By John R. Delaney

Automatic sprinkler controllers have been around forever, but the newest crop of digital homeirrigation regulators from companies like Greenbox, Rachio, and Skydrop make it possible to control your sprinkler system remotely via your wireless network. The Skydrop Wi-Fi Sprinkler Controller ($299) not only lets you schedule watering times using a smartphone app or Web browser, it will anticipate your watering needs based on your local weather forecast and lawn conditions, and can be programmed to adhere to local watering restrictions. Installing this snappy-looking device takes less than 10 minutes, and the app is well-designed and easy to use. Granted, Skydropis double the price of a standard controller, but it still merits an Editors' Choice award for connected sprinkler controllers.

Design and SetupWith its streamlined design, gunmetal gray finish, and large aluminum jog dial, the Skydrop controller looks nothing like a traditional square-box sprinkler controller. It snaps onto a 2.7-by-6.2-by-0.5 inch (HWD) wall plate, which contains eight watering zone wiring ports, two common wire ports, a master valve port (for systems equipped with a master valve option), a hot terminal for testing purposes, and a power plug port. All of the wire ports are tool free; just push the wire in until it clicks and press the rubberized button to release. There are two slots on the bottom that are used to run power and zone wiring to the plate, and there's a small built-in level on the top used for mounting the plate properly. If you have anextra-large lawn, Skydrop sells an expansion unit for $50 that allows you to add an additional eight watering zones.

The controller measures 3.4 by 9.7 by 1.9 inches (HWD). It has a 4.3-inch LCD in the center, and a round, 3-inch jog dial on the right. The dial sports a silver aluminum band around its outer edge and a backlit ring around its inner edge. The ring glows blue when the system is in watering mode, green when it is waiting for its next scheduled watering session, and red if there's a system error. Inside is a Wi-Fi radio that supports the 802.11b/g/n networking protocols.

In addition to the wall plate and controller, the Skydrop comes with four mounting screws, a power adapter, numbered stickers for the zone wires, and an Installation and Quick Start Guide that walks you through the installation process. Missing is any information explaining how the controller actually works, what the different colored lights mean, and how your input will affect how often Skydrop will water your lawn. However, the folks at Skydrop are currently working on a comprehensive user guide that will address these issues.

Installing the Skydrop was quick and easy. I marked each zone wire with the numbered stickers (I have five watering zones) before removing them from my original Orbit controller box. I removed the Orbit box and attached the Skydrop wall plate in its place (the Orbit controller was installed in a utility closet in my basement where the sprinkler plumbing is located). I ran the zone wires, a common wire, and the power wire up through the slots, connected them to the appropriate wire ports, snapped the controller into the wall plate, and plugged in the power adapter. The entire process took a little under 10 minutes.

Features and PerformanceYou can program Skydrop using the jog dial and LCD screen, but it's much easier to do using aWeb browser, or the iOS or Android app. When you first set up Skydrop, you have to answer a few questions regarding your lawn environment and location. It asks you what zip code you're in so it can monitor the local weather, and it wants to know what kind of soil you have (sandy, loamy, unsure) in each watering zone. For example, lawns with a sandy soil base will require more water because sandy soil does not retain water very well. Conversely, lawns with a loamy base require less water.

Skydrop also wants to know what types of vegetation you'll be watering (grass, shrubs, trees, ground cover), sprinkler types (spray, rotary, drip), shade (none, partial, full), and slope (none, slight, steep). Using this data coupled with your local hourly weather updates, Skydrop then creates a customized watering schedule designed to keep your lawn looking its best while conserving water. It even provides a daily history of water usage that shows you when the lawn was watered and how much water was supplied by the sprinklers compared to how much was supplied by rainfall. You can also create your own watering schedule if you don't want to use Skydrop's recommendations.

In my tests, the Skydrop controller did a good job of following my watering schedule, beginning promptly at 9:00 a.m. on most days and forgoing the watering schedule on cooler days or when it rained. I created a custom schedule for my backyard lawn, which was recently seeded and requires a more aggressive watering schedule than the rest of my property, and the Skydrop followed it to a tee. Since my water usage is billed quarterly, I can't say exactly how much the Skydrop saved me, but knowing that my lawn was not being watered every day (as it was with my old Orbit controller), it's safe to assume that the bill will be lower than usual. Moreover, with my old controller I had to go into the basement where the box was located to manually turn on a zone, and then go back down when I wanted to turn it off. With the Skydrop I was able to do this from my PC or smartphone and was impressed with the instantaneous response to my commands.

Conclusions Like the Valta Starter Kit, the Skydrop Wi-Fi Sprinkler Controller is one of those connected home products that makes life easier while saving you money. Having the ability to remotely control and monitor your sprinkler system is a win for homeowners who aren't always around to make sure their lawn is being properly watered, but the potential for significant water conservation is the best reason to consider replacing your existing controller with the Skydrop, and is partly why it earns our Editors' Choice for connected sprinkler controllers. You'll pay more for this smart sprinkler than you will for a basic model, but there's a good chance you'll recover the extra cost over time while doing your part to preserve a natural resource.

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Skydrop Wi-Fi Sprinkler Controller

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Gregg Ellman, Twitter.com/greggellman 12:48 p.m. EDT October 24, 2014

With the Rachio Iro system, users can control their sprinklers from any smartphone, tablet or computer anywhere in the world. (Photo: MCT )

I was emailed an offer to try out the Rachio Iro sprinkler system, described as easy to set up and use. "As for the sprinkler, you plug it in where your old controller was and then it helps create a customized watering schedule with you home Wi-Fi network. You then can change or update it from your phone anywhere you have a signal."

Sure enough, it was pretty much that easy.

This isn't one of those plug-n-play devices, there are instructions for the setup including step-by-step instructions and video tutorials on the website, which are a great help.

Since it did involve electrical work (connecting wires) I had a friend over who has much more electrical knowledge then I, although after watching him connect it, there's nothing to it. Rachio gave a recommendation to take a photo of the wiring before you do anything, which is a great idea.

With the Rachio Iro system, you need a constant Wi-Fi signal hitting the box. That allows control of the system from any smartphone, tablet or computer anywhere in the world.

Before you begin the physical setup, you may need to relocate your Wi-Fi router or extend your existing Wi-Fi signal to reach the Rachio box.

MORE GIZMO:

Mo-Fi headphones

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Gizmo | Rachio Iro Wi-Fi sprinkler system

The smart thermostat and smoke detector company adds a smartwatch, a voice-recognition device, and a connected sprinkler system to its Works with Nest roster of partner products.

Lindsey Turrentine/CNET

Nest Labs made its first big partner announcement back in June when it kicked off its Works with Nest developer program with the likes of Mercedes Benz, Whirlpool, and Logitech. Today brings Nest's next round of partnerships. The names aren't as high-profile this time around--the Pebble smartwatch is the most well known--but the expanding roster of partners solidifies Nest's position as a smart home platform, rather than just a maker of pretty Internet-connected widgets.

Along with Pebble, Nest announced Ivee, Life360, SNUPI, and Rachio as the new Works with Nest partner companies. Like the original round of partnerships, these new ones offer products with a diverse set of functions, voice-recognition in the case of Ivee to outdoor sprinkler system control from Rachio.

You can now control your Nest Learning Thermostat via Pebble smart watch. Sarah Tew/CNET

Also similar to the first set of partner products, the interactions between devices are designed to be hands-off and very controlled. For Pebble, Nest says you will be able to use the Leaf Pebble app to monitor and adjust the temperature of your Nest Learning Thermostat and set home and away modes. That's it. It offers no Pebble-integrated scheduling, nor ties to any other Pebble functions.

Nest has said previously that the idea behind that limited interaction is to keep things safe and easy to use. Given Nest's ties to critical pieces of home infrastructure, the company can't give its partners free reign lest they somehow interfere with safety and comfort of your home. By carefully matching features between Nest's products and partner devices, the hope is the device interactions will be targeted and useful enough that you won't want to change anything.

SNUPI Technologies WallyHome leak, temperature, and humidity sensor is a good example. Normally, Nest will read the temperature of its immediate surroundings and adjust accordingly. If you'd rather the Nest respond to the temperature in another room, you can now use WallyHome as the sensor that gives the Nest that remote reading.

Ivee, can you hear me? Colin West McDonald/CNET

This is all great provided everything works, of course. My colleague Megan Wollerton wasn't impressed with Ivee's Sleek voice-recognition system when she reviewed it a few months ago. Nest is promising that Sleek will let you adjust the temperature via voice, but few things make technology feel more awkward than a one-sided conversation with a piece of hardware.

Read more from the original source:
More smart device makers sign up to work with Nest

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A man in custody at the Indiana County Jail ripped a sprinkler head from the ceiling and tried to use it as a weapon Wednesday, authorities said.

Desmond Michael Johnson, 26, of Pittsburgh, facing drug and firearms charges, became angry and destroyed a fire suppression/sprinkler system, according to a news release from state police at Indiana.

When officers tried to subdue him, he was holding on to the sprinkler head, waving it around in an attempt to taunt and injure the correctional officers, police said.

A jail special operations team was called in to subdue the man and remove the sprinkler head.

No injuries occurred during the incident, but damage was estimated at $5,500, including clean-up costs from water damage, repair and testing of the sprinkler system and inspection of the plumbing system, police said.

Johnson was charged Wednesday with assault by a prisoner and institutional vandalism before Homer City District Judge Susanne Steffee, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 3.

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Inmate accused of vandalizing Indiana County Jail plumbing system

ABILENE, Texas -

Are you worried about your lawn now that the City of Abilene is about to impose tougher watering restrictions? There are some things you can do to keep your lawn alive and still conserve water.

One idea to consider is xeriscaping. It is a type of landscaping that uses drought resistant plants that require little water or maintenance.

Another option to think about is expanding your current flower beds. You can add different types of textures and xeriscape plants to minimize yard space.

If you have a water sprinkler system, adjusting sprinkler times can help conserve water. As we enter stage two water restrictions, it is especially important to check your watering times to make sure you adhere to the schedule.

To help from wasting water, be sure to spot check your irrigation system for leaks, broken sprinkler heads, and lines.

According to Brian Holaman, owner of God's Lawn Care, if you want to save water even more, you can create specific timings on your sprinkler system to help get the maximum watering for your lawn and plants without creating wasted runoff to the curb.

Brian suggests timing when you see runoff occur on your lawn then adjust your sprinkler time to cutoff just before that happens, then restart the sprinkler system after about 20 minutes. This ensures adequate soaking time.

If redoing your landscape is not in your budget and you have a water sprinkler system, adjusting those times will help save money and water.

More here:
Tips to keep your lawn beautiful under Stage 2 water restrictions

Sprinkler system they way it sprays
via YouTube Capture.

By: Frost rent house

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Sprinkler system they way it sprays - Video

ESTERO, Fla.- Does your house have a fire sprinkler system? The fire marshal is suggesting every new home built in Estero must have sprinklers installed before anyone can move in.

He says the benefits far outweigh the cost but local builders don't think so.

Joey Hatfield knows a lot about house fires. "There are three main causes of house fires: men, women and children."

He's on the State Board of Fire Prevention and is also a partner of Naples Fire Protection Inc.

The company installs sprinkler heads in buildings as well as in residential homes.

Hatfield says it's a no-brainer. "The evidence is so clear, that these sprinklers save lives, every single day. It's all documented."

The company often demonstrates the effectiveness of sprinklers to the public.

A demonstration by the Naples Fire Department shows fire spreads quickly in a model room without sprinklers. In minutes, it's fully engulfed and destroyed. The opposite happens in the room with the sprinkler.

Some home builders are strongly opposed to the madatory installation of sprinkler systems in residential homes.

The vice president of the Lee County Building Industry Association (BIA) says there's no benefit for the added construction cost.

Link:
Estero considers installing fire sprinklers in all new homes

by Justin Kree NewsWest 9

BIG SPRING-A major clean up effort is going on inside the VA hospital after a malfunctioning sprinkler system dumped approximately 50,000 gallons of water down the third floor hallway.

"We were installing a new sprinkler system throughout the whole medical center. When they started to pressure it up Sunday evening and test some of the valves, one of them failed,"Iva Jo Hanslik, Community Relations Coordinator for the VA Hospital in Big Spring, said.

Once crews realized what was happening, they quickly sprung to action shutting off the water. Unfortunately, damage had already been done.

"A lot of water damage in our laboratory section and our Radiology Department. Of course, the water comes down to the first floor," Hanslik said.

Hanslik tells NewsWest 9 that Veterans medical records are kept in a secure network known as computerized medical records system. With the water affecting the computer system, the hospital switched over to wireless. They will use wireless until the damaged server can be fixed.

"The two areas hardest hit will be functioning with wireless capability. We are using this so those reports can continue to funnel into the computerized medical records," Hanslik said.

Some departments even had to be moved around so business can still go on while the hospital continues to dry out. Hanslik says that all operating room procedures have been halted for the day. All other parts of the hospital are functioning as scheduled.

"It's just a slight disruption. Doctors and nurses are still doing exams as planned," Hanslik said

Hanslik says that the quick action and long hours put in by the clean up crew has made this more of a technical problem than a water damage problem.

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Malfunctioning Sprinkler System Causes Water Damage to VA