WiFi Water Timer 1 Zone, Smart Sprinkler Timer, WiFi Hose Timer for Garden Faucet, Irrigation Controller w/WiFi Hub, Up to 20 Watering Plans, App/Voice Control Work with Alexa and Google Assistant

I have the programmable (non-wifi) version of this timer, and it's great. But I start it with manual schedules mostly (set for an hour, for instance), and bending over to set it, often in the dusk or dark as that's when we're told to water, is awkward. I saw that this wifi version is supported by the Smart Life app, which I already use for an unrelated product (a safe!). It was good to see that, because I use an iPhone, and the product description doesn't make it clear what OS is supported except for that.I have two wifi routers, because my internet starts at a separate back office on my property, and can't make it to the front of my house, so the second wifi router is there, fed by Ethernet. Because my water sources are at the front and back of my house, it made sense to pair the app with the front wifi. I ran into a problem pairing. Both the valve/timer unit ("timer" from here) and "gateway" unit that plugs into a wall socket need to be paired with the app, then the timer is paired with the gateway unit in the app. The timer paired immediately with no effort—I didn't even need to press the button as directed. But the gateway would not, it blinked but would eventually time out. So I took the two to my office and paired with the back wifi. That worked like a charm, taking seconds.That left me wondering—can I only use it for my back yard? Clearly, the timer communicates with the gateway, so it was a question of: "I know my internet can't reach, but can the gateway?"Fortunately, it scarcely matters—not at all for me. If the gateway can't reach it, Bluetooth can, as long as you're anywhere near the timer (within about 50 feet, if it's unobstructed). So I can control the front or back yard from anywhere in my main house. The fact is, I'm always near the timer when I use it manually, because I turn my main valve off when not in use. I can't envision needing to turn on the water manually from the gym or grocery store, for instance. But if I needed to, I suppose I'd try a little harder to pair it with my other wifi.One of the feature i like best is that I can abort or pause the timer, stopping the water. Pause is great for me, because the sprinkler is throwing water very near the timer, often hitting it. So with the programmable version, if I need to temporarily stop the sprinkler to reposition it at another location, I'd get wet. but with app control, I can tap the pause button, reposition the sprinkler, and tap again to resume. Brilliant.

I have a drip irrigation system set up for my raised garden bed, and this past year I used a traditional sprinkler timer to automate it. What I learned from that experience is that, although that definitely worked, it was a pain for me to manage the schedule. My water spigot is located behind some large bushes. Any time I saw rain in the forecast, that meant I had to shove my way through the bushes, crouch down in a tiny space, and set the time delay on that tiny screen on the device. In many cases I was also doing this while it was actively raining. It was just annoying enough that sometimes I wouldn't even bother to do it, instead just accepting that my plants would get over-watered.I thought a wi-fi enabled sprinkler timer would be too expensive, but this model from Insoma surprised me by being really comparable to traditional timers!There are actually two devices in this box. First is a Bluetooth receiver/transmitter that you plug into a wall outlet. This device connects to your phone and to the sprinkler timer. It allows you to set the schedule and control the device from your phone, while also transmitting the instructions to the sprinkler timer. That way the timer still works correctly even when your phone is not nearby. The range on this bluetooth transmitter is good. I tested it by plugging it into an outlet on the 2nd story of my house, and was still able to reach to the water spigot outside on the other side of the house.The second device is the actual sprinkler timer that you install on the water spigot. Unlike traditional sprinkler timers, there's not much to see on this device. There's no screen or buttons to set or manage the schedule since you do all that from an app on your phone now. Instead, there's just a single button that you can use to manually turn on or off the flow of water.Finally, there's the app you install on your phone. The app is called "Smart Life" and my initial impressions are pretty good. Setting a schedule was straightforward, it's clear how to activate a rain delay, and there's an easy way to manually run the sprinkler timer whenever you want.On the whole, I'm pretty impressed with this little device, and I can't imagine going back to my old, traditional style of sprinkler timer next year.So why did I give it only 4 stars? A couple things. First, the device does not come with the required batteries. The instructions say it requires 4 AA batteries, but this is not correct. It requires only 2 AA batteries. However, the instructions and the battery cover are both VERY explicit that you should not use rechargeable batteries, only traditional alkaline batteries. In my house, I don't stock alkaline batteries any more. Everything is rechargeable. I put rechargeable batteries in to test the device, and it appeared to work fine, but I'm nervous about running it that way long term. Next year, I'll have to specially buy alkaline batteries for this device.Second, much of the instruction book is well written, but there are places where it lapses into bad English. Here's an example from the FAQs..."Q: Why irrigation recorded data will be lost?A: When the timer connection exceeds the distance, the missing data. But does not affect the watering function of the equipment."It also omits any details about how to actually create a schedule using the app. Thankfully I'm confident enough poking around in the app and finding out how things work for myself, but it would have been better if there were step-by-step instructions.If you're willing to work through those 2 issues, then this device is a great, cost-effective way to make it MUCH more convenient to manage your sprinkler timer!

This WiFi watering timer is fairly compact and lightweight. The package contains the main unit, a WiFI hub, a small roll of Teflon tape and a spare rubber washer. The main unit requires two AA batteries and they are not included.Using it requires the Smart Life app. Since I already have the Smart Life app for other devices, after I install the batteries to the main unit and plug in the hub, both are already been recognized by the app and setup the WiFi and link the timer and the hub is very straight forward. As it turns out, if one does not need the voice control, the hub is not needed, the app can directly control the timer without the hub.Using the app to set up watering schedule or manually turn on and off the water is very easy. Overall, this is a great inexpensive WiFi watering timer that is very easy to setup and use.