Installing a smart sprinkler system is a great way to keep your yard green without much effort. They tend to carry hefty upfront fees, but once they’re installed, it’s hard to beat the convenience they offer. Aside from convenience, many smart sprinkler systems also claim to help you save water — and if you’re using less water, you’re probably saving on your monthly water bills.
But can a smart sprinkler really help you use less water? And do they save you enough money to be worth the investment? Let’s take a closer look to find out.
Smart sprinkler systems are fairly straightforward products. After replacing your existing sprinkler controller and mimicking the old wiring setup, you use your smartphone to give the controller access to your home Wi-Fi network. This way, it can connect to the internet for relevant data, give remote access, and connect to other devices. If you’ve installed a smart thermostat, it’s very similar.
Americans use an average of 300 gallons of water every day, and about 30% of that use is outdoors. That 90 gallons a day works out to 32,850 gallons of water every year used in the garden. Of course, home gardens vary wildly in size and composition, so you’ll need to set up water meters on your outdoor faucets to get a real sense of your current usage.
The amount of water saved by a smart sprinkler system will depend a lot on your climate zone, garden size, and present usage. Even in relatively cool, rainy areas, a smart sprinkler system may save you water if you’re prone to going overboard. That said, hot, dry areas to the south are more likely to be subject to water rationing, where a smart sprinkler system will serve you best. Rachio claims their latest smart watering system saves users 20% to 50% on their water usage.
In fact, the Rachio smartphone app can now track how much water you’ve used and how much you’ve saved by using its smart sprinklers. This makes it easy to figure out when your investment has paid off, which may vary dramatically from region to region.
Given the aforementioned increases in water prices, a smart sprinkler system that only kicks in when it’s needed can absolutely save you money. The EPA estimates the U.S. would save about 390 billion gallons of water and $4.5 billion in water costs if every home just switched from an automatic sprinkler system to a smart sprinkler system. Recent studies show that the combined costs of water and sewage have increased by 80% between 2010 and 2018. Considering how things are going, you can count on inefficient sprinklers being an even bigger cost to you in the future.
On the surface, smart sprinkler systems water your lawn so you don’t have to. This is essentially the function of a timer, ensuring that your lawn gets watered at set intervals. This isn’t especially smart, however.
The intelligence comes in when these systems start reaching into the cloud to access local weather forecasts. With that, they can apply predicted sun, wind, humidity, and precipitation data to the watering schedule. Even more locally, sensors in your yard can inform your system about soil quality, sun exposure, and recent precipitation.
By manually informing the system about the plants in your garden and the slope of the terrain, you can get highly granular with the treatment each area receives. Tie in your usual home assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa, and you can create helpful automations, like the sprinklers turning off when you’re pulling up to your front lawn.
If you don’t have a sprinkler system, consider checking out the Rachio Smart Hose Timer, which brings a bit of smarts to your average outdoor faucet.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.