Irrigation
California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is reshaping how family farmers access water.
CAFF’s Smart Irrigation work gives growers practical tools and guidance to use water wisely, adapt to scarcity, and stay ahead of changing groundwater rules.
Technology for Informed Irrigation Management: What is “smart irrigation” and how can it help small-scale farmers?
What is smart irrigation? It’s the use of connected controllers, sensors, and flow meters to automate watering decisions instead of relying on fixed schedules. Learn how these tools can cut water use by 20 to 50 percent while protecting crop yields.
Water Flow Meters
How much water are you actually using? Flow meters answer that question directly, and this guide explains the three main types, positive displacement, velocity, and wattage-based meters, so you can track usage with confidence.
Smart Irrigation Controllers: A Comparison Guide for Farmers
Soil moisture probes give you a window into what’s happening underground without picking up a shovel. This guide breaks down the three main probe types, electrical conductivity, volumetric water content, and soil-water tension, and what
Soil Moisture Probes: A Guide for Small Farms
Soil moisture probes give you a window into what’s happening underground without picking up a shovel. This guide breaks down the three main probe types, electrical conductivity, volumetric water content, and soil-water tension, and what
From Programs 101 to SGMA 101: Turning Outreach into Action
How did a routine outreach event turn into a groundwater education series? See how Glenn County RCD’s SGMA 101 workshops connected farmers in Glenn and Colusa Counties with the resources and local support they need to navigate SGMA.
Technology for Informed Irrigation Management
Compare Irrigation Tools and Equipment
Browse smart irrigation controllers, moisture probes, and flow meters side by side.
For people on mobile devices, we recommend viewing the Google Sheet instead.
| Brand | Type of Tool | Connectivity | Smartphone Compatible | # of Stations / Wireless Valve Actuation | Flow Metering / Wireless | Moisture Monitoring | Sensor Options | Subscription Required | Notes | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AgriLynk | Monitoring and Automation | LoRaWAN | AgriLynk Dashboard | 1 remote valve control | Pressure sensing | Yes | Temp sensor, Rain Gage | $75–$252/yr | Basic program starts with moisture probes/pressure sensors and has options to add on function to automate whole irrigation system. | agrilynk.com |
| B-Hyve Gen Smart Hose Valve | B-Hyve Smart Hose Bib Valve | WIFI and Bluetooth | B-Hyve Gateway | 2 or 4 packs of wireless valves | Built-in wireless flow metering | No | No | No | Installs directly on hose-bib, inexpensive solution to wifi controlled irrigation and flow metering for people that don’t want to make a large investment into valve banks. | sprinklerwarehouse.com |
| Calsense CS3000 | Controller | WIFI | Flowsense Software | 128 with two wire decoders / Hardwired | Yes/No | Yes | Rain Gage, ET Gage | Rain Gage, ET Gage | Commercial style controller for larger operation. | calsense.com |
| Hunter HCC | Controller | WIFI | Hydrawise App | 54 Stations / Wireless Valve Link system | Hunter HC-Flow / W-HC flow add on | Soil Clik (Tensiometer) | Yes | No | A good option for a wifi connected controller. Wired or wireless metering and valve actuation, with no ongoing subscription fee. | hunterirrigation.com |
| Hydro-Rain HRC-400 / Orbit | Controller | WIFI or Bluetooth | B-Hyve Gateway | 16 Stations | No | No | No | No | Smart Watering options in app: live weather reports, historical ET, season changes. | orbitonline.com |
| Lumo | Internet based irrigation control service | Cellular Modem | Yes, text capable with staff to schedule irrigation | — | Built in wireless flow meter | No | Pressure sensor if using pump automation services | Yes | A service based irrigation control service. Network of valves communicate to Lumo ops center. Pump automation also available. | lumo.ag |
| MeterMe | Monitoring and Automation | Radio waves (LoRaWAN) | Yes and desktop | Can add multiple devices and share with other users | Has its own meter base, but can be compatible with existing equipment | No | Water tank, wells, ponds, meters | Yes, starts at $0/mo | Somewhat decently affordable equipment. Several mile signal reach. Powered by solar and/or battery. | meter.me |
| Rachio 3 Smart | Controller | WIFI | Rachio app | 16 Stations / Hardwired | Everydrop flow meter / wireless option | No | Rachio Tempest weather station | No | More geared for domestic use, but inexpensive wifi based controller that offers the option of flow metering, with no subscription fee. | rachio.com |
| Rain Bird ESP-LX models (also TRU and ARC domestic models) | Controller | WIFI | RainBird IQ 2.0 | 12 Station, expandable to 48 | Rain Bird MJ Flow Sense and FG100 in-line / No | SMRT-Y Sensor (VWC%) | Rain and Frost sensors | No | — | rainbird.com |
| Rain Bird ESPBAT-BT4 Battery Operated | Controller | Bluetooth | RainBird IQ 2.0 | 6 Stations / No | No | No | No | No | Battery operated valve actuation (valves would require DC solenoid). Irrigation scheduling can only be changed in range of Bluetooth. | rainbird.com |
| Verdi | Controller | LoRaWAN | Verdi | Verdi “Block Controller” wireless valve control (up to 300 devices) | Pulse flow meter / Yes | Verdi moisture probe or retrofit existing | Pressure, Flow meter, Moisture probe | $1,000/yr for first 20 devices ($40/yr for each additional device) | Micro block controllers allow for in-line flow/pressure monitoring and irrigation adjustments across a single field. | verdi.ag |
| Brand | Type of Tool | Connectivity | Data Reporting Platform | Subscription Required | Node Link | Gateway Link | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragino LSE01 | Moisture probe (VWC%), Soil Temperature, EC | LoRaWAN | Open source (Datacake) | — | dragino.com | dragino.com | US Sales: choovio.com |
| Makerfabs / AgroSense | Moisture probe (VWC%) | LoRaWAN | Datacake | Up to 5 devices free | makerfabs.com | See SenseCAP | Datacake: datacake.co |
| SenseCAP | Moisture probe (VWC%), Soil Temperature, EC | LoRaWAN | SenseCAP App | $0.99/pc/yr | seeedstudio.com | Indoor Gateway: seeedstudio.com Outdoor Gateway: seeedstudio.com |
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| Sensoterra | Moisture probe (VWC%) | LoRaWAN | Sensoterra App | — | — | — | Range extender available |
| Zynect Soil Mote | Moisture probe (VWC%) | LoRaWAN (2 mile) | Zynect | No | — | zynect.com | — |
| Pasco | Moisture probe (VWC%) | Bluetooth | — | — | — | — | — |
| Meter Group Teros | Moisture probe (VWC%), Soil Temperature, EC | — | Zentra Cloud | — | metergroup.com | — | — |
| Nutradrip Badger | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Crophesy Aquaspy | Nutrient and Moisture | — | — | — | aquaspy.com | — | — |
| Brand | Type of Tool | Connectivity | Approximate Base Cost | Subscription Required | Other | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Badger Flow Meter E-Series | Flow Meter | Optional Orion Cellular transmitter / Beacon Service | N/A | Yes/Yes | Stand alone water meter | badgermeter.com |