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App control included: The smart valves are not dependent on commands
Photo: Berti Kolbow-Lehradt
If you water your plants automatically, you don't have to struggle to get out of bed in the morning at the best watering time and you don't need neighbors to take over the holiday cover.
Timers have been around for a long time.
Yet they only push service on a fixed schedule.
They don't care if the lawn is still damp from the rain or if the shrubs are thirstier than usual.
Smart systems irrigate more economically and flexibly by measuring the soil moisture with sensors or taking into account weather forecasts from the Internet.
They also react to manual control commands from a smartphone app.
With this, garden fans can treat the greenery to an extra sip from their vacation spot if a drought was not foreseeable before they left.
If you want to retrofit your garden with smart irrigation technology, you will find more and more choices.
We tested four systems that represent a cross-section of the market and represent different operating approaches.
The tested models at a glance:
Eve Aqua
The computer valve from the German manufacturer only waters Apple fans' gardens.
It is tailored to the HomeKit platform and can only be controlled via it or directly via iPhone and iPad.
The second generation of 2020 was tested.
Essentials Smart Garden irrigation system
The brand of the German manufacturer We Smartify wants to score with a no-frills basic equipment for little money.
The scope of delivery includes a wireless bridge to the home network, which is also a smart adapter.
Gardena Smart Water Control
The electric valve from the German-Swedish manufacturer is part of a coordinated system for smart irrigation and lawnmowers.
The radio gateway required for the home network costs extra.
Royal Gardineer Dual Irrigation Computer BWC-510
The test device from the private label from the German online retailer Pearl is the only one that has two outlets and therefore supplies twice as many water circuits.
The wireless gateway, which also serves as a smart switch socket, is included in the price.
This is how we tested:
Installation
: How difficult is it to put the technology into operation and connect it to the home network?
Are all necessary adapters and batteries included?
Manual app and voice control
:
Which casting functions does the manufacturer software offer and which language assistants do the valves listen to?
Automation
: How convenient and flexible can automatic pouring be created?
To what extent can external sensors for soil moisture and temperature be linked?
Eve Aqua (2nd Gen 2020)
Encased in an elegant black and silver-colored housing, Eve Aqua is suitable for garden lovers for whom aesthetics are particularly important.
However, it must not be too dusty at the installation site.
The machine is not expressly sealed against this.
However, the protection class IPX4 certifies that it can withstand a rain shower.
Eva Aqua is quickly screwed onto common outside taps, provided they accept a 3/4 inch thread.
There are no accessories in the box for converting to a 1-inch thread.
Standard hoses fit to the outlet.
Eve supplies an adapter for click fasteners.
Praiseworthy: The two required AA batteries are also included in the scope of delivery – this is not the case with other manufacturers.
If you don't just want to control the device using the housing button, you need an iPhone or iPad for further setup - Android devices are left out.
Simple switch-on and switch-off signals from the manufacturer app (download: iOS ) can be sent directly via the mobile device's Bluetooth connection.
Automatic rules and remote access on the go, on the other hand, require a HomeKit control center - such as the smart HomePod Mini speaker or an Apple TV 4. The control center receives the signals via WLAN and forwards them to Eve Aqua using the wireless standard called Thread.
In order for all commands to arrive, the distance between the control center and the switching electronics should not be much greater than 20 meters when using Bluetooth or Thread.
In the practical test, however, we did not experience any communication problems even at a distance of 30 meters between the gazebo and the water tap.
Together with other Thread devices, a meshed network can be set up that automatically forwards control signals and thus closes any dead spots.
The Eve app needs a little training before it can be used quickly and easily.
With a manual start, a pouring time of ten seconds to four hours can be stored.
In automatic mode, the available casting lengths vary slightly and start at one minute.
Up to seven schedules per day can be stored - more than in any other test device, and the times of sunrise and sunset can also be used.
In addition, Eve Aqua can also water depending on the soil moisture.
Although the manufacturer does not have its own sensor for soil moisture, it can be connected to Gardena's accessories via the HomeKit platform.
This is less convenient than with a one-stop solution.
The data does not flow in automatically, but only when using if-then rules.
Alternatively, an automatic function can be set up with Eve's temperature sensor, Eve Weather, depending on the temperature and humidity, but this does not lead to results that are as precise as with a ground sensor.
A rain break can only be integrated awkwardly via a Siri voice command.
Essentials Smart Garden Irrigation System
We Smartify's simple knit watering computer from the Essentials sub-brand does not offer particularly chic technology, but it does offer robust technology in a housing that is protected against dust and splash water according to IP54.
The machine connects to standard taps with a 1-inch thread.
It can be trimmed for a 3/4-inch thread using the adapter supplied, but there are no click fasteners for hoses or the AA battery quartet required for operation.
The Essentials valve can be controlled via smartphone with the manufacturer app on both common operating systems (download for Android and iOS).
Because the watering machine exchanges signals at a frequency of 433 MHz, a radio gateway serves as a link to the WLAN network.
It is not specially sealed and requires a dry place.
With up to 80 meters between valve and gateway, the radio range is very high.
The adapter plug embedded in the gateway can also be reached by radio and can, for example, integrate non-smart floor lamps into the smart home control.
Coupling the technology in the Essentials app is quick, but may require adjustments to the WLAN router because the device only transmits in the 2.4 GHz range.
The app is easy to use once you get used to it.
Like Royal Gardineer, it is based on the reference app from the Chinese Tuya platform and shares the same operating logic.
The app activates the valve manually for an adjustable period of between one and 60 minutes.
The pouring time can be increased to up to twelve hours using a timer.
The software only saves three plans and can therefore be adjusted less flexibly to the thirst of the garden plants than that of Eve and Gardena.
In addition to schedules with fixed times, if-then rules for automatic watering at twilight times can also be created.
One is needed to open the valve, for example, 20 minutes before sunrise, and a second to close it ten minutes before sunrise.
More convenient than Eve: With another rule, the next watering can be suspended for 24, 48 or 72 hours if the internet weather forecast announces rain.
If you want to take local soil moisture into account for automatic irrigation, you can use the Royal Gardineer sensor.
It is identical in construction to that of Essentials and, in contrast to it, is actually commercially available.
The coupling works because both use the technical substructure of Tuya.
The Tuya origin offers another advantage.
Because of you, the Essentials technology can be combined with the large selection of components in the Tuya app called Smart Life (download for Android and iOS).
Voice commands with Alexa and Google Assistant are also possible there.
The Essentials app itself doesn't do that.
Gardena Smart Water Control
Gardena makes it really expensive for garden fans to water the plants smartly.
The set with the necessary radio gateway for the connection to the WLAN home network costs around 300 euros.
Sometimes a soil moisture sensor is already included, otherwise it costs 65 euros extra.
Against this background, the fact that a few euros are added for the AA batteries that are not included in the delivery is hardly significant, but it is still annoying.
After all, there is a complete set of adapters in the box.
Gardena Smart Water Control is therefore quick and easy to connect to common taps and hoses.
Apart from the housing itself, the valve can be controlled using the manufacturer app (download for Android and iOS).
It sends the signals to the WLAN gateway and this to the valve, which can be up to 100 meters away from the connection point.
Together with Royal Gardineer, this is the highest wireless range in comparison.
The smart valve can be opened either manually or automatically via an app for up to 90 minutes.
With up to six circuit diagrams that can be stored, the casting strategy can be defined very flexibly.
Only Eve offers an additional watering cycle.
The ease of use is again the highest with Gardenas software.
It greatly simplifies planning for garden fans with the »Gardena-supported mode«.
An assistant clarifies the plant category, soil type, usual sunshine duration at the planting site and the irrigation method used.
Optionally, the sunrise and sunset, the rain forecast and the soil moisture can be taken into account in the irrigation planning at the touch of a button.
The software then displays the next calculated watering times and takes care of the rest.
The fact that Gardena offers its own battery-operated soil moisture sensor is an advantage for operation.
In the test, after planting and setting up the measuring technology, we hardly have to adjust anything.
The software processes the data by itself.
If the soil is moist enough according to the sensor, the gateway suspends the next watering.
The preset threshold of 50 percent soil moisture can be adjusted via app if desired.
Practical: The sensor is so flat in the bed or lawn that a robotic lawnmower cannot decapitate it.
Gardena's other smart home range offers little more than a smart adapter plug.
But if you want to couple the technology with components from other manufacturers, you have more possible combinations than any other brand in the test.
Gardena Smart Water Control can be integrated into Apple HomeKit, Home Connect Plus, IFTTT, Smart Home by Hornbach and Telekom Magenta Smart Home.
The Valve accepts voice commands from Alexa and Siri.
Royal Gardineer Dual Watering Computer BWC-510
The watering technology of Pearl's own brand Royal Gardineer is very similar to that of Essentials.
This is not surprising as it also uses the same substructure of the Tuya smart home platform.
The biggest difference: The housing, which is sealed against dust and rain according to IP54, has two outlets at the bottom, from which just as many water circuits can be operated separately.
However, the connectors for the two hoses to be connected are not in the box.
After all, the thread for the water tap connection can be reduced from 1 inch to 3/4 inch using the adapter supplied.
The four AA batteries required for operation are also missing here.
In order to control the irrigation via smartphone, the valve and the wireless gateway in an adapter plug design must be set up with the manufacturer's Elesion app (download for Android and iOS).
We had to disable the router's 5 GHz band in the test to establish contact with the WLAN, otherwise it didn't work.
Despite the externally identical technology, the valve may be a little further away from the gateway than with Essentials.
Pearl calls a maximum range of 100 meters.
The Elesion app looks very similar to that of Essentials because of the common Tuya origin and offers almost the same range of functions.
Manual operation is easy, automatic rules require a little more training.
On board are manual and automatic shifting with variable pour duration.
In addition, a maximum of three watering cycles can be set according to the time of day or punctually at dusk for each watering connection.
An automatic watering pause of 24 to 72 hours is possible if rain is announced.
Unlike Essentials, Royal Gardineer has a soil moisture sensor with model number NX-6478 for 25 euros.
A target value for the soil moisture can be set in 20 percent increments not via the app, but only via the housing button.
When this is reached, the valve automatically stops watering.
The measured temperature and soil moisture of the sensor cannot be accessed for if-then rules.
If you don't want to start irrigation via the app or directly on the valve, you can do this alternatively with an Alexa voice command or a Siri shortcut.
However, a scene must first be created in the Elesion app.
Direct switching does not work.
In addition to the Amazon platform, Pearl's technology is also compatible with the Tuya platform and can be controlled with its Smart Life app.
In addition, the irrigation computer can be controlled with a few more brands at the same time than in Pearl's Elesion app.
Conclusion
All tested irrigation systems are beginner-friendly and quickly ready for use - if necessary even at the last minute before going on vacation.
The four options offer at least time-controlled watering ex works and, compared to conventional timers, can also be operated via smartphone.
more on the subject
Testing outdoor sockets: how gardening tools become smartBy Berti Kolbow-Lehradt
The Gardena system is the most convenient way to implement extras such as an automatic watering pause based on current climate data.
Because the integration into automation platforms for the smart home is not neglected, the garden specialist offers the best package overall.
With the Royal Gardineer valve, garden fans have to invest a little more time in building the rules because the app doesn't take quite as many steps.
The solution itself, including the soil moisture sensor, is not nearly as expensive as that of Gardena.
Eve Aqua is best suited for Apple fans who want to build a nationwide wireless network with Thread components using the HomeKit platform.
The simple Essentials model comes into question when low acquisition costs are an absolute priority.
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