B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Controller

First of all I wanted to mention that this Orbit controller is EPA WaterSense approved and certified. If you live in a part of the country where conserving water is encouraged, the city or area you live in may offer a rebate/or credit just for installing this Orbit system. The city In AZ where I live offers a $75.00 credit towards your water bill which makes this unit even more of a great value. Be sure and check out that possibility. I replaced a much older Orbit system controller (20 years, still working) with this unit mainly for the convenience of being able to control it literally from anyway with the easy to use phone app. Love that feature. We are gone for long periods of time and it is hard sometimes to out think the weather so remote access is a super benefit when we need it. Because I have used Orbit controllers for many years I will give you my straight forward summary of this smart Orbit controller: Pros: Great value, saves water and money, potential municipal rebate, very easy to install, easy to program, adjust, program, turn on, turn off, monitor from your tablet or phone, and if located outside can be locked with the included keys, Cons: Nothing comes to mind My vast experience with water controllers over the years gives me the confidence to say that if you are in the market for a high quality and long lasting water control product, I would highly recommend this new smart sense Orbit B Hyve controller. Personally I don't think you can get much better than this.

I had the indoor B Hyve unit at my previous home and it worked really well, so when I moved I ordered this one to replace a Hunter controller that was on the exterior of the house. One thing to note that the instruction booklet does not cover (but I found videos for on YouTube) is that you can hardware this unit if you have a pump relay rather than an outlet. It involved opening the unit, undoing the wiring in the transformer to remove the power cord, and wiring the pump relay power to the units transformer. It’s simple enough to not need an electrician, labeling the wires helps. The B Hyve fired right up and setting up the zones and schedule took 5 minutes. I like how the app checks the weather and can set a delay automatically, versus the rain sensor on the old hunter unit that did not always trigger the rain delay. So far I am liking this model more than the indoor only model I had previously, as this one includes a screen and button controls. You can still control it via Bluetooth if the WiFi is out, but I am always in favor of having physical buttons as an option. Overall I am pleased with it.

The wife and I invested in our first home a year and a few months ago. I'd decided from the get go that I wanted a smart home. We got a mega deal because we bought what is essentially a "cookie-cutter" home, ie: the builders plans and we pick a model - we couldn't make any changes. This was fine for us because why spend thousands on "upgraded" appliances and features when you can't even pick the ones you want? Better to start off cheap and then pay for what we want. That's a lot of preface for a sprinkler, but I'm going somewhere with this. When you buy cheap and then pay for what you want, to me it ends up working out better. We made a big decision in buying our home and it's a place and home we plan to spend our lives in as long as no acts of God get in the way of that. So far I've been dutifully making my home smart. Starting with all light switches changed to occupancy/vacancy and or wifi/dimmer switches, all bulbs are now LED with some being Wifi/Dimmer capable, some smart cameras around the place, etc. When you're "smartifying" your home you can either do it all at once if you have that kind of money, do it cheapest to most expensive stuff or do it most expensive to cheapest. We're not rich, we're comfortable so I've taken the middle route, cheapest parts and ending with the more expensive stuff like appliances. Where we live, our city has pretty strict rules regarding sprinkler systems - 2 days weekly for/between 4 hrs. Personally I don't know why. It rains during most of the year and whenever there's a drought there's a huge river and canals always filled to the brim but hey, they've gotta know something I don't, I've only been here for 2+ years. That being said, we had a basic sprinkler system, of course because when you buy a "cookie-cutter" home, almost everything you get as a part of the home is basic. As I said, that was fine for us. I'd put the controller as one of the later things to upgrade for the main reason that sprinklers are generally a set it and forget it thing. However ours was being slightly problematic. While it has a battery backup to keep settings, for some reason the time would be "off" due to power outages and of course, I'd have to head to change them whenever DST switched. Recently, we got our 2nd warning that the sprinkler was on when it wasn't supposed to be. This was due to a power outage that put our times off by about 10m. So they literally caught our system within that 10m "offf" window. I started getting serious into looking for smart or at the very least wifi enabled sprinkler controllers. . Enter the Orbit. I'm so happy with the system that I'm here only a day later writing its praises. I took some time deciding on systems because initially they're pretty expensive when you look up "smart" controllers. Most of the devices I found were in the hundreds and just not worth it for me, many are 6 or 8 zone and I only needed 3. I was in shock when I was able to pick up the Orbit for what I got it for. Not only was it less than 1/2 the price of other smart controllers, it was also cheaper than the most basic smart controllers, so I was prepared to make some compromises as one should when devices are on the cheaper end of the spectrum vs. others in their category. I can gladly say, no concessions or compromises made. This thing does everything and more. For one, with this controller you get a dual system. Many smart sprinkler controllers if you notice, have no head/base where they can be programmed. It must be done over/using the smartphone or a website. Not so with this system - you get a head unit that looks and behaves the same as a non wifi system where you can do everything you need to in terms of programming the system. This was a big deal for me because going back to what I said earlier, I'm a fan of value and I tend to look at things long term. How many cloud based companies have we seen shut down or change hands? If a product with a headless unit (ie: can't program from the base) has a cloud unit that shuts down, your sprinkler system is essentially useless for the most part because you no longer have a place to log into, to be able to access your system. The same could happen if the tech is bought out. If another company buys Rachio, just as an example and this company isn't interested in sprinkler systems, eventually that unit can no longer function because said company would have no need to keep the cloud going. There are 2 big differences with Orbit for me. The first is that the brand has been around for some time. I don't know irrigation products and I know 2 brand names, Hunter and Orbit so this was a good thing. For me this meant that it was highly unlikely for any of the shut down or sell out scenarios. I figured the worse case would be they sold to another irrigation company anyway. Secondly, the device is controlled both ways and independently. You can use it from the head unit solely, you can use it from the app or you can use it both ways. Finally, just like the other cloud/wifi sprinkler systems, it has a "smart" system that watches the weather for when it rains etc. and can smartly utilize your irrigation system. My system only has 3 zones because again, the builder created it all in a cheaper way. The pressure is really great in my home and the garden is no less. The entirely front left and side of my home is a zone running about ~6 sprinklers, the same for the right and then the back yard is a zone. So I have lots of sprinklers but only 3 zones and they run really well. My unit is installed on the outside of my home and many wifi sprinkler systems have to be installed inside or put into a special weather box externally. This unit comes fit for external use, so that saved me spending extra for either hiring someone to put it inside my garage or buy a box to put it into outside. In the end, I have to say that I'm fairly happy. It took me about 30m to physically install the controller and another 10m to program it using the app. The 1st floor of my home is concrete so I was a bit worried about wifi strength through the wall but it gets 4 solid bars. Setup in the app is easy. You create an account and add the device - once it's powered on and detectable, the app will immediately tell you that the device has been located, where you can then connect to it. Once connected, that's it, you're good to go. I simply took a picture of where my cables were on my Hunter unit and moved them directly over. I did have to drill an extra hole because the same of the unit is different than the Hunter. Once I did what I had to, it just worked. I tested it by doing a 1m manual start of each zone to see exactly where and what my zones were and then I set my schedule so it will never water on non-water days for me but is completely free to water (or not) on my 2 set days with my 4 hour window. The app is super easy to use and easily understandable, really well made. As I mentioned, you can turn smart watering on, where it'll detect when it rains and can put off watering for a day or more. You can also program using restrictions like mine, only on certain days or odd/even days or have an interval. I won't go into details but I doubt anyone will find it lacking what they'd need. I really like it and am very happy with the system so far.

First off, I’m not a high rater. To get 5-stars, do something exceptionally better. 4-stars means GOOD. I’ll leave it as good, BUT, the smart watering feature is NOT good; almost worthless. I bought this to replace a more manual controller. I was looking for an internet enabled unit for better control. I have 5 zones. Installation was fairly straightforward and no problem. Wiring was easy, despite the small screws that the included screw driver really didn’t like. This unit does have a battery for backup. The old unit did not. I’m not sure how the old unit maintained without one, but it did. Now I have to keep an eye on a battery. Oh well. The unit was fairly easy to program with the app but boy, they want a lot of information for the smart watering. Soil type, slope, rain levels, number of heads and types, etc. We are in a drought right now but, you have to set drought for each zone; kind of a pain for that. I thought smart watering would be a nice feature. After installing, I was having issues with one zone. It shows ground moisture as 100% and wouldn’t irrigate that section. I tried several things but nothing would change that permanently; it would just go back to 100%. They have a ‘chat’ feature for support so I tried that. After a few ‘things’ the agent asked for my MAC address and took a look and did reset the moisture to 0% that held until the system did irrigate that section. Then it went back to 100% again. Tried chat again and this time the agent basically said ’smart watering’ isn’t working and do manual programming instead. Hence my comment. It you are getting it for the smart watering, DON’T!!! The rest of the unit does seem to work okay. I do like that you can control the system from both the app and the unit. It does have a good programming feature. I haven’t tried the rain override yet but that was one reason I wanted an internet unit; so I could interject on those rainy days. Bottom line so far, GOOD unit it you don’t need ‘smart watering’.

I absolutely love this sprinkler controller. Setup took only a few minutes — no instructions needed, it was that intuitive. Programming is equally straightforward, with the option to do it manually or through the companion app. After plugging in the unit, I downloaded the app and was immediately impressed by how well-designed it is. Setting up multiple programs for different sections of my yard was a breeze. When I recently planted new lawn seed and needed more frequent watering intervals, adjusting the schedule took no time at all. I could not be happier with this product!

Very impressed with this Orbit sprinkler system. It was Easy to up grade our 20 year old sprinkler computer unit, just reattached the wires just as they were in our old system. The app works great and easy-to-use just as the directions show you. Great unit. End WEP

I purchased this to replace a dying Rainbird. I figured if I was going to buy a new one, might as well upgrade a little. I did a lot of comparisons, watched plenty of YouTube videos that compared many units side by side. Some brands ranged as high as $400. I only have 3 zones so I was not looking for a zone heavy unit, although this brand offers up to 12 zones (I purchased the 6 zone model). I have had the unit for a few weeks now and this is what I think thus far: - Installation was very easy. Actually, I installed it at night with a flashlight in about 20 min! I needed a drill with a concrete bit and a screwdriver. - I was pleasantly surprised to see it came with a handy small screwdriver to attach the wires internally which I will add were conveniently located. - Punching the hole in the housing was a little challenging, but I appreciated it as well. I ended up using a very fine drill bit and making a number of perforations around the hole I wanted to knock out. It took a little effort, but I really didn't mind it. - Once I powered it on, I downloaded the app (search for Orbit) and went through the instructions pretty seamlessly. I had seen a YouTube where the installer had a hard time getting the app to connect, but I did not have a single hiccup, in fact, I was impressed with how easy it was. - I have yet to touch a dial or press any of the buttons as the app allowed me to program everything very easily and I was up and running in just a few minutes. - I can now control my sprinklers from work or anywhere in the world (which is excessive in my opinion). Tips: - Smart watering is the best part about it. It was slightly challenging setting this up. You basically need to go into the zone, activate smart watering for that zone, and provide as much information to the app as possible. It connects to the internet and knows forecasted temperatures and chance of rain. Based on these and your location, it will take over and water your grass (based on type of plant/grass) and take the guess work out of how often to water and for how long. You can even indicate any watering restrictions your community/city might have such as even/odd number, # of days in a week, specific days you are allowed to water, and finally start time. There is a calendar feature that will record historical data and advise when the next watering day will be. You can very easily adjust it or rain delay right from the app. - I like that you can use the app anywhere you have an internet connection (even if its not on the same wifi network). This allows me to test zones pretty easily without having to run back and forth to the box. It will even send me an alert on my phone when watering is complete. - The system is expandable as well. You can add water sensors throughout your lawn that will directly and accurately communicate to the B-hyve the moisture level in your lawn. If you spend some money on the catch cups, you can perfectly calibrate your sprinklers as well (this is a bit too advanced for my 3 zone home) - The B-hyve works great for a mixed zone system. For example, if you have a zone for your grass, another for your bushes, and a thrid as a drip system for a garden. The B-hyve can be set to smart water all these zones independently and it understands the difference between a drip garden system and a grassy lawn on a clay foundation. - The only thing missing from this unit is for it to connect to Amazon Echo's Alexa, but then again, do I really need Alexa when B-hyve is doing its job?

I really can’t say enough good things about the Orbit 57946 6-Station WiFi Sprinkler System Controller. Several years ago, when I had an irrigation system installed in my backyard, it came with a digital (not WiFi) controller that you operated outside where it was mounted. The installer pre-set the system for me, but over time I needed to change some things like watering times, schedules, etc. I never was able to make it work like I wanted it to. No matter how often I read the manual I could never figure out all the little program quirks that were required to make it do what I wanted. I’d heard of WiFi connected controllers and since I was desperate to replace the old one, I ordered the Orbit from Amazon because of the great reviews it got. And having pretty much joined the Smart Home-connected world already, I thought I was up to the challenge of installing and programming this thing myself. And boy am I glad I did! Installation was very easy. I simply took pictures of the wiring in the old controller and labeled the wires accordingly before I did any disconnects. Removing the old controller was simple and mounting the new Orbit was super easy. In just a few minutes I had the Orbit mounted and the wiring connected. The only thing left to do was to connect it to my home WiFi and program it. This took a bit more time to do as I had some trouble connecting to my home WiFi, but I sorted this out by employing a WiFi extender on my deck which strengthened the signal enough to reach the Orbit. Problem solved and soon I was programming, through my phone, the four zones I have connected to the system. I tested each zone using the B-Hive app and it worked perfectly. As for continued use, things couldn’t be easier. I have two of the four available programs pre-set and I’m able to schedule either or both programs for whatever days they’re needed. Or, using the phone app, I can ask it to water any specific zone at any moment for any length of time from the comfort of my sofa - sweet! Even better, I have enabled B-Hive on Alexa and now, with just a voice command, I can do the same! This has even come in handy when working in the yard; I can send a voice command to Alexa from my phone and have the watering start or stop as needed while I work. One more really cool feature of the Orbit is its ability to know your local weather forecast and adjust your schedule as appropriate. For instance, if there’s a significant chance of rain in your area, B-Hive will implement a rain delay for a time in keeping with the forecast, up to several days. (You can also do this manually for whatever reason you like.) This prevents over watering and saves your water bill. Its calendar feature saves your watering history so that you always know what’s been done. In short, I love this thing and would highly recommend it for its ease of installation and use, as well as being a superb value for all the features you get. It simply works exactly the way you want it to, when you want it to. 5 STARS!

The timer arrived totally destroyed (DOA). I contacted with Orbit support in Europe and I received the following answer: Dear Spiros, Unfortunately, this is a US-spec timer with the wrong voltage to use in Europe. Please contact Amamzon immediately for a full refund, as this timer should not have been shipped and sold in Europe. Further, North American products are not covered under international warranties. We are sorry about this, but again, the timer should not have been sold in Europe. We hope this matter is resolved satisfactorily. But let us know the outcome or if we can be of any further assistance. Kind regards, Customer Care Team ... just spending money and time

centralina perfetta, veramente on-line, eccezionale. l'app è pensata per gestire ogni aspetto dell'irrigazione. attenzione solo alla tensione di alimentazione, prendere la versione per l'europa altrimenti se si ordina la versione USA poi bisogna procurarsi un trasformatore da 24V alternata (tipo da campanelli, ma un po'grosso)

Trés bon appareil connecté, pratique d'utilisation à distance depuis mon lieu de vacance. Je devais le recevoir à partir du 6 Mai, je l'ai reçu dès le 28 Avril.

Great system. Easy to set up. Easy to control on the App. First one I received had been opened and did not work. Unfortunately I only found that out after I had connected the wires. So check to make sure it is functioning and connecting to WiFi before installing. Returned without issue and received a new one through Amazon.

This dont work in EU! 110 volt! Dont buy!