Best Sprinkler Controller Reviews 2024

The first thing you’ll notice about this Rachio product is its elegant design, including a cool-looking horizontal stripe that lights up. Unlike some controllers, you can easily mount this one in the living room instead of the garage, and if you want to stick it outside, you only need to buy a weatherproof box from the manufacturer.

The second notable thing is that it’s available in either 8 or 16-zone versions, which is more coverage and control than most competitors offer. In our selection, only the very similar RainMachine Touch HD-12 matches this number, while the Rainbird ESP4ME can handle even more at 22 lines. The latter product, however, is a completely different animal than the Rachio, the price of which may be offset somewhat by WaterSense program rebates.

Lots and Lots of Smart Features

Rachio crams just about as much technology into this irrigation controller as it possibly can. It connects over wi-fi and can therefore be controlled remotely (and programmed without much of a learning curve) via its app, or by using voice commands if paired with an Alexa.

It also takes into account rain, temperature, sun intensity, and wind speed when determining watering amounts. These are based on weather forecasts delivered digitally. You could, for instance, set it to deliver the equivalent of 1/2″ of rain to your lawn on Tuesdays – if rain is predicted in your area for Wednesday, it will either wait until the next day or run the sprinklers for a shorter amount of time. In case you live in a microclimate, you’ll be glad to know that you can hook it up to an external rain sensor too.

The app will even help you create a customized watering plan based on where you live, what kind of soil you have, and other factors. If you expect more than this from your irrigation control box, we cannot imagine what that might be.

Not for Small Gardens

All the above features are certainly nice to have, but they do drive up the cost. Many smaller gardens won’t need 16 or even 8 separate zones. By my quick calculation, you can plant a flowerbed covering 100 square feet for the price of one of these top-line sprinkler controllers, assuming you get your hands dirty and do it yourself. Which way is the better way to spend money is a choice only you can make.

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If what you want is an app-based watering system that won’t break the bank, this one might be for you (you could also check out its little brother, the Orbit B-hyve 57915, which is available in either a 4 or 8-zone configuration).

Unlike, say, the RainMachine Touch HD-12, its wall-mounted box has a basic LCD rather than a TFT touch screen. It does get the job done, but you will probably prefer using your phone to program and monitor it. It also works with Alexa and Google Home, though not necessarily with every other home automation system you can name.

A Sprinkler Controller with Bonuses

One advantage of having a separate, physical interface is that this controller is suitable for locations where internet access is limited or unavailable. That it’s water-resistant also makes it easier to mount outside, which could be handy if you’re lucky enough to pay someone else do your gardening for you.

Like some more expensive competitors, it also helps to save water by designing programs that consider variables like the incline, soil type, and details of the sprinkler system. This makes it much easier to translate a number of minutes into how much water your plants actually receive. The frequency and duration of watering sessions are automatically adjusted based on past and expected weather conditions.

A Regrettable Flaw in an Otherwise Good Controller

Unfortunately, this latter part doesn’t always work so well. Unlike automated sprinkler systems that use several different sources for weather prediction, this Orbit product connects only to the NOAA.

With data from fewer weather stations to work with, it’s bound to be less accurate, especially if you happen to live far from the nearest city or town. You enter only your zip code when setting up the device – with the average size of these being about 80 square miles and some covering over ten times that, this is not all that precise. (The manufacturer does seem to be addressing this issue in the next model).

There is a solution, though. Connecting a rain sensor to stop the controller from wasting water when everything is already wet outside. In fact, this may be a requirement if you want to take advantage of the government subsidy offered under the WaterSense program.

Unfortunately, since these sensors typically only give a basic yes/no answer and take some time to react to a change, it’s still easy for your sprinkler system to confuse 3 minutes of rain with 30. In this case, the only thing to do is override it from your phone, or disable the rain meter completely and take the hit on your water bill.

Sometimes, what you want is just a basic machine that costs as little as possible. If it’s also easy to set up and operate, so much the better.

While there are plenty of good things to say about using a phone app to program a sprinkler controller, the kind of gadget you see to the right has some advantages of its own. It doesn’t include features you’ll never use and which serve only to distract you. There’s no complicated menu structure to get to where you want; instead, you just dial through the zones, and every button you see is clearly and unambiguously labeled with its function.

Bare-Bones Is Sometimes Better

Though all you can really set for each zone is “when” and “for how long”, this will not matter much to some people. You can set up to four watering times per zone per day. This might come in handy, for example, inside a greenhouse where you want to maintain high humidity at all times.

Curiously, you can only set the run time for these to the same value. You can’t water the same area for 30 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at dusk, which is something many gardeners might want to do. You can choose to program each zone by the day of the week, for alternate days, or on a cycle lasting an arbitrary number of days.

The only other functions you should know about are Rain Delay and Seasonal Adjust.

The former tells the controller how long to suspend watering after the optional rain detector is triggered. Seasonal adjust allows you to automatically increase or decrease the amount of watering depending on the time of year – since this model doesn’t measure rainfall or temperature, this (hopefully) allows you to set it once and leave it alone for years.

Built Tough

Compared to some other sprinkler controllers, this unit looks pretty sturdy. Its simplicity, by itself, contributes to this impression: the fewer boondoggles something has, the less there is to go wrong with it.

Despite having a button interface, these are of the “blister” variety, so the case is water-resistant. It will display an error message if it detects a wiring fault or a burned-out solenoid valve, and also contains built-in surge protection.

The overall impression is that this controller might just keep ticking a few years longer than others.

Although we selected the Rachio 3 as the best smart sprinkler controller, this one is very similar in terms of functionality and price. There are a few differences, though, and most people will prefer either one or the other.

Two Peas in a Pod

Both receive forecasts using a variety of online services, which enables them to supply more water when (for example) it’s exceptionally hot and less if rain is likely.

Both have an easy-to-use app that offers great programming versatility. The RainMachine can also be accessed through a web browser, while its app and control panel seem to be a little better at displaying information, especially about what the local weather is expected to be like. The Rachio app, meanwhile, is perhaps a little easier to use, but there’s very little to choose from between the two. Both can talk to a variety of home automation systems.

But Not Carbon Copies

So, how do they differ? For one thing, while the Rachio relies on wi-fi and its app for any kind of interaction with its users, the RainMachine has a touch-sensitive TFT display which, among other things, shows you the weather report at a glance.

The RainMachine, on the flip side, is not equipped to handle any external sensors, whereas the Rachio supports two. This isn’t a terribly important issue as long as you have internet, though: the weather information provided to both is highly accurate, so a rain or freeze sensor would be superfluous. In any case, it is possible to link either of these to any personal weather station in your neighborhood through an online service like WeatherUnderground.

One way the Rachio does beat the RainMachine is in the area of cable management. The latter is much smaller and uses a screw connector that’s not quite as wide as could fit in the casing. Add that to your having a common line for every four channels (in other words, the terminal block is 20% denser than it really needs to be), and things can get untidy. The Rachio has only a single common terminal (on the 8-zone model, anyway) and uses spring-loaded connectors that are much easier to use.

In the end, your decision will mainly come down to if you want a sprinkler controller you can operate on the device itself using a tablet-like interface. Though the unit itself isn’t weatherproof and requires separate housing for outdoor use, the touchscreen seems pretty rugged. Wet or dirty fingers shouldn’t damage it too easily (don’t try your hardest, though).

This irrigation controller is all about enabling a level of automation few other controllers can touch. Like several of the other products we’ve thought worth bringing to your attention, it works well with Alexa and Google Home and can also be accessed through a mobile app or browser.

What sets our little friend here apart is the impressive set of features of the manufacturer-managed cloud service. Though many sprinkler control systems can be called “smart”, this one is near the head of the class.

Smarter than the Average Bear

This is not the only model you’ll find here that can make recommendations on the most water-efficient way to keep your garden looking beautiful. Typically, the factors taken into consideration include things like an area’s sun exposure, sprinkler type, and soil composition.
The Netro takes things a step further: you can, for example, tell it which specific plants are planted in each zone – every species you’re likely to find in a North American garden included.
It also has a specialized program for watering lawns: the people who maintain the turf in stadiums have turned this into a science and this sprinkler controller makes use of their lessons to ensure that the grass, for once, will be greener on your side of the fence.

The cloud-based service (which, thankfully, does not charge a monthly fee) also has two other functions worth mentioning. Although this isn’t a unique feature, you can track your irrigation water usage over time. More importantly, especially in dry areas, the system keeps track of any water restrictions and regulations in your area and automatically complies with them.

Two Sources of Weather Information

Wi-fi sprinkler controllers tend to get their weather data from the internet, which works pretty well in most cases. This may also be compared to historical trends, or replaced by past data when offline.

Sometimes, a rain sensor can be added, which basically just stops the watering cycle for some pre-determined period if it should get wet. The Netro, on the other hand, is supposed to work with the “Whisperer” sensor from the same company. This is far more than a moisture meter: wireless and solar-powered, it’s marketed as a comprehensive garden health and local weather monitor.

Unfortunately, these sensors are currently very difficult to obtain (expect a 4-week waiting period at least) and it’s not even certain how well they’re integrated with the smart controller itself. This is a real shame and makes it more important to connect with a reliable online weather service.

True Automatic Scheduling

As with other smart irrigation systems, you can set a certain zone to be watered at a certain time. You can also, however, explain to the controller what the needs of your plants are and just let it take it from there.

It might, for example, choose to water plants that are prone to root rot in the morning instead of the evening, or break one watering cycle into several depending on the soil type, thus preventing pooling and runoff. At present, no other controller comes close to this level of “set it and forget it”.

Some people will instinctively go for the shiniest, most whizzbangy gadgets they can afford. Others (engineers in particular) feel more comfortable with the simplest machine that can get the job done. The reasoning may be that if you understand exactly what goes on inside, it’s less likely to one day surprise you with some kind of bizarre behavior.

Basic but Capable

Most irrigation control apps will walk you through the setup and programming process, and this way is certainly easier in some ways. With the Irritrol, you’ll actually need to read the instructions beforehand. These are clear and the actual process isn’t difficult, but this will still be off-putting for some people.

You have three programs you can customize and then set to run at a time of your choosing; i.e, you could run program A every other day and B once a week. This setup is done using a dial and buttons, but unlike on the Rain Bird SST400IN, how exactly everything works isn’t immediately and intuitively clear.

You can also connect a rain sensor to keep it from turning on the water when it is raining or has recently rained.

Extremely Rugged

One common problem with new sprinkler controllers is that they’re not always extensively tested under field conditions. Sometimes, the rush to get them to market is just too great and corners are cut.

Irritrol takes a very different approach. They rely on the technology they know works – in fact, this current model is 90% similar to its predecessor. This kind of traditionalism makes their irrigation controllers very reliable. Most units are designed primarily for indoor use, but can be mounted outside as long as you buy an additional waterproof case. This may work well enough, but a box left in the hot sun can easily reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit inside. High temperatures are not kind to electronics and can make them fail much sooner.

Reliability is one stand-out feature of this particular sprinkler controller. It’s explicitly designed for outdoor sprinkler systems and comes with a hard plastic shell that’s unlikely to get damaged accidentally.

This is our favorite alternative to the Rain Bird’s SST400IN, made by the same company. Both sprinkler controllers (normally, we’ll soon get to that) lack wi-fi connectivity and have to be programmed by hand. Their control panel interfaces are much alike, with the SST400IN maybe being a little simpler to use. Both have similar extra features, too, most noticeably delaying normal watering if it has rained and adjusting run times to different seasons.

The Lego Set of Automatic Sprinkler Controllers

The thing that distinguishes these two is that the ESP4ME was designed as a modular system. You can easily add expansion modules to the basic unit in multiples of either 3 or 6 zones for a possible maximum of 22, which should cover virtually any residential property you can think of. In fact, it seems like this irrigation manager is meant more for professional landscapers, but certainly its capabilities can also benefit some homeowners.

Adding Connectivity

Even better, you can purchase a plug-in wi-fi adaptor that gives you much the same level of remote control associated with dedicated wireless sprinkler systems. The app interface is not quite as slick as most; however, it does allow you to control and program the controller from afar.

Significantly, there’s no provision for the sprinkler controller to receive weather reports from the internet and adjust its watering cycle accordingly. Again, it seems like the people who designed this controller did so with landscapers in mind, who would know whether it were raining or sunny in their area. Since this leaves you reliant on the basic rain sensor (assuming you’ve installed one), you’re much more likely to over- or under-water under some circumstances.

You should also remember that neither type of expansion module is especially cheap, so please do the math beforehand. If you think you might need to add more zones later on, though, this modular system may end up saving you money.