Rain BirdESP-ME3 4 Station WiFi Ready Indoor/Outdoor Controller | ESP-ME3-A1

Works great. I have this panel, wifi module and rain sensor installed. Very easy installation, the build quality is very good. The Rainbird app is OK. This panel does not have the huge power adapter which is a big plus for use outside, the power module is embedded in this panel box. I hope they enhance the Rainbird app to match competitors. For the controller itself it is solid and stable, better than competitors. I believe it will run free of problem for many years.

I bought this controller, and I bought loose: three 6-channel stations, one rain sensor, one flow sensor, and one WiFi module. Thus, I have room for 22 stations, and I use 18 of them. I have about 45 K2 45-360° 18-48' distance sprinklers in my yard. I earlier this year bought the Orbit B-hyve 12-Zone Smart Indoor/Outdoor Sprinkler Controller to replace my 2006 12-zone Orbit that broke. However, I was very unhappy with his B-hyve and bought the ESP-ME3 to replace it. The LCD of the B-hyve was very slow to update. The clock sometimes lost its memory. I often turned the rotary knob or pressed it to soon before the LCD updated causing incorrect programming. I could never get the manual station working and not also the WiFi. I used it for three months before I tossed it. Only advantage was its price. Practically, without reading the ESP-ME3 manual I could easily do all the programming. The manual station is also easy to use. WiFi works fine although I only set it up to work locally from my phone and not over the entire Web. Makes it harder to hack in to. Flow sensor is useful to see if you have broken sprinklers or valves using more or less water than expected/base-line. Also, get a good understanding how much water you're actually sprinklering per zone.

Reliable irrigation for the two zones ate our house, even adjusting for seasonal differences here in Tucson, AZ, where irrigation is essential. Old irrigation unit that came with the house was battery powered and would stop working without me noticing. This one keeps working, and can verify with the Android app. Easy to set up and just keeps working.

Installation is easy and takes less time. Easy to program as well, I’m glad I got rid of the old one. I added LNK2 and it was easy to connect to WiFi and program.

I originally ordered the Orbit 57950 B-hyve Smart 12-zone controller. It was much cheaper. And it came with WiFi capability and all 12 zones. However, it would not deliver the 24VAC to turn on/off each valve. And the WiFi signal was so weak that it was unusable on any of our devices. I returned it and decided to spend the extra money for this Rain Bird ESP4ME3. Unfortunately, it only came with 4 zones, and while it’s WiFi capable, it does not include the WiFi module. I spent another $86 for the WiFi module. And since I currently have 6 valves - I’ll need to eventually purchase a 3-port expansion module, which is $43. This brings my total purchase to $257. That’s $137 more than the Orbit B-hyve. But… the Rain Bird unit WORKS! One feature I appreciate is the backlit display, which makes it easy to see at night (the Orbit doesn’t have a backlit display). The Rain Bird controller is much heavier than the Orbit - and this probably means that the 24VAC transformer is able to source more current to the solenoids. In summary… I did not like spending $257 for a sprinkler controller. But the old adage, “You get what you pay for!” rings true here. The Rain Bird is a quality controller that I can rely on. And it should last a long, long time.

Replaced an old Rain Bird unit with this one. Works as described and it was easy to setup

Wanting to restore our irrigation system that hadn't run in years. Fired up the system only to see my old rainbird controller screen fade to not working at all. Found this at a reasonable price, ordered and plugged and played. Worked great! Easy to see screen and a nice upgrade to the old shoddy one.

Easy to install and provided contact information for any questions