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Full services directory How it worksFor prosAbout Get matched Call (866) 582-8523Weather-based controllers, rain sensors and soil moisture sensors all do one thing: stop the system watering when the landscape does not need it. They cannot fix coverage. Here is how to tell which problem you have.
A smart irrigation upgrade replaces a fixed timer with control that responds to conditions. The EPA's WaterSense programme labels two kinds: weather-based controllers, which the EPA describes as using "local weather and landscape conditions to tailor watering schedules", and soil moisture-based controllers, which "monitor moisture levels in the soil to prevent irrigation when water is not needed". A rain sensor is the simpler, cheaper version of the same idea — it interrupts a cycle when it has rained.
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Confirm the existing system can benefit
The installer checks zone count, valve wiring condition and whether the current zoning is sound. Smart control multiplies the quality of the underlying design — it does not substitute for it.
Watch for: A quote that never asks about the existing zones. Fitting a weather-based controller to a system where turf and beds share a valve automates a compromise rather than removing it.
Choose between weather-based, soil-moisture-based, or both
Weather-based control estimates how much water the landscape has lost to evaporation and plant use, and adjusts run times accordingly. Soil moisture control measures directly at a sensor buried in the root zone and skips cycles when it is already wet.
Watch for: A soil moisture sensor placed in an unrepresentative spot — under a downspout, in a hollow, or in soil unlike the rest of the zone. One badly sited sensor makes decisions for the whole zone.
Swap the controller and transfer the wiring
Zone wires are moved terminal by terminal from the old controller to the new one, the common is connected, and each station is tested to confirm it fires the valve it is labelled as firing.
Watch for: Zones not re-verified after transfer. Labels on old controllers are frequently wrong, and an unverified swap means the schedule you carefully set for the shady zone is running the driveway strip.
Fit the sensors
A rain sensor mounts in the open where it will actually catch rain, wired or wireless back to the controller. A soil moisture sensor is buried in the root zone of a representative area of the zone it governs.
Watch for: A rain sensor mounted under the eaves or in a tree's shadow because the wire reached. It will never see the rain, and you will never know it is not working.
Set up zones properly in the software
This is where the value is. Each zone is described to the controller — plant type, soil, sun exposure, slope, head type — because the controller's adjustments are only as good as the description you gave it.
Watch for: Every zone left on default settings. A controller set up in four minutes behaves like the timer it replaced, and this is the most common reason a smart upgrade disappoints.
Check restrictions and utility rebates before finalising
Watering restrictions can be entered into most smart controllers so the schedule never breaches them. Separately, the EPA notes that "some utilities offer rebates to help you water smarter outdoors" — availability, amounts and eligible models are set locally.
Watch for: A rebate quoted to you as a number by a salesperson. Confirm it on your own water utility's website, in your own name, before it affects your decision — these programmes change and lapse.
Run a full cycle and hand over the app
Every zone runs once with you present, you are shown how to trigger a manual cycle and a seasonal skip, and the account is put in your name rather than the installer's.
Watch for: The controller left registered to the contractor's account. Getting it transferred later, especially after a change of company, is a genuinely tedious problem.
A controller swap is a modest hardware purchase plus a short visit; sensors add a little each. The bigger variable is whether zone corrections are needed first. Check your water utility for rebates before buying — availability varies. Full breakdown in the Cost Guide.
See the full smart irrigation installation cost guide — by material, size and region →
Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.
The two WaterSense-labelled approaches, and the cases where each is stronger.
Hardware families, zone limits and expansion modules.
Measure distribution before automating it — the diagnostic that tells you whether control is your problem.
Where the zoning itself is what limits efficiency.
Will you look at my zoning before recommending a controller?
The answer tells you whether you are buying advice or a box. A contractor who inspects the zones first is the one who will tell you if the controller is the wrong purchase.
How will you set up each zone in the software, and will you do it with me?
This is where the water saving lives. Sitting through the setup means you understand the settings well enough to change them later.
Where exactly will the sensors go, and why there?
Placement is the whole game for both rain and soil moisture sensors. You want a reasoned answer about exposure and representativeness, not "wherever the wire reaches".
Will the account be registered in my name?
Connected controllers are tied to an account. If it stays with the contractor, so does your control.
Have you verified my zones fire the stations they are labelled as?
Old controller labels are wrong surprisingly often, and an unverified transfer silently misapplies every schedule you set.
Does my utility have a rebate, and what evidence will I need?
A good local contractor will know the programme exists and what paperwork it wants — but confirm it yourself on the utility site. Never let a quoted rebate figure go unverified.
Can restrictions be programmed in so the system cannot breach them?
Most smart controllers support day and time restrictions. Having them configured means compliance stops depending on your memory.
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