The Incredible Growth of Smart Irrigation Controllers Industry

An irrigation controller is a device used to operate automatic irrigation systems such as lawn sprinklers and drip irrigation systems. Most controls can set the frequency of watering, start time, and duration of watering. Some controllers have additional functions such as multiple programs to enable different watering frequencies for different types of plants, settings for rain delay, input connections for sensors such as rain and freeze sensors, soil moisture sensors, weather data, remote operation etc.

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Some of the key players of Smart Irrigation Controllers Industry:

Galcon, Hunter Industries, HydroPoint Data Systems, Inc, Jain Irrigation, Inc., Rachio, Inc., Rain Bird Corporation, Scotts, Skydrop, The Toro Company, Weathermatic

There are two basic types of controls: electric and hydraulic. Most automatic irrigation valves are diaphragm valves where the water must be drained over the diaphragm for the valve to open. In a hydraulic system, the controller and valves are connected by small plastic tubing approximately 4 mm (¼ in) in diameter. The controller opens the pipe connected to the valve and lets this valve open. Most newer systems use electromechanical or electronic controls. In this scenario, the controller is connected to a circuit that operates a magnet (solenoid valve) attached to each valve. When the magnet is activated, the water is drained over the membrane and the valve opens.

Although sophisticated controls have been available for many years to automatically adjust irrigation schedules to suit the weather, until recently these controls were out of the reach of the average consumer. One type are evapotranspiration regulators or "ET regulators". Several manufacturers are now making controls that can be automatically updated either from a simple weather sensor, via a pager updated daily from a network of local weather stations, or automatically via soil moisture sensors. Several companies have also launched products that collect information from the Internet to update the irrigation schedule.