8-Zone B-hyve Indoor Timer

Anything you wan to control with this unit will have to be connected to it with wires. (Exception being other Orbit hose controllers) Yes, this unit needs to be connected to electricity in order to operate.

doesn't work with Hunter equipment. I bought this timer. setup was good, app was good. press the button to test, and nothing but red error light. spoke with customer service, very nice and knowledgeable. during troubleshooting, I mentioned my old controller was a hunter. customer service responded that their systems do not work with hunter systems because the orbit voltage is to low. very disappointed.

While your controller will be on your home network through your home wireless router, your phone can be on the Internet ANYWHERE to send it command information. Yes-anywhere.

Yes, it replaces your current sprinkler control box.

I have an iphone 7 and use the b-hyve app. Look on your tablet in the app store and see if your tablet is supported. I don't have an apple tablet, so I cant say more than that.

It clearly states for INDOOR use. What's on the other side of the wall where the wooden box is mounted? It's easy enough to drill through, brick, concrete block and similar materials and just seal the small hole where the wires come through. You can ask B-hyve technical support but I suspect you will get a similar answer since they can't vouch for the "waterproof" and "weatherproof" nature of your enclosure even if you give them a geographic location, which I don't have making it more difficult to even suggest.

Yes

No, I mounted it as-is near my workbench. You can save quite a bit of expense with just the indoor unit if you can get by without an outdoor installation. More important is to pay attention to the distance from the router. My house is small (1700 1-story) and the router is in the center hall). I felt I should relocate the timer location when doing the new install, and that added a bit of time to the job even though I only moved it a few feet. I gained an extra bar that way, and I still only have 3 bars according to the setup. It operates on 2.4Ghz only. My distance to router is the depth of a garage+ laundry + 1 medium bedroom (3 walls and about 20ft distance). It's been fine, and the iPhone reaches the WiFi wherever it is on the lot.

OK to set up outside: No. it is an indoor only controller. If you absolutely have to install it outdoors, you'll need to put it in a rain tight enclosure. Betty yet, just buy the controller that is already an indoor/outdoor unit. This is a bluetooth timer.

There are no manual switch functions on this controller. Everything is controlled through the smart phone app as far as setup or manual starting of zones.