Now that I've had this base unit, along with 2 extra hose timers, I have to say the B-Hyve APP almost makes it not worth buying these. It takes quite a while to figure out how to navigate the APP, mostly because there is no logic whatsoever to the pages and controls. First thing you notice when setting the system up, is the APP asks you whether you want to use "Smart Watering" or not. Even when you select NO, it still turns on Smart Watering, and good luck figuring out how to turn it off. Many users don't want Smart Watering, nor the "Weather Sensing" functions, as they rely on buying extra equipment, or on the National Weather Service to supply a deadly accurate weather forecast - NOT. Those functions aren't necessary for most users, when you really just need a remote-controlled system, that you can put in MANUAL override (called Rain Delay) on the days you don't need to water. Yes, there IS a way to select Rain Delay, but if you have multiple devices, you have to spend several minutes switching device control, then doing the same time-consuming process when you want to cancel the rain delay. There should be a way to set ALL devices to Rain Delay mode with one command. I contacted customer support, and they are not only ignorant about how their own devices work, they don't want to listen to any suggestions. Their system is designed around using their weather sensing and Smart Watering systems, but when you poke around online, you see that almost all of the customers that try to use these systems run into all manner of problems. Basically, the system is too complicated with too much false info that prevents watering when you really need it, and/or won't let you turn it off when you don't. Orbit - FIX YOUR APP !!!!! Follow up - when I did Live Chat with Orbit about these problems, I told them my intention to give this product a negative review on Amazon. Within 2 hours after the chat, my B-Hyve online account and APP account, along with my ability to control my devices, miraculously disappeared, and any association with my 3 devices was wiped out. Seems they don't like to hear that there are any issues, and their method of dealing with a dissatisfied customer is to render the products you own useless. Follow up No 2 - I called Orbit and via multiple phone calls, worked my way up to the Director of Customer Support, who admitted to me that they had researched my LiveChat session, and that a LiveChat supervisor had screened my chat session, and because I had mentioned that I was so unhappy that I was considering returning the products and leaving a poor review on Amazon, as punishment to me, he deleted my account, knowing that it would cause me a lot of hassle to set up everything again. No account = no control of devices from your phone. WHO DOES THAT?? Did he think I wouldn't notice this or call him out on this? I'm sure he felt good for a few seconds after he hit DELETE, but if he was my employee, I would have fired him on the spot. The Customer Support supervisor reassured me that Orbit is a "good company" and that the bad apple employee would be dealt with properly. Yeah - RIGHT. I wasted about 4 hours of my time setting everything up again, only because I made a suggestion for improvement of their APP. They also assured me that they are aware that most customers are unhappy with the APP, and that they will be re-designing it soon. So far, I have to say these B-Hyve products are innovative and good products in concept, but when the method to control the automated functions that you pay extra for, doesn't work very well, it turns these high-tech devices into cheap manual timers. They finally re-assured me that they are very welcoming of comments and criticism and want to improve their products. If this is true, then why did an employee punish me for doing exactly that ????? Again - FIX YOUR APP !!!!!
FOLLOW ON - Spring 2019 Started my system up for the season, worked fine, until I got an e-mail from Orbit suggesting I update software on all devices. Now, nothing works at all, and went down the tear-your-hair-out Customer Service experience again. Just took a sledge hammer to all 3 of my Orbit products.
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From the manufacturer
Let Mother Nature Do the Heavy Lifting
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Automatic Rain, Wind & Freeze DelaysSmart watering sets automatic delays for rain, wind and freezing temperatures, even when running a traditional program, saving water and money. |
EPA Certified to Save WaterB-hyve is certified for the rigorous WaterSense and SWAT testing protocols (EPA, PMG-1380, 2019), ensuring it will save you water and energy. |
WeatherSense TechnologyYour B-hyve looks ahead at the weather forecast, shuts off water during rain, then recalculates your watering schedule. |
Custom Schedules for Your LandscapeThe only smart sprinkler controller that integrates catch cup technology to product professional scheduling results. |
First-Class Innovation at a Fraction of the Cost
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Manage your watering through your smart phone or tablet. Your B-hyve can also be controlled at the timer. Now that's smart. |
Fully automatic smart watering, traditional programs, and advanced audit settings. You name it - B-hyve has it. |
Comes in a lockable, weather-resistant cabinet that can be mounted indoors/outdoors, making for a durable and secure controller. |
Swing panel and angled terminals provide easy access and convenient wiring that can be completed in minutes. |
Control From Anywhere
Take control of your watering from anywhere in the world with your Android or iOS smart device, or from your computer. All your controller needs is a wifi connection.
Goes Great With...
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Rain & Freeze SensorWeather can be unpredictable, especially in areas where it's not unusual to have rainfall results far different than forecasted. Give yourself a backup plan and get a Rain Sensor, just in case. |
Sprinkler Valve ManifoldThe whole point of the B-hyve controller is to make things easier on you. The Preassembled Manifold makes both setup and valve replacement as easy as possible. Don't leave without one. |
Sprinkler Controller WireEven the best controller is useless if it's not hooked up to your sprinkler valves. Don't forget to grab some sprinkler wire! You'll need 7-strand wire to manage 6 zones (6 zones + 1 common). |
Compare with similar items
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Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller, 8 Zone 3rd Generation, Alexa and Apple HomeKit Compatible with Hyperlocal Weather Intelligence Plus and Rain, Freeze and Wind Skip
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Orbit 57995 B-hyve XR Smart 16-Zone Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Controller, Compatible with Alexa, Gray
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Wyze WSPRK1 Smart Controller, 8-Zone WiFi (1 Year of Automatic Weather-Based Watering with Sprinkler Plus Included), Black
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Orbit 57899 9-Station Outdoor Swing Panel Sprinkler System Timer,Black
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| Customer Rating | (9631) | (6782) | (260) | (225) | (2453) |
| Price | $94.23 | $201.14 | $177.82 | $57.98 | $60.06 |
| Sold By | National Quality Products | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| Item Dimensions | 3.75 x 9.38 x 8.63 inches | 9.1 x 1.4 x 5.6 inches | 4 x 9 x 11 inches | 9.1 x 1.5 x 3.3 inches | 5 x 9 x 10 inches |
| Item Weight | 3.70 lbs | 1.00 lbs | 3.00 lbs | — | 3.30 lbs |
Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2018
Size: 6 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Well thought out, intuitive, and it just works as its supposed to. Perfect. Yes, the Alexa integration works awesome.
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2017Size: 6 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2017
Size: 6 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2018
Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Pierre Gervais
Best investment ever!
Reviewed in Canada on September 23, 2018Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Roger C.
Software & app needs improvement.
Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2018Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Software & app needs improvement.
Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2018
Overall it’s great. Wire connectors are easy to use! Easy to install.Reviewed in Canada on July 31, 2018
The app wasn’t intuitive at first.
Biggest problem is that it doesn’t allow two programs to run at the same time like my old Hardie system. Which is tough when the city restricts everything to ONLY 2 hours.
Watering history has trouble with programs running through midnight and the date, with local time (PST) versus GMT. It confuses which day it watered because GMT is already a day ahead. So sometimes the history is wrong or on the wrong day.
It only notifies you AFTER it waters, not at the START. START notification would be good as you could check the security cameras to see if it is actually watering.
Images in this review
Gene Chu
Easy to install and set up
Reviewed in Canada on July 11, 2020Size: 6 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
R. Anderson
Really like that I can monitor and operate my sprinkling system from my mobile.
Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2018Size: 6 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Langs Crew
Simply Best Value Wireless Sprinkler System I owned
Reviewed in Canada on May 27, 2018Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
