Orbit 57950 B-hyve Smart Indoor/Outdoor 12-Station WiFi Sprinkler System Controller, Works with Amazon Alexa
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Product Specifications
- ULTIMATE WIFI AND TIMER CONTROL - The B-hyve app is fully functional for Android, iOS or web devices, and gives you control wherever you need it. Program your timer on the app, at the timer, or let the weather-based software create a program for you
- SMART WATERING - WeatherSense technology provides watering based on site conditions such as slope, soil type, sun/shade, forecast ET and live weather feeds. It automatically adjusts your controller to deliver the right amount of water to your plants
- EASY TO INSTALL AND USE - Utilize the swing panel for easy access to the angled wiring terminals, which makes wiring simple and convenient, and the plug-and-go line cord that can also be cut for hardwired applications
- MADE IN USA - Made in the USA with global materials, the B-hyve comes in a weather-resistant case, allowing you to mount your timer indoors or outdoors without risk of weather damage, and a locking cabinet that keeps your timer safe from harm
- WATER SAVINGS - Integrate your B-hyve timer with use of Catch Cups (Orbit 26250) to save up to 50% more water than with traditional controllers. Optimize the way you water, so you can keep everything lush and green without breaking the bank
VOICE CONTROL: Works with Amazon Alexa for voice control (Alexa device sold separately). Visit help.orbitbhyve.com/alexa-commands/ for a quick guide on how you can use your B-hyve with Alexa to control your watering with a simple phrase.
Product Description
Size:12 Station Adding to their legacy of top-of-line sprinkler timers, Orbit is pleased to announce the addition of their most intuitive, feature-rich timer to date. The Orbit B-hyve Smart WiFi Sprinkler Controller is made in the USA with global materials. The perfect timer for new installations or for replacement, it is available in both 6 and 12 station models with indoor/outdoor-rated locking cabinet. Control it with an Android or iOS device, computer, or at the timer with the super-intuitive interface millions of customers know and love. WaterSense and SWAT labeling provide assurance that B-hyve uses advanced weather data to deliver just the right amount of water to plants and turf, and postpones watering whenever rain is in the forecast. The Orbit B-hyve Smart WiFi Sprinkler Controller makes saving water, time and money easier than ever.
Product Reviews
Once it connects to WiFi you are in business
I bought this to replace my old Orbit 6 zone timer. The timer was down in the basement and it was a pain in the but going up and down the stairs every time I wanted to turn a zone on, like after applying fertilizer. This, I figured would be great; being able to control everything from my I-pad or I-phone. Once I got it talking to my WiFi it worked like a charm. Be forewarned, one of the little idiosyncrasies they don’t tell you is that it will only work with a 2.5 GHz WiFi router and it sometimes has a problem with WEP encryption. I worked a full day on Sunday with no success. I started again on Monday morning with no success again. I finally called Orbit customer service and was told about the problem with anything other than a 2.4 GHz WiFi and the potential problems with WEP encryption. I had to call my ISP and found out my router was 2.4 GHz so that wasn’t a problem. I did have a 128 bit WEP key. Long story short, it finally worked when I put the key in in HEX and selected WEP from the advanced settings menu. It seems that it couldn’t handle the 128 bit key in ASCII. Now everything seems to be working and my wife and I have the app connecting on our I-Pads. Orbit should put something some where about the router issues and the WEP problems. I hope some one finds this helpful.
Great deal. Huge timesaver.
Amazing! Took me 3 minutes to setup the box and another 5 minutes to test the zone and take pictures of the yard and link the pictures to the zones. I recommend typing the product name into YouTube so you can watch a setup video intact do this before you order. The video gives a lot of detail on the features. One thing I really like is that you can use this system as a normal sprinkler box if you ever have wifi/phone issues. That can not be said for the top competitor.As far as time saving, I can be standing in front of a sprinkler and turn it off and on to fix or troubleshoot. No more running back and forth.
Highly Recommended
This thing is great, especially for the price. Does everything I need and the one button set and forget nature of it was a relief. Installed very easily and connected to my home network without any problems. So far been a couple months and I still show off to people how I can turn my sprinklers on and off remotely from anywhere (I’m easily entertained). I’ve easily convinced at least two other people to buy one of these. Very much recommended.
Well thought out, intuitive, and it just works as its supposed to. Perfect. Yes, the Alexa integration works awesome.
Having an old Rain Bird Analog rotary controller, I was looking to upgrade to a modern WiFi Controller so I would no longer be running down the basement to turn on and off the Rain Delay. I was keeping an eye on a competing product to this, but wasn’t crazy about the competitors’ $200.00 price tag. So when this Orbit Controller came to market with the same features at half the price, it immediately had my attention.I waited a few months to let some reviews trickle in and once I felt comfortable, I went for it. It is a one piece assembly in a weatherproof box for indoor or outdoor mounting. I opted for the 6 zone controller as currently I only have 3 zones, with plans to add one more zone for a feature garden in front of my house. Ultimately, the decision was made to keep it inside where the old one was, since I had a power outlet right there. The power cord is about 6 feet long so if you need some length, no worries. Installation took all of 5 minutes. Take a photo of the old wires, which was a Green Common, and Red, White, and Blue wires for zones 1, 2, and 3, respectively. I removed the wires from the old controller with a small flathead screwdriver, unplugged the old controller, removed from the wall, and cleaned it up and put it away to keep as a “backup” since it still worked fine. I removed the old plastic anchors and screws from the wall, popped in the new ones and had the Orbit controller hung on the wall. Then I passed the wires through the grommet in the bottom of the case, and connected them to the Common, 1, 2, and 3 terminals. Couldn’t have been any easier.I didn’t bother to program anything at the controller because the app was so easy. I set up a log-in with my e-mail address, connected it to my WiFi, and then I programmed a manual schedule as I don’t want to use the “Smart Watering” feature. I couldn’t believe how easy and fast it was. Literally, the whole process took MINUTES.The Alexa compatibility is cool. Definitely a combination of “Wow Factor” and befuddlement from anyone around when I ask “Alexa, ask b-Hyve to water the lawn” and my sprinklers run. Nice touch, but the app control is easy as pie too. Works over a cellular connection too so if you’re not home you can flip your sprinklers on anytime.The best feature of this controller, however, is its integration with the weather forecast. It automatically schedules rain delays with ZERO input from the user. Want to override the rain delay? Simple click of ONE button when you open the app. I have mine set to run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 3AM (don’t water in the evening, you don’t want root rot, and don’t water when the suns up or it will evaporate!). In the 3 weeks I have had this controller, my sprinklers have only run TWICE because of the weather integration. It looks at how much rain you’ve gotten and is forecast, and does its thing. At this rate, it will pay for itself in one spring/summer with water savings alone. I couldn’t be happier. You can set Notifications in the app to tell you when a Rain Delay is automatically set, when a Watering program has run, and a few other things. Love it! The app has a calendar in it so you can look back and see what days have been watered. You can take a picture of each zone so if you have multiple zones, you wont forget what number is what. You can also go into the app and run any zone you want for any time, great for adjusting or repairing sprinkler heads or chasing birds off the lawn! Run zone 2 for one minute, no problem. Highly recommended.
Easy setup in under 15 min! Why didn’t I get this a year ago!
Ordered at noon - delivered at 7pm and installed, configured and running by 7:30pm - Wow that’s what Amazon is about and this product is that easy to setup. The longest part was taking off the old timer which was stuck to the wall.I really liked how easy it was to connect and then do the “Smart” setup on each zone. It even walks you through each zone testing it for 1 minute so you can label them correctly - no need to label wires anymore, just plug and go!Obviously time will tell how good this thing is as it’s only been a day but if the setup is any indication, I think I’m really going to enjoy having this as part of my Smart home. I also connected it with Alexa - but still TBD on the value of that and how will it works.
Unreliable and glitchy. Might kill your grass and tell you it didn’t do it. Not to be trusted.
I’ve had this for over a year now and can say I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who needs a reliable timer. The setup is easy and when it works it’s fantastic.
Five Stars
An excellent value. Works well. I like that it incorporates the local weather into the programming.
This has been working great - I just wish that for the smart watering …
This has been working great - I just wish that for the smart watering you could choose where the weather data came from or else tell it that it did not rain that day, because I…
Product is good, menu screens are a pain. App is good but could be a better.
I’ll say I like it. I don’t love it. It works perfectly and installs quickly. The problem for me lack of simplicity for doing something simple that I do often.
Close but no cigar…
Nice product when it works, or should I say when the app works. I use this with my iPhone and the associated app.
Five Stars
Easy to install, intuitive interface, great price!!!
Great Smart Sprinkler
I love this item. I can control my sprinkler system from my phone, tablet or computer. I love that I can set up multiple watering programs for different zones and make adjustments…
Awesome especially for the price
Awesome especially for the price. So much easier to program than the Hunter unit that we replaced with this. A lot of fun too program actually.
Works well, but the app could use improvement. …
Works well, but the app could use improvement. I can’t figure out how to turn off rain delay. The weather link the app uses forecasts rain far more often than it actually rains…
Simple and easy to set up and use
comments powered by DisqusSimple and easy to set up and use. I’ve had it a few days and it’s pretty cool. It’s hard to find good hardware that comes with good software, but this has both.
