and three mounting screws was straightforward. We took about 30 minutes on setup, including having the app walk us through taking pictures and answering questions about each zone that covered everything from the types of plants and soil to the slope, sun exposure, and nozzle-head types. It also tested that each zone was working—a useful feature for people who aren’t experts at programming sprinkler systems.
After setup, the Rachio 3 offers you two options for watering schedules: You can create a standard time-based schedule or have the unit generate a schedule for you. Both options let you input watering restrictions, if your area has them, and both methods can tie in to the Weather Intelligence Plus feature so that the system adapts its watering to local conditions.
We definitely felt a tinge of eco-smugness when we saw our neighbor’s sprinklers going off just before a rainstorm.
We let the Rachio 3 set our schedule, choosing the Flexible Daily option, which updates every day based on the estimated soil moisture. This is the least predictable option: You can’t control which days the sprinklers will turn on or for how long, but you can choose to start or end at a specific time or at sunset/sunrise. At the expense of predictability, this choice offers the highest potential water savings. We turned on all of the offered smart features, including Smart Cycle, a cycle-and-soak feature that splits watering into multiple shorter cycles to prevent runoff, and Weather Intelligence, which includes climate skip (watering times skipped based on recent, past, and future weather conditions), rain skip (which skips watering before or after rain), and freeze skip (which prevents watering when a ground freeze is expected, so your plants don’t freeze).
On days when the Rachio 3 scheduled a watering, the system ran anywhere from 43 minutes to nearly four hours in the early morning hours, stopping as requested before sunrise. Not every zone ran every time, and it didn’t run every day. When rain was in the forecast, it would skip waterings for two to three days around the rain event, depending on how much rain was predicted. In a few cases, the sprinklers didn’t turn on for an entire week due to rain. The Rachio 3 used less water than we would have with our old system (which was set to run every other day, for a total of 180 minutes a week, regardless of weather). And we definitely felt a tinge of eco-smugness when we saw our neighbor’s sprinklers going off just before a rainstorm.
This approach differs from that of our runner-up, the RainMachine Touch HD, which by default always runs a scheduled program that you create but reduces the amount of water it uses (in some cases to none) based on the weather and estimated soil moisture. Both methods achieve the same end goal—reducing water usage while keeping your yard healthy—but that’s the only option you get with the RainMachine. With the Rachio 3, in contrast, you can use either option or choose, for example, to put your veggie-garden and flower-bed zones on a fixed schedule and your lawn on a flexible one. Ultimately, the Rachio 3 and the RainMachine Touch HD end up applying a similar amount of water—they just use different methods to get there.
The Rachio 3 is often expensive, usually around $230 for the eight-zone version and $280 for the 16-zone model. The Rachio 3e, which is $80 less, works in exactly the same way except that it lacks the hyperlocal weather feature and HomeKit compatibility. If you live in an area that has fairly predictable weather patterns or you have a personal weather station, you can safely choose the Rachio 3e.
Rachio has a history of rolling out new hardware with features not available to the previous generation. For example, HomeKit support is available only on the Rachio 3. An irrigation controller is not something you should upgrade every year, and even though the additional functionality of, say, HomeKit isn’t essential to the device’s operation, its absence from older models is still frustrating for owners who don’t want to upgrade. Comparatively, all updates, including HomeKit, have come to the RainMachine controller we’ve been testing since 2017.
As with most devices we tested, the Rachio 3 requires an internet connection for changing schedules or controlling the system remotely. If the controller loses its cloud connection, it still waters your garden using the last schedule; if it was running a flexible schedule before, a “backup flex schedule” kicks in. If Rachio were to go out of business—as other sprinkler controller companies have—your device would eventually stop working.
The Rachio 3 doesn’t automatically detect the wiring in the unit; only the Gro Controller and Sprinkl Control models do. This means that if your setup had a loose wire, you wouldn’t know that a zone wasn’t getting water unless you installed a flow meter (or happened to notice it not spraying).
The Rachio 3 is not weatherproof, so if you’re installing it outside, you need to purchase the $30 Rachio Outdoor Enclosure.
Lastly, a small point, but Rachio has a nag advertisement in its app for a subscription to its Thrive yard-care service—and you can’t get rid of it.
The touchscreen provides complete control, so you don’t have to rely on the app, and the unit doesn’t require an internet connection. But its watering method and forecasting are less precise than those of the Rachio 3.
May be out of stock
*At the time of publishing, the price was $270.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant
The RainMachine Touch HD is a better choice if you want full on-device controls, have an unreliable internet connection, or don’t want to depend on the cloud. (RainMachine offers the option of storing all your data locally, using an internet connection only to download weather forecasts.) In all other cases, we recommend the Rachio 3 because of its simplicity, ease of use, and more-precise forecasting. Still, the RainMachine Touch HD is an excellent device. Also, it has a big plus: We are still testing the original review unit we received in 2017, and all of the features and upgrades RainMachine has issued in the interim, including HomeKit compatibility, have come to this device. (In contrast, since we began this guide, Rachio has launched four different models, only one of which is HomeKit-compatible.)
A tiny device with a nice, responsive touchscreen display to access controls, the RainMachine Touch HD is a WaterSense-certified controller that comes in 12- and 16-zone versions. And it is one of only two models we tested that have an Ethernet port, so you can run a cable to it if you don’t have strong Wi-Fi where your controller is located. RainMachine also sells a less expensive Pro model that covers eight or 16 zones and offers all the same features, though it lacks the touchscreen with full on-device controls. (RainMachine is discontinuing its Mini 8 model.)
There’s less of a learning curve when you’re setting up the RainMachine than there is with the Rachio 3, as on this model you create a schedule just as you would with a standard irrigation clock. The difference is that with this RainMachine model, you can add Weather Adaptive Watering to adjust that schedule based on the weather. You can also turn on features such as zone delay and “Cycle and Soak,” and you can prevent the device from watering if rain exceeds a certain depth.
RainMachine’s app is less polished than Rachio’s, however, with a lot of confusing, deep-dive menus (ideal for master gardeners but a bit daunting for the average person). In addition, RainMachine’s app can’t automatically create a custom schedule for you, as Rachio’s app can. It does, however, suggest optimal run times, which the Weather Adaptive Watering mode adjusts each day. The downside is that your sprinklers might still run in the rain if the RainMachine controller decides that they need to. (If you have water restrictions in your area, you can force the RainMachine controller not to run, but that messes with the device’s plans for optimally watering your garden.)
One feature we like is Adaptive Frequency, which skips a schedule if RainMachine’s algorithms determine that it needs to water for only a few minutes and then adds those minutes to the next watering. If you have local watering restrictions, you can tell the device about them, and it works around them. You can also share access with a landscape tech using a temporary access PIN, and you can choose from a variety of weather services, including private weather stations. The RainMachine Touch HD also has an option to tweak rain and wind sensitivity to prevent overwatering in inclement conditions.
RainMachine’s water-used and water-saved reports and history within the app are excellent and richer with data than Rachio's, including detailed forecasts and logs for days, weeks, months, and years (you can also access them via a comprehensive web interface).
RainMachine offers almost as many smart-home integrations as Rachio, including support for Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, IFTTT, and SmartThings (using a device handler), and it has an API for control on a local network. These integrations let you use your voice assistant of choice to start or stop watering or to start or stop a specific zone (so, for example, you can turn the sprinklers on whenever the neighbor’s dog wanders over to wee in your garden). RainMachine also offers an excellent web interface, which makes managing your device easier.
During our testing, the RainMachine Touch HD would regularly drop offline, which is something that rarely happened to the Rachio 3 despite their being connected to the same network. Although the RainMachine continued to operate while offline, and we could still control its functions from the device, remote access is a key feature, and not being able to use the RainMachine model consistently was frustrating for us.
We also found the RainMachine app confusing, and even though it has all of the alerts we think are necessary, the offline notification never worked in our testing. As a workaround, we used RainMachine’s IFTTT integration to alert us when the device went offline. This approach worked—but it’s a workaround you shouldn’t have to rely on.
The RainMachine Touch HD uses one of the zone terminals as the connection for a master valve, so if you have one, you get only 11 or 15 zones of coverage. The Pro model has a separate master-valve terminal, so that model is a better fit if you need 16 zones.
The Touch HD is not weatherproof. If you need to install it outside, the company recommends the Orbit 57095 Outdoor-Mounted Controller Timer Box Cover.
A rugged device with on-device and local control, the B-hyve XR can handle larger yards for less money than our picks, but its app isn’t as easy to use as others.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $180.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The Orbit B-hyve XR (available in versions for eight or 16 zones) is a slick, higher-end version of our budget pick that can handle larger yards, for less money than our top picks. It also doesn’t need a waterproof case to be mounted outdoors, and it provides extensive on-device controls (though not the full control the RainMachine Touch HD offers). Like the RainMachine, and unlike the Rachio, the B-hyve XR also gives you offline control, so you can use a Bluetooth connection to control it with an app if your internet is down. Some features are missing, however: It gives you no alert when watering starts and no option to set a delay between zones, which would be handy if you needed time for a well to fill up.
The B-hyve smart watering feature worked reliably in our testing, skipping watering when rain was forecast and intelligently watering our yard using a split watering system—soaking each zone twice for 15 minutes and leaving a gap of an hour and 30 minutes between each watering—in early spring. Then, as the weather started to warm up, it switched to single, longer runs. Orbit’s B-hyve WeatherSense algorithms aren’t as accurate as Rachio’s WIP, however: At one point, the B-hyve XR set a rain delay for forecasted precipitation that never arrived, whereas the Rachio 3 seemed to know that the storm wasn’t going to come and proceeded to water as normal.
Installation and setup are straightforward. The B-hyve XR supports dual-band Wi-Fi, and the app does a good job of walking you through programming each zone with the soil and plant type, the amount of sun and slope, and the number of sprinkler heads. (You can also dive into the advanced menu and tinker with the Application Rate and Maximum Allowable Depletion settings, if you are so inclined.) Then the B-hyve XR automatically creates a smart watering schedule where you choose your start time and add any watering restrictions you have, and you’re done. Alternatively, you can create your own schedules, up to four different schedules for different zones, and have the same weather adjustments apply, including customizable rain, wind-speed, and temperature delays. (The B-hyve app does seem to get its knickers in a twist if you try to add a smart watering program and regular schedules to the same zone, with constant warnings that you may be “overwatering” a zone.)
Although scheduling is easy, the app is unintuitive and lacking in certain features, such as a warning when watering is about to begin. It does alert you when watering is finished, however, and it does indicate any weather-prompted delays. There is the option to choose your own weather station and view basic watering history, but you’ll find no water-use reports here.
We also weren’t enamored with the on-device controls, which consist of just one button despite there being ample space on the very large and quite bulky device for more controls. It’s not intuitive, and the instructions written on the back of the removable cover are in what looks to be 7-point font. That one button is tasked with an awful lot of functionality, including manual watering for any zones, at any length of time, and setting a rain delay (something you can’t do on the Rachio 3). The three small LED screens are a disappointment: Although they do show extra information such as the next start time, the day’s weather, and useful info like which zone the unit is controlling and the length of time it’ll run, the honeycomb layout of the screens just isn’t easy to read and feels gimmicky.
The B-hyve indoor controller is small, effective, and inexpensive, but it lacks some key features.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $57.
Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The eight-zone Orbit B-hyve Smart Indoor Irrigation Controller represents an inexpensive way to make your irrigation system smarter—and because it’s a WaterSense-certified device, you may also qualify for an EPA rebate. A good-looking, capable sprinkler controller, the B-hyve indoor controller can automatically create a smart watering schedule for you or adapt your chosen schedule based on the weather. It’s also the smallest device we tested, able to fit neatly in the palm of a person’s hand.
We really like the B-hyve indoor controller’s simple on-device control—it works similarly to the B-hyve XR’s one button, but its sparsity is more fitting on this smaller device. Pressing the button, you can tell it to water an individual zone or all zones simultaneously for up to 10 minutes, to cancel watering, or to turn the system on or off. A hidden LED on the top of the unit shows which zone the controller is watering and displays a “D” when the controller is in a rain delay—a nice touch that none of the other models with basic on-device controls have.
The B-hyve smartphone app effectively walks you through setting up each zone and creating a smart schedule. Once everything is up and running, the main screen gives you clear notice of what state your system is in, a trait we really liked. For example, one day it told us, “Your device is in auto rain delay for 24 hours” and “Your next watering will be in 12 days.” Now that’s useful.
Beyond setup, however, the app becomes a bit too simple and unintuitive. The schedule calendar isn’t easy to read, requiring multiple taps to reveal information, and if you want to add more schedules, it gets fiddly. The A, B, C, D system the app uses may be familiar to irrigation experts, but it’s just a confusing holdover from basic irrigation clocks and not useful for the average homeowner, especially in an age of clearly designed apps. The app is missing a few alerts, too, chief among them a warning when watering is about to begin.
As for smart-home integrations, you can control your sprinklers using your voice with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. (Though HomeKit integration has been promised, it has yet to materialize.) You get the option to choose your own weather station and to view basic watering history, but the app has no water-use reports. And this B-hyve controller is not weatherproof, so you need to install it indoors or in a covered area, though you can find compatible enclosures. (Orbit also sells a model that comes with an enclosure, a 12-zone smart controller that’s weatherproof and equipped with full on-device controls; that model, however, is also utilitarian in design and unintuitive in its control scheme.)
Smart sprinkler controllers determine when and for how long to water your yard by assessing local weather conditions—ideally, rainfall accumulation, solar radiation, wind, relative humidity, and temperature—and applying them to estimate evapotranspiration, or ET, which is the sum of evaporation and plant water use. Their software algorithms use this data, combined with predicted and actual rainfall and information you input about your yard (soil type, vegetation type, slope, shade, types of sprinkler heads), to create and adjust watering schedules tailored to your garden’s needs.
Smart controllers also use their internet connection to automatically do things such as stopping watering if a freeze is coming or if strong winds would lead to wasted water. Soil-moisture sensors, flow meters, catch cups, and other add-ons commonly offered with a smart controller can all help fine-tune how the system reacts, but they are not essential to the core functionality of the controllers.
Do smart controllers actually work? Our test yard is not a controlled lab site, and though we enjoy the convenience and features of smart controllers, for a scientific perspective we turned to Guy Fipps and Charles Swanson of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, who have been testing and researching weather-based irrigation controllers for more than a decade.
In a paper published in 2018, they evaluated six Wi-Fi–enabled, weather-based controllers for one year: Hydrawise by Hunter (a professional model), the Orbit B-hyve, and models by Rachio, Rainbird, RainMachine, and Skydrop. They found that, compared with regular clocks, most of the smart controllers did a good job of managing the seasonal water requirements of landscapes. But they also found that some smart models irrigated more or less than necessary based on the daily soil-moisture readings (all of them except for the Skydrop, that is, which failed to operate for three months; that company has since gone out of business).
Although the controllers in the study have all responded appropriately to rainfall, the authors speculate that adding a rain sensor could help prevent smart controllers from possibly overwatering. Their study is ongoing, and they haven’t singled out a specific controller yet, though their testing does indicate that some models are better for certain landscapes than others. For more, you can read the 2018 report (PDF), which contains a detailed breakdown of how each controller operated in different landscapes.
Interestingly, Fipps said he wouldn’t install a smart controller for his own yard, but he and Swanson do recommend them for someone who hasn’t spent their career studying irrigation. “If you compare this technology to a homeowner who sets their controller one time and doesn’t touch it the rest of the year then we see where these controllers do make adjustments,” said Swanson. “Do they save the most water you can? Maybe, maybe not.”
However, Fipps said that if you don’t use a smart controller, you need some other method of knowing how much water you should apply to keep your garden healthy. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has a WaterMyYard program in a number of cities in the state, and it sends out weekly emails and text messages that tell people how many minutes to run their irrigation systems. If your town or city has a similar program, it could be an option over a smart controller—assuming that the only reason you want a smart controller is for water savings, not also for the added convenience and smart-home integrations these devices offer.
Although our top pick works with third-party wired soil-moisture sensors, some of the other models we tested offer compatible wireless soil-moisture sensors. These sensors override scheduled irrigation when they detect that plants don’t need water, helping reduce water waste. Do you need a soil-moisture sensor? The jury is still out on that, and it’s an area we are actively monitoring.
Wireless soil-moisture sensors we’ve tested previously have been unreliable and expensive—often dropping off the network, rendering them useless. And although the Sprinkl Sense soil-moisture sensor we tested worked far more reliably, all WaterSense-certified controllers are required to function without rain or soil-moisture sensors, so in theory you don’t actually need them anyway.
According to experts we spoke with, these sensors are also not effective in a residential setting because topsoil isn’t deep enough for accurate readings. However, the EPA recently released its specifications for soil-moisture-based irrigation controllers and describes this category as “one option to help homeowners and businesses achieve water-efficient irrigation scheduling.” One problem with soil-moisture sensors is the expense, especially since you need one for each zone. But with this EPA certification, they will be able to qualify for rebates, and hopefully they’ll become more affordable as a result. We’ll continue to monitor this area and update this guide if we find a soil-moisture-sensor controller that performs as well as the weather-based controllers and doesn’t cost a fortune.
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Netro’s Spark smart sprinkler controller offers a touchscreen with basic on-device controls and support for 16 zones. It has some great features other controllers don’t offer, such as options to specify the species of plants in your garden and to customize rain delays up to three days before and after rainfall to maximize water savings. It also shows estimated water savings in dollars. But the app has no notifications at all, and the device doesn’t work with wired rain or soil-moisture sensors; it’s compatible only with its own Whisper sensor, which was unreliable in our testing.
The Wyze Sprinkler Controller is a good value at $50, but after the first year you need to spend a modest $10 annually to use the automatic, weather-based watering schedules. Without the subscription it works as a standard controller that you program with your phone (there are basic on-device controls, too). One neat feature is the ability to set a Wyze Cam feed as your zone image, an option that provides an easy way for you to view your garden with just a tap (though it’s useful only if you’ve already bought into the Wyze smart-home ecosystem). The smart watering worked as expected in our tests, but you can’t choose your weather station, the controller offers no Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant smart-home integration, and it lacks WaterSense certification. It’s also missing a few features found on most other devices we tested, and it wasn’t that easy to set up or use in the slightly cumbersome Wyze app.
Plaid Systems’s second-generation Spruce controller (16 zones) is a solid model with basic on-device controls and a simple setup that automatically creates a smart schedule for you. It works with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings, and its compatible wireless soil-moisture sensors are Zigbee-based. But you can’t choose a weather station (it uses Dark Sky) or share access, and in our testing the soil-moisture sensors dropped offline frequently. The Spruce also dropped its WaterSense label (although it still meets the criteria). The company says it’s looking into the new certification for soil-moisture-sensor controllers, as that would be a better fit for its device.
We tested the Sprinkl Control (16 zones) and were impressed by its unique approach of watering entirely autonomously when paired with one or more of its Sense soil-moisture sensors. However, the Texas-based startup Sprinkl has halted manufacture of the device while it works on the second generation of both the controller and sensors, so the Control is not currently available to purchase. We’ll test the new models when they are released next year.
Aeon Matrix’s Yardian Pro (eight or 12 zones) is an indoor-only, WaterSense-certified controller with the option of Ethernet or 4G connectivity—it’s the only model in this guide to offer both. It also has basic on-device controls and works with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. However, in our testing its smart watering feature failed to water our yard sufficiently. It’s worth considering only if you are looking for a cheaper way to integrate your sprinklers into your HomeKit setup than our top picks, and if you don’t plan on using its smart scheduling. We do like the Conditional Programming feature, which can trigger a schedule based on the temperature (perfect for our chickens), and this feature and the manual scheduling with weather skips did work consistently in our testing.
The Aeon Matrix Yardian (eight or 12 zones) has a built-in security camera with motion detection and 24 hours of free cloud recording. It’s the only model we tested with this feature, which could be useful to you depending on where your sprinkler controller is located. But the Yardian’s smart scheduling has never worked correctly in our testing, and although this WaterSense-certified controller meets most of our criteria, including shared access, offline alerts, and selectable weather stations (it even rates stations based on the type of information they provide), we can’t recommend it.
The Gro Controller by Scotts (formerly Blossom) supports up to eight zones, is simple to set up, and is one of the least expensive options. It adjusts the length of the watering time based on the weather and has a nice app that’s fine for simple operation. But if you want to dig deeper, it’s less intuitive. This controller doesn’t alert you as to why it’s not watering, so you might easily think it’s broken, and in our tests we had lots of issues with consistent operation. The Gro integrates with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, but it doesn’t let you choose a weather station and has no water-use history.
The Orbit B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor Irrigation Controller (12 zones) looks like a traditional irrigation clock—big, heavy, and bulky. It is WaterSense-labeled, and its software and app are the same as those for our budget pick. The main differences lie in the design (the B-hyve indoor model is smaller and cleaner looking), this model’s full array of on-device controls (which are like those of traditional controllers and confusing to use), and its waterproof, lockable case (so there’s no extra expense if you want to put it outdoors).
Rain Bird’s ST8I-WIFI (eight zones) is large and bulky, and it comes with a weatherproof enclosure. It works by adjusting whatever program you schedule manually based on the forecast, but it offers no smart scheduling, and without a separate rain sensor, it doesn’t have a rain delay. If you are a loyal Rain Bird fan and you have wired sensors you want to continue to use, you’ll like this controller. Also, it’s relatively inexpensive.
The Netro Sprite (six or 12 zones) is well built and easy to install, and it configures a watering schedule for you. It’s WaterSense-certified and equipped with a compatible solar-powered soil-moisture sensor that also records temperature, though we found that component unreliable in testing. It works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant but no smart hubs. It has no on-device controls, and you can’t choose a weather station. On top of all that, the app doesn’t have notifications.
We tested the NxEco Pro, which was too much like a standard clock and too complicated to use for us to recommend. We also tested the BlueSpray BSC24i, which might suit specific needs, such as if someone has a golf course in their backyard; compared with competing models, it’s far too complex, yet it lacks smart-home integrations.
Controllers we researched but didn’t test include Hunter’s Hydrawise (available only through dealers), the OpenSprinkler, the Asante Irrigation Controller Kit (not WaterSense-certified, but it offers a range extender for installations where your system is far from your router), and the Gardena, which is not WaterSense-certified and works only with soil sensors.
Guy Fipps and Charles Swanson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, phone interview, March 14, 2019
WaterSense Labeled Controllers, US Environmental Protection Agency
WaterSense, US Environmental Protection Agency
WaterSense Labeled Irrigation Controllers (PDF), US Environmental Protection Agency, August 1, 2017
Soil Moisture–Based Irrigation Controllers, US Environmental Protection Agency, March 11, 2021
Guy Fipps and Charles Swanson, Evaluating the Operation of Residential WIFI Based Irrigation Controllers (PDF), December 1, 2018
Christopher Null, Orbit B-hyve XR sprinkler timer review, TechHive, September 18, 2020
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy writes about smart-home technology use and sustainable living, while trying to practice both (one is a lot easier than the other).
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