B-Hyve Smart Hose Faucet Irrigation Controller/Wi-Fi Hub

It works better then what I expected The app in my android phone is working perfectly fine and It shows battery status (after about a month, It's still 100% which means battery consumption is very low)

Controller is great but the app is terrible I’ve had to reprogram several times and move it around to get it to work

I bought 2 of these B-hyve Smart Hose Faucet timers to add some drip irrigation to some flowers in my yard. I have an underground sprinkler system already, but here in GA it rains enough that my lawn doesn't need to be watered very often, but my flowers do. These installed very easy, the app is easy to use and now I can control from my phone. Smart settings will automatically create water schedule based on type of plants and weather etc. One of the best features, these things mesh with each other, one of the faucets is much further away from the house/hub than the other, but it only needs to reach the other b-hyve timer, not all the way to the house to connect. Now i can get my flowers the right amount of water without over watering my grass. Love it.

Smart irrigation that even takes account of the weather. The app, the hub controller and the faucet controller were easy to install, set up and get working. Optional zones and programs can be initiated and relied upon to take the guesswork out of the watering schedule and there is always manual operation when it is needed. The components look to be well made and inspire confidence. This system will be used to water plants on the front porch and I am seriously considering adding another to do the same in the back yard.

I have had a b-hyve indoor/outdoor timer for a couple of years, and have loved how it worked, so I was really excited to try this. Unfortunately, there is something terribly wrong, at least with the Android version of the b-hyve app. I have a relatively-new Samsung S9 which is fully up-to-date with all updates. When I received my shipment, I was able to pair both the hub and the timer to my system, but then the app said that I had to update the firmware on the timer. I clicked OK, and that was the end of the timer. It just flashed white (signifying it was waiting for a firmware update), and NEVER came back. I waited over 30 miutes just to be sure. I called Orbit support, and after troubleshooting, they sent a replacement hub and timer - same result! I went through the whole installation process with Orbit support, and they sent a third timer (no hub, as both previous ones worked OK). I called support and walked through the entire installation with a rep on the phone - and STILL bricked the third timer as well. I am going to try to do this with an iPhone when I am able to borrow one, but for now, from my experience, you will not be able to get this working if you have Android. Unfortunately, Home Depot does not allow editing of a review, so I can't update this review when I've had the chance to try the iPhone firmware update.

Smart watering is so much easier with the b-hyve. I entered my address and it checks my weather report to see if it needs to take a day or two off. That is really, really cool. Another feature I use a lot is the push-and-hold button on the front of the timer. That turns the water on for 3 minutes, just enough to give my mulch a bit more moisture and keep the ground from drying out, or just enough time to check everything for leaks or breaks in the watering lines. I really like that feature. I can also control it from my phone, and I trigger it on for 10 minutes from my phone. I have been using this timer in my back yard for the past year, and now I have added this one to my front yard. I use the same app for both of them, easily toggling from one to the other. After a year, I really feel like I know these units well. My only frustration is that they say they cannot measure the flow of water because I have less than 3 gallons per minute. That is definitely not the case, and can fill a 5-gallon bucket in way under a minute. I have reached out multiple times through the app for support from Orbit but have never heard back. I was interested in seeing if this one reported the same low-flow, and it does. I was hoping my back yard unit was faulty, but that’s not the case. Aside from the customer support, this unit is fantastic! The app takes just a few minutes to learn, and I don’t think it will ever be genuinely intuitive to use, but it isn’t terrible. The coolest app feature is being able to take a picture of your timer and a picture of where it’s watering, then telling the app what kind of sprinkler I’m using and how far it’s throwing and for how many degrees (45, 90, 180, 360, etc.). A cool unit that can even be voice controlled with Google and Alexa, the b-hyve smart hose faucet timer is great.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS: I was enthused to try this automated hose timer by BHyve (Orbit). However, I was disappointed with the setup routine (i.e. connecting it to your home WiFi network). The Android app could be more user friendly, especially if you run into a setup failure like I did. I followed the setup routine (which initially looked straightforward) and it would only connect the BHyve hub to my network. I could not get it to pair with the valve timer unit (the component that actually turns the water on/off). I contacted the help desk and the tech walked me through the procedure several times, but it still would not pair. The customer tech decided to send me a new unit. While waiting for new unit to arrive I experimented further with the setup procedures and was eventually able to get it working. I tried using the standalone valve setup procedure, and by luck it worked. THINGS I LIKE: - The concept is great. Having the capability to control & schedule hose supplied watering devices is a great idea. This unit can do simple schedules by day/time, or more sophisticated smart watering based on other factors (see below) - There are a lot of features that lets you smartly control watering based on soil conditions, type of watering heads used, sun vs shade, slope, plant type, etc. If you just want to build a simple schedule to water on certain days, times, duration, etc., then you can do that as well. Many communities and HOAs have watering restrictions where you cannot water on certain days. The smart watering page of the app allows you to EXCLUDE operation on given days and times (example: don't water on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8AM and 5PM). - Email Notifications. The system will also send you email notices to let you know when it has watered, if there is a fault, or if it is delaying water operations due to rain. The notifications are user-controlled so you can turn them on/off as needed. - Watering history. The app keeps a log of the watering history so you can check if it has watered recently. - Multiple devices. The app can control multiple valves and other bHyve devices. If you need a valve in the front yard and backyard, then you can use the same app to schedule and control both. THINGS I DID NOT LIKE: - The setup routine lacks easy to find instructions to recover from a pairing setup that has failed. It should have the factory reset procedures on the same screens as the setup routine. I eventually had to call customer support and then later found it on buried in very small type on the quick start guide. - The user application (for Phone, Tablet etc) did not seem to be well-designed. It was a collection of screens that did not seem follow an intuitive structure. This made it difficult to find basic functions (like the manual start). The use of non-intuitive icons (instead plain language) added to the confusion. - The blinky, flashy, colored LED light on the timer/valve unit has got to go. There is a single led that blinks different colors and flash sequences depending on what state the valve is in (Connected/Not Connected to WiFi, Watering in progress, Low Battery, Bluetooth mode etc.). You have to count blink sequences & navigate to one of the help screens to decode the 9 possible LED patterns in order to discern what they mean. An LCD panel with easy to figure out words, letter/number codes, or icons would be much better. - The FAQs under the "Help" section are either too general or they answer questions about other BHyve devices I DO NOT have...very confusing. The web-based FAQs need to structured to answer questions about the SPECIFIC model of the device you are attempting to connect, configure, or troubleshoot. - Plastic construction. The plastic valve case could crack or break if you have a sudden freeze. SUMMARY: Most of the issues I had deal with were either poor documentation or confusing application software. Model number labels on the components would be helpful. This device needs some everyday USER testing, It appears as though the software developers did their own user testing. In general, when I add timer units to my home, I like them to be "set & forget". In other words, once I set it up, I don't want to have to continue to fuss with it just to keep it running. If I want to change the schedule, I should be able to make simple schedule changes quickly, without having to hunt down the step-by-step user manual. I anticipate that I may have to "baby-sit" this unit to keep it running. NOTE: I checked the box indicating that I would recommend this product to others. I have one caveat. If you are looking for "simple", this may NOT be the right product for you. If you don't mind taking the time to learn about all the features (and possibly having to troubleshoot a setup problem), then this might be a good product for you.

If like me you were looking at a way to start watering certain areas with a hose & being able to set it & forget it. This "ORBIT B-HYVE SMART HOSE FAUCET IRRIGATION CONTROLLER/WI-FI HUB" is just what i needed. using it is very simple. Pull it out of the package. Add some batteries to it. screw on to your faucet & you are about done. download the Very easy to use & navigate app to set a watering time if needed. if not simply push the button on the unit to start or stop flow. works great for watering a tree or planter. set how long you want it to go & forget it.

Excellent garden hose timer / controller. Using four now! Very convenient, and I keep finding more reasons to expand my system. They work with your home wifi. It comes with its own hub and one controller (which has the valve in it). You can easily add more controllers and they will all work with the same hub. The controller uses 2 AA batteries. Still on my first set of batteries after one full season on my first unit. The hub plugs into an outlet (using a USB style adapter). Pairing was very easy, as was setting up the app. The one aspect of this product I don't love is the app. It is a little awkward at times, but it has gotten better, and I think it will keep getting better. First weird thing about the app is that it doesn't get "winter". It will keep sending you reminders through the winter even when the controllers have been powered down and stored for the winter. They should figure this out. The good news is you can go into settings - notifications - and turn notifications off for the winter. Another weird thing is how to run several of these at the same time - very hard using the zones and programs menu. Again, good news is that you click on the home button (bottom center) then the small pull down menu that appears near the top (just under the large logo), and you can see each device and control them separately. It saves water (and money) by delaying or canceling watering on days it rains - you can press the manual "rain delay" button in the app or let it figure it out automatically "Smart Watering", using your location and the local weather forecast. It does not have an actual rain sensor. As an aside, the customer support by email worked well. One of the controllers I bought (maybe #2?) was likely bought and returned by someone else. It wouldn't let me pair it to my account - they were able to get that cleaned up pretty quickly. And good to know that there isn't any use to steal these, as they can't be paired to someone else's account without some work. Finally, I wanted to add that they work well with a variety of devices - I have used it with an impact sprinkler, an oscillating sprinkler (the type that goes back and forth slowly) and a drip irrigation system. For drip irrigation, I put it before the pressure regulator (which drops pressure to 15 psi) as the instructions for that said it shouldn't stay under pressure all the time - just when running.

The ORBIT B-HYVE SMART HOSE FAUCET IRRIGATION CONTROLLER/WI-FI HUB is one handy item. I can't count the times I have watered in the back yard and gone to work, then sat there at work worrying that I forgot to turn it off and the hose ruptured, wasted hundreds of gallons of water! Now I can check the B-HYVE from my phone and be sure that it is shut off. One less thing to worry about!