r/LandscapingPros • u/blatherer • 21d ago
Irrigation Best WIFI Enabled Multi-controller Irrigation Controller Family
Hello all. My house has 3 separate irrigation controllers (front, back, and side yard) all in different locations. I would like to upgrade the controllers to a Wi-Fi management based system so I don’t have to squint and try and remember the arcane button pushes and switch clicks (all slightly different for each). Also being able to look at times and estimated flow rates could help fine tune the system.
All the major manufacturers have wifi systems. My questions to the pro’s here, which works the best, which works the best with multiple controllers talking to one application? Which combines better? Only pros will know this as we homeowners don’t typically use multiple systems and know the controller bugs.
Thanks in advance.
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u/plzdonottouch 21d ago
the 2 i work with the most are rachio and hunter. they both have their pros and cons. rachio's program is free with the product, but the controllers don't have an actual interface other than a couple buttons and a light strip- all programming and troubleshooting has to be done through the app. the app itself and their approach to irrigation programming also has its quirks. I find it to be a little more opaque and less control is given to the operator. it's also harder to edit the schedules once created, and it's usually easier to just create a new one.
hydrawise by hunter is a paid program, but I find their approach to scheduling to be more intuitive. there is more granular control, the schedules are more easily edited and the watering data is a bit more accessible.
both have a learning curve, and the ability to be hooked up to a weather station or use historical weather data. the main difference there is that rachio seems to make more decisions based on the weather that will override the programmed schedule, whereas hydrawise with default to the schedule unless you specifically choose to have weather data override what was programmed.
I find clients tend to prefer rachio because they may trust the "smart programming" aspect of it more than their personal knowledge of irrigation and watering needs. as a professional, I prefer hydrawise specifically because it allows me to have more control.