Charlie White, DVICE.com
In the coming years when water is nearly as scarce as oil, you might be happy to have the Cyber-Rain XCI controlling your sprinkler system. What better device to show you than this water-saving wireless eight-zone controller? It gets local weather updates from the web a few times a day, and is aware of not only the temperature, but also of the likelihood of rain. It also lets you set up independent watering schedules for eight different areas of your yard and garden.
Cyber-Rain communicates wirelessly with your PC, where you set up its smart watering schedule. If the weather report indicates rain, it's sensible enough to suspend its wandering operations for that day. It also can adjust watering for the seasons in your area. Now if you could just connect a moisture sensor to it, Cyber-Rain would have awareness of your soil's present watering needs as well as a forecast of its future conditions.
This is a great idea, because there's nothing goofier than to see a sprinkler system watering somebody's yard in the midst of a downpour. If you already have an underground irrigation system installed, this controller can be added for $295. If water is expensive where you live, this smart box could pay for itself in less than a year.
Charlie White
DVICE.com
The tried and true rain gauge ($50) has been in existence for years. It measures your water not based on a forecast (which is wrong 50% of the time) but rather actual rainfall in the device.
Depending on rain (water) amount, it turns off your auto irrigation system. You can buy the device for your brand with a little googleing (is this a word??) for your area. Just my opinion,
Rob