Choosing Smart Controllers: Taking Control

By Lori Palmquist

I LOVE LOVE LOVE smart controllers! Since 2007, I've installed 56 of them. I still monitor a few of the ones I've installed and managed over the years. Of these 56 controllers, there were 15 different models. And seven of those 15 no longer exist on the market. So, smart controllers come and go. And there are lots of reasons for them to fall by the wayside. So, I wouldn't know how to make recommendations as to how to make sure you choose a controller that will still be on the market years from now. That seems to me a bit of a crap shoot.

A few of the arguments I wish to offer to convince you to use smart controllers in ALL of your projects are:

1. Water districts have fantastic rebate programs! They're literally paying us to convert to using them.
2. Many of these controllers irrigate based on the forecast, as well as the weather from the past few days. This is a super-valuable feature.
3. At the very least, these controllers water in response to weather factors, not to a set, predetermined schedule. And even without installing a physical rain sensor, most of them won't water if there has been a measurable amount of rain recently. People don't always remember to turn the controller on or off, depending on the weather.

The biggest sweeping generalization I can confidently make is that you MUST use smart controllers that are on the EPA WaterSense controller list. These controllers have undergone rigorous third-party testing to qualify for the list. So they've been proven to be effective at saving water in the landscape. If you were to do a search on Amazon for smart irrigation controllers, you would find scores of brands that are NOT on the EPA WaterSense list.

So, we're going to begin our filtering and culling starting with the EPA WaterSense list. Following is a link to the web page where you can either search for individual controllers or download a spreadsheet with the list of smart controllers. You can download the Excel spreadsheet by clicking the link "Download Full Product List" in the "Related Links" box at the top of the EPA WaterSense link below. Once you download it, you'll find that there are many workbooks in this spreadsheet. At the bottom on the spreadsheet, search for the tab labeled "WBICs."

https://lookforwatersense.epa.gov/Product-Search-Results-IrrigationController.html

EPA WaterSense-Labeled, Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers

The EPA WaterSense list of Weather-Based Irrigation Controllers (WBICs) is currently 449 irrigation controllers strong, as of August 28, 2024. This list changes regularly. So, when you're in the market for a new smart controller, make sure and visit the web page above, as it will always have the latest and greatest version.

To keep you from running away at the sound of more than 400 controllers to sift through, I should tell you that the bulkiness of this list is because the manufacturers have listed many models of individual controllers with the same features. For example, Baseline has 75 controllers on the list. HydroPoint has 87. This accounts for more than half of the list.

The controllers offered by an individual manufacturer tend to be basically the same controller, only with different station counts, and indoor and outdoor models listed for each zone count. This is why the list is initially so unwieldy. But not to worry. It shouldn't be so daunting after you read this whole post.

There are 22 brands represented on the list.

All Brands on WaterSense List

1. Aeon Matrix
2. Banyan Water
3. Baseline
4. Calsense
5. ET Water
6. H2OPro
7. Hunter
8. HydroPoint
9. Hydro-Rain
10. Irritrol
11. Moen
12. Netafim
13. Netro
14. Orbit
15. Rachio
16. Rain Bird
17. Rainmaster
18. Smart Rain
19. Toro
20. Tucor
21. Weathermatic
22. Wyze

Filter #1 - Residential or Commercial?

I've decided to only address residential smart controllers in this post. And by residential, I mean controllers with a capacity of 24 or fewer zones (stations). And I'm leaving out whole brands that are geared toward clientele not in the private sector. In this vein, I'm eliminating Aeon Matrix, Banyan Water, Baseline, Calsense, Netafim, Rainmaster, and Tucor. This leaves us with 14 brands of controllers and reduced the total number of models we're considering to 194 controllers.

Residential Brands

1. ET Water
2. H2OPro
3. Hunter
4. HydroPoint
5. Hydro-Rain
6. Irritrol
7. Moen
8. Netro
9. Orbit
10. Rachio
11. Rain Bird
12. Toro
13. Weathermatic
14. Wyze

Filter #2 - Remove redundancies

For this step, I removed a LOT of repeat models - mainly indoor/outdoor repeats of the same model, as well as models that sported different features I felt weren't relevant. Once you settle on a model of controller, it's up to you to do the research and get the exact controller that fits the needs of the project. After removing all these redundant models, I ended with a much friendlier list of 145 controller models from 14 manufacturers. I have a spreadsheet with these 145 controllers listed. If you'd like me to make that spreadsheet available to you, email me at support(at)loripalmquist.com.

Filter #3 - Paid or Free Weather-Data Service?

This filter is an important one. There are three methods of providing weather data for weather-based smart controllers:

1. Cellular service (paid)
2. WiFi service (free)
3. Onsite weather sensor (free)

Before WiFi controllers came along, there were two methods of obtaining weather data. One was accessing data from remote weather stations through cellular signal. And the other was an onsite weather sensor. Then, when WiFi controllers came along, the market virtually exploded. Clients became more and more unwilling to pay around $225 per year for the cellular plan to operate their controllers. WiFi is free ... well, it's not really free, but it feels like it is. Since we use WiFi for so many other things, we hardly think about the cost attached to it.

WiFi controllers have stormed the market. Almost all clients I deal with request them. And whereas there used to be six brands of controllers with onsite weather sensors that make weather data completely free, only three remain. I haven't had a client request a controller with an onsite sensor since 2011.

A Plug for Controllers with Paid Weather-Data Access

I haven't been successful in getting any clients to spring for the controllers with the paid weather access in a few years. In the residential realm, we only have two brands with paid cellular services. These are HydroPoint and ET Water. I can't speak for the current ET Water controller. I had installed a few of them in the past and was unhappy with their algorithm and performance. So I never tried them again. It's that "once bitten, twice shy" syndrome. ET Water was bought by Jain Irrigation. Then a company called Husqvarna acquired ET Water in April of 2024. And one of those changes may have improved the controller. I would love to hear from anyone who has positive experiences with the ET Water controller.

I have to say here that I absolutely LOVE the HydroPoint WeatherTRAK controller! It was one of the first smart controllers to come on the market. They came on the scene in 2002, and I installed my first one in 2009. I've installed several since then. And they've always performed beautifully and never given me the least bit of trouble. This controller is my first choice in smart controllers. But it's a tough sell for clients to say yes to the annual $235 data-service fee when the WiFi controllers have free weather data access. The only time I can reliably specify one of these is when there is no WiFi access at the location of the controller - which is rare.

Filter #4 - App Required or Not?

This is a big one for me. I'm heavily biased on this one, which only pertains to WiFi controllers.

If a controller is just a box sitting on the wall without any kind of LCD panel, buttons, or dials to be able to program the controller or check the program, this really sets me off. Having been a maintenance gardener myself for several years, I'm offended by the idea of an irrigation controller that doesn't support gardeners. Many of the WiFi smart irrigation controllers out there are just this.

A box on the wall that you can only operate with either a mobile device app or a web browser app isn't an irrigation controller, to my mind. What if somebody on the maintenance team shows up one day and sees the plants are suffering? What if he or she left their cell phone home that day? What if cell coverage for their phone is spotty or non-existent at that site? What if their password to access the app isn't working or they're blocked for whatever reason? What then?

The irrigation manufacturers who make other irrigation parts and products know the importance of supporting maintenance gardeners. You won't see them creating controllers that require apps to use them (although Rain Bird recently introduced one).

It's the non-irrigation tech companies that are creating controllers that reduce irrigation scheduling to something on par with turning lights on and off, inside and outside of the house. Being able to walk up to a controller and check the irrigation schedule, look at when it ran last and plans to run again, maybe make a few tweaks here and there based on how the plants look and feel ... I can only endorse controllers that support this.

Here's a list of controllers on the WaterSense list that require apps to interact with them. The Rachio and Rain Bird RC2 let you run the zones manually from the controller, but that isn't enough for me. So I'm including them in this list of controllers that I don't endorse as powerful and valuable smart irrigation controllers.

App Required to Schedule Controller

1. H2O Pro
2. Moen
3. Netro
4. Orbit B-Hyve (some models have buttons and dials, some don't)
5. Rachio
6. Rain Bird RC2

*Note: People are constantly asking me about the Rachio controller. I have to say I have a love-hate relationship with this controller. I've never specified or used the Rachio controller. I hate the fact that it's just a box on the wall that doesn't support gardeners. But I love the scheduling algorithm. See section below called "Scheduling Method."

App Not Required to Schedule Controller

Here's a list of the brands and models that I recommend. These controllers don't require apps, but do provide supplemental apps.

1. ET Water HermitCrab (paid weather data service)
2. ET Water SmartBox and SmartWorks (paid weather-data service)
3. Hunter Hydrawise
4. Hunter Solar Sync onsite weather sensor
5. HydroPoint WeatherTRAK LC and ET Pro3 (paid weather-data service)
6. Hydro-Rain B-Hyve (same controller as Orbit)
7. Irritrol CL-100 (converts several Irritrol and Toro controllers to weather-based smart control) onsite weather sensor
8. Orbit B-Hyve (same controller as Hydro-Rain)
9. Rain Bird ST8
10. Toro Evolution onsite weather sensor
11. Weathermatic (paid cellular service and WiFi available) also onsite weather sensor

Let's Filter this Down Even More

First, we'll separate the paid data services from the free ones. This can be a big deciding factor for clients. Here we see we have two brands of controllers with paid cellular weather-data services, six with WiFi services (free), and four with the weather data provided by an onsite weather sensor.

I should note here that the onsite weather sensors collect a limited data set of weather. It's usually solar radiation and air temperature, and sometimes relative humidity. Historical weather values are used to fill in data these sensors aren't equipped to provide.

Paid Weather Data Service

1. ET Water HermitCrab (paid weather data service) Plug-in that converts other manufacturers' controllers to smart control
2. ET Water SmartBox and SmartWorks (paid weather-data service) Plug-in that converts other manufacturers' controllers to smart control
3. HydroPoint WeatherTRAK LC and ET Pro3 (paid weather-data service)

Free Weather Data Service - WiFi

1. H2OPro
2. Hunter Hydrawise
3. Hydro-Rain and Orbit B-Hyve (two manufacturers, same controller)
4. Moen
5. Netro
6. Rachio
7. Rain Bird RC2 and ST8
8. Weathermatic SL series
9. Wyze

Free Weather Data - Onsite Weather Sensor (limited, real-time weather data collected)

1. Hunter Solar Sync (temperature, rain, solar radiation)
2. Irritrol CL-100 (temperature, rain, solar radiation)
3. Toro Evolution CL-100 (temperature, rain, solar radiation)
4. Weathermatic (temperature and rain sensor)

One Last Filter - Scheduling Method

The last filtering criterion I like to propose is the scheduling method. There are two general methods.

1. Enter in the data for each zone, and the controller creates its own independent schedule for each zone.
2. Enter in a peak schedule, and the controller adjusts either the run time or the frequency.

Of these two methods, the one I prefer is the first. In my experience, it does a better job because it independently creates a schedule for each zone each day, based on the specific logistics of the zone.

The peak scheduling method requires the user to create and enter in a good peak schedule. I don't know of very many people who can create good, solid, well-informed irrigation schedules. So, adjusting something that may not be very accurate to begin with seems faulty to me. I don't have a problem with it if the original schedule is a good one. It's kind of like building a house on a foundation that isn't to code, or with materials that won't hold up over time.

An argument that can be made against the first method is that the user has to be able to identify the data correctly for the zone. The data that's collected is plant material, soil type, precipitation rate of the irrigation device that waters the zone, exposure, wind, and slope. The hardest one to get right here is the precipitation rate of the irrigation. How many people know that? Even if the controller gives you several choices to choose from that have default values assigned to them, is the design true to the default value?

Final Controller Lists for You to Choose From

So with that all said, I'll let you choose which you prefer. Here's the list of available controllers that use zone data as their scheduling method. My personal preferred controllers are bolded in blue.

Paid Weather-Data Service - Scheduling Method: Enter Zone Data

1. ET Water HermitCrab (paid weather-data service) - Scheduling method: Zone data
2. ET Water SmartBox and SmartWorks (paid weather-data service) - Scheduling method: Zone data
3. HydroPoint WeatherTRAK LC and ET Pro3 (paid weather-data service) - Scheduling method: Zone data

Free Weather-Data Service - WiFi - Scheduling Method: Enter Zone Data

1. H2OPro
2. Hydro-Rain B-Hyve and Orbit B-Hyve (two manufacturers, same controller) - Scheduling method: Zone data
3. Netro - Scheduling method: Zone data
4. Rachio - Scheduling method: Enter peak schedule
5. Weathermatic SL series - Scheduling method: Zone data

Free Weather Data - Onsite Weather Sensor - Scheduling Method: Enter Zone Data

1. Weathermatic (temperature and rain sensor) - Scheduling method: Zone data

And here's the list of available controllers that use the scheduling method of entering a peak schedule. My personal preferred controllers are bolded in blue.

Free Weather Data Service - WiFi - Scheduling Method: Enter Peak Schedule

1. Hunter Hydrawise - Scheduling method: Enter peak schedule
2. Rain Bird ST8 - Scheduling method: Enter peak schedule

Free Weather Data - Onsite Weather Sensor - Scheduling Method: Enter Peak Schedule

1. Hunter Solar Sync (temperature, rain, solar radiation) - Scheduling method: Enter peak schedule
2. Irritrol CL-100 (temperature, rain, solar radiation) - Scheduling method: Enter peak schedule
3. Toro Evolution CL-100 (temperature, rain, solar radiation) - Scheduling method: Enter peak schedule

 A Few Last Pieces of Advice

I have a few pieces of advice I'd like to leave you with, to help you decide on a smart controller for your project.

1. Choose a smart controller of a brand with local manufacturer rep support. This is big. The manufacturers' reps are standing by, waiting for us landscape professionals to ask them for help with their products. They'll even hold your hand if you need it. In the Bay Area, the following manufacturers have a strong physical support presence: Hunter, HydroPoint, and Rain Bird. If you care about this, please do use the products of these manufacturers, if you live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area.
2. If you have access to the person who will be doing or is doing the maintenance on the property, ask them which smart controller they prefer. This piece of information could trump any decision you might otherwise make. The end user needs to be comfortable with the controller, and use it correctly in order for it to save water. Just make sure it's on the WaterSense list. That should be non-negotiable.
3. For new landscape installations, be sure to designate all plants as high water use until they're established. Otherwise the controller will not give the new plants enough water to get established correctly, and the plants will be weak and suffer for the rest of their lives. See a full explanation in the Scheduling section of this course called "New vs. Mature Landscapes."
4. If you have information for me from your experience that is contrary to the information I've provided here, please let me know. I welcome hearing about your experiences with smart controllers. I also welcome any advice you wish me to add to this.

* Note: This post is reprinted from a lesson in the course titled Landscape Design with Water in Mind - Irrigation Design and Scheduling.