The 4 Best Smart Hose Timers of 2025

Runner-up

This timer offers easy customization, a built-in flow meter, and a useful range of features, including automated delays based on rain.

Compatibility: Amazon Alexa, Google Home

The Orbit Gen 2 B-hyve Smart Hose Watering Timer is an updated model of our previous top pick, and it’s a close second to the Rachio Smart Hose Timer. It lets you easily customize watering Schedules, and it can automatically skip watering if rain is in the forecast. The Gen 2 B-hyve has a built-in flow meter to track water usage, and it offers painless integration with Amazon Alexa or Google Home. If your power or Wi-Fi goes out or the device loses connection for any reason, it will continue to run the programs you’ve created in the app.

The Gen 2 model improves upon the previous model with an updated battery compartment that’s supposed to be more watertight (I’ll continue to long-term test this to confirm). It also claims to have a better Wi-Fi range and connection, though I didn’t notice any big changes.

It has features found on more-advanced irrigation controllers. For instance, the Orbit B-hyve can optimize watering based on your soil type, sun exposure, grade, and other environmental features (more on that below).

Orbit also says that all of its hose timers are rated IPX5. In practice, that means it’s fine to leave the Gen 2 B-hyve exposed to the elements.

The B-hyve app is highly customizable. This hose timer skips watering cycles if it’s going to rain, and the B-hyve app’s Smart Watering feature also takes into account tons of information about the area you’re watering. The B-hyve app then uses this information to further optimize your watering program.

When you’re setting up the Smart Watering feature, you answer a number of detailed questions about the type of soil, the sorts of landscaping and sprinkler heads you plan to use (the number as well as their intended coverage area and angle), how much sunlight and rainfall the area typically gets, and whether the area is flat or hilly.

The app even presents an Advanced Zone Settings option for each question, to provide more detail. For example, the app asked, “What is the average grade of Zone 1?” And I was able to choose between “Mostly Flat” or “On a Slope.” After I selected one of those options, though, in the advanced settings I could also note the specific grade, ranging from 0–3% to 13% or more.

The integrated flow meter gives you even more information. A flow meter estimates how much water you use whenever you turn on your hose, and not all smart hose timers have one. If you need to save money and water, or you simply want to get a better understanding of how much water is reaching your prize roses every week, a flow meter can make a big difference.

After I set up the B-hyve timer, the app prompted me to run a 30-second calibration test for the flow meter. Once I created my first Schedule in the app, it estimated that running a single oscillating sprinkler for 10 minutes would use 71.1 gallons of water based on the flow rate from the calibration test.

The app is notably confusing. I found the B-hyve app tricky to navigate compared with the Rachio app. That’s partly due to a larger number of features available, but I think the app could do with a design refresh to make it easier to use.

For instance, the app’s main screen has five tabs at the bottom: Calendar, Program, Home, Zones, and My B-hyve (where you access additional settings). In theory, these tabs should give you quick and easy access to specific options. Instead, though, many of the same settings live in more than one tab, which is confusing.

Similarly, the Calendar lists your watering Schedule, but so too does the Program tab, which is where you can view and make changes to active Schedules and also create new ones. The Home screen lists the hose timers that you have in use and also displays the upcoming watering Schedule. And then the Zones tab repeats the list of hose timers, as well as the next device that will trigger in your Schedule. Meanwhile, your watering-history log is buried in the My B-hyve section. A revamp of the app would be welcome.

Privacy and security snapshot

• Two-factor authentication is not available.
• Information collected includes your name, address, email address, phone number, operating system, and IP address.
• Data is stored on firewall-protected servers.
• Orbit may share select information with third parties.

Review Orbit’s privacy statement for more information.