Yersu Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 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? Link to comment
Yersu Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 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 Link to comment
Solution Javi Posted April 27 Solution Share Posted April 27 I've used OpenSprinkler for years, and am the author of the same Plugin. OpenSprinkler works great for the most part, and much better than non-connected controller. It has fallen off the WiFi network a few times in the last 5 years (like many WiFi devices) but the programs are local so they still run, just needed to restart and it would reconnect. So I would recommend getting the ethernet adapter if that is an option in the controllers location. There are no "hacks" needed to connect to eisy and no cloud service. eisy will act as the remote access so no need to open/forward ports or have a static IP or Dynamic DNS service. 3 Link to comment
Rocketron Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 I've an old version on OpenSprinkler, connected via ethernet. It's never given a problem in the many years I've owned it. Link to comment
Yersu Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 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) Link to comment
Javi Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 18 hours ago, Yersu said: 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 think it would be closer to $300 unless you need 2 controllers in different locations (~$200 (controller with power ethernet) + (2 x expansion ~$50 each). Would be hard to find another 24 (or 40 in this case) zone controller for less. Link to comment
Yersu Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 (edited) 5 hours ago, Javi said: I think it would be closer to $300 unless you need 2 controllers in different locations (~$200 (controller with power ethernet) + (2 x expansion ~$50 each). Would be hard to find another 24 (or 40 in this case) zone controller for less. 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. Edited April 28 by Yersu added clarification Link to comment
Yersu Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 (edited) 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. Edited April 29 by Yersu typo Link to comment
paulbates Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 Side note.. It's sad about rainmachine not being around. I got one at my last house in 2017 and enhanced it with @io_guy's nodelink on my isy. The rainmachine was relatively easy to use and lots of detailed tweaking per zone to get it just right. Out of all the ha things I installed in that house, the rainmachine paid for the lot over time.. All of it. Our south east Michigan water is really expensive and it really curtailed the use of it. Link to comment
KSaccullo01 Posted May 5 Share Posted May 5 (edited) Open sprinkler has been bullet proof. It as an open API that lets you add more functions. On my EISY I set flag if the temperature is over 95 degrees. if the flag is set EISY enables an extra water program on a few specific zones. At 2:00 am EISY disables the extra program. You can have multiple programs enabled at the same time. Edited May 5 by KSaccullo01 Link to comment
Ross Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 15 hours ago, KSaccullo01 said: Open sprinkler has been bullet proof. It as an open API that lets you add more functions. On my EISY I set flag if the temperature is over 95 degrees. if the flag is set EISY enables an extra water program on a few specific zones. At 2:00 am EISY disables the extra program. You can have multiple programs enabled at the same time. I do about the same: Temp below 75, less watering. 75-90, normal watering. >90, more watering. Turn off the sprinklers based on recent rain (and turn them off for x days based on how much rain). Turn off the sprinklers based on forecasted rain. I have saved $$ with my OpenSprinkler. I created a bunch of programs and my ISY and plug-ins check the forecast and rain totals and then enables/disables the programs as appropriate. Ross 1 Link to comment
dbwarner5 Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 Am currently using ELK outputs with ISY programming to run my sprinklers. Am intrigued though with OpenSprinkler. Know lots of people that have had great success with Rachio https://rachio.com however, I am not sure if this system is local or remote. While there is nothing wrong with my elk / isy setup, I havent spent the time to program in rain / sun / evaporation rates etc. Rachio I know does a great job of incorporating this into its programs. any comments anyone? Link to comment
dbwarner5 Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 On 4/28/2024 at 1:00 PM, Yersu said: 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). Am a bit confused by your pricing.. at OpenSprinkler web site, I can purchase the main module with ethernet A/C for $175, and then two 16 zone expander for $100 = $275 for 40 zones. You would only need one controller. Link to comment
sjenkins Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 I love my OpenSprinkler!! Had the same unit for over 10years now, its plastic is severely yellowing but it’s rock solid. Thanks to @Javi for writing the plugin for the ISY, if I remember right he had to mod it for me because my device is so old & an early version. I am likely the only one still running 2.1 hardware. 2 Link to comment
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