Rachio vs Skydrop vs RainMachine: The Right Sprinkler For Your Dream Garden

After 6 hours of exhaustive research on 3 of the best smart shower systems on the market, we found out that the RainMachine Smart Sprinkler Controller emerges as the winner in what proved to be a tough fight.

Make sure you read each of the reviews until the end for a detailed comparison and explanation for the final verdict that we arrived at.

Smart Sprinkler Controller

We all love waking up to a well-tended garden encircling the better portion of our house. But, the problem with this desire is that it requires a lot of dedicated effort. Until you have been into the gardening game for quite a while, you will be wasting a lot of time, money and efforts on this thing.

However, there is another very easy solution to this problem too. Smart Sprinklers! They are the ultimate smart appliance you need when you are just starting with the lawn/garden grooming process. Even if you are a veteran in this field, you can benefit a lot from this device.

Smart Sprinklers: Irrigation Made Simple

Watering your lawn at right time and in the right amount is crucial. So you can either create your entire schedule around this garden tending process. This might or might not end up with you having a beautiful garden at a very high cost.

The best way to have a beautiful front lawn is to just buy a smart sprinkler today. Simply set the scenarios for irrigation at once for the entire week. This will hardly take a few minutes. And then you can forget about it! The smart sprinkler will take care of it all from there onwards.

Rachio vs Skydrop vs RainMachine

Thanks to the booming smart home automation industry, you have a variety of options to choose from. A smart sprinkler can be found for every kind of gardening need. You might think that the garden upkeep in your surrounding is quite tough. But, you will always have a smart sprinkler to solve all your troubles in the easiest way possible.

Take a look at our three top picks and how they compare in terms of the most crucial criteria :

1. Price

Rachio

More often than not, it is the price that decides which appliance you end up with. But that is not a smart strategy, Surely not when you are buying a ‘smart’ appliance that will surely reap its value within a very short time of use.

The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller comes with the price tag of $198.48. The myriad of features that you get with this device surely make up for every single penny being invested. You might want to get the extended warranty and 4-year protection plan while making this purchase.

Skydrop

Out of these three smart sprinklers, the Skydrop Wifi-Enabled Smart Sprinkler Controller is surely the cheapest one. You can own one in just $98.99. This pocket-friendly price tag surely makes it a lot easier for you to automatize your lawn watering tasks.

You can go for it if you just want to explore the world of smart irrigation and watering. This will help you figure out how much better such devices can make your life. And when you are finally ready, you can invest in something way more suitable for your specific watering needs.

RainMachine

As the best selling smart sprinkler on the Amazon, the RainMachine smart sprinkler controller surely does not come cheap. But the wide range of benefits you get with this model will surely make it seem like a steal with its current price tag. You get one for your home today at just $239.00.

It has a glorious track record of innumerable satisfied customers. The simple and powerful mechanisms make sure that all your gardening related tasks are always completed right on time. Also, you can rely on its robust built and quality performance in every season of the year.

2. Software

Rachio

You get the smart app for both Apple and Android platforms. They are always updated to the latest version. The well-trained and dedicated customer care will make sure that you are never stuck in a technical glitch. The power fluctuations will also not affect the smooth functioning of this sprinkler.

The software has been designed in a way to use the backup schedule in case of power outage. All your important data gathered by this smart sprinkler will the safely stored in the cloud via the Amazon Web Services. You can explore the app fully through the trial you get on their website. This will help you to understand the app functioning in a better way.

Skydrop

This highly efficient sprinkler is made completely in the USA. This means that you can trust its built and quality without a doubt. You can easily control it with the help f your smart app. Use your smartphones, tablets or laptops to keep an eye on the current status of your lawn as well as the sprinkler.

You can also share the access to of this appliance online with the professionals in case of any trouble. Share the access with your family members to keep them updated about the latest activities. This will ensure that your whole family stays in the loop. And everyone can stay updated with the schedule changes being made instantly.

RainMachine

One of the best smart sprinklers ever, you will get all kinds of features you desire and much more with its software. It works independently of the cloud. This means that you can store all your data in a local and more easily accessible storage space. You do not have to depend upon a third-party cloud service for securing your data.

Open its website and learn how much you could have saved only if you had installed it sooner. They have this location-specific water savings calculator over there. Just input your details and get ready to be surprised by the staggering numbers that will make you invest in this sprinkler right away.

3. Smart Features

Rachio

With this gadget, you get a string of highly useful features that will instantly lighten up your workload. It has been claimed to be the most connected of all the sprinklers present in the market at present. And it stands true to this day. You can control it with utmost ease with the help of IFTTT triggers, Google Home and Amazon Alexa voice commands.

It is the perfect sprinkler you can get if you have your very own smart home network. You just need to integrate it with your smart home hub. And soon you will be able to reap all the usual benefits of a connected smart sprinkler.

Skydrop

This sprinkler works with the popular Nest platform. It sends all the reports instantly to the Nest database. This means that in case of any unfortunate incident, the Nest Protect feature gets activated. It comes in handy in case of fire. The controller will instantly turn on the sprinkler. And the fire will be thoroughly put out before it spreads out and creates some serious damage.

It integrated easily with the IFTTT protocol smart home controllers. It includes the big names such as Philips Hue, Nest, etc. This allows the sprinkler to connect with a series of Z-wave devices via the controller.

RainMachine

Connect a number of smart devices with this sprinkler in a hassle-free manner. You will have no problem making it a part of your large scale smart home network. It is highly compatible with all the major smart home hubs. You can also exercise the Amazon Alexa voice control or use the Amazon Echo for letting it know what is on your mind today.

4. Water Efficiency

Rachio

Saving water and still keeping your lawn/garden in the perfect shape all year round is what makes these smart sprinklers a smart buy. It works by collaborating its data with the local weather data. This helps in regulating the amount of water that will be required to keep the grass and your precious foliage green and healthy in different seasons.

The local water company will also give you a rebate when they come to know that you have made this smart move. It is not just the manufacturers but even the local agencies know how beneficial these sprinklers can be to your as well as the community.

Skydrop

You will get a good discount on making this purchase since it comes with the EPA WaterSense certificate. This will ensure that your local water company gives you a good rebate upon its installation. Adjust the expenditure further by modifying the watering schedule to minimize your overall water bill.

The sprinkler will make sure that both your watering and money saving goals are met in this way. The smart watering feature makes sure that the watering is always adjusted according to the weather. This will save you tons of water and thus contribute to the environment by making judicious use of the available natural resources.

RainMachine

Get the weather data with high accuracy by connecting it with the Netatmo Personal Weather Stations. It is EPA WaterSense certified and claims to save more than 80 percent in your water usage. You can even track the microclimate in your garden and set the watering schedule accordingly.

Adjustable sensitivity will help you in making changes to the watering schedule without facing too much trouble. Get the most accurate and hyperlocal weather forecasts with the WUnderground weather API. It will connect with a number of such services throughout the day to keep the watering schedules properly adjusted.

5. Scheduling

Rachio

The water scheduling is one of the key areas where you get to experience how much simpler the whole process is with these smart sprinklers. It keeps track of the time, amount and the duration for which you water your lawn on a daily basis. Once it gets all the inputs then it runs its own algorithms on it to bring you the most sustainable water scheduling option for you.

Manual buttons are there when you want to physically control a certain aspect of the watering process. The kit is suitable for watering as much as in 8 or 16 zone range. This range will accommodate almost all kinds of lawn or garden watering needs without any exception.

Skydrop

If you can only get a sprinkler with a well-lit LCD screen then things will be so much better. That is exactly what you get with this sprinkler. It is attached to the device hence you can set it accordingly when the sprinkler is on. Use the spinning jog dial to make the changes according to the recent observations.

The kit provided with this sprinkler is for 8 zones as well as the 16 zone range. There is a lot of freedom that you enjoy with its functionality. And that makes all the difference in the overall performance of this extremely useful gadget.

RainMachine

Sometimes you might be away from your smartphone. But you still need to schedule the sprinkler by making important gadgets. The illuminated touch keys and the very helpful HD touchscreen will make sure that you can make the desired changes anytime directly on the sprinkler. This will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

The illuminated LED will help you input the numbers in both light and dark with the same ease. The kit is available for 8, 12 and 16 zone range. This opens up your options and lets you plan accordingly before making the final purchase.

6. Design

Rachio

At just 2.5 pounds, the Rachio smart sprinkler has been designed in a way to keep the things light! The bright white color is best for all kinds of homes. And you will not even really admire its modern look that truly complements its smooth functioning. The deep blue detailing on the edges perfectly accentuates its rectangular design. The soft edges further amplify its appeal visually.

At the bottom end of this device, you will find a contrasting pattern of small cubes in two distinct shades of white. This really gives an upbeat look to the whole gadget. And you don’t mind making it a part of your beautiful home.

Skydrop

You will find the overall design of the Skydrop sprinkler to be quite compact. This truly helps when you are trying to program the watering schedules for the following day. The black color makes sure that the wear and tear are not that easily visible. The easy grasp on the sprinkler is achieved thanks to its angular layout that facilitates easy gripping.

The total weight of this appliance is just 2.4 pounds. Hence, you won’t have to bear anything heavy and clunky as you oversee the watering process throughout your garden.

RainMachine

This is the one that has been creating the buzz owing to its spectacular design. The 6.5 HD screen is just the beginning of its glorious description. Weighing a total of 2.8 pounds, you will be pleased by its user-friendly and well-lit interface. The self-illuminating LED buttons further makes it easy for you to navigate it when it is dark outside.

The slip-proof design together with a sleep casing makes it a perfect addition to your outdoors smart network. You can install it nearby any power outlet and it will work just fine.

The Verdict

Now is the time when you discover which sprinkler is the best among the top three choices mentioned able. You might have guessed by now that the RainMachine is the best of these three sprinklers. The performance, design, compatibility and integration statistics are off the charts for this particular sprinkler.

This brings us to the end of this article. Let us know how much you benefited from the information provided here. Also, let us know about the other smart home automation topics that you will like to know more about in the comment section below. Till then, keep reading this column!