Green Lawn
Automation

Smart irrigation

A smart controller replaces the timer on the wall that runs your in-ground sprinklers. Instead of watering on a fixed schedule, it waters when the lawn needs it and skips when rain has done the job.

Why bother

The EPA says residential outdoor water use in the United States accounts for nearly 8 billion gallons a day, mainly for landscape irrigation, and that experts estimate as much as half of it is wasted through overwatering. A clock-based timer keeps running through a rainy week, while a smart controller can skip those runs.

Source: EPA WaterSense: WaterSense Labeled Controllers, checked Oct 26, 2026.

Weather-based controllers

A weather forecast feeds a controller on the wall, which runs two sprinkler zones and skips a third because rain is forecast there
The forecast comes in, the controller decides, and a zone with rain on the way gets skipped.

These connect to the internet, usually over Wi-Fi, and pull local weather data for your address. They shorten or skip runs when rain fell or is forecast, and lengthen them in hot, dry spells. Some also adjust through the season. Rain Bird, for example, says its ARC controllers use historical averages, yesterday’s weather and tomorrow’s forecast for your postal code. Rachio lists rain skips and seasonal changes, and can take readings from a backyard weather station.

You still set up each zone: what’s planted there, the soil, sun or shade, and the kind of sprinkler head. Those details are how the controller turns a weather forecast into minutes of watering.

Soil moisture and rain sensors

A cross-section of the lawn: a soil moisture probe sits in the root zone below the grass, and a rain sensor cup stands on a post above it; both are wired to the controller
A probe in the root zone and a rain cup above the grass, both wired back to the controller.

Soil moisture sensors

A probe buried in the root zone measures how wet the soil is and stops watering when it doesn’t need it. The EPA labels these as their own category: soil moisture-based irrigation controllers. They react to what’s actually in the ground, so they catch things a forecast can’t, like a shady corner that stays damp.

Rain sensors

A small sensor mounted in the open that interrupts watering after rain. Many controllers have terminals for one; Rain Bird’s ARC lists a rain/freeze sensor circuit. Weather-based controllers can also delay watering from forecast data without a sensor, as Rain Bird describes for the ARC. A sensor still helps when local rain doesn’t match the forecast.

The EPA WaterSense label

WaterSense is an EPA program. For irrigation controllers it labels two types: weather-based controllers, which use local weather and landscape conditions to set schedules, and soil moisture-based controllers. To carry the label, a controller is independently certified against WaterSense criteria for efficiency and performance. A controller that uses both weather and soil data has to be certified under both specifications.

The EPA says replacing a standard clock-based controller with a WaterSense labeled one can save an average home up to 15,000 gallons of water a year. Some water utilities offer rebates for labeled controllers, so check with yours before you buy.

Source: EPA WaterSense: WaterSense Labeled Controllers, checked Oct 26, 2026.

Setup basics

  1. Check the signal where the old timer hangs. Rachio’s page says you need strong Wi-Fi at the controller. A garage wall far from the router is a common dead spot. Some controllers, like Orbit’s B-hyve XR, also connect over Bluetooth.
  2. Count your zones. Each valve wire on the old timer is a zone. Buy a controller with at least that many stations.
  3. Photograph the wiring before you touch it. Label each wire with its terminal number, and note the common wire and any master valve or pump start relay. Rachio notes that a pump start relay can need extra parts.
  4. Decide on indoor or outdoor mounting. Some models are indoor only, some come in outdoor cases, and some need a separate enclosure outside.
  5. Set up zones honestly. Tell the app what each zone really is. Then watch the first few weeks and adjust.

Need numbers for how much water grass needs? See how much water a lawn actually needs. Check local watering rules too; a controller can be set to follow them.

Current controllers, from the makers’ own pages

Sorted alphabetically by maker; the order says nothing about quality. Each row links the page we read; a dash means the page didn’t state it. The WaterSense column repeats what the maker says. The EPA keeps the official list of labeled products.

Model Zones Weather adjustment Connection WaterSense Sensor inputs Mounting Source
OrbitB-hyve XR Smart Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Timer (8 station, 57985) 8 stations on this model; the XR line goes up to 16 Hyperlocal weather data sets when and how long to water; rain and freeze delay Bluetooth and dual-band 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi EPA WaterSense labeled, per Orbit — Indoor or outdoor Maker page checked Oct 26, 2026
RachioRachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller 4, 8 or 16 zones Rain Skip when recent or forecast rain is heavy; seasonal run-time changes; optional Tempest weather station Wi-Fi (the page says you need strong Wi-Fi where it is installed) Not stated on this page — Indoor; outdoor needs the separate weatherproof enclosure Maker page checked Oct 26, 2026
Rain BirdARC Series Smart Irrigation Controller 4, 6 or 8 stations Skips or adjusts daily watering from historical averages, yesterday’s weather and the local forecast; rain delay up to 14 days Built-in Wi-Fi; basic controls work at the unit without Wi-Fi Meets EPA WaterSense criteria (certified by ICC-ES), per Rain Bird Rain/freeze sensor, master valve and pump start relay circuits Indoor models and an indoor/outdoor model Maker page checked Oct 26, 2026
RainMachineMini-8 (SPK2-8) 8 zones (7 when using a master valve) Adjusts watering time from location-based forecasts (NOAA, MetNo, Wunderground, Netatmo); freeze and heat-wave protection Wi-Fi Not stated on this page — Outdoor enclosure available Maker page checked Oct 26, 2026
RainMachinePro (SPK5-8 / SPK5-16) 8 or 16 zones (separate master valve connector) Adjusts watering time from location-based forecasts (NOAA, MetNo, Wunderground, Netatmo) Wi-Fi and 10/100 Ethernet EPA WaterSense certified, per RainMachine — — Maker page checked Oct 26, 2026
RainMachineTouch HD (SPK3-12 / SPK3-16) 12 or 16 zones (11 or 15 with a master valve) Adjusts watering time from location-based forecasts (NOAA, MetNo, Wunderground, Netatmo); freeze and heat-wave protection Wi-Fi EPA WaterSense certified, per RainMachine — Outdoor enclosure available Maker page checked Oct 26, 2026

Makers not in the table

  • Hunter (Hydrawise). Hunter’s website refused our requests (HTTP 403) on every attempt, so we could not verify any model from the maker’s page.