The best smart watering systems of 2026: hose timers and sprinkler controllers

Usually, as long as you stick to the rules: watering restrictions are set by your municipality and often limit lawn sprinklers to certain days and hours. Drip irrigation and hand watering may be treated differently. Check your municipality's current rules before relying on an exemption, and set the controller to the allowed days and times. Watering cans and rain barrels are usually fine, and a controller with a weather skip helps you use less water.

Multiply flow by time: a sprinkler delivering 600 litres an hour uses 200 litres in 20 minutes. If you're on a water meter, divide by 1,000 and multiply by the price per cubic metre on your water bill, adding the wastewater charge if it's billed on water used. Drip lines use far less: 30 drippers at 2 litres an hour for an hour is 60 litres. A controller that skips runs after rain avoids wasted cycles.

For a hose or drip kit, a hose timer is enough; for an in-ground sprinkler system, choose a multi-zone controller that drives solenoid valves. Pick Wi-Fi through a hub rather than Bluetooth alone, so you can change schedules away from home and use weather skips. Check it works with your system, whether Alexa, Google Home or Apple Home, and that the outdoor faucet is within range. A soil moisture sensor is worth adding on sandy or clay soils.

Only if it's rated for low pressure or you add a pump, because a rain barrel gives very little pressure by gravity. Many hose timers need a minimum pressure to open their valve, which a barrel standing at ground level may not reach. Look for a gravity-fed timer, raise the barrel on a stand, or use a small submersible pump switched by the timer. Drip lines suit rain barrel water best; sprinklers need the full pressure of your outdoor faucet.

Bring it indoors before the first frost, because water left inside can freeze and crack the valve. Unscrew it, drain it, take the batteries out and store it somewhere dry. Drain hoses and drip lines too, then shut off and drain the outdoor faucet from its valve inside the house if it has one, or install an insulated faucet cover; even a frost-free faucet needs the hose disconnected. In spring, put in fresh batteries and clean the inlet filter before reconnecting.