ST8I-2.0

I purchased this to replace a manual Rainbird controller. The wifi feature and phone app allow for the program of the unit without any physical contact. The unit will also monitor the weather by using your zip code to modify the watering schedule. It is very easy to adjust watering time by the day and zone, as well as run a manual watering. Before ordering, insure you have at least two bars in a wifi signal, where you plan to mount the device. This is to make sure the device has good contact with your router. The installation instructions are very clear and easy to follow.

GOOD: Rain Bird did a good job overall. The mechanical install of the unit was easy and I was replacing an older Hunter system that was terrible. BAD: This company uses a red/green indicator light, which is the worst thing they could do for about 10% of us colorblind people. But my wife helped out in that department. UGLY: The WiFi setup was terrible for me and may be for others. If not for spectacular personal technical support by Mehgan at RainBird, this could easily have been a one-star rating. She took the time to troubleshoot the bugs. It turned out the Android App needed to have permissions manually approved and set for both Storage and Location … your phone settings for the App itself. Also make sure your cache and data are cleared out if you had previous failed attempts to connect like I did. At first the device, only 20 ft from my wireless 2.4GHz router was saying weak signal … but then after clearing data and cache it suddenly was a strong signal. Then it connected just fine AFTER saying it didn't have internet, then it really did have internet. I think the software is immature and Rain Bird is having to work through it BOTTOM LINE: It is a good product, but the WiFi settings may be hit or miss for you. Fortunately Rain Bird is backing their product with excellent tech support. I can honestly rate it five stars.

This is an excellent WIFI enabled irrigation timer controller. It was very easy to install and use. Think through the ordering of your zones. Our current zone map was strange bouncing from front to backyard areas. You can take pictures of each area of your yard and link it to the specific irrigation zone. For instance left front yard picture with zone 1, Center island front yard - zone 2. Downloading the Rainbird app was easy. Setting up watering schedule was easy. The only problem we encountered was accepting invitation to have access to the RB controller on Apple devices. It turns out that you need to use the Mail App on Apple devices (blue icon with white envelope) to open up the attached RBCF file. At that point, it is easy to add access to the RB controller. Remember to close the RB app on other devices before adding a new one. The only disappointing limitation is that you will have to add all the yard pictures of the zones on each new device. I am especially excited as this timer checks the local weather forecast and stops irrigation if it is likely to rain in your zip code (you can set sensitivity to 50%, 75% or 100% change of rain). We also added a Rainbird rain sensor (additional device) to our RB controller

The application doesn't reset itself after it skips a watering due to the weather. It has taken me a month to figure that out! If it doesn't water due to rainfall and it delays, say for 1 day, you have to go into the application and reset it back to zero. One would think a smart system would reset itself. Other than that, it works fantastically and will pay for itself in no time, as our water is very expensive. We live in a community where they maintain our sprinkler system so we needed one that could be programmed from the device itself as well as the application. Other than the misunderstanding, the application is so easy to use. The main thing you can do is delay watering very easily, and you can also do a quick watering of all zones. Those are the main features that I like.

Great unit, easy to install easy to connect to wifi and easy to use.Most of the issues I read about with the app seemed to be fixed, there are a few drop-down screens in the settings that overlap each other and make it difficult to set. The only other things I can think of is I wish I didn’t have to keep entering my password everytime I want to get into settings.Also make sure you have 3 wifi bars at unit or your wifi will not work, just walk over to were you are going to install the unit with your cell phone and if you get a constant 3 bars your good to go.

It took about 15 actual minutes to set up, I caused a few of my own issue during install. Wiring was super easy, take a pic of the current wire set up to assist. And when using the app to install, remember to make sure you’re not using a VPN on your phone at that time (that cost me some time and frustration). If you don’t know what a VPN is, you’re not using one, so don’t sweat it.The only feature I wish it had would be setting percentages based on time of year, so it would swap automatically. It has its own seasonal setting, so hopefully that will be sufficient. It also monitors your zip code weather to keep from watering on rainy days.You can also take a pic of each zone if you want to, for easy reference. It also uses batteries to keep settings memorized, that way it doesn’t reset during a power outage-one of the main reasons I upgraded.

I bought this to replace a mechanical Rain Bird timer that is significantly older than I am. I had to do a lot of work on my system (replacing valves, digging out heads, fixing leaks, etc.) and I was looking forward to being able to control it from my phone so I didn't have to walk back to the garage whenever I needed to start or stop it. Unfortunately it has not lived up to my expectations. It has been a couple weeks now since I got it installed and I am finally annoyed enough to come share my experience with all of you. Since I didn't get it installed for a few weeks after I received it I am now past the return window, otherwise I would be doing that right now rather than writing this. As it is, I must deal with Rain Bird's customer service. I will update this review as that plays out. Here are the problems that I will be bringing up with their customer service.1. The biggest problem is that the programmed run times don't work. I have zones 1-5 set to run sequentially, and the app shows that on the schedule. Only zone 2 has been running though, zones 1 and 3-5 haven't run at all. All zones work fine if I run them manually, but only zone 2 runs automatically.2. The controller will not connect properly to my network. With some work it will connect to my main router, but that is on the far side of the house and the signal is very weak. I have a range extender that is much closer, but it will not connect to that no matter what I do. Every other device I own has played nice with the extender, but no such luck here. It is possible that the resulting weak signal is the cause of some of my other complaints.3. The controller is connected to the pump start relay for my well, and it turns it off for a fraction of a second between each zone. I am no expert, but that can't be good for the pump. I was hoping it would have an option to start one zone several seconds before stopping the previous one. Boy were my expectations too high.4. The app is bad. They clearly didn't put much effort into it. It has the look and feel of the app for the made in China smart outlets I bought for $2.50 each. Each time I select anything it takes 10-30 seconds for it to talk to the controller first and then half the time it just gives me a communication error. When I do a manual run it is a gamble whether it will start in 5 seconds, 5 minutes, or not at all. This is a big disappointment, as the app was the primary reason I bought a new controller in the first place.5. Finally, their tech support. The reason I am writing this BEFORE contacting their tech support is because they don't have an email address, I have to call. Between 7am and 5pm. Guess what I am doing between 7am and 5pm. Get a tech support email address guys. Making your customers take off work early to call you about a problem they are already unhappy about is not a recipe for success.

Great controller! Quick & easy to install to replace an old model that stopped working. Easy to program, by either the controller or the app. App easy to install, program and adjust as needed. Has worked great since installed. Our irrigation pros were impressed by this model.

I wanted a wifi unit that still had manual controls which this does and many don't. The app is good too, and you can bluetooth connect to the unit as well as wifi so if the internet signal is weak the bluetooth can still work, manually run zones or set a schedule.

للاسف ١٢٠ فولت

Excelente para programar el riego por aspersión tiene una aplicacion q controlas desde celular … fácil de instalar

Used a non WIFI model previously and happy with the quality so gave this one a try at a new home. Easy interface on the unit itself and lots of useful features. WIFI is sensitive enough to connect easily from my shed. App connected easily and gives you complete control in the palm of your hand including charts of water minutes performed per zone by month etc.

Funciona a la perfeccion y lo puedes controlar desde tu celular