Putting in a sprinkler system was one of the smartest things you ever did, wasn’t it?
No more dragging around hoses, setting up sprinklers, or asking the neighbor to water when you’re out of town.
Maybe it’s time to take the next step. Maybe it’s time for smart watering.
If you want more control over your sprinkling schedule, the Orbit B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor Irrigation Controller can provide it.
Why be stuck with a fixed schedule that waters at the appointed time, whether it rains or shines, whether the lawn needs it or not.
With the B-hyve controller, you can take command using a product that both works with you and works for you.
Putting Smart in your Smart Yard
Your present system is a great start, but it doesn’t do it all.
Does it sometimes sprinkle during a rainstorm? Is it difficult to change on the fly?
Can you correct your watering schedule when you’re out of town?
To put some smarts into your sprinkling system, all you need is the sprinklers you already have, an AC outlet, wifi, a smartphone, and the B-hyve timer.
Swap out your current controller and swap in the new B-hyve command center.
You don’t even need to place sensors.
The B-hyve uses hyperlocal weather stations to know what’s going on weatherwise.
You can let the system set up your schedule or configure it yourself.
Water as much as is needed and no more. Save water. Save money.
Here’s how you get started. Hook up and plug in the controller.Download the B-hyve app to a smart device: an iPhone, iPad, or Android device. You’re ready to take charge.
The heart of the system is the app. It’s easy to get started.
It took me literally minutes to go through the whole process.
The app prompts you to step by step. Name your zones.
Take photos. Follow the prompts to describe your zones: soil type, plants, sunlight, and existing sprinkler system.
You can provide more detail, but that’s enough to get started.
The system calculates a watering program for each zone. You can modify it, but it’s a good place to start.
It will make real-time updates in response to changing weather, prevent watering in the rain, increase watering time on hot days, and decrease it on cool ones.
It’s constantly tracking the weather to provide just the right amount of water to your plants and lawn.
While most people find set-up as easy as I did, I’ve heard that’s not always the case.
After all, you’re dealing with several moving parts, including a wifi signal, your phone, and your existing sprinklers.
Some people find the process confusing, and many reports that the Orbit customer service experience isn’t as good as it should be.
Also, the B-hyve controller doesn’t work well with many smart home systems like some competitors.
You don’t need a phone. You can set up the system right from the controller.
You’re still able to do anything at any time, but you lose the ability to do it from anywhere.
7.1out of 10
In a sense, a traditional controller will let you water from anywhere.
No matter where you are, it will proceed to do its thing.
Trouble is, it will do exactly the same thing whether you like it or not, and the only way to change it is to be right there at the control unit.
Furthermore, you don’t know what your old-fashioned system is doing if you’re not home to watch it.
Is it watering when it shouldn’t? Is it not watering when it should?
It’s reassuring to know that I can see what’s going on wherever I am.
Wherever my phone is, that’s where the control headquarters is. If I don’t like what’s happening, I can do something about it.
Also, I can control the B-hyve from anywhere in the whole house with my smart assistant.
It’s a kick to say, “Alexa, ask B-hyve to water the lawn,” and watch the sprinklers startup.
The are other advantages to smartphone control. If you’re in the yard troubleshooting a sprinkler problem, you can turn zones on and off by running to the control box.
And don’t forget the fun factor. You can start the sprinklers to let the kids splash through them.
Since you can download the app to as many devices as you’d like, there can be multiple users capable of controlling the system. Either you or your housemate can turn the system on and off. Just don’t get into a water fight.
Nowadays, just about everybody has a phone capable of controlling the B-hyve timer, but here are some of the details you need to know.
Android version 4.3 and higher or iOS 8 and higher.
Wifi bandwidth 2.4 GHz.
Supported assistants: Amazon Alexa, Google Home.
If you’re at home, you can connect with Bluetooth 4.2 and wifi.
Compliant only with North American electrical power outlets. International versions are available for markets outside North America.
6-zone and 12-zone models.
Part number 57946 is the 6-zone, and Part Number 57950 is the 12.
Waterproof case included. (Some competitors charge extra for the waterproof covering.)
Safety locks to guard your controller.
Made in the USA with global material.
Two-year warranty.
Certified for WaterSense and SWAT testing protocols: EPA, PMG-1380, 2019.
When you open the door of the mounted control unit you’ll find an LCD display screen.
It has a status display that tells you whether it’s connected to wifi, whether AC power is coming in, and an indicator if the battery is low.
You also see the time automatically set if wifi is active.
You can do everything from here. If wifi is down, or if you mislaid your smartphone or your phone is inside hooked up to its charger, that doesn’t mean you’re out of business. You’re still in charge.
The LCD control screen or the smartphone puts you in the driver’s seat.
The name B-hyve suggests a command center, and that’s just what it is.
You can always know what’s happened in the past, what’s happening now, and what’s scheduled to happen.
The B-hyve calendar is one of your summaries.
Tap a day, and see what that day did or will do.
There’s a zone by zone information too.
Tap a zone, and B-hyve tells you the estimated soil moisture based on the weather and when the sprinkler last watered.
Notifications are available.
You can choose to be alerted when a watering program runs when the system delays watering due to rain and for some other events.
It would be nice to have a little more detail.
For example, you don’t get a full and complete report of which zones are going to run on a given day and for how long.
You can do as much or as little as you want in controlling the watering schedule.
The Smart Watering program will take charge if you let it.
You’ve given it your zone definitions and it’s constantly monitoring the local weather, so you won’t go wrong by just letting it do its thing.
But, if you choose, you might set up an every-other-day schedule, pick the start times you like, or select your watering interval. You can make sure B-hyve doesn’t water your picnic table during your picnic.
It’s possible to control some zones and let the controller handle others manually.
You can set up four programs so there’ll be a Smart Watering program plus three you designed, and you can switch between them however you please.
You’re allowed to determine schedules days and weeks in advance.
There’s a rain delay button. Daily watering can be shut off for one to 32 days.
One especially nice feature is the budgeting system, which is controlled by a slide. Leave it where it is to do 100 percent of the scheduled watering, or decrease the water output to 75 percent or raise it to 125 percent. The system will make the same adjustment across all the zones.
From your phone, you control other B-hyve devices.
You might integrate your B-hyve timer with the Orbit Catch Cups.
It’s possible to manage B-hyve sensors in your home, such as the B-hyve Smart Flood Sensor, which alerts you to water entering your residence.
In Conclusion
This isn’t the fanciest or most sophisticated irrigation controller on the market, but it may well be the best budget model available in smart sprinklers. For the price, it’s hard to beat.
For average homeowners like you and me, it can do pretty much everything we need.
Sure, it could provide more information on the controller or phone. And, yes, it would be nice to see better integration with a smart home. I’ve heard that customer service isn’t what it should be for some people.
On the plus side, finding an easier smart irrigation controller would be harder than the B-hyve.
You can set it up in no time at all, and it’s smart enough to take your initial inputs and build an effective watering schedule.
If you find fault with what the schedule B-hyve calculates, you can always tweak it.
Also, it comes in a 6-zone and a 12-zone version. For most of us, six zones are plenty.
The convenient small size hangs unobtrusively in your garage or on the side of your house.
I expect the B-Hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor Irrigation Controller will pay for itself in one season just based on water usage.
If you have a local water district rebate available, the payback may be even quicker.
Orbit Irrigation Products, Inc, located in Bountiful, Utah, United States, is a manufacturer and supplier of irrigation products for residential and commercial markets and has been in business since 1986. It distributes over 2,000 products to 40 countries on five continents.
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A WiFi sprinkler controller is an advanced technological device that can controller not just when but also how you water your lawn.Let's See the Top 10 Sprinkler Controllers for your lawn.
Worry-Free Watering - Rachio watches the weather, so you don't have to, providing the right amount of water for your lawn and garden. The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller automatically creates watering schedules that lower your water bill and ensure a beautiful yard.,Exclusive Weather Technology - Exclusive Weather Intelligence plus automatically skips unnecessary watering with features like rain skip, wind skip, freeze skip, and more.,Control From Anywhere - Control your watering from anywhere with the easy-to-use app. Run sprinklers, view upcoming schedules, and observe your estimated outdoor water usage. Rachio’s mobile app lets you manage your sprinkler system from anywhere. Please note: Phone is not included with sprinkler system.,Fast & Easy Installation - Experience fast DIY installation in 30 minutes or less with no special tools needed. Rachio smart sprinkler controllers replace 99% of existing sprinkler controllers and Rachio’s in-app installation tutorial helps you get online and watering in no time!,No More Thirsty Plants - Deliver all the water your plants need. Rachio creates tailored smart schedules based on the specific needs of your lawn, including plant type, soil type, sun exposure, and more
Provides essential water management features in a user-friendly indoor controller to ensure beautiful, healthy landscapes for up to 6 stations,3 flexible programs with 4 start times each and run times up to 4 hours to accommodate most residential and light commercial irrigation system needs,Compatible with Hunter weather sensors to halt irrigation during rain, freeze, and wind events,Programs are stored in memory so irrigation resumes normally after a power outage
WELCOME TO B-HYVE: Looking to get a smart sprinkler controller? If this is out of stock, or if you want the best, check out the CES Innovation Award-winning B-hyve XR smart controller,WI-FI CAPABLE: Fully functional with Android, iOS or web app for total control, wherever you need it; fast and easy pairing using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi Technology,FREE APP: Easy programming from the B-hyve App in both Android and iOS platforms; no subscription, no hidden fees,LIVE WEATHER FEEDS: WeatherSense technology provides smart watering based on site conditions such as slope, soil type, sun/shade, and historical ET,MULTI FUNCTIONALITY: Operates with or without Wi-Fi connectivity by storing app-set programs on the timer,MANUAL OVERRIDE: When you need access to your water, but don't want to cancel or change your watering programs,SAFETY FEATURES: Built-in fault detection and surge protection,USE WITH 110V ONLY: Compatible and compliant only with North American electrical outlets; international versions are available for markets outside North America,ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: EPA WaterSense and SWAT Certified,SUPPORTS: Master valve and pump relay setups; CONVENIENT: Plug-and-go line cord and transformer
This timer is so easy to program you won't need the instructions,Simple zone-by-zone settings allow customized watering schedules for each area of your yard,Designed for indoor installation within a garage, home, or waterproof shed,One-touch seasonal adjust allows increase to watering time in hot, dry months or reduction in cool, rainy periods,Rain Delay suspends watering for up to 72-hours; when delay ends programming automatically resumes,Superior long-lasting durability and built-in surge protection,Sealed case to protect against moisture, insects and grime,New and Improved model SST600IN timer replaces the Obsolete SST600I
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
SAVE WATER, SAVE MONEY – with our Smart Program and Rain Skips,INSTANT BUTTON CONTROL – Yardian Pro works even when your Wi-Fi doesn’t with on-board instant buttons.,EXTENDED WIFI RANGE – with built-in Wi-Fi, Yardian Pro has an even wider range to connect to your home router,CONTROL FROM ANYWHERE – Setup your smart program, monitor your skip rules, check your water usage, and control your entire sprinkler system through the Yardian app from anywhere and everywhere.,DIY in 15 MIN - Yardian can be setup and ready to go with no tools and no experience
Water from Anywhere and Water Saving: EPA WaterSense test passed and savings water yearly. Manually start and stop watering from anywhere with the Wyze app.,Weather-Based Watering: Water when your plants are thirsty, not when it’s raining. The advanced Smart Schedule algorithm uses hyper-local weather data to automatically decide when to water each zone. Be confident that your lawn and plants are always taken care of. (Requires Sprinkler Plus - 1 year included.),Simple Scheduling: Create fixed schedules to water your plants on specific days of the week, including dedicated sunrise/sunset settings.,DIY Installation: Wyze Sprinkler replaces your existing controller in less than 20 minutes and automatically creates a schedule for you after setup.,Stay Notified: Turn on notifications to know when your system starts or stops watering.
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.
⭐️8 Zones: IIC-800-WIFI smart sprinkler controller is designed to control up-to-8-zone watering. It supports auto watering mode and manual watering mode to suit various water needs of each zone. ONLY connect to the AC adapter(included).,⭐️WiFi Remote & Non-volatile Memory: This irrigation controller has a built-in 2.4G WiFi module. You can set the watering schedule and monitor the watering process on INKBIRD APP. APP Compatibility--iOS 11.0+ and Android 5.0+. Non-volatile memory is embedded in the sprinkler controller, which could indefinitely save all settings even after a long time of power off. Therefore, you could always count on it to implement watering on schedules.,⭐️4 Cyclic Options: There are 4 options when determining how often the irrigation system controller will water-- days of the week (Mon, Tues, Wed, etc.), intervals (every “X” number of days), and odd days, or even days. You could separately program a watering schedule for each zone.,⭐️Home Management & Notification: INKBIRD APP allows to add family members and share the management. Whenever the controller is offline or the watering complete, you will receive a notification on the phone to deal with it in time.,⭐️Seasonal Adjust: This irrigation controller supports seasonal adjustment, which enables you to manually adjust the watering time of all zones by one key as seasons change. It is designed to save water and provide flexibility in garden watering.
Remote control ready compatible with crr (contractor residential remote) remote series,Rain sensor ready sensor bypass switch and terminal for sensor hookup,Three independent programs programming flexibility to meet the needs of a wide variety of plant material on the landscape site,Water well recovery (delay between stations) option of pump circuit on or off during