Replacing Rainbird system

This page lists some instructions about replacing the common types of Rainbird system with Netro smart watering controller. 

Example 1:

Example 2:

The COM wire goes to any C slot in Sprite.

The M slot will be empty because you do not have master valve.

The two red wires on the left go to the two 24 VAC slots.

Others are straightforward.

Example 3:

1. the COM wire in RainBird go to any of the C slots in Netro

2. The 1-6 zone wires in RainBird go to Slot 1-6 in Netro

3. Use the power adapter coming with the package for Netro

Other wires you can disregard them.

Example 4:

Replacing Hunter system

This page lists some instructions about replacing the common types of Hunter system with Netro smart watering controller. 

Example 1:

To replace this controller with Netro smart watering controller, please follow the instructions.

The white wires are the common wires which should be connected to the C slots in Netro. Then the zone wires (1,2,3, .. 12) are directly mapped to the 1, 2, 3 .. 12 slots in Netro. The last step is to connect the power (the ground wire is not needed for Netro) then you should be good to go. The power adapter wires are the 2 yellow wires on the left side.

The green one below the yellow wires is the ground wire which is not needed for Netro.

The copper wires are rains sensors which are not needed for Netro either because Netro gets the weather information from WiFi network.

Example 5:

The white wire is the common wire which should be connected to one of the C slots in Netro. The power adapter wires are the 2 black wires on the left side.

RS terminal is the rain sensor. Therefore, you do not need to connect these wires.

Example 6:

The white wires is the common wires which should be connected to one of  the C slots in Netro. The power adapter wires are the two black wires on the left side.

The green one below is the ground wire which is not needed for Netro.

You do not need to connect the rain sensors because Netro get the weather forecast through WiFi.

To the Netro android users,

Our Netro app crashes for android on sending messages though Settings->Support->Contact Us suddently. Our R&D are fixing this issue and we expect to have the fixes in place in a few days. We are sorry about the inconvenience.

If you have any questions, please write to us support@netrohome.com and we will make sure to deliver technical support in short time.

Thanks again for your support and trust.

Regards,

Netro Support

Put Sprite in "paused" mode in winter 

To put Sprite in "paused" mode in winter, you will have winterize your system. First you will have to blow out the sprinkler. You can look at this video to find some useful information. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3YRbJYmvgA&t=99s

This video mentioned that you will have to turn on the sprinkler, so you can use the instant manual run feature in the home page to manually start watering for each zone to make sure all the water is out of system.

Then you should put Sprite in "paused" mode just in case some one (for example the kids) accidentally starts a manually run from the app. To put Sprite in "paused" mode, you can go to the Home page->"Enabled". 

Why should we conserve water? Water is under threat from many sides. It faces pollution problems, outdated infrastructure, rising costs, and unprecedented droughts and rainfall patterns as the climate changes. Only 1% of the entire water supply in the world is available for human and animal use. 97% is salt water and the remaining 2% are in forms of ice caps or glaciers. People all over the world use this 1% for agriculture, manufacturing, community and personal household needs, and for sanitation operations.

Nowadays drought conditions occur everywhere. There's been a lot of news and talk about the drought condition we're having and saving water. Depending on climate conditions, California, Texas, Nevada and many other states have strict rules about when and how much water is allowed for home irrigation. States and cities are forced to implement mandatory water conservation programs. However, Netro honors your local watering regulations if exact location is provided and will inform you when restrictions apply. With Netro, you will not need to worry about fees and penalties. Netro will automatically upload your local water conservation regulations to your controller and cut down your water usage based on these requirements. You can go to Settings->Regulations to see your local water restrictions.

You still pay for each drop of water in your home, whether you use it or not. By using water wisely and eliminating leaks, the extra water you save means money in your pocket. To conserve our water, we should be watching our water usage to prepare for future drought.

References

https://phys.org/news/2018-05-america-infrastructure-failingbut.html

Watering correctly saves time, money, and plants. The heat of summer is coming, and along with it, water restrictions in many municipalities. Summer water restrictions can force us to re-evaluate our watering practices. In many cases we may find that our watering practices are wasteful and inefficient.

Deep, infrequent watering is recommended. In most cases, an inch of water per week (rain plus irrigation) should be sufficient. Applying that inch of water in one deep watering will encourage deeper rooting, which leads to stronger, healthier plants. Watering once a week also fits well into most municipal water restrictions. Shallow, frequent watering, on the other hand, will lead to shallow root systems and high water loss through evaporation. With shallow watering, such as light frequent sprinkling, you actually end up wasting quite a bit of water and still don’t meet the needs of your plants.

The best time of day to water a garden is in the morning, since that gives the plants time to dry off before nightfall. It's cooler and winds tend to be calmer so water can soak into the soil and be absorbed by the grass roots before it can evaporate.Leaving water on plants overnight can lead to mold. Watering your garden at the right time and using the right method will keep your plants healthy.

There may be need to evaluate the device used for watering. While a lawn sprinkler may be a good method for the lawn, it may not be the best way to water a vegetable garden. Pick a watering device that matches the needs of your garden and the time you have available to water. Once a device is selected, know the correct way to use that device, in order to water efficiently.

When faced with summer watering restrictions, save yourself time and money by carefully selecting the time and watering device which best suit your garden’s needs. With Netro's smart watering, home gardeners may not fear that with restrictions in place they won't be able to properly water their gardens. Netro specializes in Evapotranspiration Reduction (ETR) and automatically make seasonal watering adjustments. Even in the hottest summer, Netro takes good care of your garden.

If you must water in the evening, try between 4 and 6 p.m. which should give the grass blades time to dry before nightfall. The later you water, the greater chance of disease becoming prevalent in your lawn. It's worth noting, though, that you don't necessarily have to water your lawn. Lawns are resilient. Established and properly cared-for lawns can survive weeks without water by going dormant (when the lawn turns brown), then recover once the rain returns.

Frequent, shallow watering encourages a shallow root system. A shallow root system means a lawn is under drought stress when the top inch of soil dries out.

Conversely, deep, infrequent watering during hot, dry weather is important to maintain a healthy lawn. Deep watering encourages the turf to develop a deeper, more extensive root system. The denser root system will make your grass less susceptible to periods of drought. A more dynamic root system will also offer the fringe benefit of discouraging competition from weeds.

To determine how long you have to run your sprinkler or irrigation system, take a flat-bottomed container such as a coffee can and mark off half-inch increments. Place the can or cans where it will be hit by the water, and time how long it takes to gather a half-inch of water. Then run your sprinkler twice as long. You may need to apply water even slower to steep slopes to avoid wasting water to runoff.

Netro's motto when it comes to watering: slowly, deeply, infrequently. Netro's algorithm is based on expert gardening knowledge, one of which is to avoid watering equally everyday and instead to water less frequently but deeply. Netro waters your garden only when the soil is dry enough in order to draw more oxygen into the roots, leading to a lusher landscape. By default, we allow the moisture level to deplete to a lower level before next watering and that is why you might see longer watering duration than the original settings on your old controller.

Netro smart controller gives your lawn the right amount of water, assures that your garden is getting its required amount of water – no more, and no less.

Resources:

Water infrequently, longer for better lawn

http://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2009/09/19/Water-infrequently-longer-for-better-lawn/stories/200909190132

How you water your new plants can make all the difference. Deeper, less frequent watering will grow plants whose roots are deeper and healthier, so they are more resilient to drier conditions and stress. Water a plant immediately when you plant it. If watered properly the first growing season, your plants should be well established the following growing season. Their roots should be deep and tough enough to seek out water on their own. You will only have to water these established plants on hot, dry days or if they are showing signs of distress.

The following are general guidelines. How often and how long you water will depend on your soil and other factors.

1.Year One

When planting water plants as soon as you get them in the ground. Allow the water to soak in and drain, and water again, until the soil is thoroughly moistened.

2.For the first week or so after planting

Water just-planted plants frequently - daily or every other day - as the roots will not be able to access soil moisture from a very large area until they begin to grow.

3.After the first week or so

Unless the weather is extremely hot and dry, you may be able to decrease watering frequency, perhaps to two or three times per week, for the next month or so.

4.Years Two to Three

You should need to water deeply only once or twice per week in dry weather if you have selected the right plant for the right place, prepared the soil and planted correctly, and mulched your plants. Exactly how often and how long you water will depend on your soil and other conditions.

5.After Year Three

Properly planted and watered, plants should be fairly well established by now, and can thrive with less watering than you may expect.

Helpful Tips

• Know your soil type, as this greatly affects watering frequency and duration.

• Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry between waterings to encourage deep roots.

• Group plants with similar water needs together.

• Consider using soaker hoses, as you can get water where you need it and lose less to evaporation.

• Young trees will need deep regular watering during their growing periods. During periods of little or no rain, water deeply once a week until they become established. Water established trees during heat waves and drought conditions.

• Spot-water plants with different needs than the rest of the planting bed.

• Remember that shallow-rooted plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers and bedding plants may continue to need more frequent watering than most other plants.

• Mulch for moisture. Mulch reduces water loss and adds humus to your soil to retain more moisture.

• Check for soil moisture before

Before you water:

Generally, you want the soil to be dry an inch or two below the surface before you water, so probe with a spade or trowel to check.

At least one hour after you water (or longer with clay soil):

Probe into the soil again to see how deeply the water penetrated. Did it penetrate all the way to the root zone? If not, you may need to increase your watering time. But if the area looks well-saturated, you may want to cut back the next time.

To the Netro community:

We recently have launched an update for the Netro app on App Store. In the newest iOS version (2.3.0) of the app, Apple Watch is now supported.

In the watch app, users will be able to check the status of the device, the weather data, zone status and view watering schedules in the next 7 days.

Please feel free to explore other new and exciting features that we just added (also available on Android) : 

1.Support Weather Underground PWS

(Settings->Controller->Weather Provider)

2.Rainfall adjustment

(Please go to the Discover page and tap the "+" button on the upper right corner,  select "Correct Rainfall")

3.Enable plant sensors to monitor multiple zones

( Settings->Sensors, select a sensor, go to Zones and select the zones you would like to monitor)

Regards,

Netro Support

To the Netro community:

We recently have launched an update for the Netro app on App Store and Google Play. In the newest version of the app, we allow one sensor to monitor up to 3 zones but the user needs to make sure the zones have similar environmental conditions.

Please upgrade your app to the newest version and go to Settings->Sensors, select a sensor, go to Zones and select the zones you would like to monitor.

After saving the changes, you can go to the Home page and check the topsoil moisture level of your zones reported by sensor.

Please feel free to explore other new and exciting features that we just added : 

1.Support Apple Watch

(only available for iOS )

2.Support Weather Underground PWS

(Settings->Controller->Weather Provider)

3.Rainfall adjustment

(Please go to the Discover page and tap the "+" button on the upper right corner,  select "Correct Rainfall")

Regards,

Netro Support

To the Netro Community,

Recently Netro has enabled the max day Restriction in Settings->Regulation for those cities which limit watering to one or two days per week. We are aware that many cities are under mandatory regulation and the penalty for violating the water regulations is large, therefore, we have enabled the max day regulation.

Users can go to Settings->Regulations to check and please feel free to report us if the regulation is incorrect.

For some local regulations, we are not quite sure if it is conservation plan or mandatory regulation. If the regulation is not needed, please write to us support@netrohome.com and we will check and update our regulation database accordingly.

Thanks,
Netro Support

If your old controller has more than 12 zones, you will need to have 2 Netro controllers to replace it. Please follow the diagram below to safely wire the 2 controllers:

Now you can use the 2 C slots for the common wires and the 2 sets of 1-12 slots for the zone wires. If you do not have a master valve or pump, just ignore the orange wires.

IMPORTANT: the blue wire has to be connected to the left 24VAC on both controllers and the yellow wire has to be connected to the right 24VAC on both controllers.

Please contact us if you need the wire connectors shown in the picture.

Netro Inc

Great news again! We now support Spanish, Italian, French and German for Google Assistant voice control. Please say "Talk to Netro Home" in your Google Assistant app on your phone and link your Netro account before using your google devices.  

In case you experience difficulties in using the Netro Home skill, please write to support@netrohome.com or contact us in the Netro app.  

Thanks,  

Netro Inc

Great news! We now support Spanish, Italian, French and German for Amazon Alexa voice control. Please find the new skill "NetroHome" in your Alexa app and link your Netro account.

In case you experience difficulties in using the NetroHome skill, please write to support@netrohome.com or contact us in the Netro app.

Thanks,

Netro Inc

Good morning,

I ask you for a suggestion in your app.  in the program menu, in addition to displaying the manual and automatic programming, can you enter a command regarding fertilization?  I use fertilizers from the Bottos company, where each product has its weight and timing.  Maybe create a partnership with the big fertilizer companies.

Best.

Andrea

Add the option of the timeframe to start in one day and end in another:

Start ar 21:00 end at 3am

To all Netro customers:

Due to rapid increase of active devices connected to the Netro cloud server, we are going to upgrade our server on May 16th Saturday night from 8:30PM to 9:00PM (Pacific Time). During that time frame, all cloud service will be temporarily unavailable but your watering schedules will run normally. If you have a smart watering controller, the light on the unit will blink fast.

Thanks,

Netro Inc