Top Smart Irrigation Sprinkler Controllers
Compare the top smart sprinkler systems for your lawn and garden. Decrease water use and remotely monitor and control zones from your Android or iOS phone using Wifi or Ethernet Connectivity.
Smart sprinklers and irrigation controllers can simplify home lawn and garden care, and reduce water consumption. Instead of fixed timers, these systems draw on data from sensors, weather forecasts and plant-care databases to determine watering needs and deliver just enough moisture at just the right time. Lower your water bill, and check up on your plants from anywhere in the world using mobile and web apps. The following Channel Guide will help you:
- Determine which connectivity type you need (WiFi or GSM Cellular)
- Get app reviews, and see if the box integrates with your other smart home system.
- Filter based on number of available zones and integration with smart moisture sensors.
12/19/2019
Top Rated
Orbit B-Hyve
Highlights
- Live weather feed and auto-adjusting capabilities
- WiFi Connectivity
- Complete control at the timer (Even without Wifi)
Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller 2nd Gen
Highlights
- Auto weather adjustments
- WiFi Connectivity (Works with Echo, Nest, Wink, others)
- Get alerts when schedule changes..
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Best controller to use with Homekit | No well reviewed controllers support Apple's Homekit at the moment | |
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Best controller to use with Alexa* | Rachio $149 | Orbit B-Hyve $111 |
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Best controller for use with SmartThings | Rachio | Spruce |
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Smart controller with top rated Itunes / iOS app: | GreenIQ | Itunes App (4/5) |
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Smart controller with top rated Android / Google Play app | Rachio | Android App (4.2/5 with 542 Reviews) |
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Cheapest smart controller with good reviews: | Orbit B-Hyve $111Â (4.5/5 with 794 Reviews) |
By Publication for best overall and Editors Choice:
Off-the-Shelf Sprinklers & Irrigation Controllers
Aifro WaterEco
Highlights
- 7-inch full color screen
- 16 Zone Support (Expandable to 52)
- Built-in temperature sensor and optional rain sensor support
BlueSpray
Highlights
- Models for 8, 16 and 24 Zones (Supports up to 64)
- WiFi and Ethernet Connectivity (Optional Cellular support)
- NOAA weather forecast integration
GreenIQ Controller
Highlights
- Integrations with PlanLink, Parrot, Koubachi, Netatmo weather and TORO® Precision soil moisture sensor
- 6 irrigation zones Supports 24VAC valves
- Integrates with Echo, IFTTT, Nest, Cresteon, Muzzley
IrrigationCaddy
Highlights
- Support for 10 Zones (11 if the master is disabled) and is expandable to 43 zones
- WiFi and Ethernet Connectivity
- 1 Rain Sensor Port and 1 Flow Sensor Port
Lono
Highlights
- Supports up to 20 zones
- WiFi & Bluetooth Connectivity
- Automatically adjusts your watering schedule based on current and upcoming weather
Orbit B-Hyve
Highlights
- Live weather feed and auto-adjusting capabilities
- WiFi Connectivity
- Complete control at the timer (Even without Wifi)
Additional
- RainCommander ($249)
- Ugmo PH100
- EtherRain ($159+)
- RainPal ($269-$469)
- CyberRain ($499-$699)
- WaterPoint ($249-$299)
- Solem - International Focus
Pre-order
Smart Soil Sensors & Accessories
Open Source & DIY Sensors
- $32 -Â OpenSprinkler Bee Arduino Shield v1.0
- Raspberry Pi Smart Irrigation Controller
- Soil Cell - Uses 3G Particle Electron (Cost $135)
Commercial Smart Irrigation Controllers
Property managers and farmers with more land to cover may be interested in these larger-scale smart irrigation systems.
UGMO UG1000
"The UgMO UG1000 System, powered by Senlink, becomes your outdoor water manager by controlling the irrigation system and monitoring groundwater....
CYBER-RAIN LONG RANGE CONTROLLER
"Cyber-Rain Long Range Pro Controller with Cloud Technology is perfect for light commerical settings. It uses the power of the internet to...
RAIN BIRD MI SERIES
"Rain Bird MI Series Mobile Controllers are designed to work on a standard cell phone with Internet connectivity and offer far more remote options...
BASELINE BASEMANAGER AND APP
"With BaseManager you can manage any number of BaseStation 3200 and BaseStation 1000 controllers from a single web interface. The map-based...
DIY & Open-Source Sprinklers & Irrigation Controllers
If you prefer to get your hands dirty, try building a home-grown smart irrigation system. Here are a few projects that will walk you through the process.
OPEN SPRINKLER
$155 - "OpenSprinkler will improve your lawn, garden, or farm irrigation. Create custom programs and use our automatic weather-driven algorithms....
OPENSPRINKLER PI
$78 - "OpenSprinkler Pi (OSPi) Plus is an extension board for Raspberry Pi (RPi) 1 Model A+ / B+ or RPi 2 (does not work with RPi 1 Model A or B)....
ARDUINO SPRINKLER SYSTEM + WEB CONTROL
Instructable by nicoo "A smart sprinkler system for the rest of us... No soldering involved ! Just pile up a couple of shields on top of an...
Additional
- A GSM-based Arduino remote controller for an irrigation system by Stavros Korokithakis
- Smart Garden Drip Irrigation by Charles Swger "Timer for watering the garden on a flexible, web set schedule that compensates for weather forecasts of rain and existing soil moisture."
- Smart Agriculture System with IoT by KRISHNARAJ VÂ "Way of Irrigating the land with the use of IoT solution and it notify landowner when the percentage of moisture levels decreases below 30%."
Apps
- SprinklerAce "controls your EtherRain, OpenSprinkler, and IrrigationCaddy web-enabled sprinkler controllers. Use your iPhone or iPad to remotely start and stop zones/stations on any number of controllers, from indoors or outdoors. Ideal for trouble-shooting irrigation system problems."
Additional resources
Articles:
- Smart Irrigation: A Supercomputer Waters the Lawn - Scientific American
- Smart tech could save billions of liters of water - Reuters
Looking to just monitor a single plant? Visit our round-up of wireless plant monitoring solutions here.