It can be aggravating to keep a garden and lawn perfectly watered, so a good tool that can give you peace of mind is a sprinkler controller. Before you purchase one, check out the following review of the top-selling products today that should help you find the best smart sprinkler controller for your needs. To decide what constitutes as the best smart sprinkler controller, we considered a number of features such as user-friendliness, reliability, the overall quality of the technology, and more.
6. Orbit 57946 B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor 6-Station Sprinkler System Controller
- ULTIMATE WIFI AND TIMER CONTROL - The B-hyve app is fully functional for Android, iOS or web devices and gives you control wherever you need it. Program your timer on the app, at the timer, or let the weather-based software create a program for you.
- SMART WATERING - Weather Sense technology provides watering based on site conditions such as slope, soil type, sun/shade, historical ET and live weather feeds. It automatically adjusts your controller to deliver the right amount of water to your plants.
- EASY TO INSTALL AND USE - Utilize the swing panel for easy access to the angled wiring terminals, which makes wiring simple and convenient and the plug-and-go line cord that can also be cut for hardwired applications.
- CERTIFIED TO SAVE WATER AND MONEY - B-hyve is EPA WaterSense approved and certified, ensuring it will save you water and energy. This can also make your B-hyve timer eligible for local rebates, which can save up to 100% of the cost on your timer.
- DURABILITY AND SECURITY - The Orbit B-hyve Wi-Fi sprinkler timer comes in a weather-resistant case, allowing you to mount your timer indoors or outdoors without risk of weather damage and a locking cabinet that keeps your timer safe from harm.
- Connection: Wi-Fi | Android | iOS | Web
- Remote Access: Amazon Alexa | App
- Timer: Yes | Automatic adjustment
- Indoor/Outdoor: Both
To kick off our search for the best smart sprinkler controller system is the Orbit 6-Station System. It features weather sense technology that can provide watering based on live weather feeds, soil type, sun and shade conditions, and more. Not only can you fully control it from anywhere using the app, but it features voice control as well thanks to Alexa compatibilities.
This is certified to save you on money and water costs thanks to it being EPA WaterSense approved and certified. It lasts long as well as it’s held in a weather-resistant hard case that can be mounted indoors and outside.
5. RainMachine Touch HD-12 Wi-Fi Irrigation Controller
- SMART SCHEDULE & SAVE WATER - Save water with real-time weather adjustments. (EPA WaterSense Certified, check for rebates).
- CLOUD INDEPENDENT - All personal data stored locally. RainMachine continues to work even when WiFi is down. Forecast spatial resolution: upto 1.5 km
- FREE WEATHER DATA - Direct access to NOAA, METNO or Wunderground, OpenWeatherMap, NetAtmo. Use National or Personal Weather Stations for pinpoint accuracy.
- CONTROL FROM ANYWHERE - Color Touch Screen, iPhone, and Android, PC browser access with dashboard stats. Works from Home, Work or Vacation.
- UPDATED MODEL (2019) - Improved WIFI. hundreds of Schedule and UI improvements. Integrate with Alexa, Google Home, Nest, WINK, SmartThings via IFTTT.
- Connection: Wi-Fi | Android | iPhone | Web
- Remote Access: App | Amazon Alexa
- Timer: Yes | Automatic adjustment
- Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor
With the RainMachine Touch HD-12, you receive a truly “smart” sprinkler controller system. The local interface is a unique touch design, and if you need to look at it in a dark garage, the touch keys have white LED illumination. It features real-time monitoring via an app as well, but some have reported issues using the app sometimes.
It can automatically protect your lawn against extreme hot or freezing conditions. You can even suspend the programs entirely for any given number of days or months in accordance with the climate you live in. It isn’t weatherproof though, but you can mount it inside a separate weatherproof case.
4. RainMachine Mini-8 Wi-Fi Irrigation Controller
- CLOUD INDEPENDENT - All personal data stored locally. Rain Machine continues to work even when Wi-Fi is down.
- 8 ZONES (7 when Master Valve is used as Zone 1)
- SMART SCHEDULE & SAVE WATER - Save water with real-time weather adjustments (EPA Water Sense certified, check for rebates).
- FREE WEATHER DATA - Direct access to NOAA, METNO or , Open Weather Map, Natation. Use National or Personal Weather Stations for pinpoint accuracy.
- CONTROL FROM ANYWHERE - Color touch screen, iPhone, and Android, PC browser access with dashboard stats. Access from home, work or vacation.
- Connection: Wi-Fi | Android | iPhone
- Remote Access: App | Amazon Alexa
- Timer: Yes | Automatic adjustment
- Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor
Another unit from RainMachine on our list is the Mini-8. This is a unit primarily intended for use with an app on either Android or iOS devices. The interface is rather smooth, however, so it should take little time setting it up and using it. It does an efficient job of adjusting your watering schedule to help conserve more water and save you money.
By connecting with Wi-Fi, the Mini-8 can download weather data every six hours through NOAA, a feature that employs the use of satellites, radars, and weather stations. You can program an unlimited amount of weather adaptive programs.
3. Rachio 3 Wi-Fi Smart Lawn Sprinkler Controller
- Save money and water! See up to 30-50% savings on your monthly water bill!
- Avoid watering in the rain. Exclusive weather intelligence plus automatically skips unnecessary watering with features like rain skip, wind skip, freeze skip, and more.
- Control from anywhere with the easy-to-use app. Run sprinklers, view upcoming schedules, and observe your estimated outdoor water usage.
- Experience fast DIY installation. Rachio Smart sprinkler controllers replace 99% of existing sprinkler controllers. Install in 30 minutes or less with no special tools needed. Our in-app installation tutorial helps you get online and watering in no time!
- Deliver all the water your plants need; no more, No less. Rachio creates tailored Smart schedules based on the specific needs of your lawn, including plant type, soil type, sun exposure, and more.
- Connection: Wi-Fi | Android | iOS | Web
- Remote Access: App | Amazon Alexa, Google Assist, Nest, etc.
- Timer: Yes | Automatic adjustment
- Indoor/Outdoor: Both
Another unit near the top of the list for the best smart sprinkler controller is the Rachio 3 8-Zone Controller. It is one of the most connected controllers on the market as it is compatible with numerous smart home devices from Amazon Alexa to Nest. It utilizes millions of resources from satellites to radars to keep your system up-to-date with weather conditions.
Downloading and using the app is easy to do, and you can fully control your system using a Smartphone, tablet, or your computer. If you want, you can simply run through the controller itself.
2. Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller
- Connection: Wi-Fi | Android | iOS | Web
- Remote Access: App | Amazon Alexa, Wink, IFTTT, etc.
- Timer: Yes | Automatic adjustment
- Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor
The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller creates an automatic watering schedule so that you can immediately begin conserving water and saving on your water bill. It is EPA WaterSense certified according to how much you can save in addition to the quality performance seen by this unit.
You can still create a customized schedule, but the controller will adjust according to weather conditions. Also, you can use this anywhere from your Smartphone or computer.
1. Netro Smart Sprinkler Controller
- Fully Automatic - EPA WaterSense certified, dynamically creates and adjusts watering schedules optimized for your plants/lawns
- Lifetime Cloud Service - Connects to WiFi(2.4G), monitors and controls your sprinkler system anywhere from iOS(8.3+), Android(5.0+) devices and Web browsers
- Eco Friendly - Save up to 50% of your outdoor water use with advanced water saving technologies including weather forecasting and historical statistics
- Water Restriction - Alerts and auto complies to the watering rules in your local area
- Easy Installation - Installs or replaces in around 15 minutes with basic tools. No professionals required. Indoor use only. 24VAC power adapter NOT included. You can power your Netro with the existing 24VAC power adapter from your old sprinkler controller
- Connection: Wi-Fi | Android | iOS
- Remote Access: App | Amazon Alexa, Google Home
- Timer: Yes | Automatic adjustment
- Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor
At the top as the best smart sprinkler controller is the Netro Smart Sprinkler Controller. Though it doesn’t have web access yet, it is simple to manage it through your Smartphone or tablet devices. Installation can be done in under 30 minutes. It features a fully-automatic system that can create and adjust watering schedules appropriately.
You can save up to 50% of water as the system prevents runoffs. It’s self-learning as well so that you’ll eventually have a personalized schedule.
Final Verdict
The best smart sprinkler controller is one that has a streamlined interface that just about anyone can use. It is also efficient at saving you water and helping your bill. If we were to choose a favorite, the Netro Smart Sprinkler Controller is our pick as it adjusts well, installs quickly, and is easy to use. Have you tried any systems on our list? Let us know in the comments.
It can be aggravating to keep a garden and lawn perfectly watered. A good tool that can give you peace of mind is a sprinkler controller. Before you purchase one, check out the following review of the top-selling products today that should help you find the best smart sprinkler controller for your needs.
To decide what constitutes as the best smart sprinkler controller, we considered a number of features such as user-friendliness, reliability, the overall quality of the technology, and more.
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