Rain BirdST8I-2.0 Smart Indoor WiFi Sprinkler/Irrigation System Timer/Controller, WaterSense Certified, 8-Zone/Station, Compatible with Amazon Alexa

This device has been working for 3 years for me. No issues, working continuously. Switching from a controller without Wi-Fi to controller with Wi-Fi, that you can control from your mobile phone, has made a lot of difference in me. You can turn the water on or shut irrigation off from anywhere at any time, easily. The controller is easy to prigram with the application. In general it's a great product and I highly recommend it.

The Rain Bird ST8I-2.0 is easy to set up and works flawlessly with my Wi-Fi. It helps me manage my garden's watering schedule efficiently, saving water and time. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a smart irrigation solution!

GOOD: Rain Bird did a good job overall. The mechanical install of the unit was easy and I was replacing an older Hunter system that was terrible. BAD: This company uses a red/green indicator light, which is the worst thing they could do for about 10% of us colorblind people. But my wife helped out in that department. UGLY: The WiFi setup was terrible for me and may be for others. If not for spectacular personal technical support by Mehgan at RainBird, this could easily have been a one-star rating. She took the time to troubleshoot the bugs. It turned out the Android App needed to have permissions manually approved and set for both Storage and Location … your phone settings for the App itself. Also make sure your cache and data are cleared out if you had previous failed attempts to connect like I did. At first the device, only 20 ft from my wireless 2.4GHz router was saying weak signal … but then after clearing data and cache it suddenly was a strong signal. Then it connected just fine AFTER saying it didn't have internet, then it really did have internet. I think the software is immature and Rain Bird is having to work through it BOTTOM LINE: It is a good product, but the WiFi settings may be hit or miss for you. Fortunately Rain Bird is backing their product with excellent tech support. I can honestly rate it five stars.

It really should have a backlight, for the money it costs. Otherwise, once you get the hang of it it’sTerrific.

Very easy to set up and use

I found the installation replacement for my existing 20-year-old Rain Bird timer to be easy. Wiring was simple, directions are clear, and Wi-Fi connected immediately and has stayed connected since installation. The iPhone app is easy to use and very versatile. You can turn off entire system, turn on a single zone or combination, or have zones run in sequence. App offers weather, Wi-Fi strength of controller, rain sensor bypass, seasonal adjustment increases or decreases irrigation time by percentage. You can even upload a photo of the zone area and name the zone (i.e. Front Yard, Back Yard, Garden, etc.). App displays zone numbers with days of week it operates, on time, and actual run time if you use seasonal adjustment. In closing, technology is awesome!

I bought this to replace a mechanical Rain Bird timer that is significantly older than I am. I had to do a lot of work on my system (replacing valves, digging out heads, fixing leaks, etc.) and I was looking forward to being able to control it from my phone so I didn't have to walk back to the garage whenever I needed to start or stop it. Unfortunately it has not lived up to my expectations. It has been a couple weeks now since I got it installed and I am finally annoyed enough to come share my experience with all of you. Since I didn't get it installed for a few weeks after I received it I am now past the return window, otherwise I would be doing that right now rather than writing this. As it is, I must deal with Rain Bird's customer service. I will update this review as that plays out. Here are the problems that I will be bringing up with their customer service.1. The biggest problem is that the programmed run times don't work. I have zones 1-5 set to run sequentially, and the app shows that on the schedule. Only zone 2 has been running though, zones 1 and 3-5 haven't run at all. All zones work fine if I run them manually, but only zone 2 runs automatically.2. The controller will not connect properly to my network. With some work it will connect to my main router, but that is on the far side of the house and the signal is very weak. I have a range extender that is much closer, but it will not connect to that no matter what I do. Every other device I own has played nice with the extender, but no such luck here. It is possible that the resulting weak signal is the cause of some of my other complaints.3. The controller is connected to the pump start relay for my well, and it turns it off for a fraction of a second between each zone. I am no expert, but that can't be good for the pump. I was hoping it would have an option to start one zone several seconds before stopping the previous one. Boy were my expectations too high.4. The app is bad. They clearly didn't put much effort into it. It has the look and feel of the app for the made in China smart outlets I bought for $2.50 each. Each time I select anything it takes 10-30 seconds for it to talk to the controller first and then half the time it just gives me a communication error. When I do a manual run it is a gamble whether it will start in 5 seconds, 5 minutes, or not at all. This is a big disappointment, as the app was the primary reason I bought a new controller in the first place.5. Finally, their tech support. The reason I am writing this BEFORE contacting their tech support is because they don't have an email address, I have to call. Between 7am and 5pm. Guess what I am doing between 7am and 5pm. Get a tech support email address guys. Making your customers take off work early to call you about a problem they are already unhappy about is not a recipe for success.

Previously had a RainMachine controller, but apparently the company has gone under. Found this Rainbird controller that operates in a similar manner and allows for control from the unit or from my phone. Works great, easy to install and setup. Happy to have the Rainbird product support.