UPDATE JULY 2016:
I finally got my first water bill containing the use of this timer for an entire month. According to wunderground's historical data, June 2016 was very much like June 2015. Average temp was 86.3 vs. 2015's 85.2. Mean temperature was 59.6 vs. 60.5. Precipitation was 0.64" in 2016 vs. 0.58 in 2015. The water bill didn't show gallons I used last year, but according to the graph they give me it looks like somewhere between 20% and 30% less water used this year. My grass is no more dead than usual. The past couple weeks we've been in the mid to high 90s in temperature, and the sprinklers have come on every evening, so I was a little concerned, but let it do its thing. In the end, it is watering for a much shorter time each evening, and just watering more often than my manually scheduled timer was before.
If this thing continues to save 20%-30% of my water bill it will be paid for before the end of summer.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Before you begin reading the wall of text, know that I received this product free in exchange for an honest review.
I upgraded from an old orbit timer that had been working flawlessly for 10 years, to this wifi enabled timer. I took a picture of the old wiring and was able to get this installed in about 15 minutes. As Lego Batman would say, "First Try!" It's much bulkier than my old timer, but includes a lock so I could mount it outside in the weather or something if I wanted to. I didn't want to.
It's still a little early in the watering season for me, so I'm not sure I've run it through all its paces, but I've had it wired up for a week now. Before I hooked it up I figured I should fix the one broken sprinkler I knew about so I could test the lines. That was backward. With the old timer you obviously had to be at the timer in order to manually start and stop a station. So in flushing the line and validating my fix I had to run back and forth into the garage to start the water, then out to look at the line and check for leaks. I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed hearing me yelling from the front into the garage to my young son, "Push it now!" and having nothing happen because he couldn't reach the button...
I tell you that story so that you know that had I replaced the timer first, I could have stood over the sprinkler and just tapped a button on my phone to start and stop the zone.
I have 6 stations attached to the 12 station timer, and already I can tell I'm going to wish I had finer grained control of my irrigation. I inherited it when I bought the house 15 years ago and have had to discover all the secrets as things break over the years.
In the companion app it was very nice to be able to name the stations I have setup. I could walk around the yard, start them, shut them down, and try to pick a meaningful name by what they were shooting at. For each station I had to select the soil type, head count, head type, etc. It would have been very nice if I could set defaults for the soil type and head type as most of my lines are essentially the same, but instead I had to select each part for each line. Not a huge inconvenience, especially since I'll really only have to do it once, but annoying enough I thought I would mention it.
I originally setup my stations to run like I had on my old timer. Each one ran for the same amount of time and that was it. After poking around in the app for a bit, I thought the watering budget was very awesome. I could keep my program with X minutes per stations, but depending on the weather I could give it a percentage of that program. With it being early spring, and the weather having been cool I figured I would set it to 40% of my regular summer program. I think this feature is awesome. I could then adjust as things warmed up. I think you can even go above 100% if you are having a long dry spell or something.
After playing with that, I went to the "smart watering" feature. This would be much more valuable if I took the time and energy to do something with the capture cups or whatever they're called, but I haven't done that. I'm hoping the app is smart enough to figure out something decent given the shade stats I gave it for each station and be "close enough."
Smart watering allows the timer to take control of your water schedule. I like to water at night so stuff doesn't just evaporate. With smart watering I can direct it to only do it's watering thing between hours I choose. So far, that seems to be working. Smart watering also allows the timer to do automatic rain delays. We had a very wet weekend and it was nice to see the timer adjusting its next start time automatically each night. It is also supposed to take the temperature into account.
One other nice feature of the smart watering is I can decide which zones participate. I can have a program that only includes garden lines and use smart watering for my lawn lines, or whatever. This was fortunate for me since while testing I found water coming up through my concrete and I haven't had time to fix that yet, so I was able to just opt that zone out of the smart watering. The app even alerts me that zone 4 is not included in any watering schedule. A nice feature.
Finally, I read other reviews with concerns about wifi connectivity. I was a little concerned about this as my wireless router is upstairs in my bedroom so the signal has to go through an inside wall, a floor, and an outside wall to get to the timer in the garage. My phone showed OK, but not great signal strength at the location where I wanted to mount it. I'm happy to say I haven't seen any problems with it at all. I would also point out that your phone does NOT have to be on the same network as the timer. Once your timer is connected to the internet you can control it with the app from anywhere that you can get an internet connection. I have NOT evaluated the security of this networking because I'm too lazy to setup a proxy or sniff my network to see what's going on. It DOES require you to create an account on the orbit site.
So, with all this awesome sauce baked into the timer, why 4 stars instead of 5?
I think I'm smarter than the smart watering schedule. I think there are a few kinks to be worked out in the software. Frankly, it's been cool enough that I still wouldn't even have my sprinkler system turned on yet. As I said we had a very wet weekend, with a large rain storm on Monday. Today is Wednesday. The smart watering schedule seems a little unsure of itself. For most of the weekend it was telling me it was going to start at 1:43 AM on Sunday. That sounded perfectly reasonable to me. But sometimes when I check it just says it is going to start at 10:00PM tonight (which is the earliest I told it that it could start). So I'm never quite sure what is going to happen, even when I look at the app. Well, I'm sitting here watching TV tonight, and sure enough the sprinklers turn on right at 10pm. I hit the "rain delay" button and specify a 24 hour delay. It then tells me it's going to start at 1:43 AM Monday. So the start time it was telling me all week was moved by 24 hours. Alright, whatever, but then I look back at the app a couple minutes later and it tells me it is going to start watering at 10pm tomorrow night.
By selecting a zone in the app I can see that it last watered exactly a week ago, and it'll tell me how much time it plans to water with the smart watering. Since it plugs into the weather, it would be interesting if it would report rain in the watering timeline as well, but that would obviously be a feature request. It does also attempt to estimate the soil moisture for each zone, which I assume is a calculation based on the last watering time, duration, and temperature. Again, not sure if it takes weather into account.
I expect given that this is a new product that the software will be worked out over time and it'll only get smarter. If I do the cups thingy and input that data then it'll get even better. Finally, this thing has prompted me to make better zones in my irrigation. Right now I have zones that do all sorts of stuff and have various combinations of heads. I can see now that that is probably the reason my park strip grass is dying.
To the cost. At launch the 12 zone model is about 1/2 the cost of a nest thermostat. I have a nest thermostat. Frankly, it's not money well spent. It's a "smart" thermostat that really just isn't that smart. The only thing that I really like about it is being able to turn up the heat from my phone without having to get out from under the blankets. If you, like me, have bought into the "smart home" idea, then this timer fits right in. Yeah, it costs more, but now I can sit on the couch and turn the sprinkler on my daughter when her date drops her off. I love not having to get out of bed at 11 when the sprinklers turn on when it rained earlier that day. I really just have to think less about it now (probably...) and know that I'm not going to be wasting water growing mushrooms in my grass. Given my regular water bill in the summer I expect this thing to pay for itself in a season or two.
It would be awesome if this had an app for Amazon's Echo device so I could ask Alexa when the sprinklers are going to run next, or just tell her to turn on the driveway zone. With IFTTT integration that shouldn't actually be too hard (just like they did for Nest.)
If you read this far, nice work. Executive Summary? A probably buy if you are in the market for another smart device or love irrigation or want to save the world by saving water, or just save money by saving water, or love controlling things in your house with your phone. I fully expect the quirks to get worked out sooner than later.
There is a newer version of this item:
Orbit 57995 B-hyve XR Smart 16-Zone Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Controller, Compatible with Alexa
$168.00
(351)
Only 13 left in stock - order soon.
$168.00
(351)
Only 13 left in stock - order soon.
Frequently bought together
- +
- +
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Customers also search
Page 1 of 1Page 1 of 1
Climate Pledge Friendly
Climate Pledge Friendly uses sustainability certifications to highlight products that support our commitment to help preserve the natural world. Time is fleeting. Learn more
Product Certification (1)
WaterSense is a voluntary label from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which identifies products that meet criteria from the EPA for water-efficiency and performance.
WaterSense is a voluntary partnership program sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The WaterSense label identifies products, homes, and programs that meet the EPA's criteria for water-efficiency and performance. WaterSense-labeled products and services are certified to use at least 20 percent less water, save energy, and perform as well as or better than conventional products on the market. Check out the WaterSense website to learn more about this program. WaterSense partners with manufacturers, retailers and distributors, homebuilders, irrigation professionals, and utilities to bring WaterSense to your community.
From the manufacturer
Let Mother Nature Do the Heavy Lifting
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
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
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
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...
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
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). |
Videos
Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1
Videos for this product
1:26
Click to play video
REVIEW Orbit 57950 B-hyve Smart 12-Zone Sprinkler
April & Justin Moore
Videos for related products
4:02
Click to play video
Top 5 Best Smart Sprinkler Controllers to Level Up Your Lawn
WatchMojo
Videos for related products
13:46
Click to play video
Orbit B-Hyve XR Sprinkler Timer Review
AppMyHome
Videos for related products
2:58
Click to play video
REVIEW Orbit B-hyve 8-Zone Smart Indoor Sprinkler Controller
April & Justin Moore
Videos for related products
1:03
Click to play video
Instal sprite short
Merchant Video
Customer reviews
Excellent upgrade, Consumer Reports was right!
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2020
I've been wanting to get a smart irrigation control system for a while now and I researched a number of different units but everything seemed either expensive or it had poor functionality. Well a month or so ago I decided to look again and I wondered if Consumer Reports would have something on this and amazingly enough, they actually did. They rated the B-Hyve unit very highly and they talked about the app functionality in addition to the unit itself. All of it sounded great and at a fantastic price point compared to other systems. So I went ahead and bought it and I have to say I am extremely pleased. It replaced an old Hunter Pro series that I had and it took me about an hour to swap things out. The app works extremely well and the programming flexibility is great. I can set up my lawn watering on one program and a separate program that works more frequently to water my garden areas. Not only that, but it does an excellent job of going on hold when there's rain in the forecast. I had a rain sensor on my old system, but that only worked after it rained. The B-Hyve knows that it's going to rain and doesn't water, if the amount of rain is high enough, which saves me water and $$. The only thing that was a little frustrating in the app was that it wouldn't save the pictures I was taking of the various zones, so I ended up having to enter them a couple of times to get them to "stick" but that was such a stupid small thing compared to all the other stuff it does do exceptionally well. Also, they have very responsive customer service. I had a question about how do to something in the app after I set the unit up and they responded quickly with the spot-on answer, which was also great. I highly recommend this. I've been using it for about a month now and it's worked flawlessly. Also, it was super easy to install and replace my old Hunter unit (I included a picture of the Hunter Pro-C in case anyone wondered what the original install looked like that this replaced).
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2020
Images in this review
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 12, 2016
Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 28, 2022
Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 6, 2022
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
Willard Cochrane
Crashes consistently. Very buggy and unreliable.
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 13, 2019Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Andrew M.
Worked great for a year
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 30, 2022Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase
Langers
Simply Best Value Wireless Sprinkler System I owned
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 27, 2018Size: 12 StationPattern Name: Sprinkler ControllerVerified Purchase