Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller, 8-Zone

A dumb sprinkler timer waters the lawn during a rainstorm, and everybody has watched that happen. The Rachio pulls local weather and skips or shortens cycles accordingly, which in a dry state is a real reduction on a water bill rather than a gadget claim. Zone-by-zone scheduling by soil and sun exposure, and it works from the phone so nobody crouches in the garage. Eight thousand ratings at 4.5. It replaces an existing wired controller, so this is a half-hour job with a screwdriver and a photograph of the old wiring — not a plumbing project.

Rated by the Build a Boyfriend editors. How we pick and rate. An editorial score, not a customer rating.