I needed to replace my existing Rainbird controller. I chose this one because the existing one was reliable and easy to use. Plus it added WiFi to the feature set. It was an easy and quick swap out. The WiFi features are easy to use and I find that this was a great addition

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 Rain Bird ST8I-2.0 Smart Indoor WiFi Sprinkler System was so easy to set up, I was surprised. Installation was quick and easy. But the surprising thing was how easy it was to set up. I had no problem whatsoever. I would highly recommend this controller.

Installation: Followed the directions presented by the APP after download from the GooglePlay store. Installation was fairly straight forward. However the unit worked intermittently for about a week. Moved the router closer to the unit - still no improvement. I then un-installed then re-installed the controller from/to the software APP - working now without any problem. Now I can access the unit from anywhere anytime. Software APP: The software APP works as designed. It allows some basic customization of each individual zone for start time and duration. If needed it will automatically adjust the duration of the watering cycle for each zone which appears to be mainly calendar based (don't see much in the way of a predictive model here). Problem is the software is too basic. The only variable that is controlled by their (meaning RainBirds) weather model is watering duration. In reality the frequency should also be controlled. So for instance during spring you may need to water only twice per week then in summer switch to three times per week. For fall - back to twice per week and maybe disable a particular zone as well - like the flower beds since they're dead by this time anyhow. The software does not allow you to do this. My old controller had A, B and C programs allowing for this and you'd think that this would exist with what should be a much more powerful controller. Sure would like to see a new release of the software with these features included. However other than needing a little more flexibility in their software APP it is a nice controller overall.

Great to use and easier to control

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.

Easy to install and easy to use. Did not need tech support.

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.

I had a B-Hyve controller which ran every day despite programming it not to do so. This controller was tough to wire since the access hole for the wire is a bit on the small side. It is programmed through the app. I need to be fairly close to the controller to use its features. It has as many start times as you can fit in a 24 hour period. Manual watering is fairly easy as well. Also has battery backup. I will see how long this one lasts.

This is a great product to push you sprinkler system into the 21st century. With WiFi, the sprinklers will automatically adjust depending on weather reports. In addition you can make changes to the schedule or manually run the sprinklers from anywhere.