It seems the folks at Wyze have been quite busy lately, with the recent launch of a smart Vacuum, new camera, Video Doorbell, Headphones, Thermostat, and many other killer products more. Well, as we head into the holidays, the company is showing no signs of slowing down. Introducing, the brand-new Wyze Sprinkler Controller. That’s right, Wyze now has a product where you can control, schedule, and monitor up to 8-zones of irrigation at your home.
There aren’t many contenders in this space, and Wyze is looking to become the new go-to for smart sprinkler controllers, it seems. Does Rachio have something to worry about with the Wyze Sprinkler Controller? Keep reading to find out everything it has to offer, and make the decision yourself.
For $50, the Wyze Sprinkler Controller sure has a lot to offer
When it comes to smart sprinkler controllers, Rachio charges $130 for an 8-zone, Orbit runs $95 for a 12-zone, and to get close to the $50 price point of Wyze, you’ll need to either step down to a 4-zone controller or a single faucet timer. There’s also the Blossom 7-zone to choose from at just over $50, but the reviews there are somewhat mixed.
So, with the comparison pricing out of the way, let’s take a look at what Wyze offers for $50.
- Smart Schedules: Water plants automatically based on hyper-local weather data*
- Fixed Schedules: Water plants on specific days or times
- Quick Run: Easily start a watering from anywhere with the Wyze app
- Sunrise/Sunset Settings: Schedule your system to start or finish by sunrise/sunset
- Sensor Ready: Compatible with most rain and soil sensors
- Weather Skips: Rain, Saturation, Wind, and Temperature skips*
- Advanced Zone Insights: See the past, current, and forecasted soil moisture level for each zone*
- Easy Control: Start or stop a watering directly from the device
That’s quite the list of features, but we’ll break a few of them down a bit further and explain just what asterisk means next to some.
Just about every Wyze Sprinkler feature is included for just $50
We’ll get to the asterisk features in a moment, but let’s take a look at the major benefits of having a Wyze Sprinkler first. To start with, you’ll be able to have both fixed schedules and quick runs, which is something that normal sprinkler controllers obviously offer. There’s also sunrise/sunset schedules, ensuring that your system finishes or starts either by sunrise or at sunset.
The biggest feature that comes with the $50 controller is just the ability to start or stop a watering from your smartphone, which is super convenient if you’ve ever wanted to water the lawn without getting up off the couch. However, the more premium features do come at an additional cost.
Enjoy syncing your watering to weather schedules…if you have Sprinkler Plus
Wyze Sprinkler Plus is the company’s yearly affordable subscription. The controller itself is only $50, as we’ve already mentioned, but Sprinkler Plus will cost you an additional $9.99 per year. But, this subscription delivers some really killer features that are generally only available with more expensive controllers.
Should you opt to utilize Sprinkler Plus, you’ll have the ability to take advantage of what Wyze is calling “Smart Schedules.” This automatically waters your plants or lawn based upon ‘hyper-local weather data’ that scans over 60,000 weather stations across the U.S. You’ll also be able to program your controller to skip when rain, saturation, wind, or temperature conditions are met, ensuring you don’t over-water. Plus, with Sprinkler Plus, ‘advanced zone insights’ allow you to see past, current, and forecasted soil moisture level for each zone, as long as you have supported sensors.
Pricing and availability
Wyze Sprinkler Controller will cost $49.99 and it comes with a 1-year subscription to Sprinkler Plus for free, ensuring you’re ready-to-go from the moment it arrives. Speaking of arrival, right now delivery is slated to begin sometime in January 2021, which is only a few months away. Pre-orders begin today, so if you’re interested in checking out the latest Wyze product, just swing by this landing page to see what all the company has to offer you.
Electronicsforward’ take
Wyze is coming in strong with a feature set here, and since they’re including 1-year of Sprinkler Plus already, that makes the value even better. Rachio has a lot to offer in this space, and was one of the first around. However, Wyze packs a much better value, and it would take around 9-years of owning the Wyze Sprinkler Controller, and paying for Sprinkler Plus the entire time, before you reach the cost of a single Rachio alternative.
I’m loving that Wyze is entering all of the spaces they are, and hopefully their budget-focused offerings around your smart home will continue to help drive down competitors prices, forcing other companies to offer compelling products at great prices so they can continue to compete in the space.
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