If you are looking at buying a Wi-Fi-enabled smart sprinkler controller, Orbit B-hyve XR and Rachio 3 are indeed the two great options to go for. With smart irrigation timers, it is easy to manage the watering of your gardens and landscapes with no wastage of water.
Orbit and Rachio are two main innovators of smart irrigation systems with the former being a top player with a wide range of other smart gardening products. Rachio, in the meanwhile, is known for its family of smart sprinkler controllers, which the brand unveiled in three generations so far, and here we have the latest Rachio 3 in comparison to Orbit’s upgraded B-hyve XR.
Well, in this article on Orbit B-hyve XR vs. Rachio 3, I would like to check out the key differences between the famous sprinkler timers. Have a short glance at the product specs and features of the models in the table below before our detailed take later in the article.
Orbit B-hyve XR at a Glance
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Rachio 3 At a Glance
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Why Rachio 3 is Special?
- Highly Popular with 10K+ Amazon Reviews.
- Available in Three Options for 4, 8, and 16 Zones.
- Sate-of-the-Art Mobile App and Web App.
- Exclusive Weather Intelligence Plus Technology.
Why Orbit B-hyve XR is Special?
- Affordable Price Compared to Rachio 3.
- Indoor and Outdoor-Friendly Sprinkler Timer.
- Easy to Use B-hyve Mobile and Web App
- WeatherSense Technology for Smart Watering.
Orbit B-hyve XR Smart Sprinkler Timer
The B-hye XR is an upgraded and more advanced iteration of Orbit’s much-touted family of B-hye smart sprinkler controllers. It is available in two models with support for eight and 16 zones.
With its WeatherSense technology, it can smartly read the local weather and automatically adjust the flow of watering to your garden to both protect the greens from over or under-watering and let you save water from unnecessary wastage.
As you see in the photo, the Orbit sprinkler controller comes with a multi-color LED light ring and three stylish hexagonal displays to give you the latest updates and timer status.
You can certainly manage the smart irrigation controller completely on your phone or a web browser thanks to its Wi-Fi connectivity. You can do all to do with irrigation of your garden from anywhere, anytime on the mobile app.
Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller
Rachio 3 is actually one of the best-selling smart sprinkler timers with many impressive features and it appears in three zone options – four, eight, and sixteen, making it suitable for different sizes of residential landscapes and gardens.
The third generation of the controller can automatically create watering schedules based on the local temperature tracked by the brand’s exclusive Weather Intelligence Plus technology. Added with advanced features like rain skip, freeze skip, and wind skip, it can ensure perfect watering.
Thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity, you can control the sprinkler timer from anywhere, anytime on your phone screen or web browser. You can also connect it to the voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri to manage it rather conveniently.
It is also an easy-to-install system that a DIY gardener can fix in 30 minutes or less as it requires no special tools. It features easy-press terminals so you can quickly snap it into place while subbing it out with the former variants of the controller like Rachio 1 and Rachio 2.
Final Thoughts
That has been our take on the Orbit B-hyve XR vs. Rachio 3. We have had a look at the specs and features of the market’s most popular smart Wi-Fi sprinkler controllers.
Rachio 3 is the most popular of the duo with 10k+ reviews on Amazon, while its Orbit competitor is the cheaper choice. Share your thoughts about the products in the comments below.
Liam Eck is a full-time blogger who is passionate about green and sustainable lifestyle inventions and products. At PureInvents, he covers the topics of green technology, alternative energy, solar energy storage systems, smart home gardens, and other smart and green inventions. #Contact Liam at liameck@pureinvents.com – Twitter – Reddit
