If you want to simplify your lawn and garden care, a smart horse timer can help your yard or garden thrive with little effort.
I love the Orbit B-hyve smart hose watering timer. Because its comprehensive app allows you to easily set customizable schedules and monitor usage with a built-in water flow meter. This model also allows you to skip watering depending on the weather in your area, so you don’t have to be the local idiot who soaks your lawn on a pouring day.
The smart hose timer screws onto a standard outdoor hose bib and can be connected to one or more above-ground sprinklers. You can use the app to schedule the timer on and off, and it’s connected to Wi-Fi so you can control it remotely. Many models look at the forecast and can automatically cancel or delay watering if it’s raining. Some can be combined with additional timers if you need to cover more area.
our picks
This timer is easily customizable, has a built-in flow meter, and has a wide range of features including automatic delays based on rain.
compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
We recommend the Orbit B-hyve Smart Hose Watering Timer because of its wide range of features and easy customization.
The app is easy to set up but provides remote on/off control, access to notifications, activity logs, schedules, and family sharing, although we found it to be a little difficult to use after initial configuration. . If you don’t have your phone at hand, you can press the physical button to turn on or off the timer directly. It comes with a hub to connect B-hyve to his Wi-Fi network at home.
The B-hyve also has a built-in flow meter that tracks how much water you’re using. The timer is also tied to your local weather forecast, so you can set it to automatically skip a scheduled watering if it’s raining.
runner-up
The dial and digital display allow you to schedule watering directly on your device, even when your smartphone isn’t nearby.
compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The Orbit B-hyve XD Smart Hose Timer doesn’t have a flow meter like our top pick, but it does offer more advanced on-device manual control for those who don’t rely on smartphone apps as much. As with our other products, you can start and stop the B-hyve XD directly with a timer, as well as the option to program it using a small digital display and dial. We prefer the ability to use an app, but for some households with members who aren’t smartphone-savvy, a model that offers both manual and digital controls may be a better choice. Otherwise, the B-hyve XD performs much the same as our pick.
The B-hyve XD is available in a single hose port (the model we tested), as well as 2-port and 4-port versions. To enable smart features, B-hyve XD requires the Orbit B-hyve Gen 2 Wi-Fi hub, which is included in the package.
budget selection
This is an affordable model that allows you to easily turn it on/off, set schedules, and share it with your family using the app.
compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
The Diivoo Smart Water Timer with WiFi Hub is easy to set up, integrates well with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, comes with a Wi-Fi hub, and typically costs just $50. It has all the same basic features as our top pick, but lacks a water flow meter.
Although you can’t automatically skip scheduled runs based on whether it rains or not, you can toggle a rain delay in the app for a set amount of time to skip watering cycles, so you don’t have to run outdoors. It never rains and the hose shuts off.
This Diivoo timer comes in 1-port and 2-port versions.
