Thursday, March 3, 2016

Orbit Strikes Back Against Startups With Smart, Wi-Fi Sprinkler Timer

Salt Lake City-based sprinkler and irrigation products company Orbit has struck back against a surge in startups in the "smart sprinkler" market, with a new, Wi-Fi enabled sprinkler timer, the B-hyve. Orbit announced the new, app-enabled, Wi-Fi timer this week, saying that its new timer can be controlled by either an app or mobile device, can automatically schedule irrigation for a user, and uses local weather data to adjust watering to deliver the right amount of water to plans. Orbit--which is a major manufacturer of irrigation products-has been in the market for over 40 years, but has recently faced such startups as Rachio, Blossom, Skydrop, RainMachine, and others, all trying to snag a piece of Orbit's traditional market. Orbit's new B-Hyve starts at $99.00 for a 6-station model. The device is manufactured in North Salt Lake.