What is a wireless smart irrigation?

Wireless solution is turning out to be a common choice for all smart things. So it is for home irrigation. A wireless smart irrigation system first saves you from a bunch of troublesome wires. After removing wires, a lot of other problems will go away with wires. For example, you don’t need to worry how to layout all wires or whether wires could be damaged by water, sunshine or animal’s bites.

Apart from that, the more important thing is the irrigation system will grow out some intelligence to facilitate or even take over the whole watering job. The most basic thing is that a timing function can be activated to start watering according to your daily and weekly schedule. Moreover, if you are on a trip for several days, a remote control of your irrigation system can be realized no matter how far you are away from home, and this control is precise at adjusting watering amount and watering duration.

Problems need to be handled for a wireless smart irrigation

First, what if one family has already installed an irrigation system? We know an entire irrigation system includes many parts and its total price may be expensive. So replacing an existed one with a new wireless one could cost a lot.

Second, since the system is wireless now, signal transmission range could be a concern. Normally, plants are located outside, may be in the balcony, or even in the garden that far from house center. Whether a gateway’s transmission range is able to reach so far?

In addition, with what device and software do we realize a remote control? Since the control is not confined by location, the controller thus has to be mobile and be able to access gateway without distance limit. Smart phone and tablet with internet access look like a suitable choice for it, but whether there is a well-designed software to do the job?

Solution for achieving a wireless smart irrigation

Embracing a smart irrigation doesn’t necessarily mean a complete replacement of the old system. You need to find a compatible irrigating controller that can work with old system. That way, the only job is to add a new device to the existed system for its smart control function. The cost will be affordable and the installation will be easy.

Another thing need to pay close attention is network type. As many people may know, there are several network technologies can achieve remote control and automation function. But for irrigation, Zigbee fits better for its transmission range.

In a ZigBee network, nodes with power supply (such as switch, socket and so on) remain active. This allows for heterogeneous networks in which some devices receive continuously, while others only transmit when an external stimulus is detected. Active node will be a ZigBee gateway, repeating the signal to enlarging network’s range. That way, balcony will be covered and garden will possess more possibility of being reached. If the garden is still out of reach, a ZigBee repeater with over 500 meters transmission range in outside area will solve all problems.

Software availability also needs to be considered carefully. First, free software should be open to all users. For smart phone, this means end user can download both IOS and Android version from app shop. Second, software has to be designed with powerful functions and easy operation. The function should not only limit to remote control, but also include setting scene, linkage and delay trigger.

An even smarter irrigation system should be able to connect with weather information to optimize its function. Google Weather now is integrated into smart irrigation to enable a real-time correction for pre-setting. For example, if you have already set a timed watering in every Wednesday and Sunday, but Weather report gives a forecast that there is going to have a heavy rain in this Sunday, then your pre-setting of watering in Sunday will be cancelled automatically.Being smarter and cooler

NFC (Near field communication) joins to this smart journey too. If clicking on a smart phone to start the irrigation is considered as old-fashion, then sweeping the phone across a NFC label will look much cooler. Since a NFC label is small and thin, it can be placed on everywhere, or even be hid in wallet. Think about it – just put your phone close to wallet, the spray will on and off. It could like a magic trick.

Build a systematic smart home

Home intelligence shouldn’t exist in isolation and smart home is always a linked system. For irrigation system, it can be linked with a soil humidity sensor to realize a complete automation. Also, for some other occasion, irrigation controller can be linked with other devices. For example, link irrigation system with temperature sensor, when the weather is too hot, irrigation will trigger a spray to cool it down. At the same time, air conditioner or window opener will give a correlative motion to help lower the temperature.