Rain Bird is committed to the Intelligent Use of Water™. We recognize that water is a precious resource and that it needs to be protected and used efficiently. We’re doing our part by developing technology that pairs with our products to regulate water usage.

The Rain Bird mobile app pairs seamlessly with your Rain Bird controller to allow you to monitor and edit your irrigation system from anywhere in the world. Using the app, you can adjust your system’s schedule, manually water zones, share access to your system with family members, friends, contractors, and more.

One of our system’s key features is Automatic Seasonal Adjust. This feature takes weather forecasts and patterns into account and automatically adjusts the output of your irrigation system to optimize for current conditions. Ultimately, this conserves water and prevents your lawn from being overwatered.

Setting and Adjusting Your Watering Schedule

Using the Rain Bird app, it’s simple to set and change the schedule for your sprinkler system. When you open the app, you’ll see each of your controllers and the zones associated with it. A zone is a watering area covered by a single sprinkler valve. Tap on your controller and the app will download the current set programs. It will display the next irrigation event and current weather at the top of the screen.

To adjust your program, tap the pencil icon. The Custom tab allows you to choose which days your program runs and what time to start. You can also set the watering frequency to odd or even days or put it on a cycle by choosing one of the appropriate tabs. You can set the length of watering for each zone in your program, making it easy to adjust watering amounts for plants with different needs. You can also add multiple start times, handy in cases of sloped landscapes or hard soil, to allow the water time to absorb.

Using the app, you can set up multiple programs and have different zones assigned to each, which is beneficial if your zones have significantly different watering needs. For example, have one program set for your lawn and another for your garden. To set up new programs, use the PGM button on the controller page of the app.

If the weather calls for rain or if you’re planning to have a party in your yard, you can delay the watering schedule by as many days as you need. This is accessible with the rain delay tab, denoted by the water droplet with the cross through it.

Manual Watering

If you haven’t set a schedule, skipped a day you didn’t mean to, or otherwise need to manually run your irrigation system, it is simple to do so. On the controller page, there is a water droplet icon on the bottom. Tapping on this lets you manually start a watering cycle for your chosen length of time for a specific zone. If you want to manually run your whole program, click on the “run” button at the bottom of the program card.

How To Use Automatic Seasonal Adjust

Automatic Seasonal Adjust allows the irrigation system to adjust watering amounts based on the season, local weather, and humidity levels. If you were to have the same amount of watering throughout the year, you would likely end up overwatering your lawns and flowers in cooler months and underwatering in warmer ones. And why waste water running your system when it’s going to rain? By connecting your system to WiFi and turning on Seasonal Adjust, your program smartly adjusts based on the weather conditions.

Automatic Seasonal Adjust uses three factors in determining how to run. First, it takes into account historical average weather conditions for your area for the current month. Then, it makes adjustments based on yesterday’s actual weather versus forecasted weather, and raises or lowers the percent as needed. Finally, it looks at tomorrow’s weather forecast and adjusts based on the weather predictions.

To set up your system for Automatic Seasonal Adjust, set run times for the hottest and driest parts of the year. Then activate Automatic Seasonal Adjust. Every night, the system will download the latest weather information and adjust the run time for your program to a certain percentage of the full time. For example, if your program is typically set to run for 40 minutes, but the weather is expected to be cool, the system may adjust to 70% and only run for 28 minutes.

The Benefits of Automatic Seasonal Adjust

The Automatic Seasonal Adjust is beneficial for many reasons. You don’t use water when you don’t need to. Your lawn needs less water on a cool April day than it does on a scorching August one, and the system automatically makes those changes. This conserves water, benefiting the environment. Using this system also saves you money on your water bill, since you’re optimizing water use. Automatic Seasonal Adjust reflects Rain Bird’s philosophy of using water intelligently by optimizing water flow for the situation, avoiding overuse.

Automatic Seasonal Adjust works best when paired with a separate rain/freeze sensor. Automatic Seasonal Adjust raises or lowers the percentage of the run program, but does not stop the program. A rain/freeze sensor will completely stop watering if it senses enough rain or freezing temperatures. This further optimizes your Rain Bird system.

Our LNK WiFi Module is EPA WaterSense approved when used with select Rain Bird products and Automatic Seasonal Adjust is enabled.

Other Helpful Features

Using the app, it is easy to rename programs and associate them with a photo to help you remember which program is for what. To rename a program, tap on the pencil at the top of the program card. Type in your custom name in the blank space at the top. To take a photo to identify your program, click on the camera icon at the top of the program card. You can also delete a program if you need to by tapping the trash can icon.

Rain Bird Controller Compatibility

Several models of Rain Bird controllers work with the app. The ST8-2.0 is WiFi enabled and ready to connect. Other models, including the ESP-Me, the ESP-TM2, and the ESP-RZXe, are upgradable to WiFi connectivity with the LNK WiFi module.

To make your life even easier, Rain Bird easily connects to your smart home so you can control your sprinklers with your voice. Sync with Google Home or Amazon Alexa for hands-free watering.

Learn more about the Rain Bird app at wifi.rainbird.com. Download the Rain Bird app for iOS and Android today.