Smart Watering in the Palm of Your Hand

By Jennifer Klemmetson

Have homeowners started asking you for an irrigation controller with the ability to integrate into their smart home system (Nest, Amazon Echo, etc.)? Are they looking for a sprinkler system they can control from their phone? Do they want to see their system’s water usage?

You can provide a solution to their requests with a WiFi-enabled controller; and it does more than just integrate with your homeowner’s smart home system — it allows you a way to control your clients’ irrigation from anywhere. Gain insight into what’s happening with a system and start or stop the controller from the palm of your hand. No more driving to the site to see what’s wrong — these controllers can give you real-time information about water use, faulty valves and even flow in some cases.

There are many WiFi-enabled controllers on the market today. Some are designed for easy homeowner use, while others have professional features to make your job as a landscape and irrigation professional more efficient.

Manage water on the go

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller

The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller makes it easy to get started with the convenience of WiFi irrigation control. With a four-year extended warranty on professionally installed controllers, this controller is compatible with nearly any smart home system. Rachio waters based on past, present and future weather, and includes seasonal adjustments. Control the system from anywhere, and know what’s happening with real-time notifications.

Hunter Pro-HC

Hunter’s Pro-HC was designed for contractors to manage a controller from anywhere with the updated features of new WiFi-enabled smart controllers that homeowners are looking for. With the Pro-HC app, you can view all the sites you manage in the contractor dashboard. When you notice an issue, send a job sheet to the field staff so those issues don’t become problems. You can even set up customized permissions, so the homeowner, contractor and crew can have different settings to make changes to the controller.

Weathermatic’s SmartLine Controller

Weathermatic’s SmartLine Controller, an ET-based controller, automatically adjusts watering based on the data you give it: location, sprinkler type, plant and soil type. Comply with local water restrictions or omit days, dates and times to water when you want it. Manually operate or allow Smart Mode to take over, and control this system from a computer, phone or tablet.

Upgrade a Rain Bird controller to WiFi capabilities

Upgrade Rain Bird residential and light-commercial controllers to a WiFi-enabled controller with the Rain Bird LNK WiFi Module. With the module and Rain Bird app, you can operate and monitor the irrigation system from anywhere in the world, with real-time alerts and water-management tools. You can even share access to the controller with the homeowner or other crewmembers.

Connect your Rain Bird ESP-TM2 or ESP-Me to the LNK and find the ease of WiFi control. The Rain Bird ESP-TM2 is a professional-grade residential controller with scheduling that allows for a variety of applications and the ability to comply with watering restrictions. It’s quick and easy to program, with three programs and four start times per program. The Rain Bird ESP-Me offers quick startup and the ability to work across multiple applications, you’ll save time and labor costs with crews who can install this controller on residential or light-commercial sites in less time, getting them on to the next jobsite faster.

Is this something your clients are looking for? Provide this service for them and get ahead of the smart watering trend with WiFi-enabled controllers.

Jennifer Klemmetson is a content marketing strategist at Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply, in Phoenix, Ariz. These and other controllers are available from Ewing at ewingirrigation.com.