B-hyve XR Timer

The Orbit B-hyve has helped my gardening tremendously. It is easy to set up, and you can control everything from the app. The batteries generally last all season. I remove mine for winter (it freezes badly here), and reinstall in spring. I have one in the backyard and got a second for the front yard. Works great. You can set up different zones, change the timing, manually water for the time of your choice - all just pushing a couple buttons on your phone. The app is easy to follow, and you can name each zone so it’s easy to find (Backyard pots, backyard north garden, etc.).

I have a garden and a job that has me traveling in the summer. That’s not really a good combination so my husband and I installed a drip irrigation system and two different timers. This one is the best, hands down. The app lets me set up schedules to water different zones at different rates and times. I can water from my sofa or from across the country. I can check watering history to know what and how much has been watered. I can turn programs on and off or change them temporarily or permanently from anywhere with the convenience of the app. The only real complaint I have is the rain delay. You set the nearby weather station the app will use for forecasting. Or rather, it sets it but you can change it. Unless you set the allowable percentages quite high, it will set a 24 hour rain delay for a small chance of light to moderate rain during one hour of the day. Here in Florida, we have forecasts that include potential pop up showers which may or may not happen, so rain delay is useless in those situations. I experimented with it a while and finally just turned it off. I determine my own delays manually. Speaking of manually, you can attach a handheld hose to a port for manual watering. Because your tap is already open, you’ll need to deal with the timer box to open the port and get your water flowing. Read the instructions and follow the five steps and you’ll get used to what you have to do each time. One thing to keep in mind about the design of this, or really any timer unit, is that it can be difficult to attach hoses if your water tap is very low to the ground. Mine are traditionally low, and I have just enough clearance for the box to hang off the tap and for hoses to connect without crimping, but my husband plans to extend the faucets and bring the pipes up several feet, to match the design of taps we’ve added throughout our yard. This makes the timers and hoses so much easier to deal with. All in all, I’m a big fan of this timer. But honestly, I found nothing comparable in this price range with these features to compare, so I’ll be a fan unless and until something better comes along. The build seems solid. I have yet to notice any leaks, and I use all 4 ports daily. The display is large and easy to read and use. We’ve been using it for months and haven’t had to change batteries yet. It’s an electronic device that’s made my life easier. In fact, I could not keep a garden without a device like this and this unit was best value for money to fit my needs. I now own three of them and can’t wait to get the other two into action.

I guess I got lucky with my single tap bluetooth/wifi faucet controllers. That luck ran out with the 4 port XD. A big part of the problem is Orbit HATE you. There's really no excuse for why their documentation is so bad, other than they truly despise you, the user. As a first example, the manual for the B-Hyve XD Bluetooth Hose Faucet Timer has a components diagram on page 1. Absolutely nowhere do they bother to show where the battery drawer is. The very next instruction is, "Insert two AA (1.5V) batteries (not included) and replace the tray." So what tray would that be? They couldn't be bothered to show you, anywhere, in their documentation. If you try pulling on the black rubbery parts, that might be a tray seal, you'll damage it. You're supposed to guess that the tray is the thing hidden on the back. In their defense, they did use two point text, yes, it's really that small, inside a recess, to label "1.5V AA Alkaline Batters Only" if you tilt it to the light just right, and have perfect vision. Otherwise, absolutely, and I do mean absolutely, no effort whatsoever was made. Then you get to pairing. Oh, who am I kidding. They made so little effort there, it's a crapshoot as to whether you'll ever pair it to anything. I got it in a bundle with the wifi hub v2. Well, I say that. They tossed some bits in a box, shrugged, and called it good. Amazingly, the XD's manual makes zero mention whatsoever of WiFi and the Gen 2 Hub makes zero mention of how to set anything up, other than to use the app. Not wholly true, they do say to press the B-hyve button to put it in pairing mode, where it will flash every five seconds. Except, turns out, it doesn't. In the app... which was apparently designed by the same people who wrote the manual, good luck finding anything much. If you eventually find your way to My B-Hyve, then Devices, then you might find the + button. Upon clicking it... It manages to find the XD. At which point it goes to a Connecting Bluetooth screen and fails out. The only way to get past that is to go to the Off menu on the XD and hold it for five seconds to reset it. Then, suddenly, everything connects. Except you're now in Bluetooth connection and none of those web features you bought it for work. And there's slightly less than zero mention about how to get it on to wifi. As far as I can tell, you were supposed to connect the hub first. So go hunt for Remove Device, as you're repeating everything all over again. Oh, except adding the hub also fails on the add to WiFi network. But if you quit the app and reopen it, it comes back saying it did connect, it was just kidding with that crashed screen. Awesome. So now we can connect the XD. Not so fast! It does now offer a connect to wifi option. Except, even sitting next to the Gen 2 hub, it tells you they're too far apart. Quit the app and reopen it and, as if by magic, it claims they found each other. Except they didn't. If you try connecting via WiFi and telling it to manually water, nothing happens. Disconnect WiFi and change to Bluetooth and nothing happens. Reset the XD and the bluetooth connects and now you can manually water, getting a loud clunk as it switches. Back to WiFi and it's given up. And, the whole time, the Devices screen tells you everything's happily connected. Even if you unplug the Gen 2 hub from power, it'll still tell you everything's happily connected. Their app is deep, deep garbage. To go along with their awful manuals. Their products sometimes work, sometimes don't, but the app has no useful tools to help you figure out why, regularly lies about status, and the manual's so brief as to be of absolutely zero use. Sorry Orbit, but you've failed to hit the bar of "utterly lazy" and managed to plow straight into We Despise Our Customers territory. Fire all of your app folks. Fire your manual writers. Then put the device in front of people unaffiliated with your company, watch the misery they go through, then build and app and write manuals that explain all of the many, many, many problems you confront users with.

I needed to keep my new sod alive on 1/2 acre, so I set up 2 hubs and 4 controllers. I'm giving this 5 stars despite having a technical issue with one of the controllers (the 4-port) 15 days after the return window closed🙁. I like my system so much that I bought a new standalone controller and paid an additional $10 for a 3-year warranty this time, and I did it with a smile😊. Last summer, I tried the Insoma WiFi Sprinkler Timer (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BWHGHSY8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1), which uses 4 AA batteries that last about a week. In contrast, these Orbit controllers use 2 AA batteries, and I haven’t had to change them all summer. Here’s a bit of technical insight for fellow geeks! The battery life difference is apparently due to how each system handles a "running out of battery" scenario. I noticed in the Orbit documentation that checks the battery level before watering. If there’s enough power to perform both the turn-on and turn-off actions, it only energizes briefly to "turn the spigot" in either direction. It would seem that the Insoma keeps a solenoid continuously energized while watering (leading to shorter battery life) but running out of battery would cause the solenoid to close ensuring that it won’t be stuck watering indefinitely. I actually develop apps similar to the B-Hive app used to control this system. I can confidently say that this is the most reliable, intuitive, and visually appealing mobile app I’ve ever used. It’s the whole package. This is also my first review, and I’m writing it because I got everything I wanted, which is a rare occurrence for me.

I read the reviews for the product before buying it and have to say I was very concerned going into this, but the product has really paid off. First I want to mention that I do have an iPhone. Not sure if that makes a difference to Android users but worth mentioning. Most importantly, follow the directions. They are clear and easy to follow. Down load the App to your phone first. I'm using the Orbit B-Hyve app from the Apple Store, but there is an Orbit B-Hyve Pro app available for $9.99. Not sure what you get for the price, but I decided not to try it at this point. Once downloading the app just follow the prompts. Super easy. Just don't do things out of order. I would have given the product a 4.5 Star rating if that was an option. I couldn't give it a 5 Star rating because I felt a bit jilted when I found out that the Amazon Alexa connection seems quite limited. Yes, you can connect to Alexa using the Orbit B-Hyve skill but it's not hassle free and doesn't appear to offer any real perk over just using the B-Hyve app on your phone. It may be that the Alexa Skill is still be developed for a real world experience. I'll keep my eye on it, but doubtful that it will be able to do what I want given its current limitations. I have two Orbit B-Hyve devices. After making the purchase and being excited about hooking in Alexa, I found that the Skill only supports one device and I still haven't figured out how to make that particular connection. I'm not the most techy person so others may have a better experience. All said, if needed, I would buy the Orbit B-Hyve again without hesitation. The price is great compared to other products I looked at and though it's a bit complicated to run through all the set up, if you just take your time and stick with it, the product is worth the effort.

Buying the timer with the hub is the way to go. You can also buy an additional timer and connect multiple timers to one hub which is great. programming the timers is simple form the app. Connecting everything to the network is simple and requires no special skills other than to know where the MAC address is on the timers. Its on the white sticker. ha! I am happy with the simplicity and easy install, my plants are happy with the precision watering. I bought two 2 port timers and installed a drip watering system for blueberries, apple trees and the usual raised bed summer vegetables.

I had originally ordered a RainPoint WiFi timer that couldn't connect to my network. Testing in another home found that it couldn't connect to two random networks. That made it into a return. Amazon is great that way. I troubleshot the RainPoint with AI and after it couldn't help and saw it was a lost cause, it recommended two other products. I'd heard of Orbit products, usually with a good reputation. It also had a cheaper price. I got it. It connected to my network without any problem. Following the instructions was easy. I even moved it after setting it up and it reconnected immediately. I then setup each of the zones - very easy to do, but I can't fully describe all the surprise functionality the WiFi timer has integrating with weather, photos, and descriptions of your landscaping. I've had it hooked up for less than a full day and, with the testing, have used it 15 times, with the very easy manual option and rain delay settings. If I become disappointed at some time, I'll stop back. This is my first WiFi water timer and I am much impressed so far.

Update:. It’s dead. It was a serious pain in the ass and a serious waste if money. It lasted about two years during which it was unreliable and enormously frustrating. In its final hours it opened valve one and never closed it or operated any other valve. I am happy to see it go. IT HAS NO WAY TO MANUALLY OPEN OR CLOSE A VALVE! If you want to control your home irrigation, keep shopping. Or, you could save yourself the hassle and money if you buy a few solenoid valves and a smart power strip. Original review: This product is not designed for what I needed to do. I wish that that had been more evident to me before I purchased it and discarded the packaging. I purchased this to assist in watering plants on my balcony because it provided four zones and could be controlled by Alexa. What I did not realize that the device can only be controlled by Alexa verbally, it cannot be automated using Alexa. The device includes an application that permits scheduling. All of the schedules are subject to rain delays, based on the Recent weather in the area of the devices located. Rainy or not, it doesn’t rain on my balcony. There is no way to disable the delays that I have found. If you are buying it to irrigate your garden, or flower bed, and you do not mind managing the schedules in the b-hyve application, this is probably a good product. If, like me, you seek a product that is programmable directly from Alexa or other home assistant and does not adjust your schedule based on recent weather, pass on it.

Hallo, ich habe mir den B-Hyve XD über Amazon.de bestellt. Der Netzstecker passt nicht für die übliche Steckdose und zudem kann ich nirgendwo erkennen, welcher Anschlusstyp (Gewinde) der Wasserausgang ist. Keiner der Schlauchadapter, die ich zu Hause habe passt. Ich kann auch keine EMail-Adresse finden um den Verkäufer zu kontaktieren. Darum versuche ich es auf diesen Weg. Ich bitte darum, dass sich ein Mitarbeiter der Firma Orbit bei mir meldet. Ansonsten muss ich das Gerät zurück schicken. Weshalb dieses überhaupt in Deutschland ausgeliefert wird, ohne einen Hinweis, dass verschiedene Adapter benötigt werden, kann ich nicht verstehen und macht schon mal einen schlechten 1. Eindruck.

Great product. Warning, though: In Australia the taps have a different screw-in groove standard. You’ll need an adapter.

There is nothing to say as a minus for this product. I am very happy with it. Before this I had a Gardena Master + water distribuitor which was getting stuck. With this, not only that works flawlesly, but you can as well use the app features and functions which are awesome.

This is a powerful unit with a lot of features, made accessible via the WiFi hub. Set-up of all components is well documented and straightforward. HOWEVER, UK and European users need to be aware that all fittings are US NSP which DO NOT accept our BSP fittings. The inlet leaks when connected to a BSP-threaded tap and BSP-threaded hozelock connectors CANNOT be screwed on the outlets at all! Thread adaptors are available from third-party suppliers on Amazon, but are quite expensive. A US to UK or EU power adapter plug is also required for the WiFi adapter, but UK/European mains 230 volts is supported and works fine.

Hasta hace poco el termporizador fiuncionaba excelente pero desde hace una semana tengo problemas con los programas pues finalizan antes del tiempo establecido. Desafortunadamente no existe soporte a cliente en la página del fabricante Orbit.