# What is the best WiFi controller?



## alpine0000 (Jul 25, 2017)

Last year I installed the Rainbird ST8-WiFi. The app has always been buggy, but the controller works fine once it's set up. This season, though, the scheduled events aren't firing off. I thought it might be a bad rain sensor so I bypassed it, still no luck. I can only manually trigger each zone from the app. This controller is only about 9-10 months old :|

I'm going to do a factory reset on the controller and see if that works. If not, I'm already looking around at new controllers. What do you think the best WiFi (with an iPhone app) controller is? I have my eyes on the Rachio 3 and the Spruce... Any others to consider? Anybody compare the Rachio against the Spruce yet?


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

I like the rachio. I ordered the rachio 3 wirh the flow sensor to replace the rachio 2. Im interested in the spruce moisture sensor.


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

I like opensprinkler because it doesn't require anything in the "cloud" to work. The only connection to the internet that is needed for it is for pulling in weather information if you enable the weather functions, but beyond that, I could be without internet and it still works. Also I don't have to worry about opensprinkler going under and shutting down their servers or discontinuing a "cloud" service.


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## chrismar (May 25, 2017)

Another Rachio user here. I have the gen 2 and think it's pretty rad!


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Another Vote for the Rachio 2, it's great to be able to operate your zones from your phone and you can make it as simple or in depth as you see fit.


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## Killbuzz (Apr 30, 2017)

I have a RainMachine HD-12. Honestly I think the Rachio and RainMachine are on par with each other. I would just pick up which ever one is on sale.


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## Topcat (Mar 21, 2017)

Mightyquinn said:


> Another Vote for the Rachio 2, it's great to be able to operate your zones from your phone and you can make it as simple or in depth as you see fit.


+1


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## SCGrassMan (Dec 17, 2017)

Rachio. You can set soil types and type of zone (grass, drip, etc) as well as the type of head (rotor, spray, etc) and it does all the math for you to make sure you're watering correctly. It also does things like water for 10 minutes, let it soak in, and water again. It's a very smart controller. Plus being able to control through the phone - the app is very nice and well designed. I have a few smart devices like thermostats and vacuums and whatnot - the app is very well done.

I bought a gen 2 a few weeks before the 3 was announced but I have one on order anyway.


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## alpine0000 (Jul 25, 2017)

Thanks guys! I got the RainBird controller working, but I still have my eye on the Rachio. I may pick up the gen 3 at some point this summer. The RainBird works ok, but the app is a bit buggy and it's not that "smart" of a controller.

I'm going to check out the other brands recommended in this thread too, and do some research on all my options.


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## Austin (Apr 30, 2018)

I have the Rachio. Best thing I ever did for my lawn here in Texas.


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## atc4usmc (Apr 1, 2017)

+1 for rachio!


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## newells4 (May 28, 2018)

Killbuzz said:


> I have a RainMachine HD-12. Honestly I think the Rachio and RainMachine are on par with each other. I would just pick up which ever one is on sale.


I went with the RainMachine HD-12 from a Rainbird and I love it.


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## massgrass (Aug 17, 2017)

newells4 said:


> Killbuzz said:
> 
> 
> > I have a RainMachine HD-12. Honestly I think the Rachio and RainMachine are on par with each other. I would just pick up which ever one is on sale.
> ...


Same here. I ordered the RainMachine HD-12 as soon as it was released and have been very pleased with it. For anyone interested, you can demo the web gui at demo.labs.rainmachine.com.


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## Rain Bird Corp (Jun 6, 2018)

alpine0000 said:


> Last year I installed the Rainbird ST8-WiFi. The app has always been buggy, but the controller works fine once it's set up. This season, though, the scheduled events aren't firing off. I thought it might be a bad rain sensor so I bypassed it, still no luck. I can only manually trigger each zone from the app. This controller is only about 9-10 months old :|
> 
> I'm going to do a factory reset on the controller and see if that works. If not, I'm already looking around at new controllers. What do you think the best WiFi (with an iPhone app) controller is? I have my eyes on the Rachio 3 and the Spruce... Any others to consider? Anybody compare the Rachio against the Spruce yet?


If you feel you need support, contact us at [email protected] There are also FAQs at http://wifi-pro.rainbird.com/support/.


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## unclebucks06 (Apr 25, 2018)

What are the thoughts on bHyve?
I used one for a short time at a previous house and worked great. You could set soil types, sprinkler type etc. Its like 70% less than rachio.


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## Spammage (Apr 30, 2017)

unclebucks06 said:


> What are the thoughts on bHyve?
> I used one for a short time at a previous house and worked great. You could set soil types, sprinkler type etc. Its like 70% less than rachio.


My father has one and loves it, but he doesn't let it control the watering. He just got it for having easier programming along with the wireless access. I recently bought one of their B-hyve wireless hose end timers and it works great.


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## PokeGrande (Mar 25, 2018)

Should I or do I need to spend the extra $50 for the Rachio 3 (over the Rachio 2)?


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## Lawnhunter (Mar 22, 2018)

> What are the thoughts on bHyve?
> I used one for a short time at a previous house and worked great. You could set soil types, sprinkler type etc. Its like 70% less than rachio.


I have one and it works okay. You really have to dive into the advanced settings for smart watering to function properly. Their servers go down occasionally and their phone app could use a little work. The main negative for me is that you can only water a zone a maximum of 4 times per program. There will be runoff on clay soil if you are trying to get an inch per week with only a couple of deep waterings.


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## zeus201 (Aug 30, 2017)

PokeGrande said:


> Should I or do I need to spend the extra $50 for the Rachio 3 (over the Rachio 2)?


I'd like to know as well.


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## KMDMC1416 (Jul 14, 2018)

Personally I'm happy with my spruce controller with a handful of sensors! I grabbed a rachio for a week or 2 and I didn't really like the app so I stuck with my spruce. There tech support has always been great. And lately they have added a lot of new physical devices and some nice app features!


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## Lawn_newbie (Jun 19, 2018)

I have the Rachio 2 and overall I like it. The only issues I have run into is running a beta iOS release and the app had a few issues. The web app has been excellent.

There are a few features I would love to see the Rachio handle... eg. being able to copy a schedule and then edit. It only takes about 90 seconds to create a schedule but I had a need to create 14 of them and that was an annoyance.

Once I start on landscaping the entire property I will need to run new irrigation and will move to OpenSprinkler.


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## Smokindog (Jun 20, 2018)

I wish there were more choices for those of us with more than 16 zones


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

Smokindog said:


> I wish there were more choices for those of us with more than 16 zones


Open sprinkler supports 72 zones.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Can you water 72 zones in 24hrs?


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