SPRINKLER TALK FORUM - You Got Questions, We've Got Answers

The only time I've ever been involved in tying two controllers together, against my will, handcuffed, etc., it was a disaster. This is not exactly the same thing. I'll wait for someone else to provide info.

Their name has popped up here and there but I can't find anyone with direct experience with their products.
From the website it looks good. The company is very new, incorporating in 2008, so I imagine they are just breaking into the market. That's not easy.

All I need now if for you to test it and let us know how it goes.
You then become the official Irrigation Caddy expert.

Quoted from "hollowel"

Side by Side IrrigationCaddy with Old Controller

After reading the above article it has pushed me over the edge to buy this controller. The controller I have now works fine but I'd really like to add web based functionality to it and now I can. I also think it addresses most of the concerns here about selling the house with a working sprinkler system. Just so you know I have a wifi thermostat as well and love it and I can guarantee you a hvac installer wouldn't want to install one those either.

I do have a question for the experts do you see a problem in having 2 controllers hooked up together like this?

This is my first post so I want to give a shout out to Sprinkler Warehouse been using you guys for probably 5 years now.

Why not do it up right? Buy a single controller with whatever features you require, and let it run things. Sell the old one online. Controller interconnections can go very wrong, so don't waste time with it. You will find very little support from any manufacturer on the subject of interconnecting their product with another.

I bought one of these when they 1st came out and have been using it successfully for 4 seasons. Since then, a new version has come out with more features - lucky me, we just bought a new house and I get to buy the new version! They do seem to have sales in the off months, so, keep an eye out. This couldn't be simpler to install and even easier to use. To be able to go to my laptop at 2AM and turn programs on or off, change programs, etc (because I forgot to make changes earlier) is just priceless. More than once, I've tried to do that with the old rotary knob controller at 2AM, wedging myself between the car and the controller trying to remember the programming steps while being half awake. This is just point and click. Over 4 seasons, it has never developed a problem. Always just works. No moving parts. No rotary switch to go flaky. If you know enough about networking, it's easy to access away from home with DDNS. I see absolutely no reason why this wouldn't be a huge plus for any homeowner who has just minimal computer experience, and for installers it's perfect for the newer generation of computercentric clients who just love this type of gadget. The user interface is accessed via almost any web browser on any networked computer (even has smartphone apps) and does not require a dedicated computer to operate - just attach it to your existing home network. Very highly recommended.

I too, was looking for a sprinkler controller, and have considered Irrigation Caddy. But the problem is that I don't have an ethernet port in my garage (who does?), and running one in there would be impossible (detached garage). Now, I've found something better:

www.bluespray.net

It's wireless! The UI is better than IC and the features are just unmatched.

I bought an Irrigation Caddy about a month ago (October 2012). Irrigation Caddy currently has an offer that bundles their Irrigation Caddy product with a wireless Ethernet bridge, so you don't have to run an ethernet cable out to your garage, etc. If you've worked at all with your router, you'll find that a wireless bridge is pretty easy to configure, and it works together with the IC like a champ without running a wire.
So my new Irrigation Caddy is now up and running. I can control it from any browser in the house, though I usually use my main computer. Mostly it's been "set it and forget it". As an irrigation controller, it's very simple to configure and understand and definitely easier to program and work with than my previous Toro controller with a dial.
I also bought the little iphone app for $3 for controlling the IC. The app, which is pretty simplistic at the moment, allows you to power up and down any zone in your system while standing in the yard. I used it to test the different zones during configuration, all without needing another person standing by in the garage to press buttons.
Very cool!

Quoted from "eganders"

I bought an Irrigation Caddy about a month ago (October 2012). Irrigation Caddy currently has an offer that bundles their Irrigation Caddy product with a wireless Ethernet bridge, so you don't have to run an ethernet cable out to your garage, etc. If you've worked at all with your router, you'll find that a wireless bridge is pretty easy to configure, and it works together with the IC like a champ without running a wire.
So my new Irrigation Caddy is now up and running. I can control it from any browser in the house, though I usually use my main computer. Mostly it's been "set it and forget it". As an irrigation controller, it's very simple to configure and understand and definitely easier to program and work with than my previous Toro controller with a dial.
I also bought the little iphone app for $3 for controlling the IC. The app, which is pretty simplistic at the moment, allows you to power up and down any zone in your system while standing in the yard. I used it to test the different zones during configuration, all without needing another person standing by in the garage to press buttons.
Very cool!

According to BlueSpray, it has wifi built-in. No need for bridge. The BlueSpray phone apps are free.

Quoted from "scercpio"

According to BlueSpray, it has wifi built-in. No need for bridge. The BlueSpray phone apps are free.

Yeah, I considered the BlueSpray too, but unfortunately it's vaporware at the moment - and they're obviously still coding. They state that they plan to ship in March 2013, but we all know that most software / hardware development tends run late. And even when they do ship, it will obviously be the first production version of their software (and presumably hardware). I didn't want to go through all that, and I didn't want to wait.

I also didn't really see that BlueSpray does anything in terms of watering that the Irrigation Caddy didn't already do. The IC product has been out there for a few years now, and generally gets good reviews. They've clearly worked at adding new features and debugging. I've only had mine for a month or so, but it seems to do the job quite well and I haven't run into any issues.

Anyway, if and when you get a BlueSpray, or another competitor, up and running, I'd definitely be interested in hearing how it's working out, etc. It's always better for everyone to have a competitive marketplace.

Quoted from "eganders"

Quoted from "scercpio"

According to BlueSpray, it has wifi built-in. No need for bridge. The BlueSpray phone apps are free.

Yeah, I considered the BlueSpray too, but unfortunately it's vaporware at the moment - and they're obviously still coding. They state that they plan to ship in March 2013, but we all know that most software / hardware development tends run late. And even when they do ship, it will obviously be the first production version of their software (and presumably hardware). I didn't want to go through all that, and I didn't want to wait.

I also didn't really see that BlueSpray does anything in terms of watering that the Irrigation Caddy didn't already do. The IC product has been out there for a few years now, and generally gets good reviews. They've clearly worked at adding new features and debugging. I've only had mine for a month or so, but it seems to do the job quite well and I haven't run into any issues.

Anyway, if and when you get a BlueSpray, or another competitor, up and running, I'd definitely be interested in hearing how it's working out, etc. It's always better for everyone to have a competitive marketplace.

I'm not watering right now (winter), so I can wait. the spring is just about the right time for a new controller.

From
what I've read and played with the demo, BlueSpray's features are
clearly superior: unlimited programs, unlimited start times, seasonal
adjustment, better UI, IMO. From what I've interpreted, you can set any
combination of program and start time and season to create your own
seasonal needs. For example, I don't want to just water every other day
all the time. I want to water twice a week in the spring, every other
day in the summer, once a week in the fall, and no watering in the
winter, etc. BlueSpray allows me to do just that. IC's scheduler just
basically follows the conventional controllers with a fixed number of
programs and start times. BlueSpray seems to take it a lot further.

I'll be following it very closely.

Quoted from "scercpio"

I'm not watering right now (winter), so I can wait. the spring is just about the right time for a new controller.

From what I've read and played with the demo, BlueSpray's features are clearly superior: unlimited programs, unlimited start times, seasonal adjustment, better UI, IMO. From what I've interpreted, you can set any
combination of program and start time and season to create your own seasonal needs. For example, I don't want to just water every other day all the time. I want to water twice a week in the spring, every other day in the summer, once a week in the fall, and no watering in the winter, etc. BlueSpray allows me to do just that. IC's scheduler just basically follows the conventional controllers with a fixed number of programs and start times. BlueSpray seems to take it a lot further.

I'll be following it very closely.

Yeah, the seasonal thing might be interesting, but I'm not really sure how valuable it is. Around here the seasons happen, but they're not super consistent. We will water through the winter. Seems to me that a device that would integrate with a decent weather setup (leaf moisture, ground moisture, sunlight, rain, temps) might be very cool, but pricewise may not be doable - though you never know.

As for the unlimited start times and unlimited programs, the Irrigation Caddy has 5 and 3 respectively. I'll probably water most things only once in any given day. 5 is overkill, so unlimited would be way beyond my needs. I could possibly see using two programs if I didn't want to water the flower beds or plants on the same schedule as the grass, but that's about it.

A couple other things. BlueSpray hasn't discussed pricing that I can find, which would definitely be a factor for me. Also they haven't discussed their hardware and what it can do, etc. So I think there are still lots of things to learn about the BlueSpray.

Given what I've said above, I'd love to see a public domain project, maybe use a Rasberry Pi. More than enough CPU and RAM on board to drive it and could easily compute everything we've discussed. A public domain project that would be highly customizable to meet anyone's needs. Hmmmmm.

Edit: People are already doing it! Google: Rasberry Pi Sprinkler

Quoted from "eganders"

Yeah, the seasonal thing might be interesting, but I'm not really sure how valuable it is. Around here the seasons happen, but they're not super consistent. We will water through the winter. Seems to me that a device that would integrate with a decent weather setup (leaf moisture, ground moisture, sunlight, rain, temps) might be very cool, but pricewise may not be doable - though you never know.

As for the unlimited start times and unlimited programs, the Irrigation Caddy has 5 and 3 respectively. I'll probably water most things only once in any given day. 5 is overkill, so unlimited would be way beyond my needs. I could possibly see using two programs if I didn't want to water the flower beds or plants on the same schedule as the grass, but that's about it.

A couple other things. BlueSpray hasn't discussed pricing that I can find, which would definitely be a factor for me. Also they haven't discussed their hardware and what it can do, etc. So I think there are still lots of things to learn about the BlueSpray.

Given what I've said above, I'd love to see a public domain project, maybe use a Rasberry Pi. More than enough CPU and RAM on board to drive it and could easily compute everything we've discussed. A public domain project that would be highly customizable to meet anyone's needs. Hmmmmm.

Edit: People are already doing it! Google: Rasberry Pi Sprinkler

I emailed BlueSpray and asked. Targeted price is $199. If you include the wireless bridge with IC, BlueSpray is a better deal, IMO. What else do you expect a sprinkler controller hardware to do?

I've used a rain sensor, and it's not very accurate. I set it to the least amount of rain 1/8", it still takes a big rain for at least half an hour before the sensor is triggered. No matter how much it rains. the sensor dries out within hours after the rain. So it would still water the lawn when it rains and waters again too soon after the rain.

I haven't seen a reliable soil moisture sensor. Problem with these is that you have to bury them. Burial subjects it to corrosion and lawn mower. There is a new wireless moisture sensor out there call ug???. Problem is, it cost $300 per zone - yikes.

The most economical thing is the weather, IMO, which you can pull down for almost free from the web. It's not the most reliable method, but better bang for the buck.