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

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 bought as a 20 year old replacement and it brought me to the 21st century, when you go thru the cloud this unit dials right into your neighbourhood .If you have it scheduled to water and the forecast says its going to rain the unit will suspend watering for you, and there are so many ways to set it up.I just did a quick YouTube review and it was too easy to set it up to my wifi and its user friendly.Rainbird came thru for me!

Although programming and changing a program or watering manually has improved with their Rainbird 2.0 app, that is an extremely low bar (the earlier app was basically worthless). This controller itself has major issues and I will be replacing it after just a few years to avoid the headaches. It loses its internet connection frequently, and sometimes when it does so, it fails to run, even though it is supposed to run on the last saved program even when not wifi-connected. But recently there is an even worse, and unforgivable issue: It simply is not running two of my set programs. Every day I look at the screen on the app that lists the upcoming irrigation runs and it tells me Program A will run "tomorrow" and Program B will run the following day. And I mean it literally says that every day. Both are set to run every 3 days, but tomorrow never comes for Rainbird, apparently. And I can confirm that indeed these programs do not run; it is not just an app reporting issue, it is an actual controller problem. Regarding manual watering, also, it will not do a sequence of multiple zones. It should; you can set several to run in sequence, but it might do one or two of them, but not all. So until I get a different brand of controller, I am back to opening and closing all my valves manually.

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 as expected,easy to navigate Connect

Easy to program and connect to the Wifi -seemless

Great unit. Easy setup.

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.

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