Rain BirdARC8 App-Based Indoor/Outdoor Smart Irrigation WiFi Timer/Controller, 8-Zone/Station, EPA WaterSense Certified, Compatible with Alexa

This unit is a surprising value. The Rain Bird ARC8 is easy to install for most (unless the idiots who installed the unit you are replacing used all the same-colored wires and cut the leads to as short as possible for the unit they installed, without any slack … or vision for the future). When I put it through its paces it performed admirably, and the first forecast rain delay worked as advertised when set to the parameters I selected.It is very important to note that the app you need to download is Rain Bird 2.0. This app now supports the ARC series. It connects like every other smart home tool, and like every other smart home tool you need an account, but this also gives you access to the web based IQ4 which is very helpful.I had no issue with the 2.4G connection to my mesh router, nor have noticed any drops at this writing. If you have a multiband router there should be no issue. The app hooks up with the controller by Bluetooth, you tell the controller the network you want to hook up to and give it the password, and if your network name is the same for your 2.4,5, or 6G bands, the controller will find the 2.4G way in.The app can be a little clumsy until you learn it, but it is feature rich. The only drawback I noted is that you can accidentally set it to manually run more than one zone simultaneously which should not happen.The other unit drawback is that if you run it from the controller itself, the zone running is only indicated by the number of times an led is flashing and you cannot preset any station times. It is very much app based.But you can run it from Norway or Tahiti if you choose.I bought mine with a rather substantial discount, but still would have been satisfied regarding value at the normal Amazon price.

I was worried at first buying “used”, but it functioned as new. No issues with setup, works great automating my watering program. best part i can control it remotely from the app on my phone -The app is not super complicated to operate or figure out.

This controller is such an inexpensive upgrade to my last Rain Bird (that finally died after 28...yes 28...years!). Easy to install the controller. Easy to install the Rain Bird App. Easy to program the App. Easy to set alerts/notifications. Easy to set rain delay parameters (e.g., "delay watering by x day(s) if there is at least a ___% chance of __ fraction of inch of rainfall in my zip code", etc. etc.). Easy to export controller program to someone else's phone (e.g., I emailed it to my landscaper's phone for quicker/easier irrigation system start up). Easy to link to Alexa. Easy to control with phone or Alexa.Heads up, about two times out of 10, phone cannot connect to the controller - you just have to try again right away (assuming your Wi-Fi signal at the location of the controller is good - which you can check when installing controller by bringing your mobile device next to the controller and looking at the mobile device's Wi-Fi strength signal). Of course I've only had it two days so far, but it's a joy. One more spectacular addition to my SmartHome.

This was very easy to install, very easy to setup, looked nice in the app. After setting everything up with strong wifi signals, I thought I was all set and excited to move forward with an updated smart controller for my existing sprinkler system with just 2 zones. Unfortunately, it disconnected from the network within hours of setting up and I got warning messages periodically that it wasn't connected. I was able to go back and reset some things and eventually get it to connect again, but then it would disconnect a few minutes later. I went through this several times before giving up.I'm a software developer of 25+ years. I would consider myself an advanced / expert-level networking person. And I'm telling you that this ARC8 device couldn't stay connected to the wifi network that had a strong router sitting 30-40 feet away. It's not like the signal degraded, it just disconnected entirely. You can see in the images I attached that I have a strong signal when it's connected. I also verified with other networking apps that the signal was plenty strong. I could reach my network while standing next to the router with my phone. But the ARC8 couldn't reach it.It doesn't do much good to purchase a "smart" controller that requires you to physically walk over and reset network settings every time you want to use it. That's even worse that a "dumb" controller with no wifi capabilities. Other reviews have mentioned this and I assumed it would easy to find a solution. But just know that it's not even worth the hassle. I went with another manufacturer and it's been connected for days with zero issues and it's more user friendly. So save your time and look for smart controllers elsewhere. It's unfortunately because it had promise but it's just not worth fighting with this device if it can't stay connected.