Lawn sprinkler systems have come a long way. Today’s smart home irrigation systems can be controlled remotely from a smartphone and can use local and national weather data to determine how often your lawn should be watered. One such controller, the Rachio Iro ($249), even lets you use IFTTT (If This Then That) recipes to trigger or suspend watering sessions. Aesthetically, the Iro isn’t much to look at, but it offers well-designed iOS and Android apps, as well as a Web-based console. It lacks onboard controls and is more expensive than a traditional sprinkler controller, but it’s packed with features and works like a charm. It’s our Editors’ Choice for connected sprinkler controllers, replacing the similar Skydrop ($58.95 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) as our favorite Wi-Fi sprinkler controller.

Design and Features
When it comes to design, the Iro ($209.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window)  couldn’t be more different than the streamlined Skydrop controller. The controller measures 7.3 by 7.3 by 2.2 inches (HWD) and consists of a wall-mounting plate and a snap-on face that contains the controller circuitry. The face is white with a blue Rachio logo and holds three small LED indicators (Power, Wi-Fi, Status) and a power jack. You won’t find a backlit jog dial or an LCD panel; in fact, the Iro doesn’t offer any controls or buttons whatsoever. The only way to control it comes by way of an iOS or Android device, or a Web console.

The mounting plate contains quick connect wire receptacles for 8 watering zones, as well as connections for a master pump valve, a common wire, and rain sensors (a 16-zone version of the Iro is available for $299). The plate also holds a small level so you can mount it properly. Included in the box are mounting screws, an AC power supply, and an install guide. The Iro uses 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) to connect to your home router. Unlike the all-weather Blossom controller, the Iro must be installed indoors, unless you purchase an optional outdoor enclosure.

Rachio Iro Smart Sprinkler Controller

The Iro’s iOS, Android, and Web apps are tastefully designed and easy to use. The app’s opening page contains a start button and the next scheduled watering time. At the bottom of the page is a seven-day calendar with weather forecasts for each day. Scheduled watering days are circled. Tapping any day displays the schedule for each zone for that day. At the top of the page, on the left, is a tab that takes you to a page where you can add devices, assign nozzle types (fixed spray, rotary, mister, bubbler, emitter), view and edit your user profile, and access help files, FAQs, and updates.

The Iro settings page is where you go to enter your zip code (for local weather data) and set up your watering zones. Here you can name each zone and choose a type of vegetation (such as cool or warm season grass, trees, perennial, annual, or shrubs). Next, choose a soil type (loam, clay, sand, etc.), exposure (lots of sun, some shade, mostly shade), and nozzle type. You can also choose a grade for each zone (flat, slight slope, moderate, steep). Advanced zone settings include area footage, root depth, allowed depletion, and efficiency, but these are best left to professional landscapers. You can manually enter all settings for each zone or use the wizard, which walks you through each step.

The Watering Times section allows you to schedule watering sessions for each zone with a start date and time. You can choose times for each zone and have it repeat every day, every other day, or only on specific days of the month. There’s a Smart Cycle setting that will adjust watering times according to the soil type to improve absorption, and a Weather Intelligence setting that examines local weather data and will skip watering sessions if rain is detected. With this setting you can assign a rain delay threshold (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 1 inch). The Water Restriction setting will adhere to local restrictions on when you can water your lawn.

The Iro offers extensive reporting features, including a year-to-date water usage summary, daily usage and watering times, and monthly usage and watering times. There’s also a running history of daily watering sessions with data for each zone, watering times, and when the session was started and completed.

The Iro supports interaction with third-party home automation devices including the Control4 interface, the Wink Hub ($50.00 at eBay)(Opens in a new window) , and the Nest Protect ($119.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) . When the Nest Protect reaches a level-three emergency, the Iro will automatically begin watering each zone for 5 minutes and will repeat the cycle twice. As mentioned earlier, the Iro also works with IFTTT (If This Then That) and allows you to create Internet-based recipes to have your sprinklers react to certain events. For example, you can have the sprinklers stop their scheduled sessions if the temperature drops below a certain point, or put the system into a suspended rain delay for a certain amount of days.

Rachio Iro Smart Sprinkler Controller

The Advanced Device settings page lets you enable Master Valve/Pump and Rain Sensor settings (if your system uses them), and minimize water hammering (the banging in your pipes that occurs each time a sprinkler valve opens). You can also have the Iro use weather data from your personal weather station, such as the Netatmo Weather Station ($166.51 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) .

Installation and Performance
The Iro is very easy to install. First, I made sure I labeled each zone wire before removing my old controller. I have five zones and connected each zone wire to its corresponding wire receptacle, then connected the common wire. I attached the mounting plate to the wall, snapped on the face, and plugged in the power supply. Next, I downloaded the app, created an account, and added the Iro to my device list. When the Wi-Fi LED began blinking, my wireless network was listed and I connected to it using my WPA2 password. I was instructed to press Connect and hold my iPhone up to opening on the face of the Iro. The LED light flashed green for around 15 seconds and I was connected. At this point I was given the option to use the setup wizard to create watering zones or go straight to the main menu.

The Rachio Iro performed brilliantly. I set my watering schedule for every other day starting at 9:00 a.m. and set custom times for my front lawn (sunny), my flower beds (slightly shady), and backyard lawn (mostly shady). The Iro adhered to my schedule during the first week, which was mostly sunny and hot, and knew to skip a scheduled watering the day after a big rain the following week. It also reacted immediately to my manual commands to water certain zones and to stop watering others. I used the IFTTT DO button to initiate a rain delay, which worked flawlessly, and received push notifications each time the Iro began and ended a watering cycle. I ended up using less water than I was using with my old Orbit controller thanks to the Weather Intelligence feature.

Conclusions
Like the Skydrop and the Blossom sprinkler controllers, the Rachio Iro can be controlled from your smartphone and offers manual and scheduled watering sessions. It also provides water usage reports, a history of timed and manual watering, and numerous alerts and notifications. Better yet, it uses your local weather data to automatically adjust your watering schedule to help conserve water. However, it’s the Iro’s ability to interact with other home automation products like the Nest Protect, the Wink Hub, and IFTTT that sets it apart from the pack, and why it earns our our Editors’ Choice award.