Have you splashed a huge amount of cash and exertion into your home’s yard, does your yard and flower beds look terrible because of sporadic watering? On the off chance that you work throughout the day and are in a hurry, how would you stay aware of your yard’s water system needs? It’s particularly overwhelming! in the event that you live in a range where you’re under strict watering limitations. On account of present day innovation, you can remain on top of your yard from anyplace and whenever. A Wi-Fi sprinkler controller and framework could be the solution to your watering burdens. See our comparison chart to find the best Wi-Fi sprinkler controller for your needs, these are the 3 most popular.
How Does a Smart Sprinkler System Work?
A shrewd sprinkler framework includes a Wi-Fi-empowered savvy controller that synchronizes with your current sprinkler framework (any standard 24VAC valve will do). The sprinkler control permits you to remotely program the watering cycle of specific zones in your yard and garden. You can even set your controller to do the programming for you! Absolutely cutting edge, isn’t that so?
When you introduce and program your Wi-Fi sprinkler controller either from the base unit or by means of your cell phone (or another web-empowered gadget), you can get ongoing updates on your cell phone. Similarly as with most innovative gadgets, a few controllers work better, have a bigger number of elements and more customization capacity than others (see our quick review below). Here are some vital components to consider:
Shrewd Technology: Many brilliant sprinkler frameworks can self-program watering needs in view of live climate sustains, site conditions, for example, soil and plant sorts, sun introduction, yard slant, and chronicled climate information. Search for insights about how exceptional every item’s calculation is, contingent upon the level of usefulness you want.
Controller Location: Do you need your remote sprinkler controller mounted inside our outside? In the event that you don’t need a blemish in your home, there are a few open air units accessible.
Wi-Fi water system controller costs fluctuate by brand and the quantity of sprinkler zones you have. You ought to hope to pay in any event $100 for a fundamental brilliant controller. Costs can keep running as high as $500-in addition to.
EPA WaterSense and SWAT Certification: Device affirmation is an immense furthermore, contingent upon where you live (and how much cash you need to save money on your water bills). Search for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense accreditation as a matter of first importance. EPA WaterSense items meet the EPA’s determinations for water productivity and execution — and qualify you for item refunds by numerous nearby regions (up to 100%). SmartWater Application Technologies (SWAT) is another all around perceived confirmation that could make you qualified for refunds. SWAT is the top autonomous lab that tests execution and water-utilize effectiveness in water system items.
| WiFi Controllers | Rain Bird | Rachio | Hunter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tested Successfully | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Control From SmartPhone | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Easy To Program Schedule | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Program from Anywhere with SmartPhone Signal | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple Programs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uses Local Weather Station | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Hunter Rain Sensor | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Home Platforms | Amazon Alexa | Amazon Echo, Nest, Google | No |
| Screen for Programming at Controller | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works With Out WiFi | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Solenoid Short Notification | Yes | No | Yes |
| Water Delay Notification | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Water Resume Notification | Yes | No | Yes |
| Ease of Use | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EPA WaterSense | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max Zones | 22 | 16 | 24 |
| Flow Sensor | Yes | No | Yes |
| Enclosure | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor/Outdoor | Indoor/Outdoor |
| Cloud Capability | No | No | Yes |
| Subscription Based | No | No | Yes |
| WiFi Setup Ease of Use | Little Clumsy | Very Easy | Nice Easy Wizard |
| WiFi Band Info | 2.4ghz Only 802.11 b/g/n Wpa/Wpa2 Does not like Dual Band | 2.4ghz 802.11 b/g/n Wpa/Wpa2 Dual Band Ok | 2.4ghz 802.11 b/g Wpa/Wpa2 Channels 1-11 Only Dual Band Ok |
Installation Review
Rain Bird
Downloading the app to the smartphone was easy
Powering up the controller and plugging in the wi-fi module was easy
The Rain Bird Instructions were a little confusing, as you need to go to your “cell phone settings”
then “wi-fi” settings and connect to the “rain bird” wi-fi to continue installing
Make sure you don’t use a DUAL Band Router as 5.0ghz will not work, and you won’t find your network!
make you set up your network right away, as adding or changing your network is a PROBLEM
and you will need to delete your controller setup and start over.
Once you are setup the app is very easy to use
Hunter
Downloading the app and going to the hydrawise web site to register was easy, and setting up the problem was quite easy as well, you can only choose 1 airport weather station for free! you can have 2 additional weather stations or even closer weather stations to your house, if you want to pay extra dollars. This is a subscription base controller where you have to pay every year, it has a lot of extra features! for the price. isn’t use 5.0ghz but it plays nice with dual band routers
Rachio
Downloading the app and installing was really easy, this will work on 2.4ghz and not the 5.0 ghz, but is does play nice with the dual band routers, the setup is real easy and offers more setup details then the other 2, such as choosing different heads, slopes, types of grass and beds! and its setup wizard was straight forward and easy, this controller does not have a screen! so everything has be run off of your phone, to see what you are doing!
Conclusion:
We recommend all 3, as they all offer something a little different
If you want all the bells and whistles and don’t mind paying a yearly fee, go with Hunter
If you want simple easy to use, and can still operate from the controller and you are a little tech savvy go with Rain Bird
If you want to control everything from your phone and you don’t care about NOT seeing a display on your controller then go with the Rachio, But support is really Terrible!