Orbit B-hyve Wifi Timer How To Setup and Program
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- Опубліковано 18 бер 2016
- Demonstrates how to pair your Orbit bhyve Wifi sprinkler timer to your hom'e Wifi router, setup and test zones for watering, configure smart watering, watering restrictions, manual programs, custom programs, zones and system settings. - Video made using Android but majority of setup after pairing is identical to iOS devices. There's a new playlist on the Orbit channel with all of this broken down into shorter videos here • Orbit B-hyve
Installed a 6 station B-hyve replacing my Orbit 27999 in 20 minutes. So far I have seen no problems with the controller or app. All the problems and bugs I see here in the comments seem to have been worked out over the last year or was just operator error. It took about 10 minutes to program my 5 stations and I am testing those for a week or two before moving on to smart watering programing. Waiting too for the controller to be updated from Rev 18 to 29 current Rev. BTW my B-hyve is outside on the far wall from my wifi router and receiving is fine. Thanks Orbit and thanks Josh!
Josh, Thank you so much for the video. Very good information relating to the product. not only did you show how to set up the unit but showed how it works with the lights. Thanks
I purchases the 12 station unit. It works great and had no issues with pairing to my I phone.
Wow… well done! I had multiple questions and you answered/demonstrated every one! Thank you!!!
Thanks for video, I picked up a few tips. My town is doing a credit on my water bill as a rebate for going to a smart timer. Thanks for the video.
I just purchased this timer, can’t wait to install it, thanks 👍😁
This video was a HUGE help in understanding how to operate my Orbit bhyve. Thanks!
Thank you! This was very informative, cleared and easy to follow instructions!
There's a new playlist on the Orbit channel with all of this broken down into shorter videos here ua-cam.com/play/PLgy_FcMnNASWIZkiTRqHzffSW43NOxTSE.html
Josh, I noticed that the app told me, this morning, that my controller is turned off! I don't know how that happened, but I would have expected at least a Notification of this instead of just silently killing my plants. Can we add a notification when the controller is turned off? Sometimes, my gardener will do this and forget to turn it back on. If I don't happen to notice it, then things die! Thanks for your consideration and thanks for your help previously, re. multiple controllers!
raj3 Yes! We will try to get that in a near future release. Thank you for the great suggestion.
Great Video Thanks
I seem to recall seeing somewhere that Bluetooth capability is built into the board and Smart Phone control; could be run locally without Wi-Fi. Is this true?
The internet is problematic when it comes to getting technical (or medical) advice.
Kevin Riemer sorry, for some reason I'm just now seeing that you didn't get a response. We had plans to enable the Bluetooth chip on this timer which enables direct control without wifi. However, when we enabled it on our Pro line of timers the Bluetooth chip was super buggy and unreliable. So we decided not to enable it for everyone. BUT the second generation timers, shipping now all support Bluetooth 100% in fact the entire pairing process is now done using Bluetooth to the timer. Gen 2 timers can most easily be spotted by the program button on the timer, it has an additional program A, B, C & D now too.
Great video. I too had issue getting my timer to "pair". I had to send it back and get a replacement. But now everything seems to be working fine. Your video was very informative. Orbitz should have an "official" video like this one to show the end user all the ins an outs of the app. Thanks for taking the time!!
Thanks for taking time to do this...
great video learned alot THANK YOU
Great video - Helped us out of a jam
I just purchased this yesterday and I'm hoping this will work, I especially hope the app works and the rain sensor works,
Josh, thank you for this very informative video. You have me sold on the timer. I want to get it as soon as possible because it’s so hot (August) and what I had installed isn’t working. I just started a market farm, I live and work about an hour from the farm land so I need to remotely control the watering of my plants. I don’t have electricity yet on the farm and how can I use WiFi to operate it. Thanks for your help. You can tell I have no tech savvy here, ready to learn though.😊
If you have cellular data services where the timer will be installed you could use a cellular Wi-Fi hotspot. Typically you'd buy it from whoever you have your cell service from and just add it as a device to your plan, that covers the Wi-Fi. Electricity is going to be a bit more tricky, but maybe not. There are a number of battery powered generators that come with or can be added to a small solar panel to recharge it. I think this would be be simplest way to go. You'd have to ask around to know how big of a battery you'd need and then how large of a solar panel to recharge it. This will increase the cost of the project considerably but from what you've said there's really no other option. The lastly, you need to figure out how to protect it all from the weather and from growing legs and walking away when you're not there. Maybe you add a security camera to the whole thing. Hope that gives you some ideas anyway. Good Luck!
@@JoshWheelers josh, thank you very much. I’ll let you know how it goes.
A new Android app version (1.1.0) was just released today. If you are having trouble pairing to your timer or your timer to Wifi, running manual programs, setting rain delays or turning the timer off & on then this update should resolve these problems. If after updating you still have any problems or questions please contact Orbit tech support or you can post here too.
Josh - great instructional video. How can I change a start time on an existing program? I can't seem to find an edit button.
Thanks! You can return to the Programs screen then tap on any program, you'll see a few options, one of which will be Edit, select that. Then you can tap on a start time to edit it or swipe it to delete it. Hope that helps!
Hi Josh,
Great video! Do you mind sharing the brand and model #s of those four LED lights you are using for testing? I seen a and used a lot of those but I like your specific ones :)
I don't know the brand but the marking on it says: 1090A1 28V1W
Searched on eBay for 28VAC 1 watt lamp, found Green w/ Steel Bezel Panel Mount Round Indicator Light - Solico 28V - 1-3/4 Watt @$6.76 each 4 or more, free shipping.
Thanks for the information. How many program or schedule can you create for each zone. like on front lawn would like to water from 5 pm to 6 pm Monday to Thursday and on same zone would like to water Friday and Saturday at 11 pm. Is this possible to create such a schedule?
You can create up to four programs with up to four start times on each. Each program can have as many or as few zones as you want in it. I think your scenario is possible using two separate programs, one for the Mon - Thur and another for the Fri - Sat.
Good luck!
The last 4 digits of my MAC address are C344. Many thanks for any advice on how to get this working again. By the way, I don't see anything online regards firmware updates for the unit. Are there any updates? If so, can you please let me know how I can get the file and upload it? Thanks again!
All good. Which pigtail lights do you feature in the video?
I don't know much about them other than WAMCO 28V 1.2W 1530 is printed on them. Thanks for commenting!
Excellent video, one question - does Smart Watering supersede programmed watering?
Not sure exactly what you mean by that question but I'll try. If you have a zone in a program and set to automatically smart water, the system will warn you. However, since smart watering is based on the Zone's moisture level, if the program fills it up then smart watering shouldn't schedule it. If the program is not enough to fill it up then smart should top it off. Also, having smart watering enabled, regardless if any zones are set to smart water or not, will enable the automatic weather delays for the entire system regardless of programming method.
oh ok thanks so much great video.
I bought this timer and installed it then when to the app store to down load the app. Only to find out that you have to buy the app for $10 dollars a month. That's what my phone carrier told me
Thanks!
Josh Wheeler,I love this timer. In fact I like it so much, how do I connect 2 timers to the same b-hyve account?
Michelle, this is actually something that has been planned from the beginning but we have yet to implement it. As of now there is not a date set to add it but feedback & request are certainly helping to speed it to the top of the list. It's been one of our most popular requested new features over the last few weeks. We're all excited to see it working. I'll be sure to keep you posted as soon as it is added. Thank you for your feedback.
Michelle, the ability to connect more than one timer to one account is coming soon! Here's a sneak peak: ua-cam.com/video/0nCWSVF-3_w/v-deo.html
PWSweather.com
I have this Orbit B-Hyve controller for about 7 months now, but I'm skeptical in its smart water function for use at my location (Perth, Western Australia). The weather stations over here for pwsweather.com are far and few between. I have two relatively close pwsweather stations (closest is 7Kms away) and the information seems inaccurate. The star rated pwsweather station (international airport) is over 30Km away (too far in my opinion).
Question: why use pwsweather.com when weather underground has far more personal weather stations listed?
How can I get the B-Hyve to link into Weather Underground for weather information? Is it possible or not?
Any alternative ways to get more accurate weather to B-Hyve?
Just installed one. Easy to install and set up. One question - what are the default times for zones? I had my four zones at 10 mins each starting at 0300. I figure it would be done by 0400 with a 5 min lag between zones. Woke up at 0545 and heard water running, found zone 4 was still on, so I turned it off from the phone. I ask about default times as an older RainBird would have default 45 min timers, even if I set it shorter. If I had the four zones at 15 mins each, the RainBird would hold that additional 30mins before starting the next zone - it would take about 2.5 hours to do all four zones even if at 15 mins each. Does the B-Hyve work in a similar manner?
It depends. Are you using smart watering? If not, I recommend trying it. If you are then it could be that it is using Soak & Cycle, which spreads the watering out to maximize soil absorption. Let's say a zone needs 15 minutes of water but you've input that it's a clay mixture soil on a decent slope. In this case anything over a few minutes will start to runoff and be wasted, so, the smart system will split that 25 minutes into the waterings of five minutes each. This throws people all the time but it really is much better. You can also look at the calendar to see what will water, when and for how long. If you want to give me the last six digits your timer's Mac address I can look at the current settings and give you better details of what to expect and make some suggestions if you want.
Thanks for the great video. I was wondering if Orbit sells this timer in Canada? Also since the Smart functionality tries to develop a watering program based on the weather, where does it get this information from? Are you aware if that functionality will work in Canada (looks like you entered a zip code and we don't have that here).
Thanks!
Canada is currently in the works & the weather will be from local (as local as can be found) weather stations. Zip code has been changed to postal code and you will have an option to simply use your current location too. I can't say when that will be released but I've seen programming towards that end. I'm also not sure where it will be made available immediately either, that's a whole other department that determines logistics and I have not been made privy to that info yet. Sorry I can't be anymore specific.
Great video! I have a question that I didn't see covered, is there anyway to set a minimum watering temperature, i.e. no watering when it dips below freezing?
Robert, great question, as of now it does not set a delay on freezing weather forecast, it had been discussed previously and as of today it has been officially added to the task list of features to add. Thanks for the great question and for helping get another feature added to the list! I'll try to remember to update you when it's available.
Josh, I have been using my B-Hyve now for about 4 months and I must say I do like it. It has worked without issue continuously and without any intervention from me. Has there been any more consideration or movement on programming some type of freeze delay into the system so that just like when weather forecasts rain it delays watering, when freeze conditions are forecast it will delay watering? Since sometimes the frost doesn't necessarily kill plants, watering them and then having the water freeze will, or at least damage them with the added weight of the ice breaking branches and the likes. Again, just a feature I would certainly like to see added. Has anyone else asked about this as well?
Robert Justice this is being developed literally right now. I don't know if it will be in our next release but it should make the following one for sure. I know that the server side has stubbed it out, not sure when it will make it into the app though. We are in the middle of some big, almost huge, new product changes and launches so we are pretty busy or I'd have a more definitive date for you. Some of those changes include some bug fixes and new features to the apps, like freeze delays and finally completing the support for our physical rain & freeze sensor, which will still work with smart watering btw. Thanks for following up and I hope to be able to give you some even better news soon!
Josh, thanks for the reply and I cannot wait to see and use the improvements & functionality.
I am having issues setting up my zones. Every time I get a zone set it tells me that it is already set up in smart timer and that we will overwater. I don’t seem to be able to start over. I am actually doing this in my greenhouse and have several times on the same zone. Is this the problem ?
thanks for the video! I'm a little confused about the wifi connection part:
So the way I understood both my phone and the timer should be connected to the same wifi but after setting it up, I can control it even if I'm not connected to the same wifi as the timer. so if I'm out of town I still will be able to change the watering pattern, am I right?
Yes, you are correct. Once your timer has been connected to the Orbit server on the Internet via your home WiFi your timer can be controlled from anywhere you have internet connection on your mobile device. Thanks for posting!
2nd question. I have a zone in full sun and went yellow grass since the temp went up. I tried to lower the suggested time down to 8 min to have a base line. Is that the right approach? great video.
Are you saying it went yellow because of over watering or under watering? Typically when it gets warmer you'd want more water not less. Not sure I'm clear on what you're asking.
@@JoshWheelers It was yellow when I installed the new behive. I set it and saw that it wanted to water once every other day for 15 min each station.I thought that was high.
@@thegolfbro There are a few ways to adjust this. On the zone's detail screen you can set the moisture level, lower = water more sooner - higher = water less later; this is intended to be done once at initial startup, adjusting this too much will cause your system to take longer to normalize. Also from the zone's detail screen go to Smart Details and at the bottom you can go to Watering Schedule Adjustments, on this screen you can adjust watering duration and frequency. Also, make sure you have entered the correct landscape details for the zone, the plant type, sprinkler type and sun exposure are very important. Hope that helps.
Dear Josh, very exhaustive explaination. Just a question. Do you know if can work with a portable Wi-Fi such as Vodafone? The small portable modem will always be connected To the mains so i will always have the signal. This because is a second house and i will use this modem just for the station
Thanks
Enrico
If it's a Gen1 or Gen2 timer (not the XR) it requires a 2.4Ghz WiFi, doesn't use 5Ghz. So long as you have that with internet access it "should" work. I've used my mobile phone's hotspot before and it works pretty well.
iPhoneX worked like a charm. Only issue was the Bluetooth prompt. I had to turn on and off blue tooth while the app was open.
Thanks for taking so much time with me. Those were the directions I had, as well, and performed that procedure a lot of times. I do appreciate your help, but I already took it back to the store.
Maybe it's the phone. While the app was running and connected to the timer, my phone's wifi was connected directly to the controller wifi. That seemed to confused things. I actually brought the timer to my desk, less than three feet from the router and still no connection. The Advanced SSID setting were a little confusing because I was not sure if I was changing it for the Timer or for my router. So, I went down the list and changed it for every setting, finally leaving it on my home router WEP setting.
Jimmy, thanks for the feedback, unfortunately this is one of those things that involves a lot of variables and not everyone's experience will be the same. We try to anticipate as much as we know but there is just too many things to anticipate them all but we're getting better and your comments help and will hopefully help someone else in the future. Would it be okay if I forward your info to our management and possibly reach out to you in the future?
I have the b-hyve 12 zone timer. I like it but I have wanted to disable 1 zone temporarily, because of a broken sprinkler. I don't want to remove it from the program. Why can't I set that zone to 0 minutes? I had to disconnect the wire from that zone to temporarily disable it!!
Confusion about “watering budget.” Does this REDUCE the amount of water passing through the hoses? Or does it override the time you put in?
Sanjosemike (no longer in CA)
Watering Budget is an adjustment to the watering time/duration for all the zones in the program. It's a really cool way to make slight increases or decreases in watering time for the whole program instead of editing each zone's watering time individually.
Well done video. I'm having issues staying connected. In AZ and plants and trees dry up quick. My WiFi sets up OK but then becomes disconnected. I need to pull the plug and power up to detect it . . . then reset and it works but this is happening too often. My WiFi is very good not sure why it's disconnecting. Also I know there is a manual setting, Can i program the timer to go on and off without using the WiFi on a regular schedule? I prefer not to d that but . . . . .
The timer uses 2.4Ghz, so other things on the same frequency can cause interruptions, like microwaves and cordless phones. Try watching the signal strength while one of those things is on. Yes, you can set custom programs that will run on a schedule, no Wi-Fi needed. You'll just miss auto rain delays and other cool internet things. Also, what's the firmware version on your timer?
Josh, not sure about the firm ware version, is that the number following the MAC ?
It’s now been working for about 4-5 days!
Regarding rain delay I’ve had to over ride this several times, we get the threat and forecast of rain which kicks in the skip watering and it never rains just threatens. Thanks for your response
@@Chromewarrior the firmware version can been seen on the device details screen. From there you can also go into the Weather Adjustment screen and set the thresholds for all the delay types. For example, I have mine set the 55% chance AND more than 1/4 inch forecast before it will set an automatic delay. Hope that helps.
Josh, Great video with detailed explanation but one thing I do not understand is how does it connect to the sprinklers. I am missing that information, would you mind filling me in please. I am planning on installing the sprinklers in my yard and this would be a good fit to automate that. So, if you can guide little further that would be a great help.
This depends on whether you already have underground sprinklers & an existing timer or not. If you are simply replacing an old timer then all you need to do is transfer the wiring from that timer to the new one. Orbit has videos for that here on UA-cam. If you are starting from zero then there is a lot to figure out & fortunately we have a cool site that can help with that too. You can go to the online Sprinkler system designer, the B-hyve timer isn't on there yet, but you can just swap whatever timer is recommended with the B-hyve. www.design.orbitonline.com hope this helps.
cool. Thanks Josh. I don't have any sprinklers yet. I just did my resoding myself and now I have to install sprinklers myself. So, I was reading and viewing some of the great suggestions on the web. Once I found out the automated system I am completely married to it. Automation makes us lazy right? :) Anyway, I will check out that site soon and thank you again ...
Does it need a rain sensor ? Or it is using the location to check the forecast and run the program if it’s not rainning
Charles-André Bélanger If you have Smart Watering enabled it will monitor the local weather forecast and set delays for you. You do not have to smart water every or any zone for the rain delays to work, just have smart enabled for the system. You can use a physical rain sensor if you prefer though.
Josh, thanks for the info. Does the SmartWater feature get real time weather information over wi-fi ? For example if its watering and starts to rain would the unit stop watering ? Or if its going to rain pour tonight would the unit still water during the day ?
Alex, I'm only somewhat versed in the inner workings of Smart Watering, so, here's my understanding; It uses a combination of evaporation data specific to the timer's location (postal code), NOAA weather forecasts and the inputs you set when you configure each zone. There's been talk of using real-time evaporation data but I'm not sure where that's led to so far. If there is a certain percent probability (30% I think) that it will rain then the Smart Watering program(s) per Zone will be automatically updated. Depending on the forecast & the zone's water requirements it may or may not be watered that day. Could weather surprise the system & rain even when there is less than 30%? Yes, of course. Or could it not rain when there is a 50% probability of rain? Yes. So, there are "manual" controls built into the app that allow you to take control. There is a Rain Delay feature, you can set it to 24, 48, 72+ hours and there is a Manual Program screen that lets you create a run once program. So let's say it does rain but only for a few minutes and it's barely long enough to consider your yard watered, you can create and run a manual program. You can even create saved programs that aren't scheduled to run but can be run from the Manual Programs screen so it can be pre-configured & all you have to do is tell it to run. Just a note on Smart Watering, it uses what we call Cycle and Soak, which basically means, if there is a zone that needs 15 minutes of watering, has soil type X then split the 15 minutes 3 ways (5 + 5 + 5) for example. This is based on evaporation of the specified soil type & the amount of water your sprinklers apply per minute. Too much water & the soil will become fully saturated & start sending the water elsewhere, causing the plants to be actually under watered & could cause problems in other areas due to the runoff. So don't be alarmed if you see your yard being watered more than once in a day while using Smart Watering. We're really close to hearing back from the EPA if the timer meets their Water Sense approval standards too, which is all tied in with Smart Watering. I hope I answered all of your questions there, kinda long answer.
+Josh Wheeler Sorry, Asterix, became Alex somehow. :)
+Josh thanks for the long detailed answer.
I don't really want to baby sit the unit if it has direct connection to the Internet where real time weather information is always available. My main objective is to save water which is expensive where I live. I wish this unit could be real time aware that its raining and act on the event by stopping the program.
Also, I saw there is a "sensor" connector in the wire terminals. There is not mention about that in the manual. How is that connection supposed to work ? Can I just use the Orbit rain sensor and wire it to these terminals ?
+Asterix Galo Asterix, absolutely, I agree with you. I didn't intend to make you think it has to be constantly monitored but just let you know that you're not locked out of the timer either, you maintain control at all times and because I can't guarantee any weather forecasts I don't want to mislead you and promise that 100% of the time it will be accurate. The Smart Watering feature will save water for a lot of people, obviously this depends on how "smart" their watering already was but generally 20% savings or more can be achieved. Not only will it save water but it will water more efficiently and effectively too. On the rain sensor, let me ask the product owner for this timer and get back to you with details on how this can be accomplished, I feel like it should work but I am not the expert on that one. Thank you for your questions and comments!
+Asterix Galo I was told that Yes, an Orbit Rain Sensor will do that, here's the reply I received "Yes, there are sensor terminals on the timer that will allow for a rain sensor connection to stop watering if a sensor picks up rain." So between Smart Watering to continuously optimize the watering program and the rain sensor you should have a very efficient system. Hope this helps and thanks again.
The Orbit on-line Smart Watering FAQs state that the formula used to calculate Maximum Runtime before Runoff is MAXRT = (60 x ASA) / (AR - BIR). However, the computed value shown in the non-editable settings in B-Hyve does not match the value that this formula gives. The algorithm seems to use a different formula than that shown in the FAQ documentation. Can you provide the correct formula? (BTW, I notice that the MAXRT does not change when changing ASA so it appears that ASA is not even used in the calculation.) Or am I missing something?
Brian, I'll have to look into that question. I am no expert on the internal workings of Smart Watering. I can say that they have been making some adjustments and it could be that the FAQ just has not been updated. Thanks for commenting!
Can I run the zones out of order, such as zone 5, then zone 4, then zone 10, then zone 2, and so on? Or do I have to rewire the timer?
The timer will run them in their physical numeric order. We've briefly talked about being able to order them from the app but it's not on any to do list yet. I just installed a new one at my house & I reorganized the wires to get them in the order I wanted them in. It's not typically a big deal unless you are blessed with OCD. ;) I know it's not the answer you're hoping for for I hope it helps.
Is there a video on detail of using smart app for drip irrigation? I tried and really wanted to use it but gave up and went back to individual zones on a fixed time.
How can I determine the water percentage in drip irrigation for the existing soil. I had a soil analysis so I have a much better idea of my soil type. I was 180 degrees wrong on my soil type.
Thanks.
I have not gotten into that enough to figure it out either and I'm not aware of any videos that really gets into it either, if I find one I'll let you know. For my three grow boxes that use drip heads of some sort I also just use a set schedule and duration. Because of the sensitivity of many of these plants I feel it's better to know exactly what's going to get watered and when. It's also difficult to do on a smart schedule because some drip systems can require hours of watering instead of minutes and they can't currently water two zones simultaneously which limits the time windows in which to water. There's still a lot of benefits of the timer, auto rain/wind/freeze delays, remote control of watering, alerts and ease of programming changes. Anyway, good luck, if you figure it out maybe you could make a video ;)
@@JoshWheelers I would think if you had the total drip emitters and an area you, the system seems to be missing this input for drip system. You would have an accurate amount of water. Maybe add a sqft of area.
Very good video, and nice of you to do it on your own time, and nice for the customer support on this page, too. I love my timer and I was able to get the rebate from it, too!! Yeah!! The thing lacking from the video, which I'm looking for, is how to delete Start Times from a program from the phone app. It appears I cannot delete Start Times, only add more. :( Additionally, I cannot see how to delete a program that got in there by mistake. Perhaps these options aren't available via the app, and only at the panel, which I haven't tried yet, because I'm too lazy and it's too hot to go out there. ;) If it is an option from the app, however, it might be nice to tack it onto the end of your video for us. Thanks for all you do!
There is a way to delete, tap the "Other Saved Programs" it will show you all the programs, on the program you want to delete swipe from right to left to bring up the delete dialog. Thanks for the comment & hope that helps.
This is crazy! If a program has two (or more) Start Times and I want to remove one of them, you're saying I have to completely remove the entire program and reprogram it all over again?! Wow!
Raj, great question, no, that's not necessary, you can edit the custom program and remove just the start time(s) you no longer need. There's a new playlist on the Orbit channel with more programming info, it may be helpful to you. ua-cam.com/play/PLgy_FcMnNASWIZkiTRqHzffSW43NOxTSE.html thanks for commenting.
Ok, I see now. I took a guess that since there wasn't any obvious way to remove a start time, maybe if I swipe the time to the left... That works. Maybe a little "Swipe to delete" note would make it more clear. After all, you can swipe to delete start times, but deleting zones is done in a different fashion. Should probably be more consistent.
That's great feedback, I'll put that in our next version suggestions to make those more obvious and similar if we can, I think we should.
I've been using my B-hyve for a couple of weeks now and really like it. I'm a little confused about how it works with my computers. When I use the "Remote" feature, is my computer communicating directly with the timer or is it communicating via an Orbit server. I think when I was having trouble setting it up, the Orbit tech said that my program is stored at Orbit. Maybe I misunderstood, and it is stored in the Orbit timer. I have basically the same question about the zone pictures and watering history. Where is all this data stored. I'm wondering if everything would still work without the Orbit server.
Jeff, Hello I'm an Orbit Product Support agent. Thank you for your questions.The Bhyve timer is capable of functioning without being connected to the internet,
however, the advanced features such as zone images, smart watering and
automatic rain delays will not be available. The Apps communicate first with
the Orbit server, which then sends the program specific information to the
timer but only the data that is needed to run programs is sent to the timer, no
other information is stored on the timer.I hope this is helpful.
Can you water in seconds and not full minutes?
No, just minutes.
Thanks for your video - it doesn't show the product to be easy to use due to connection problems
On the phone app in the wearher settings, can you change it from the metric measurements to american standard numbers?
On the My B-hyve > B-hyve Account screen you can change between Imperial and Metric. Good luck
OK, thanks for the reply. I will look into it.
Josh, those testing light are really handy. Where can I get those?
Art, I'm not sure, I was given the timer like that. I'll see if I can find out at work tomorrow.
+Art Wu The lights are stamped WAMCO 28V 1.2W 1530, here's a link to a page on their site with similar lights. hope this helps. www.wamcoinc.com/lighting/ProductListing.aspx?BU_ID=67
+Josh Wheeler Thanks so much!
Really helpful video. However the images shown on the LG phone used is not the same as when I use my iPhone 6 Plus. Example, when you go to the app setting / Devices, the video screen shows a Update wifi but not on an iPhone.
Jose Diaz this video was made when the timer & app was first released, they've changed some since then. Now the Update Wifi is located on the timer details screen. However, a soon to be released version will have an option to do it from the app home screen too. Hope that helps.
Battery question-- I think I've got this right now, but there was a tag under the battery that said to pull it out. When I pulled it out, the battery went flying and it bent the small top and bottom battery contact prongs. I pushed the battery back in (+ side up), but I was still getting the low battery icon. I futzed around with it for awhile, and I it's working now (the battery icon is gone). With the battery inserted, the prongs at the bottom of the battery holder are under the battery (Negative side), and the prongs at the top of battery holder are on the top of the battery (Positive side). In other words. the battery is slid under the upper prongs, and pressed down on the lower prongs. Correct?
Yes, you have it set correctly. I had a bit of trouble figuring that one out too. :)
I am a sprinkler cotractor that is nice but what good is it if you have to be home to use it and what happens if you can't get WiFi signal out side if you are home y don't you just go to the timer cam that be used of the goggle
@ John K: In theory, you should be able to use the app from anywhere you have a network connection. If I'm outside my house and trying to test zones, I will find that the wifi isn't quite strong enough to connect. Try turning off wifi from your smart phone and go off of G3 or G4 (what your phone uses to make calls). If you have a good enough tower signal in that area you should be able to connect to your panel. I do this all the time with my smart thermostat in my house.
how do I reset my zone information, such a soil, garden, grade?
Jerry Freeman the zones button is to the right of the home button, tap that then go to the zone you want to edit the tap on Smart Details button near the top right of the zone screen, all the zone settings are there. Hope that helps.
Is this capable of being accessed away from home?
had a question about the water percentage for each zone. How do figure that out? Eye ball it?
You can guess on the starting point, the longer the system runs the more accurate it will become. It's great to be able to set initially but I recommend not changing it often as it causes the system to basically "reset" that zone and can have a negative impact if it's used too often or incorrectly.
I dont have power outlet outside will this one work without the power cord? Can I hook up my two 24v wires directly to it and remove power cord?
PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK - DOING SO MAY VOID YOUR WARRANTY! Okay, now that that's out of the way. The transformer in the Orbit B-hyve is 1/2 Amp at 24 Volts so as long as your 24V supply is between 1/2 & 1 Amp I don't see why not. I am not an engineer and can't begin to tell you how to do this but from what I've seen there's only two wires that go from the transformer to the board. If you'd like to ask for some official direction on this please email support@orbitbhyve.com Good Luck!
How you doing, Josh? I picked up one of these. I installed it on a customer’s phone. It gives me the option to “add managers and guests.” Do I need to install the app for the managers and guests??
Hi Bob, if you are logged on as the owner of the device you have the option to share that device with someone else. If the owner were to share a device/timer with you using the "Manager" option then you could also share that device out to someone else (a tech) as a "Guest" but the guest cannot share any devices but can do most everything else as far as programming goes. So, basically, it depends on who's account you install the device on. If it's on your account then you would share it to the home owner, you decide what type of share it is. If you installed it to the home owner's account then they would need to share it to you. Hope that makes sense.
Nice Video Josh. I am contemplating to replace my existing Orbit timer with this B-Hyve model. Smart Watering is cool but I want to make sure this timer is also capable in custom programming. Basically, I have 3 water zones. I want to water zone 1 on Sunday thru Saturday (7 days in a row) for 5 minutes each day; zone 2 on only Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 5 minutes each day and zone 3 on Monday and Wednesday for 5 minutes and Friday for 10 minutes. Is this programming possible using Programs A, B and C of this timer; or is it impossible? Thanks
netmann thanks for the comment! Yes, that will work and if you get the second generation of this timer it has a bonus D program so you can have one more than before. The only way to know is by checking the picture on the box, unfortunately they reused the same part number. The Program button should show ABCD where the original one says just ABC.
Thanks Josh for the quick reply. Does the second generation timer also come in the 6-zone model? I will look for the 4-program timer. There seems to be a lot of 3-program timers still available in the market so finding the 4-program ones would not be easy. One thing I am concern is if for example you configure zone 1 and it registers it as Program A, would zone 1 be still available for Program 2 and program 3? My custom programming I indicated above would require this setup. From your video, it appeared when you custom program the timer, the zones you assigned went from Dark Green to Light Green in color resembling their unavailability. Am I wrong? Please advise. Thanks
netmann you can have a zone in as many programs as you want. And you can give it different runtimes in each program. And each program can have up to 4 start times. And each program can be run by day of the week, even calendar days odd calendar days or on an interval of something like 1 (every day) all the way to 30 or something (it's a lot). So it really is very flexible, almost confusingly so. Hope that helps.
Josh, thanks again...My last questions are:
1) What is the difference between Water Budgeting and Water Restrictions?
2) Does water budgeting affect the entire program, or could it only apply to a particular water zone (valve)?
3) My current timer is 57194. What I've found out is when I set the water duration times to say 3 minutes, it waters to 5 minutes by default. When set to 7 minutes, it defaults to 10 minutes, etc. It only delivers to the next 5-minute intervals! I actually measured it with a stop watch. Does B-Hyve act the same, or does it deliver to the exact times that have been set at?
netmann 1) Budget is a percentage of the runtime, 100% will be exactly what the time is 50% will be 1/2 of the time and 200% would be twice the time and everything between. Restrictions are days and times the Smart Watering can or cannot set a program to run during. 2) Budget amount is applied to all zones in the program. 3) It will water to the minute (or as close as it can) unless a budget is set on the program. Hope that helps, ask as much as you need. :)
How do you wire it for an index valve with electric 24 volt coil 5 zones
I have never used one of those. The timer does have a constantly on 24 VAC Out and a Pump terminal so you might be able to find a way. You can email support@orbitbhyve.com and they may be able to help you figure this out too. Good luck!
Can this unit be controlled from a 3 party control system like crestron via telnet or similar?
Sorry, I've never heard of those things but I'll ask someone that knows and will get back to you.
How can i set for my water days just put in new sod st agustin and I want to water it 3 times a day till its safe to lower it to 2 times a day and different hours thanks
You can set a Custom program in the Programs section of the App. Each program A,B,&C can have up to four start times.
If you have a program with two zones, will both zones start at the scheduled start time or will zone 1 run first, then zone 2 when zone 1 finishes? I created a program with both zones, and tested it, but only one zone starts at the scheduled time. I know both zones work because I've used the test function for both.
It's sequential by zone number. So, if you want them to run in a particular order you have to rewire them in the sequence you want them to run in. Timers do this mainly because not everyone has enough water pressure to run two full zones at once. And not all timers have large enough transformers to keep two valves open at once.
@@JoshWheelers thank you! Appreciate the reply.
hello thanks for the video! but why is there an cellphone icon on your timer....i'm connected but no icon thanks
The cell phone icon indicates that there is an active Smart Watering Program set. The type of display timers typically use kinda limits the display options.
Ok this may be a dumb question…I want to setup smart watering for my shrubs. I chose drip line. When it asks how many heads, is it how many heads are controlled via that station or is it how many heads are feeding one of the shrubs? On average, I have two heads per shrub. But a total of 12 heads controlled by that station (feeding 6 plants). Do I enter “2” or “12”?
That is an excellent question. Sorry for the delay, just didn't notice that you had commented. I would go with 12, because it will keep track of how much water is put down in total and that's the total number of heads. If you feel it's too wet or too dry you can adjust the smart watering settings to fine tune it a bit. Hope that helps.
@@JoshWheelers great, thank you for your help!
Can you run two zones at the same time if you have plenty of water pressure?
This is for the non XR versions, I'm not sure how they are rated voltage wise. The timer is not currently capable of running two zones simultaneously programmatically, however, if you wire two zones wires together into one then they will run. There is a chance it might not work too. The internal transformer is rated to run one solenoid at a time but it has been tested with two and it can work as long as the solenoids don't draw too much from the transformer. The Hydro-Rain versions (Orbit's Professional line, think Lexus to Toyota) has double the output and can definitely handle two valves at once.
Josh... I have an external rain sensor attached to my bhyve. Can you tell me if the screen has an indicator or does the app have an indicator to tell me when the bypass is on if enough rainfall occurs to trigger shutting off the controller from watering?
Mike, I have not been a part of the rain sensor testing so I'll have to ask on this one. I know that the app will tell you what the current state of the timer is, I just don't how it reports its state when the sensor has delayed watering. Great question & I hope to have a response for you very soon. Thanks for commenting.
+Josh Wheeler thanks Josh...
Mike, I got a rain sensor to test this myself. Regretfully I found that the logic for rain sensor on this timer is currently using the same logic as our non-Wifi timers. Basically, if there is a scheduled program & the rain sensor is triggered it will delay the program & display "SENS" in the main window then show "DELAY" but smaller below. Here's the unfortunate part, the app doesn't know how to handle this state and shows the program as running. We have initiated a change request on this but I don't have an ETA as of now. The good news is, the rain sensor & the timer still function properly, it's just the app that doesn't know how to handle this timer state. I hope to be able to actually improve the logic of the sensor triggered delay to be user configurable as part of this change but we'll have to see how much we have time for. Thank you very much for posting this question.
Thanks Josh and much appreciate the response. I will check mine again to test it as I also have a non wifi rain sensor.. Cheers.. Mike
Mike, I forgot to mention, make sure you unplug your timer before connecting the rain sensor. I learned that the hard way.
we just bought an indoor 8 station BHyve. We upgraded from a six station. The problem, which as yet found no solution, is when I open my app on my iPhone the font is so large I can't see all the labels. For instance, on rain delay i can't see when the next watering will begin due to the large font pushing it off the page. My husband's iPhone app is fine and it shows what mine is missing. Any ideas?
Can you tell me more about your iPhone? Size, model, OS version? Thanks!
Just installed the timer. Not too hard to pair but after the wifi connection showed on the timer, I had to restart the app to be able to continue the setup . My problem is that I can't water manually or view a manual test water from the android app. No problem editing a set program from the phone, or anything else, and after saving it shows immediately on the timer. Manual program can be set from the timer, but manual watering is a no go from the phone.
Pat, I'm sorry you were affected by this, we had an update to our servers that caused communication errors between the app and the timer. We have just published an update to the app that should resolve the communication error. The latest version of the Android app is 1.1.0 and is available now. Thank you for your feedback, it helped us to get the fix out faster. If you still encounter any errors please contact Orbit tech support, they're great at solving problems and do all they can to take care of customers.
+Josh Wheeler
Thanks for the update! It seems everything is working properly now with the 1.1.0 version
What year model is URS? What if timer doesn't start the program that is setup to run at certain time n day?
The manual test and start works, but it doesn't go off, for example when it is set to Mon. 7am, 1pm&5pm. Is it user error? Programming errors, broken solenoid n valve?(both new). Or POS app? App is installed from Google play store updated to current version. What do I need to do to get it to go off at certain time n day?
I'm going asks every behyve channel on utube til I get answers or til I get it to work or til I return it. Lmk tyia.
Make sure that you entered at least a postal/zip code in the address. If you don't do that then the clock will be off and it won't behave as expected. The more accurate the address the better the smart watering too. If manual watering works then I'd rule out solenoid. Make sure the timer is not in rain delay; which can also be affected if the address field is blank. Make sure the timer is in Auto Mode, you have to go to the timer's Device Detail screen and set the Timer Run Mode to Auto. Hope something in there helps. Also, the timer in this video was one of the first models made and I ran it until this past July and it was working when i replaced it for a higher station count one. Thanks!
Josh, in my haste to set up my new B-Hyve 12 station sprinkler timer, I didn't insert photos of the watering zones nor did I name them. Is there a way to go back and insert the photos and name the zones? Also, thank you for your excellent utube presentation......so helpful!
Yes, there is. There's a Zones screen, you can edit everything about each one there. The button to get there is right of the middle button at the bottom of the app screen.
@@JoshWheelers Josh, when I press the button to the right of the middle button, all zones are shown with a red x. If I touch a zone, a dialog box appears and states "Are you sure you want to delete this Zone". Should I delete the Zone in order to proceed with renaming and photographing the Zone?
@@frankcraig7495 No, sorry for the delayed response. There should be a button in the upper right that says "Done", after tapping that it should say "Edit", now you should be able to tap on a zone to get to its details.
@@JoshWheelers Thanks Josh, I tried it out and it works perfectly. You have been most helpful......Have a nice weekend!
Do you have video for apple phone and apple routers if not can you make one or direct us to one?
Cesar, I don't have an Apple router but my wife does have an iPhone, I'll try to get an iPhone video out in the next week or so. Do you have any specific setup questions I can try to answer?
Can you explain how the manual setting works with the dial? Where do I find the information on how to operate the system via the controller itself and not the app if I just want to test that my system is working initially. I can only set it to all. Also what are the wires you have hanging off your controller and how did you get that set up with the flashing lights?
Baby Bear It's a lot more involved from the timer but here's a link to the product page that has a link to the manual. I do as little as possible on the timer. The lights are just 24 volt led lights, I don't know where they got them from. www.orbitonline.com/products/sprinkler-systems/timers/timers/outdoor-wifi-timer/b-hyve-12-station-smart-wifi-sprinkler-timer-3455
Thanks for the link.I tried to connect through the app while on the phone with customer support and they were unable to help. They had me reset and even unplug the hardwired ribbon between the two sides and still my phone and controller wouldnt link together.I have an android and I used the 2.4 wireless connection to my router as was mentioned by someone who replied to your video.I don't know what else to enable or disable on my phone in order to establish a connection.Can you make any suggestions please. Thanks
Baby Bear can you post the last 6 digits of your Mac address? That way I can see more about your timer and contact you directly to help. Sorry for the delay, somehow I missed that you posted again.
Thanks. I managed to get it up and running on my phone. The only thing I would like to be able to do which I am still struggling with is to stop it while running if I see a leak or to run a specific zone if I want to test that all plants are being watered. Whats the easiest way to do those functions without canceling my current program?
Baby Bear if there's a program running you can't run another manual program, otherwise, from the App's home screen you can tap the remote button in the middle of the navigation bar and either select a zone or zones to run or you can tap on programs in the upper right hand corner of the screen and click on the program you want to run.
Hello, If I am away from home, does the phone app still work or I have to setup DDNS?
If the timer is connected to a WiFi router with internet access then you should have access to the timer from anywhere you have internet access.
You mention internet connection. Does it have to be connected to the internet, or can it work as a standalone system on just the wifi?
I've read a review which mentioned if you lost your wifi connection, you have to manually reconnect. Is this the case?
It Can be used without an internet connection but you won't be able to control or program the unit remotely. When you are in Bluetooth range you could connect and control it but once you lose the Bluetooth connection it's back to being a regular controller. Also, you won't get the benefits of automatic rain delays or smart watering. You will get the most out of this controller by connecting it to the internet.
There should be a way to direct connect from smartphone to bhyve for homes that dont have internet service and WiFi either Bluetooth or some other way.
The timer in this video is the Gen1 timer and it does not support BT connection. However, the Gen2 timer does. The easiest way to know if you have a Gen2 timer is to look at the program button, if it has a program D (A, B, C, D) then it is a Gen2 timer and you can control it via Bluetooth. There are two ways to do that, 1) from the app home screen tap the network icon in the upper left corner & select connect via Bluetooth 2) go to Settings > Device > then select the timer then tap on the button to control via Bluetooth. Cool thing is all the settings & programs you put on the timer through the app are still being put on the server too, so once your timer connects to the internet it has everything it needs to be wifi controlled too! Hope that helps!
I ordered two B-Hyve 12 zone controllers because I have two 12 zone sprinkler systems to cover my property, a total of 24 sprinkler zones. I hope I can run both 12 zone controllers on the same WiFi and run them both on the same iPhone. Hopefully, it won’t require different WiFi systems or using two different iPhones to control the two 12 zone B-Hyve controllers.
I have a 12 zone, 4 zone and four hose faucet timers on two different Wifi bridges and they all connect to one Wifi and are all controllable from my one phone and app.
Good luck getting them all setup, let me know if I can be of any help. One thing to keep in mind is water pressure; if were you live does not have great water pressure you may only be able to run one timer at a time.
Josh Wheeler I normally run only one zone at a time. Since the are two independent 12 zone systems, I can run two zones at the same time. I’ve tried running two zones at the same time, and the water pressure was a little low, even though both systems are fed with one inch lines. I also have only 3 Orbit brand heads on each zone. I diffuse the spray, which reduces the range on each head, but improves the coverage. The heads are space much closer than your typical sprinkler system. I also have spare zones on each system, so I can hook up temporarily hoses to extend the system, or expand the systems in the future.
I have two 12 zone B-Hyve controllers setup now. When my 12 zone B-Hyve "south" system was running, I could monitor the zones as they watered. After my 12 zone B-Hyve "south" system program finished, I had a program on the 12 zone B-Hyve "north" system to run. The "north" system program ran, but there was not apparent way that I could switch to the "north" system on the iPhone to monitor the zones watering. The "north" system only displayed the next time that the program would run, two days from today.
How can I switch back and forth between the two 12 zone B-Hyve sprinkler systems? It seems like there is no way to do that when the systems are running, to monitor the watering on the iPhone.
@@daveborchard2019 tap on the b--hyve logo. under the b-hyve logo in the middle of the App there's a little arrow pointing down and below that it says "Active Device..." after you tap the logo you'll see a dropdown list of all the devices you have on your account and if you have any devices shared with you they will be available there too. You can can also go to the "My Bhyve' menu on the bottom right then Devices then select the device you want to control and then tap on "Control This Device". Hope that helps!
@@JoshWheelers I did figure out how to switch between the two sprinkler systems. I've tried modifying the programs on one of the other system while a zone is running, and the iPhone software gets locked up hard. I can't select any of the buttons, and cannot even quit the program. I have to power down my iPhone to quit the app, because It locks up so hard!
I also think there should be a software change. If you have zones 1 thought 12 and want to run them out of order, you need multiple programs to do that. For example, if you want zones 12, 10, and 11 to be run first, you need a separate program. If you program something like zone 12, zone 8, zones 1, 2, 3, then after you save the program, it will run in the order: 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, not starting with zone 12 first. It should be possible to save the program to run the zones in the order they are programmed, not the fixed order of the zones 1 through 12.
It would also be nice to be able to run manual test run for more than 3 hours and 59 minutes. I use a spare sprinkler zone to refill hydroponic reservoir tanks. The spare sprinkler zone feeds the reverse osmosis water filter that feeds into the hydroponic reservoir tank. It normally takes 5 hours to refill the reservoir tank.
Hi Josh. My app indicates that the timer hasn't connected in a week, and when I try to manually turn on a valve to test it with the app, I get a "server not responding" error. I tried reconnecting the unit to my Wi-Fi, and although the re-connection to my home network appeared to be successful, Ithe app doesn't appear to be in-sync with the unit. Any advice?
If you can give me the last four digits of the timer's Mac Address (you can see this on the devices screen in the app or on the back of the swing panel) I can take a look at the server dashboard & see what it sees the connection status as being.
I have the Gen1 (ABC). I replaced my router with a WiFi on that works for both 2.4 and 5.0 GHz. How do I get it to stay on 2.4? I see the orbit on my wifi setup in the settings but says internet not available, can not auto-connect.
Please advise.
If you configure the new router's 2.4 GHz with the exact same SSID and Password you had on the old one then the timer will reconnect. If you used a new SSID and/or Password you'll need to update them on the timer. To update the Wi-Fi settings you have to put the timer in pairing mode. To do that you use the Dial on the timer to set it to the Off position, then you open the swing panel and press the reset button one time, the timer should now say Pair on the main screen. Now you can use the app to connect to the timer and update the WiFi settings which is done on the Device Detail screen in the app, there's a button near the bottom that says, Update Wi-Fi Settings. Hope that helps!
@@JoshWheelers Just not gonna work for me. Orbit said the wifi chip is spent. Whatever, I'm gonna say I got my money's worth from this one and get the XR model. Works with 2.4 and 5.0 wifi. I love this timer.
First, the last 4 digits of the MAC address is 52:45.
I started over today and took detailed notes. Hopefully this is not too much for a UA-cam thread.
The steps were:
* Verify the WIFI strength and password at the timer by removing my wifi network from another mobile device and re-connected. The signal strength was described as "good" on my device and the password I used successfully reconnecting the device.
* I unplugged the timer completely. The battery is not yet installed.
* Uninstalled/Reinstalled the app after clearing data to be 100% sure I am starting over
* Plugged the timer back in
* Ran the App and logged in
* Got the message "Device is set to OFF" even though it appears to be behaving as expected. Wifi icon "bars" are moving up/down
* Went to Settings/Device.
* Saw my timer.
* Still shows "timer set to OFF"
* Went to Update WIFI Settings/Reset Timer/ "OK"
* Turned "Mobile Data" off on my device
* Tapped the "Start Pairing" button
* Tapped "Connect to Timer Network" after seeing my timer on my device
* After Timer connected successfully, apps started "searching for WIFI..."
* Found my home network quickly.I clicked "Connect" and the WIFI password. (Got msg saying ...could take up to 2 mins.)
* Got quick flash message after a time saying it could not connect, check the password
* Attempted to connect again...
* Repeated 5 times. Still not connected.
Meant to mention that I reset the timer with each iteration after the first.
Jimmy, thanks for the great notes. If you would please try this. In the app, go to device settings choose your device then at or near the bottom choose Deauthorize Timer, then with the timer plugged in press and hold the reset button on the back of the swing panel until the whole screen lights up & resets, this puts the timer back to factory settings. Then try again. I checked the server and it doesn't show your timer as having connected yet but the app seems to think it has. These steps should put you at step 1 on both again.
I have one last question before I leave you alone. Should my wifi be disconnected and re-connected to the timer wifi? I could see it in the list of scanned hotspots. I would be connected to the timer and disconnected from my home network. Nest does not do that
Yes, the phone app connects to the timer via Wifi, the timer then scans for available Wifi hotspots, or it can be entered in advanced Wifi by specifying an SSID & security, then returns the list of hotspots to the app, you select the hotspot the timer should connect to & the password if required, the timer then disconnects from the app connects to the specified hotspot and the phone reverts back to its previous Wifi or cellular Internet connection.
Josh, I am having trouble getting the OrbitSmartHome network to show up on my Android phone. The timer shows the Bluetooth symble and an exclamation mark that are blinking. What am I doing wrong?
There's a few things it could be and without more context I'm just guessing here. First, have you previously paired the timer before & just need to update the settings? Second, are you going through the B-hyve app or just the Wi-Fi settings? Third, if it was setup previously you should be able to go to the device details screen & then tap on Update Wi-Fi. Fourth, if this is the first attempt at pairing it you may need to power cycle the timer to reset the pairing connection. Beyond this, if you haven't already please reach out to the customer support team. Sorry I can't be of more help here.
How well does the automatic rain delay work?
It works quite well, however, in my opinion it is a little too aggressive for where I live in that we get storms that roll through the area but may not actually rain at my house or any measureable amount anyway. We're currently talking about making changes so that the user (you) could adjust the various thresholds that determine if a rain delay is set or not but no changes have been started yet. We are, however, implementing push notifications so that the server can alert you that a rain delay will be set so that you can cancel/override the rain delay if you want. Also, even currently, if a rain delay has been set you can cancel it now from the the app's home screen. Hope that answers your question. Feel free to ask any questions or post comments anytime.
Where I live, we also get something like 10-20% chance of rain and then end up not getting any at all. I have my own weather station (on wunderground.com), so I know for sure. I've simply turned off the automatic rain delay and if I *actually* get rain, I set the delay manually.
Raj, we're also working on that. What we're hoping for is user set thresholds, for instance, I might only want a rain delay automatically set if there's a 60% chance of rain AND its forecast to rain more than1\4 inch. Or something like that, the important this is I want to make sure it's going to rain. Initially we had to error on the side of caution since we have customers who will/can be fined for watering during and even after rainfall. Which is another aspect, how soon after a rain delay can it water again, some places have restrictions on that too. The goal is to make it customizable for individual scenarios and preferences.
This would be good to watch if Josh spoke up or had the mic closer
Is this an older unit. Mine looks completely different. I was able to pair everything.
Yes, this video was made years ago. Both the controller and the App have been updated a lot since. However, as you noted, just enough is still similar enough that this might still be a helpful video. Or if you happen to acquire one of the original controller then even more is still relevant about the controllerbut not the App.
can i share access to the controller with my sprinkler co. Like the rachio system?
Yes, they need their own B-hyve account. You can generate a single use code from the app, share that code with them. You can also revoke the share at anytime.
I can’t connect to WiFi, my router is on the other side of the house, will a WiFi extender help?
It is possible that an extender will help. You could also put the bhyve in your house near the router just to establish a connection and then move it to the installation site, if it loses signal you know it's the distance, if you can't get it connected in the house even then you know it's something else, like password or some other security setting. Often times if your cell phone can get Wifi connection in the same location as where you will install the bhyve timer so will the bhyve but that's not always true. Also, the bhyve timer only uses 2.4GHz so make sure you have it enabled on your router. some routers support both 5.8 & 2.4GHz and have the 2.4 turned off by default. If possible you could also try locating your router up higher; typically the signal broadcasts outward in the shape of an umbrella, so the farther away you go from the router the lower in height your device will need to be relative to the router to receive a signal. Hope this helps!
Josh, thanks for the video, this helped greatly in setting up my system this weekend.
One question, when I enter all the information for smart watering, including data from catch cups, it does not seem to "save" the info. As soon as I key it in and go back to the stations to enter the next one, any data entered in the previous station is no longer there. If I don't enter catch cup data, it all stays, but when I enter catch cup data it clears out all of the other smart watering info (soil, sun, etc) and clears out the catch cup data I just entered.
Any input on this?
Scott, when I get back to the office on Monday I'll talk with the developers & see what the intended behavior is & get back to you. I know that catch cups is considered the more accurate approach but I'd think the other inputs would still factor in but I'm definitely not the authority on this. Thanks for the feedback & excellent question, I'll try to have an answer for you on Monday.
I should also ask, are you using Android or iOS?
+Josh Wheeler IOS
+Scott Hansen I talked to the devs, all the settings should persist as I suspected, if you can reproduce these results every time and can tell us how to reproduce them we can begin to look into more efficiently. You can post the steps you took to produce the problem here or if you have time during the work day you can call Orbit and ask for me at this number 1-
801-299-5555. In the meantime, the Orbit Tech Support number is 1-800-488-6156 if you need immediate assistance, they can help you get things going if needed. We look forward to hearing from you and helping to figure this out.
We've been able to reproduce a similar result to what you described, we're currently working on a solution. Due to development time and the Apple App review process this could be a couple of weeks or more. I'll keep you posted.
so in my old Toro i have 5 zone wires, 1 com wire, 1 pump wire - but then have 1 wire connected to 15v, 1 wire connected to 24v and 2 wires connected to Hot Post - any idea what those last 4 wires are?? thanks
Antmon, no, sorry, I'm not sure what they are but I'm sure our tech support people have an idea. If you can give them the make and model of your pump they can help you get it hooked up to the B-hyve correctly.
@@JoshWheelers thanks - found an old manual online - seems Hot Post is just an optional live wire to test the zones, will cap it - 15v is rain sensor (but not sure working so may cap it as well ), 24v is what i would connect on Orbit
The " Smart Watering " , works with the zip codes of cities in Chile?
Yes, international weather & smart watering is enabled. Feel free to let me know if you see any problems with it though.
Can you also enter a Canadian Postal Code?
Mike Nolet Yes, Canada is supported, we have sold some units to Canada. I know that depending on your location there might not be a lot of weather stations "near by" but you can program and run the timer even without smart watering based on forecast if you can't get a weather station close enough.
Does the device have a NOAA receiver? or is is getting weather info via the cloud?
Mike Nolet it relies on the Internet connection. The Orbit server queries weather services for the timer's location. I think it's using NOAA weather but I know that for areas outside of the United States & Canada it uses NASA weather data, I asked but haven't heard back yet if Canada is using NASA's data for areas where NOAA is not available. Programs are created by the server based on the forecast then sent to the timer to run. As the weather changes those programs are adjusted and resent to the timer to compensate for what actually happened, it's quite complex.
Installed the timer, the application on android sometimes saves the options and other times it does not. In your video when you turn off smart watering then turn it back on, it does the same thing (24:42). Beyond this the initial setup that test each zone did not work (10:33). I had to skip the "setup" then add the zones (using the button the right of the home button) then test. Also the smart watering ran 3 lawn zones for over 4 hours last night and wants to run the same zone tomorrow. It has skipped my two other lawn zones. No idea why. It is 65 degrees and rained 3 days ago and will ran in 3 days. Looks like this is going back ASAP. I don't need a $1000 water bill.
Chase Vaseleou thanks for the comments. I'll look into this but am wondering if after you kill the app then return to the device settings does it show the correct setting for smart watering? Also, if you could please respond with the last 5 digits of your timer's Mac address I'll see if we can look into the smart watering.
Thanks Josh, 1:81:5a, also I just spoke to customer care, she told me most people turn off smart watering because it over waters. She also stated the web interface is 24 hours delayed from the mobile interface. I brought this to her attention because online it says no schedule watering, where the app on android says tomorrow. She said most people create there own schedule, I asked if it will still delay my schedule (A,B,C) for rain, she said no. I asked what is the point of this product and how did it get water sense approved. She didn't have a good answer. This is very concerning.
Update, I removed my address and just put in my zip code via the website and it is showing no smart watering scheduled. Not sure why this would make a difference as the weather temp on the application was accurate and the calendar did show the correct forecast. Fingers crossed.
Chase Vaseleou I don't want to create more confusion here but there are a few things off with what the rep said. First Smart Watering, this is a tough one to explain & understand and I work on this project. It takes smart a few weeks and for some even longer for the system to get a good baseline established for your watering needs. It has to start somewhere, right? So, it makes some assumptions based on your inputs and the coming weather then starts watering, this can, for some, be way off, hence the confusion & frustration. However, with time the system knows how much water it had applied and how much rain has fallen so it can "normalize" the smart programs better. Hope that made sense. You can use A B C programs with Smart enabled on the timer but disabled on the zones and the system will set automatic rain delays for you. In all honesty, I was never a fan of the online app, that said, it uses the same API the mobile app uses so what's there should be current, here's the gotcha, the web app is the last to be updated so it lags a bit behind the mobile app... We're working on this & I hope we have it resolved sooner than later. I hope that answers everything from your call to tech support, I'll see if I can find the rep that helped you and explain a couple of things to them that they are misunderstanding.
Chase Vaseleou I should have mentioned this before too... Anytime you make a change to any smart related settings, including address, the system has to recalculate all smart for you and there can be a time period where it appears to be missing.
How do I set it to run in the am then pm. When I do it always runs one zone twice
Create a program, add the zone(s) you want to run in that program then set the start times. Each program can have four start times. So, if I had a program called Lawn and I add four zones to it and set the first start time to 8:00a.m. for example it will run those four zones starting at 8:00a.m. for however long it takes to run through all of them for the time you have set on each one, if you set them all to 10 mins each then it will take 40 mins to run that program once. Then you can set a second start time for 10:00p.m. for example and it will then run the program again at that time for another 40 mins to get through all four of the zones again. Hope that helps.
Can a water sensor be added to this timer?
Peter Chimento Yes, Orbit makes a rain/freeze sensor that plugs into the timer. There's a wireless and a wired option. Be sure to unplug the timer before connecting it though. Also, the sensor has not been fully integrated with the mobile app yet so it may not show when a sensor delay is in effect but it works perfectly on the timer. We're working on integrating it in the near future.
Josh Wheeler thanks Josh....I hooked a rainbird wireless water sensor to it hooking the Black/red wires to the 24 volt orbit output and the white/green wires to the orbit sensors input.....thinking it should work......would be nice if the app would show if that sensor activates!
Peter Chimento you can create/set a custom program to run then trigger the sensor and watch the timer to test it.
Josh Wheeler Great idea!
Josh, if I don't have a cell phone and no wifi, how do I set up my timer. I bought it because it looked easy, but now I'm not so sure. Please help!!
As long as you bought the Indoor/Outdoor model with the panel and buttons you can setup everything except the Smart features on the timer itself. You use the dial as a selector, rotate to the setting you want to set and then press it to select and then you use it to set the value and move to the next. It's a little odd at first but after you run through a few of the settings you'll get it figured out. If you get stuck on something particular let me know and I'll do my best to help figure it out. Good Luck!
Thank you. I can see my wifi network, and enter the information and cannot connect. So frustrated. I have moved a router into the garage even to boost strength. It will not connect.
+afd598 There are a few things that could be causing pairing issues so it's hard for me to say without a bit more information but I can give you Orbit's tech support number, 800-488-6156, please call this number during business hours and they will be able to help troubleshoot your connection problem. Sorry for not responding sooner.
A few things to double check, wifi password, wifi encryption type if any and if you can even turn it off on a Guest network for example and then try pairing again to see if that works or not, and there's a possibility the the timer is actually connecting but the App is not seeing that it connected; if you can give me the last four digits of the timer's Mac Address found on the inside of the swing panel (looks like 44:67:55:00:##:##) I can look to see if the timer has in fact connected or not; try power cycling the timer by unplugging it then plugging it in again. Definitely let me know if you still can't get the timer to connect. Thanks
Hi Josh.The controller has been working well but I must have done something wrong because I only want to operate one program for all my zones and yet when I schedule only this one program for the days and times it should operate,and then look at the calendar,for some reason the calendar shows other days indicated as watering days besides the days I selected.I cant figure out why.For example the calendar right now shows mon thru sun. are scheduled days to water yet the program I selected to run is only for tues thurs and sunday. So when I look at my calendar and highlight a day with a dot,lets say monday,which isnt supposed to water and them it takes me to a screen showing the time I didnt schedule and want to delete but cant figure out how. I see four bars at the top right top of the page which doesnt give me an option to delete this watering time and so I dont know how to correct this issue. When I go to programs the only time I see scheduled to start watering is at 11:15 and water each zone for 15 mins.I have 4 zones. I never programmed in a start time of 12am yet this is what the controller is telling me.That at 12am on the days I omitted the timer will go on.I cant figure out how to correct the issue. Any ideas? Thx
What's your timer's Mac address? I can take a look at it on the server.
where do I find that and how are you able to see my timer? lol
@@babybear4524 It's on the inside of the swing panel and on the timer device detail screen in the app. I work on the B-hyve team & have access to the tech support system, that's how. ;)
wow.I sure did pick the right person to ask. MAC 44:67:55:01:ED:OF. Hope its safe to write it here on you tube...lol
@@babybear4524 As far as I know it's safe ;) I'll take a look at it tomorrow when I get into the office and let you know what I see. Thanks!
Bought a house with this installed and have gotten it set up and paired. But the smart program does not work. It will send me a message saying it is finished but nothing happened. When I look at the timer it will say sens. How can I get my sprinkler to work without me manually watering it?
Just a possibility, it sounds like the jumper wire on the rain sensor has been removed. OR a rain sensor was installed and is wet causing it to register a sensor override. For it to water, that circuit needs to be closed, hence the jumper wire from the factory. As long as the timer is properly configured & connected to the internet I prefer to use the smart watering for rain delays over the physical sensor because the physical sensor cannot be disabled but smart delays can. Hope that helps, if not, contact tOrbit ech support.
Can I use this Device only in my local network (for programming)? or can i use the programming capabilities ONLY with access to the internet?.
What if the server is shut down? then there is nothing only the b-hyve to use manually?
Can you tell me please :-)
George
Georg, if you connect your B-Hyve timer to the internet you can control & program it from anywhere you have internet access, wifi or cellular, otherwise, it is just like any other old school timer. Yes, if the server is down you will not be able to control it via the internet, however, Orbit works very hard to avoid downtime and the product lineup for B-Hyve is growing, new products are being launched, developed and designed as I type this, I expect these timers to be supported for a long time to come. Thanks for the questions!
So it is "worthless" without internet. I cannot program this in the local wireless network. The Server downtime it doesn't bother me. Because Not long time ago google took down a server permanently and all the nice electronic stuff went worthless. Here, ok, i can program that manually.
BUT it should be possible to program this thing also over a computer or a mobile phone WITHOUT an INTERNET CONNECTION
That would be really nice, and I would by that. So it is for me a simply offline timer
THIS IS ONLY MY OPPINION. Because i wish this functionality, to handly something my device by my own with scripts, without internetconnection, but in my INTRANET.
Thank you very much Josh.
Maybe you can modify the meaning of your main product manager. I think there are many people out there waiting for this possibilty.
Georg Molnar coming soon, days literally, is a Pro Version of the app & timer (HydroRain brand, commercial side of Orbit), main differences are the pro timer has 8 or 16 stations and a bigger 1amp transformer and is Bluetooth enabled. The pro app has the ability to program the pro timer over Bluetooth, no wifi/Internet required in addition to a lot of other contractor specific features that most homeowners won't need. The pro app will not be free but will be reasonably priced for the additional features and anyone will be able to purchase & use it. Eventually the Orbit B-hyve timer will also get the Bluetooth update (yes all timers that are now or are later connected to the Internet) and will be programmable via the Pro App and Bluetooth, just like the pro timers. I don't know when this update will be available to the existing Orbit timers but we hope it is sooner than later, next few months maybe. Hopefully this addresses your particular needs for the timer. Here's the details bhyve.hydrorain.com
That sounds good. But why Blootooth? to make it more expensive? Better to do a four or five different user step for rights on the timer with wlan AP. One is the owner, the admin, the house manager, the normal user, the familiy the lawn guy and a guest with the possibility to login to an inside existing AP ....
This is also important, if I cannot be all the time present. I can use scripts by my linux system. For Example raspberry pi. etc etc...
Thank you for your response.
George
Georg Molnar Bluetooth doesn't add anything to the price, the chip already had it, technically it's BLE, it wasn't enabled initially because of the price but six months after we launched they dropped the fee for BLE. One of the reasons it was chosen is that while connecting to Wifi the app looses connection with the timer while it connects to the AP. With Bluetooth the timer can report whether or not it was able to connect to WiFi or not and the entire pairing process is streamlined and more simple. Also, for contractors they are often times setting up timers in new construction where Wifi is not available so with Bluetooth they can connect directly to the timer. The majority of people will not have the need nor the skills to script anything to control their timer so at this time there isn't enough incentive to make that possible, not to say it will never happen but for now it's not on the list.
Thanks Brother!!!
I just bought mine and tried to install it today. My timer only has a blinking Bluetooth icon and the wifi icon is not visible. I did a factory reset, power cycled, reset my router, changed my router's DNS settings to 8.8.8.8 (as what I've read from other orbit users who have the same problem), but none of it worked. The wifi icon does not blink at all, just the Bluetooth. In your video, your wifi icon is blinking but mine doesn't even show that. Hope you can help because I tried to call the toll free number, the wait time was more than 45 minutes, and I've emailed the Orbit customer service with no response.
At the time of the video we only had one model, that is now referred to as Gen1, it used Wifi as the method for pairing but was a lot harder to know if it was successful or not because the connection between the phone and the timer had to be dropped for the timer to connect to the internet. The Gen2 model uses Bluetooth pairing to setup the Wifi connection which allows the phone and timer to remain connected while the timer attempts to connect to the internet. Once you are in the app and begin the process the App will use the phone's Bluetooth connection to then set the Wifi SSID and Password and then your Wifi should show as active or blink with an exclamation mark if the connection failed. Hope that helps explain it.
Mine is connected and seems to be working ok...but it never saves any watering history. Also should the clock on the timer not sync with my phone?
The watering history should be there for sure, if it continues I suggest calling or emailing technical support. The clock could be off due to your location not being set. Go to the device details & make sure that at least the zip code is accurate for the address. Hope that helps.
Am I able to manually turn each zone on and off from outside using my phone?
Yes, as long as both the timer and your phone have internet connections. OR, big or, you have an XR timer that supports Bluetooth connections and you control it manually. This is meant really for initial setup and/or new home construction mainly. The best scenario is you pair your timer to your WiFi and your phone is also connected to the internet through the WiFi or cellular internet connection.
@@JoshWheelers This is for when we test each zone and also when I perform sprinkler repairs and adjustments. This way I don't have to keep running back inside the house down to the basement to turn it off, go back outside to perform an adjustment or repair then back inside to run it.
@@jebjr6341 Yep, that's one of the many benefits of the B-hyve timer and one of my favorites too.