10 Best Smart Sprinkler Systems in 2019

You can’t get better than Rachio. Even out minor gripes, which we’ll get into in a moment, aren’t enough to even consider going with another smart sprinkler controller. Rachio is completely integrated with Amazon Alexa, so you can just ask your smart hub to get things going, and the job is done. While installation is a breeze, uninstalling it to replace old components or just general maintenance, is a bit of a drag.

The only other major issue we have is that Rachio advertises that their system is compliant with utility rebates of up to 100% off, but that depends completely on your local water providers. It’s actually extremely difficult to get a rebate for this system, and they would have been better off not advertising that fact. That said, you get eight zones to control, each one working with the skip feature that doesn’t operate on rainy days, or when it’s too windy out. It’s also fully WaterSense certified, so you know you’re actually saving water. If you want a smarter home, this is a smart home device for you.

If Rachio didn’t tickle your fancy, Orbit has what you’re looking for. You’ll still get to use this system with Amazon Alexa, but you’ll get access to a more intricate forecasting system. Orbit measures the moisture in the dirt, uses history (requires a bit of use to really utilize this feature), and multiple other methods to detect if it should water the lawn, or just let it be. That saves you a ton of money, and the unit itself also consumes a very low amount of power, so you won’t see a major impact on your electric bill.

But let’s talk about installation. Given the fact that most smart sprinklers are fairly easy to install, this one fell far from the tree. Lengthy installation, and the multiple Wi-Fi channel feature can do more harm than good. If you’re using the iOS, Android or web apps to use your smart sprinkler, those multiple channels can interfere with other Wi-Fi-enabled items in your home, and lose connection. While the issue is easy to fix, it reduces the hands-free ideal of going with a smart sprinkler system in the first place.

This is the newer generation of Rachio’s groundbreaking system, returning with the same number of zones, and a truly intuitive app that lets you control everything perfectly. As you might have imagined, the upgraded model is still fully functional with Amazon Alexa. The upgraded system includes stronger forecasting information, such as local weather tracking, and a greater use of data to determine when it’s appropriate to water the lawn. The downside is that the exterior isn’t waterproof, so we recommend getting a simple acrylic case to protect it.

The major design flaw here is that you have to program each of your eight zones individually, so setup can take a very long time. Physical installation is still a simple enough feat, and when you integrate this into your lawn, you’ll be under the EPA WaterSense certification to guarantee lower water consumption, and a mitigated utility bill at the end of the month. This also makes a perfect gift for gardeners in your life.

Skydrop’s system is a great breakaway from the norm, because it’s also equipped to work with Google Home as well as Amazon Alexa. We’re absolutely ecstatic at how simple this is to install; it’s probably the easiest time we had actually hooking up one of these units. We knew it had to be too good to be true, because when we downloaded and ran the app, we were less than impressed.

It gets the job done, but it fails to send push notifications, is rather limited and sometimes freezes. Not exactly a welcoming introduction into smart sprinkler use. The only other thing to keep in mind is that this doesn’t save you as much water as Rachio or Orbit. You can save an average of 20% on your home water bill, and that’s still excellent (especially at the reasonable price for the unit itself), but we’re hoping to see more water salvage in their next gen model.

Rain Bird put a heavy focus on keeping this budget-friendly, and we thank them for that. The model isn’t an aesthetically pleasing addition like Rachio, but that’s not really what we’re going for. You get the standard eight zone control, as well as full communication with Amazon Alexa to make this as hands-free as can be. Out of all the apps for the units we’ve reviewed, Rain Bird offers some of the best data gathering, and allows you to use it in multiple ways.

But when it comes to the hardware, there’s a bit of an issue. Who uses non-LED or LCD screens anymore? The screen is difficult to see when manually operating, and has such a low resolution that you feel like you’re using a Tamagotchi in 1997. Rain Bird picks up the slack where others have dropped the ball, because their app and notification system is practically flawless: get a notification in the office, turn the sprinklers on, come back to a lush lawn. It’s that easy. You can combine this sprinkler with one of the robot lawn mowers from our list.

If you’ve got a bigger lawn than most, or one that’s a bit hilly and hard to manage, Netro’s option was designed with you in mind. You get a staggering twelve zones to control, each of which are programmable through Netro’s app. Now, their apps for iOS and Android aren’t fully developed, and undergo consistent updates. We’d rather that than an app that developers forget about, but it’s something that might require a bit of patience.

Other than that, the Wi-Fi connection has a limited range, and requires you to be a bit more strategic when placing it in accordance to your router. For its primary function, Netro handles it like the other big brands we’ve mentioned, saving you up to 50% on your water bill annually, and using top-grade weather forecasting to ensure your lawn is only getting what it needs, and not a drop more.

Orbit’s previous generation model comes with a bit less volume, but also comes at half the cost of their newer version. It still uses the same great Orbit app that lets you accurately predict weather changes, and detect scheduling habits that will optimize your water consumption, or lack thereof. It has the WaterSense certification, a lower power rating, but it doesn’t fire on all cylinders. This unit has a maximum of four zones, so those of you with smaller lawns can benefit.

Even with just four zones, there’s a problem with how those zones are controlled. The software is great, but it applies information based on the sprinkler head, and not on the surface area that’s being watered. Basically, if you’re using this in an awkward or hilly are of your home, you could get pools of water in some spots, and dry patches in another. Flat lawn? This works like a charm. If you love gardening, make sure you also check our guide to the best riding lawn mowers for more great items like this.

It might be difficult to actually say the entire title of this product, but it’s so simple to install that you’ll forget all about it. We have to give props to the Yardigan app, which is fully developed and works on iOS and Android devices alike. You get a detailed list of options to control what does and doesn’t come through as a push notification, weather forecasting, and you also get to access an auxiliary feature as well: a garden monitoring camera that’s built into the unit.

For a reasonable price, you get eight zones of control as well as a camera, and full integration with Amazon Alexa. The only other downside is that the Wi-Fi range is limited, so you’ll often have to choose between a strategic area for the camera, and one with a good connection. That being said, this does something revolutionary and continues working on its own and collecting data, even if the internet is out.

You’ve got a sprawling field for a lawn, and it’s time to water it properly, and a bit more economically. You get sixteen zones to control, allowing you to cover more ground, and Spruce Irrigation offers that sweet 50% annual water usage savings that we’ve all become so accustomed to, but it also uses both soil moisture and weather forecasting to water your lawn appropriately. The only problem with those sensors is that you’ll notice your sensor batteries die out pretty quickly.

With such a large system and network of sensors, Spruce also runs into the problem of connectivity. It connects to your Wi-Fi with no problem, but it has been known to disconnect at random. Our unit wasn’t set up long enough to encounter this issue, but it is known as a standing problem. You’ll get to connect this directly to Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and a long list of other applicable smart hubs. Spruce Irrigation has a few bugs in the system, but is guaranteed to drop your utility bills. Our handy guide to the best cordless lawn mowers features more great products like this.

Sprinkl is the final stop here, because they’ve built a unit that’s designed to be more user-friendly. What we mean by that is you don’t have to just buy Sprinkl brand moisture sensors; you can use just about any off-brand sensors and save some money. That being said, this is also something they included because you’re not getting any moisture sensors with your purchase, and that’s kind of a bummer.

The other major flaw is that this doesn’t work with smart hubs. It connects to your Wi-Fi and collects weather information straight from the internet, but Alexa won’t be helping you water the lawn anytime soon. Major props have to be given to their advanced detection technology though, which lets you know if there are any electrical problems long before they become irreparable. Between that and the app that we can’t praise enough for being user-friendly, this unit is definitely a viable option for your lawn.