Automatic sprinkler systems can be super convenient, but they can also be a waste of resources if they turn on right before, after, or during a rainstorm. Time to upgrade!
This weekend the New York Times reported on the Cyber-Rain XCI. The system networks to your home computer to access the latest weather reports for your area before turning on the hose.
The $350 kit includes a wireless controller that connects to your existing
sprinkler system. A wireless access point connects to your computer. The two nodes talk to each other in order to make the most out of the upcoming weather. The controller also lets you configure up to eight zones, so if you succulents in one area of the yard and tropicals in the other you won't be dousing or droughting either.
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hmm. I keep waiting for a sprinkler system that tests the moisture level of the soil. If it is wet enough it puts off watering until another day! Weather reports around here are notoriously iffy. And, the weather patterns so variable from place to place. Often it rains not 10 minutes from our house, but we get not a drop. Or it rains for 2 seconds, which is certainly not enough to water a lawn! I think this system would be a big waste for us...but, maybe good for folks in an area with reliable weather patterns and weather reports!
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