Mike Shupe demonstrates the RainCommander app, which allows users to remotely control their sprinkler systems. RainCommander was developed by Shoupe and his sister in law, Deb. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

At home, the smartphone is increasingly used as a remote control for lights, thermostats, TVs and other items.

So it's not surprising that a Highlands Ranch company has created a device to enable homeowners to manage their sprinkler system via a smartphone app.

But is that something you really want to do from your phone?

I'll address that later.

On the surface, adding Wi-Fi connectivity to a sprinkler system would appear to be a complex process that should require professional installation.

But ZBS Technology designed the RainCommander with a plug-and-play model in mind.

Get the latest updates and insights from the world of technology from Denver Post business writer Andy Vuong.

It's not quite that simple, but the entire installation took me about 20 minutes. I was surprised by just how easy it was to install from start to finish for someone who's tech-savvy but not exactly "Tim the Toolman" handy around the house.

The $249 RainCommander is about the size of a standard sprinkler control unit and can control up to 12 zones.

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Review: RainCommander is a cool sprinkler unit but needs more features

Spring showers will soon be coming to an end, giving way to hotter temperatures here in Kansas. The rising mercury, along with drier conditions, will have many of us thinking about how were going to keep our lawns from turning brown this summer.

Investing in a sprinkler or lawn irrigation system is one way to keep the green grass growing. But how much green will have to come out of your pocket to pay for one?

According to Home Advisor, a home improvement website, the average cost nationally to install a sprinkler system is $2,675, with most homeowners spending between $2,282 and $3,068. The cost is dependent, according to the website, on the size of your lawn. A larger lawn, understandably, will require more pipes and sprinkler heads to be installed.

However, the price does not go up proportionally, according to Home Advisor. That is to say the cost of a sprinkler system for a property that is twice the size of another is not necessarily twice the price. This is because sprinkler systems run in zones.

A zone is an area with pipe and approximately 5 to 10 sprinkler heads, the website states. Once your system is installed and plumbed, adding zones is less expensive than installing a whole system. If you have a large property, and cannot afford to install an entire system everywhere at one time, you can consider installing the plumbing and the system and adding zones one at a time.

The quality of the pipes, sprinkler heads and timer is another factor that is calculated into the price of a lawn watering system.

Sprinkler heads in particular get the most active use and so should be chosen well, according to Home Advisor. What you try to save now in the cost of parts may end up hurting you in the long run in repair and replacement costs.

Pete Stauffer, owner of Stauffer Lawn and Landscape, in Auburn, for the past 14 years, said one of the biggest advantages of having a sprinkler system, rather than just watering your lawn by hand with a hose, is convenience.

Its fully automated and you can set it according to the weather and the types of plants and lawn you have, he said. You can also save on water because its a lot more precise.

Watering your lawn and plants is optimal in the mornings, Stauffer said. He also said watering early in the day, when the water pressure is sometimes better, gives the water the chance to soak into the ground but then evaporate soon enough so that the chances of mold or fungus forming are greatly diminished.

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At Home Living: Rain, rain gone away? Try a sprinkler system

ELKHART COUNTY A sprinkler system made all the difference in an early-morning fire at Indiana Wood Products in Elkhart County.

It started around 1:30a.m. at the building on County Road 43, southeast of Middlebury.

The fire was just in one building, where they make wood products. Crews say it appears some sort of equipment caught fire.

They could see flames through the roof when they got there. Four departments responded, but thanks to the buildings sprinkler system, the fire didnt spread very far.

If they didn't have a sprinkler system, it probably would of burned down. That's what saved the building - that early control of the fire, to let it get beyond the fully involved stage, Middlebury Fire Chief Jeff Wogoman says.

Crews first doused the fire from the air. Once the fire was knocked down from the roof, they doused the inside of the building.

I figured we'd have a beast on our hands, but it went pretty smooth, Chief Wogoman says.

We used our ladder to set up and hit it from the roof, and we sent crews inside once we got the roof knocked down. Then they hit the inside of the building."

One of the fire fighters on the scene strained his back, but he's doing alright.

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Sprinkler prevents more damage during wood plant fire

Rain Bird Easy to Install Automatic Sprinkler System D26
Click to find the product on HomeDepot.com http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rain-Bird-Easy-to-Install-In-Ground-Automatic-Sprinkler-System-32ETI/205081852.

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Rain Bird Easy to Install Automatic Sprinkler System D26 - Video

Irrigation Systems, Sprinkler Systems in White Lake MI 48386
At Rain by Russ it is our desire to provide our customers with quality materials and workmanship at affordable prices. By continuing to do this, we ensure our future. Call any time for a free,...

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Irrigation Systems, Sprinkler Systems in White Lake MI 48386 - Video

The Salt Lake City Facilities Division is in the middle of upgrading the sprinkler system in the Salt Lake Central and Sugar House business districts to reduce water usage. Sensors measure temperature, humidity and rainfall. That information is sent to a controller, which sends a signal to each sprinkler system to water or stop watering. In the areas with the new system, the division has seen a 20 percent reduction in water usage.

Mike DeBernardo, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY The Salt Lake City Facilities Division is upgrading the sprinkler system in the Salt Lake Central and Sugar House business districts to reduce water usage.

Jim Cleland, the division's program director, said in some places the sprinkler system still has 1980s technology.

Which means that a technician would have to run around and turn off every single controller, each time there is going to be a storm, Cleland said. And, this time of year, you dont get a lot of notice that they are going to come.

At one point, the business districts had about 150 old-fashioned, 1980s controllers regulating irrigation and thousands of circuits that could go wrong, Cleland said.

With water being such a precious resource in the state, city officials are working to reduce water usage. Over the past three years, city crews have been installing smarter sprinkler systems with rain sensors and remote-controlled access.

One new controller can take the place of more than one of the old controllers. Cleland said the districts need 50 stations. The division has installed 30 of those stations so far.

It has a sensor at each location that measures temp, humidity and rainfall, Cleland said.

The data are sent to a controller that sends a signal to each sprinkler system. For example, it may tell the system to shut off during a rainstorm.

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Sprinkler systems upgraded in business districts to reduce water usage

New sprinkler system designed to conserve water in business discticts

By Mary Richards and Viviane Vo-Duc

May 6th, 2014 @ 11:59pm

ALT LAKE CITY The Salt Lake City Facilities Division is upgrading the sprinkler system in the Salt Lake Central and Sugar House business districts to reduce water usage.

Jim Cleland, the division's program director, said in some places the sprinkler system still has 1980s technology.

Which means that a technician would have to run around and turn off every single controller, each time there is going to be a storm, Cleland said. And, this time of year, you dont get a lot of notice that they are going to come.

At one point, the business districts had about 150 old-fashioned, 1980s controllers regulating irrigation and thousands of circuits that could go wrong, Cleland said.

With water being such a precious resource in the state, city officials are working to reduce water usage. Over the past three years, city crews have been installing smarter sprinkler systems with rain sensors and remote-controlled access.

One new controller can take the place of more than one of the old controllers. Cleland said the districts need 50 stations. The division has installed 30 of those stations so far.

It has a sensor at each location that measures temp, humidity and rainfall, Cleland said.

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New SL sprinkler system designed to conserve water, money

Logan McGowan was working next door and says it took crews three minutes to arrive on the scene.

"We looked out and smoke was just billowing out of this building and we saw it above the top, I didn't see any flames but they started to crowd around and they started to pour water on it and its just getting worse and worse," said McGowan.

Smoke filled the street, with the sun peaking in and out of the brown clouds.

"They started just hacking off the front of it, breaking the windows to get water in the front of it as well," added McGowan.

Neighbors rushed over to find Signatures Custom Apparel shop fully engulfed.

"It was getting bad and they were keeping it contained until they moved over to Division 9 and that's when it got a little bit worse," said Michael James.

Two firefighters were injured during the recovery efforts, one treated for smoke inhalation and the other for a cut to the forehead.

The second alarm fire brought 39 pieces of equipment and 93 people, rotating crews every 15 minutes. Spencer Lucas with Second Light Productions came to the scene to capture drone footage.

"I saw this and I had to get a shot of it," said Lucas.

Memphis fire officials say the age of the building made it difficult to fight.

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Building damaged in Highland Strip blaze did not have sprinkler system

As Deb Shupe stepped out to buy a sprinkler controller that could handle multiple watering schedules, her husband asked her to look for one that could be managed from a computer.

She had no luck. And so three years ago, the software developer teamed up with three others to create the RainCommander, a Wi-Fi-enabled system that allows users to manage their sprinklers from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Last week, her Highlands Ranch-based startup, ZBS Technology, successfully wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $17,000 from backers who paid at least $159 for the RainCommander.

RainCommander is made by ZBS Technology of Highlands Ranch. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

ZBS joins a growing list of Denver-area companies, including Revolv, Rachio and Tendril, developing so-called smart home technologies.

Once relegated to the rich and famous, home automation systems are considered the next big thing in consumer technology, spotlighted by Google's recent $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, the smart-thermostat startup.

In the past couple of years, companies such as Comcast and AT&T have launched smart home services where devices from lights to thermostats to door locks can be controlled via an Internet-connected device.

"It's really a rising tide," said Jonathan Collins, principal analyst for market research firm ABI Research. "There are more options available to a wider segment of the market that's become more aware of these systems and also has the ability to better use them."

Smart-home automation services and devices will grow to 74 million North American homes by 2019, up from just over 17 million at the end of 2013, according to ABI. Total revenue for smart-home systems will reach nearly $8 billion in 2019.

"There's a trend that's happened over the last 12 to 18 months that's kind of this resurgence or renaissance of hardware (startups)," said Revolv co-founder Mike Soucie.

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Denver tech startups are at the center of the smart home revolution

How To Open In-Ground Sprinkler System (2014)
Originally recorded April 21, 2014. Opening your in-ground sprinkler system does NOT require a professional! Follow along as I show the steps involved in ope...

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How To Open In-Ground Sprinkler System (2014) - Video