Yersu

Orbit sells a nice system of "smart" controllers. The 12-zone and 16 zone total $330 from Amazon. Getting the equivalent from OpenSprinkler is $465. (yes, there'd be lots of extra zones that I don't need). But what's going through my head is: Orbit may be 30% less, but saving money on something that fails to meet my expectations (independence from 3rd -party* servers) is not really a savings at all. (because, really, I could retain my dumb controllers for zero spend) *third-party doesn't bother me because of the data breach/security risks. Instead I am rather tired of my perfectly good systems dying when the provider retires the backend services.

Exactly. the wires terminate in the garage (for the front yard) and the shed (backyard). I did consider one controller and a RPi (OSPI), as a remote, but adding the costs for the RPi and an enclosure only saves about $25. And convenience of matching systems is worth a little extra cost. I'll wait a week to see if others have suggestions before pulling the trigger.

I read through the docs for OpenSprinkler. Looks nearly ideal. I was especially pleased to see the inclusion of wunderground for weather parameters. The 16 station is must have for me (front yard is 12 stations; backyard is 16 due to poor water pressure here) Haven't yet placed my order - the price is at the high end of my budget. (controller+expansion+ethernet x 2 = ~$500)

I was originally attracted to the Orbit controllers, but there seems to be no comments here about compatibilty. https://www.orbitonline.com/products/b-hyve-xr-smart-indoor-outdoor-sprinkler-timer?variant=36386483896488

I see current comments about supporting older sprinkler control systems. And, I see recommendations (from 2020!) for ISY-compatible sprinkler controllers. I am particularly interested in a controller that works with (hacks are OK) my Polisy. I am actively avoiding manufacturers which require use of their servers for communications. I am intrigued with the RainMachine but they no longer sell products (all are discontinued) https://www.rainmachine.com/products/ Any recommendations for 2024?