Rachio Smart Hose Timer Starter Kit Review

Rachio is expanding beyond smart sprinklers with its latest controller, the Smart Hose Timer Starter Kit ($99.99), which adds smart capabilities to your ordinary garden hose. The timer valve installs in minutes, supports scheduling, comes with an intuitive companion app, and can even change its behavior based on the local weather forecast. That said, this outdoor smart home device doesn't ship with the batteries it requires or work with third-party services. For a bit less money, the older Orbit B-Hyve Smart Hose Faucet Timer ($82.99) remains a better choice, thanks to its Alexa support and superior expansion options.

The Rachio Smart Hose Timer Starter Kit comes with a timer valve and a hub that connects it to your Wi-Fi network. The valve measures 6.1 by 2.0 by 3.2 inches (HWD) and sports an IPX5 rating. It has a gray housing with a blue rubber button on the front for turning the water on or off manually, as well as a small LED that becomes blue when you turn the water on and red when you turn it off. The top of the valve has a coupling that screws onto a standard outdoor spigot, and the bottom has one for attaching a standard garden hose. Behind a removable back cover is a compartment for two AA batteries, but you have to supply those. Rachio says the battery should last a full watering season, though that's dependent on several factors such as the outside temperature and how often you use your hose.

The valve has a pressure range of 10psi to 110psi and works with cold water only. It lacks a Wi-Fi radio and instead uses Bluetooth to connect to the included Wi-Fi hub for network connectivity. The puck-shaped hub measures 1.5 by 2.5 by 2.9 inches (HWD) and contains a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio. It has a small LED on top that blinks yellow when the hub first powers up, flashes blue when it is pairing with the app, blinks purple and white while it is connecting to the network, pulses yellow during a firmware update, and glows solid green when the hub and valve are communicating properly. Around the back is a power jack for the included adapter.

The hub is for indoor use only, and Rachio suggests placing it within 200 feet of the valve. You can connect up to four timer valves (each of which costs $69.99) to a single hub. For comparison, the Orbit B-Hyve hub supports up to 36 timers (each of which retails for $59.99).

The Smart Hose Timer uses local weather information to determine whether it needs to skip a day due to current or forecasted rain. It can also keep track of how long each watering cycle runs, though it can't tell you how much water it has used like the Eve Aqua controller. The timer does not currently support Alexa, Google Assistant, HomeKit, or IFTTT, which means no third-party integrations are possible. The company says third-party device support is on the roadmap, but it didn't specify for which platforms.

The timer pairs with the Rachio app (available for Android and iOS), like all of the company's other devices. It appears in a panel on the Devices screen that shows its name, the remaining battery level, and a Quick Run button that lets you begin watering for up to 24 hours in increments of one second. Tap the panel to open a screen where you can initiate a Quick Run, create schedules, add a new valve, and view past watering-cycle times and upcoming scheduled cycles. Press the gear icon in the upper right corner to view and edit the hub’s network and Bluetooth details.

As for push alerts, the app notifies you of scheduled runs and any times it won't run due to rain. Rachio says it plans to add battery-status notifications in the future.

The Smart Hose Timer takes little time to install. I already had the Rachio app on my phone, but you need to download that and create an account if this is your first device from the company.

To begin, I tapped the plus button at the bottom of the Devices screen, selected Smart Hose Timer from the list, and chose my home location for the installation. Per the app instructions, I turned the hub on, confirmed that the yellow light was blinking, and scanned the QR code on the back of the device. Next, I connected my phone to the hub's Wi-Fi, returned to the app, and selected my home network there. A firmware update for the hub took a few minutes to go through, but then it was time to install the two AA batteries in the timer valve. I confirmed that no LEDs were flashing on the valve and pressed the button until the LED began blinking blue and yellow. The app immediately found the valve and connected it to the hub. I waited another five minutes or so for the valve’s firmware to update before I attached it to my backyard spigot and a garden hose. I gave the timer a name to complete the installation.

I used the Smart Hose Timer and an oscillating sprinkler to water a section of my backyard garden that is out of reach of my in-ground sprinkler system. Everything worked perfectly. The device had no trouble following my schedule, and it responded instantly to app commands to turn the water on and off. It also did a great job with weather adjustments, canceling scheduled watering cycles on rainy days.

With the Rachio Smart Hose Timer Starter Kit, you can create a smart above-ground sprinkler system using just an outdoor spigot and a garden hose. It’s easy to install and manage, and it costs far less than an in-ground system. That said, it doesn't support voice controls or any third-party smart devices. The Orbit B-Hyve Smart Hose Faucet Timer keeps our top recommendation in this category because it works with Alexa, can accommodate far more timers, and costs less.

The Rachio Smart Hose Timer Starter Kit is quick to set up and turns your garden hose into a smart watering system that you can control with your phone (though not your voice).

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