Rain Bird ARC6 Irrigation Controller, Smart WiFi, Indoor, 6-Station

I currently have a Rain Bird SST900IN, but I feel like it will do it's own 'thing' sometimes, and water zones I don't want it to. So I ordered the ARC6 (I only have 5 zones) and it was a breeze to install! Maybe 10 minutes, as I also installed the wireless Rain/Ice detector along with it (super easy). VERY, VERY easy to program, setup, and to schedule using my phone with. I love the way it predicts rain, use's the current weather and adjusts the length of time that it waters! Amazing! I do not think that there is any difference between the ARC6 and ARC8, other then two more zones. This one did not come with a power cord, but a two wire transformer. After I had it installed for a few days, I was in the front yard adjusting my sprinkler heads and I wanted to run only zone 1. I went to it and was like, 'Hmmm, no manual control...go get my phone.' :( Then I remembered I still had the old Rainbird controller, and I jumped it to this one. Works perfectly! Now I have manual control if I need it! I do HIGHLY recommend it.

I upgraded from a 3 year old rainbird which i hated. I have 38 sprinklers and a ton of plants Why I love this updated version. 1. Easy to install. 1 screw holds it in place.The instructions are easy to follow. I had to call tech support, they are great. Fixed my issue fast 2 They want this indoors, mine is under an awning and after a few heavy high wind Florida storms, it did not affect it 3 The App is great. I can set a schedule and I never worry, it runs perfectly. 4. I can schedule watering or do watering on the spot choosing all zones or specific zones. My zone 1 has my palm trees which need more water. 5. Not so good Iphone App is hit or miss. It takes a while to load up from 25’ away from the rainbird. I was in Virginia and I could connect to Florida, but from a hotel room nope. You have to have a solid signal. They have wired and wireless rain monitors, i will get one soon Overall i give the rainbird unit a 10. The App an 8. But remember 99% of the time it is Set it and Forget it. I wot so buy this again.

Folks, I never write product reviews. But my experience with this Rain Bird ARC controller caused me to write one so that others will not have to suffer its ownership as I have. When people say “I wish I could give it zero stars,” now I know what they mean. The upside on this product is that installation was easy, especially if you’re switching out an older ‘dumb’ controller for a remote wireless unit such as this. That is where the good part ends. Despite having a dedicated Wi-Fi unit in my garage, the Rain Bird would fail to connect, connect and then disconnect, drop connection, etc. Multiple efforts over many days yielded nothing but frustration. I wish I had those hours of my life back. Do not make the same mistake I did. After hearing about my issues, my irrigation guy apprised that his customers with H****r brand controllers did not have the same connectivity issues as his Rain Bird customers. I now have a H****r. For wireless connectivity, it worked first time trying. It has worked every time thereafter. (I have zero affiliation with H****r. Just an irritated guy who maintains his own yard.) C’mon, Rain Bird. Do better.

This is a really good smart controller with a good interface and pretty easy to set up. You can save a lot of money by going with this controller as opposed to buying a TM2 with a Wi-Fi module if you don't need a display. The rain bird app has a great interface and is easy to set up.

Works great with the companion app.

Works as it should with no issues. Although it does not work with the Alexa skills available, it does work with the app on the phone perfectly well

I was a little hesitant ordering this due to some other negative reviews. I already had an older (not WiFi connected) Rainbird controller that was working ok. I wanted to have the ability to adjust my watering from time to time without having to stand in the garage and make manual program adjustments. I already have numerous smart devices in my home so this was a natural progression. We also travel a lot so it’s nice to be able to control things from anywhere. I finally unboxed this controller. It took less than 10 minutes to mount and move the wires from the old one to the new one. It took another 10-15 minutes to get the app downloaded on my phone, get the controller connected to my WiFi network and set the basic watering program. The instructions were slightly confusing but everything worked out perfectly. Yesterday afternoon while relaxing on my deck I decided the lawn needed more water so I activated the system from my phone. Easy peasy.

I upgraded to this controller from an older, non-connected Rain Bird controller and it was well worth the cost. Was it 100% necessary? Absolutely not. The old controller turned valves on and off without any issue. Having lived with a connected controller for a few months though, I wouldn't go back. Changing cycle times is a breeze from the app, whether it's duration, start time, or delaying a cycle altogether. There's a little bit of a learning curve, but Rain Bird's knowledgebase is quite comprehensive. The "Cycle & Soak" feature is a very nice addition, allowing you to break a cycle up into shorter bursts with a soak-in period in-between. For example a 40 minute cycle can be broken up into periods of 10 minutes of watering with a 5 minute break to allow the water to soak in, and that will run 4 times to complete the 40 minutes of watering. This helps enormously with absorption and avoiding runoff during the hot months when the surface of the soil can become quite hydrophobic. Picture putting a bone dry bath sponge under a faucet: the water will run right off it. If you wet the sponge first then the water will be absorbed far more easily, and that's the principle behind Cycle & Soak. One minor gripe is that whichever weather forecast provider is used to predictively suspend watering when rain is forecast is horribly inaccurate (even by normal weather forecast standards). I turned that feature off and left it off. Installing the wireless rain sensor and connecting it to the controller is a better, albeit more expensive, solution in my opinion as it responds to actual, measured rainfall. Overall I give the controller 9/10 when paired with the wireless rain / freeze sensor. It would be 10/10 if the weather forecasts were remotely accurate.

Lo siento, mi primera reseña de una sola estrella... Pero es que este programador es un desastre completo. Indica señal demasiado baja a 5 metros del router wifi 2.4Ghz, cuando un teléfono se conecta con señal máxima en el mismo sitio. Además la app o la web con la que se controla, está llena de errores y nunca sabes si está programado o qué se ha regado. Lo dicho, un desastre y una perdida de tiempo, lo he tenido que devolver.

Se siente desechable