When I installed my Rachio Irrigation controller, I rather expected something different. I thought it would be cool to command the sprinklers to spring to life using Amazon Alexa.
What I did not realize was that the Raggio could be told to query local airport weather data online and then, automatically, decide not to water your lawn because it's raining or has rained recently. Setting up this feature was as simple as clicking a check box in the app. It’s been raining for days and my Rachio just sends me a notification that it’s skipping the cycle because rainfall has exceeded the amount that I had set.
Wow. No rain sensor needed. No moisture probes in the ground. Just the internet.
Not all of my home automation experimenets have been all that useful. This one is a ten out of ten. Got some smart lights coming in the mail. Stay Tuned.