Neoprimal
2025-08-09 09:56:46
The wife and I invested in our first home a year and a few months ago. I'd decided from the get go that I wanted a smart home. We got a mega deal because we bought what is essentially a "cookie-cutter" home, ie: the builders plans and we pick a model - we couldn't make any changes. This was fine for us because why spend thousands on "upgraded" appliances and features when you can't even pick the ones you want? Better to start off cheap and then pay for what we want. That's a lot of preface for a sprinkler, but I'm going somewhere with this.When you buy cheap and then pay for what you want, to me it ends up working out better. We made a big decision in buying our home and it's a place and home we plan to spend our lives in as long as no acts of God get in the way of that. So far I've been dutifully making my home smart. Starting with all light switches changed to occupancy/vacancy and or wifi/dimmer switches, all bulbs are now LED with some being Wifi/Dimmer capable, some smart cameras around the place, etc. When you're "smartifying" your home you can either do it all at once if you have that kind of money, do it cheapest to most expensive stuff or do it most expensive to cheapest. We're not rich, we're comfortable so I've taken the middle route, cheapest parts and ending with the more expensive stuff like appliances.Where we live, our city has pretty strict rules regarding sprinkler systems - 2 days weekly for/between 4 hrs. Personally I don't know why. It rains during most of the year and whenever there's a drought there's a huge river and canals always filled to the brim but hey, they've gotta know something I don't, I've only been here for 2+ years. That being said, we had a basic sprinkler system, of course because when you buy a "cookie-cutter" home, almost everything you get as a part of the home is basic. As I said, that was fine for us. I'd put the controller as one of the later things to upgrade for the main reason that sprinklers are generally a set it and forget it thing. However ours was being slightly problematic. While it has a battery backup to keep settings, for some reason the time would be "off" due to power outages and of course, I'd have to head to change them whenever DST switched. Recently, we got our 2nd warning that the sprinkler was on when it wasn't supposed to be. This was due to a power outage that put our times off by about 10m. So they literally caught our system within that 10m "offf" window. I started getting serious into looking for smart or at the very least wifi enabled sprinkler controllers. .Enter the Orbit. I'm so happy with the system that I'm here only a day later writing its praises. I took some time deciding on systems because initially they're pretty expensive when you look up "smart" controllers. Most of the devices I found were in the hundreds and just not worth it for me, many are 6 or 8 zone and I only needed 3. I was in shock when I was able to pick up the Orbit for what I got it for. Not only was it less than 1/2 the price of other smart controllers, it was also cheaper than the most basic smart controllers, so I was prepared to make some compromises as one should when devices are on the cheaper end of the spectrum vs. others in their category. I can gladly say, no concessions or compromises made. This thing does everything and more.For one, with this controller you get a dual system. Many smart sprinkler controllers if you notice, have no head/base where they can be programmed. It must be done over/using the smartphone or a website. Not so with this system - you get a head unit that looks and behaves the same as a non wifi system where you can do everything you need to in terms of programming the system. This was a big deal for me because going back to what I said earlier, I'm a fan of value and I tend to look at things long term. How many cloud based companies have we seen shut down or change hands? If a product with a headless unit (ie: can't program from the base) has a cloud unit that shuts down, your sprinkler system is essentially useless for the most part because you no longer have a place to log into, to be able to access your system. The same could happen if the tech is bought out. If another company buys Rachio, just as an example and this company isn't interested in sprinkler systems, eventually that unit can no longer function because said company would have no need to keep the cloud going. There are 2 big differences with Orbit for me. The first is that the brand has been around for some time. I don't know irrigation products and I know 2 brand names, Hunter and Orbit so this was a good thing. For me this meant that it was highly unlikely for any of the shut down or sell out scenarios. I figured the worse case would be they sold to another irrigation company anyway. Secondly, the device is controlled both ways and independently. You can use it from the head unit solely, you can use it from the app or you can use it both ways. Finally, just like the other cloud/wifi sprinkler systems, it has a "smart" system that watches the weather for when it rains etc. and can smartly utilize your irrigation system. My system only has 3 zones because again, the builder created it all in a cheaper way. The pressure is really great in my home and the garden is no less. The entirely front left and side of my home is a zone running about ~6 sprinklers, the same for the right and then the back yard is a zone. So I have lots of sprinklers but only 3 zones and they run really well. My unit is installed on the outside of my home and many wifi sprinkler systems have to be installed inside or put into a special weather box externally. This unit comes fit for external use, so that saved me spending extra for either hiring someone to put it inside my garage or buy a box to put it into outside.In the end, I have to say that I'm fairly happy. It took me about 30m to physically install the controller and another 10m to program it using the app. The 1st floor of my home is concrete so I was a bit worried about wifi strength through the wall but it gets 4 solid bars. Setup in the app is easy. You create an account and add the device - once it's powered on and detectable, the app will immediately tell you that the device has been located, where you can then connect to it. Once connected, that's it, you're good to go. I simply took a picture of where my cables were on my Hunter unit and moved them directly over. I did have to drill an extra hole because the same of the unit is different than the Hunter. Once I did what I had to, it just worked. I tested it by doing a 1m manual start of each zone to see exactly where and what my zones were and then I set my schedule so it will never water on non-water days for me but is completely free to water (or not) on my 2 set days with my 4 hour window. The app is super easy to use and easily understandable, really well made. As I mentioned, you can turn smart watering on, where it'll detect when it rains and can put off watering for a day or more. You can also program using restrictions like mine, only on certain days or odd/even days or have an interval. I won't go into details but I doubt anyone will find it lacking what they'd need. I really like it and am very happy with the system so far.
BG on
2025-08-04 18:49:04
Received the item quickly. It was quite easy to set up, even to this elderly basic computer skilled person. It worked fine from phone to set & start zones. The only minor drawback for us is that since hose is set to a zone, it is necessary to start by phone. It can be done on the sprinkler screen, but for me that is way too cumbersome and it is actually why I wanted this controller. Setting zones, turning them off or on at will is very easy on the phone, but difficult on the controller screen. This controller has a rain delay feature, which while useful has not been entirely accurate in regard to weather. However it is simple to start the watering if there is no rain when it had been predicted. The last important thing to mention, and this is why I often wait to write reviews, is the controller stopped working after a year and some months. Orbit upheld the 2 year warranty and is sending a replacement.
mmf
2025-07-15 14:35:30
We had (still do as a spare now), a normal digital orbit timer. Also 12 stations and all are used. We have a large yard and it’s just hard running repairs and checks and having to walk several times whenever needed to switch on and off. Today, was sprinkler check day and I honestly was dreading those walks and runs. So I got on Amazon to see what’s out there and I was drawn to this orbit from the get go. Saw all others that look “sleekâ€. I wasn’t looking for sleek, rather versatility and proper structure. Ordered this and it was delivered same day and installed in 30 minutes. Switched the wires (in a better sequence than before), got the app and paired and spent another 10 minutes programming and talking photos (the coolest thing ever). Tested all and not a single issue. I got a small white board in the garage mapping the 12 stations so we remember which station is where. Now the white board is WHITE. lol. No need for any of that because I have the photos and I am sure I should recognize the sections of my own yard. (One would hope). Love this thing. Can do a lot direct on the unit which we wanted. The app is fantastic and works great. Come to think of it. This was even cheaper than most. Icing on the cake as I cannot imagine anything better than this.
Spiros
2025-06-01 14:22:57
The timer arrived totally destroyed (DOA). I contacted with Orbit support in Europe and I received the following answer:Dear Spiros,Unfortunately, this is a US-spec timer with the wrong voltage to use in Europe.Please contact Amamzon immediately for a full refund, as this timer should not have been shipped and sold in Europe. Further, North American products are not covered under international warranties.We are sorry about this, but again, the timer should not have been sold in Europe.We hope this matter is resolved satisfactorily. But let us know the outcome or if we can be of any further assistance.Kind regards,Customer Care Team... just spending money and time
Stefania Pesce
2025-05-16 14:37:31
centralina perfetta, veramente on-line, eccezionale. l'app è pensata per gestire ogni aspetto dell'irrigazione. attenzione solo alla tensione di alimentazione, prendere la versione per l'europa altrimenti se si ordina la versione USA poi bisogna procurarsi un trasformatore da 24V alternata (tipo da campanelli, ma un po'grosso)
GM
2025-04-30 11:34:08
Muy buen control de irrigación, el precio muy bueno y la configuración muy rápida. La calidad excelente mucho mejor que la marca Rain Bird
Matt C.
2025-04-03 15:38:36
From the moment I opened the box until now over a month later, I am 100% happy with this unit.Replacing my old controller was an absolute breeze. The box comes with detailed instructions for removing whatever you currently have in place and putting in the new controller. All can be done with common household tools, thought they do provide a small flathead screwdriver in the box for the smaller screws that hold the wires in place.All in all I had it mounted in about 30 minutes, and that included me spending some extra time hiding the wiring a bit better than I had it setup before.The guide has you connect the controller to the app, and the app takes it from there, letting you test, name, and customize each zone.The app is quite robust, allowing for people who REALLY know what they're doing to setup smart programs that account for the number of heads, the type of soil, sun exposure, etc. etc. I'm a little more down-to-basics, so I've just set mine to run on zone timings which also works perfectly. That's the true sign of a good app - have the features there for people who want to use them, but also have it easy enough to use that someone like me can just setup the zones for how long I know they need water and be on my way in just a few minutes.So far I've not seen the rain delay fail me once. It does use a weather service and predicting the weather isn't an exact science, but so far I've not seen any times where it either watered when it should have skipped or skipped when it should have watered.All in all this is EXACTLY what I was looking for, and an extremely fair price to boot.No longer will I whack my head on the patio railing whenever I want to manually run a zone! Just open my phone, pick the zone (or an entire program), pick the time, and sit back as it does its thing.
Davide
2025-01-22 10:48:29
Prodotto di ottima qualità . Già avuto altre centraline di questa marca. Fate attenzione al voltaggio. Consigliato