Orbit 57915 B-hyve 4-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller, GrayWaterSense

This is my third B-Hyve unit. The products are easy to install and have a good application, making it easy to set up and control the unit. I have two units being used for sprinkler control. I particularly like how the units adjust for the weather. If it rains, they will not water. If it is very hot and dry, they will water more. This third unit I am using to add water to the pool. With the dry heat of summer, water needs to be added to the pool 2-3 times per week. It’s working well and it’s priced reasonably considering that it connects with your home Wi-Fi so that you can connect and check on your irrigation from anywhere.

I got this on sale. I really like it. I replaced my old non remote system with this. This was very easy to install and get it going and it beats the other brand in price. The box is located in a hard to reach spot in my garage and it now make it so easy to change settings on my system and I can test out any section without any extra knowledge other than pick the section I want and indicate how long I want it to run. I like the fact you can add pictures to the App for each zone or section. I have recommended this unit to several friends. I like that I can run and modify it away from home. For the price I got it for, I am very happy with it.

This is an early review. I've only had it for one day, and so far so good! I replaced an older controller failed on me and worked well initially. The one I replaced was a rain machine. Eventually that failed and connectivity was abysmal.My next step was a rachio 3 controller. I tried two of them and I could not get them to connect to my wi-fi. I am using a deco mesh Network 6E.Moving on to this unit. There are definitely some improvements they can make, but the fact that I got it connected within 10 minutes, was great! I became so frustrated with the last attempt from the other brand that I was starting to give up and getting ready to go back to a manual controller.I only have two zones. I used to have about six zones but I found out that I didn't need them. So I consolidated them to two zones and I decided to get the four zone controller.Can activity was a breeze. I had to wait about 5 to 10 minutes for a firmware update. Please be patient and make sure you do not turn the power off while you are doing the firmware update.I haven't used any of the automated features yet. I just simply wanted to control these from my phone I achieve this within minutes.Some of the things that I wish this thing had. The screw down terminals would be better if they were just spring clips. This is not a deal breaker but if you are working in a tight space it could make things a little bit more difficult. Since I was working in a tight space, it didn't help but wasn't the end of the world.The build quality seems fair, but the cable management could also improve. Not really sure what the purpose of the ring clip at the bottom is for.The app seems really easy to use. Based on the reviews in the app store, I don't see it being an issue.If you're hesitating, get one

This is a great value and has a very user friendly app. The ability to control/program the sprinklers through your phone is very convenient. I also like the ability to have a delay in watering due to rain in the forecast or high winds. Only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is that it has very small screws to wire all the stations which makes installation more difficult. PRO-TIP: Loosen all the screws for wiring prior to installing unit on the wall. They come very tight from factory and strip easily.

It's true I got the first one several years ago, with a rebate from my utility company. In the time since they have made significant improvements to the app. The controller you are buying takes the instructions from the associated smartphone app (or web interface) and turns them into signals for your irrigation controllers. Of course, your wifi needs to reach your controller. It installs as easily as any controller--you plug it in, and connect up to 8 circuits, usually using a common ground and a single wire for each circuit. You could use two five strand wires and connect 4 ciruits using each 5-wire cable, assuming you have your irrigation valves in one or two boxes.Best reason for buying this--while you work on the irrigation circuits you pull your phone out of your pocket, select the circuit, hit test to turn it on, and stop to turn it off. No shouting to the person in the basement or garage, or using two smart phones and trying to tell them what you want.Next best reason for buying this--it turns off the circuits when rain is in the forecast. This doesn't work so well in the desert, as we often only get 1/10" of rain, but at least I know to check the weather before I override it. Also it does freeze delays.The smart watering features are cool, but I do a combination of smart and manually programmed because it's all drips, did I mention the desert?My son likes to say, "Hey, Google, water the lawn." This is just dumb. Hopefully he'll get over it before too long. At least his wife can say, "Hey, Google, stop watering the lawn." just as easily. This could be used with door to door salespeople, though, with a little customization....hmmmm. Don't tell anyone you got this from me.The B-hyve app has a very useful feature, you can adjust your program (up to 4 programs plus the smart watering, actually) so that it goes from 50% to 200% using a single setting. In the high mountain desert, we have highly variable temperatures through our short season, so there is a big difference between May, July, and September.Also, my son might not need this, but I find it very helpful to have a picture and a descriptive title for each circuit in the app on my phone. Before I always had to look up whether 3 was flowers in front or trees in the meridian, etc. Now the title and the picture make it clear (or clearer, depending on how I labeled it in the first place.)B-Hyve by Orbit is not the only smart controller, but it's the only one I've used, and it's worked great. It does not require that you use other components from the same label--the output on the two wires to each valve is quite standard, and the app works on both android and apple, with alexis and google as well, but you don't need any of these to use the controller, so long as you have a way of accessing the internet. You do need a wifi signal that reaches the controller. If your phone can reach the wifi from where your controller is, the controller can probably reach the wifi too.