Orbit B-hyve review

Our Verdict

While it's got a complicated app and setup process, the Orbit B-hyve smart faucet volition keep your plants watered.

For

Works with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa
Lots of customization features
Works with Android and iOS

Against

Involved setup process
Somewhat disruptive app

Tom's Guide Verdict

While it'southward got a complicated app and setup process, the Orbit B-hyve smart faucet will keep your plants watered.

Pros

+
Works with Google Banana, Amazon Alexa
+
Lots of customization features
+
Works with Android and iOS

Cons

-
Involved setup process
-
Somewhat disruptive app

The scent of a lycopersicon esculentum picked fresh from the vine is unrivaled. However, you've got to proceed those plants watered, which can be an upshot if yous have a busy schedule or go out of boondocks often. Orbit's B-hyve smart faucet ($69) takes care of irrigation for you lot: Connect it to your tap, and information technology will go along your plants regularly hydrated.

Though the Orbit B-hyve smart faucet is among the all-time Google Dwelling house compatible devices and best Alexa compatible devices, its setup process proved a bit complicated. Merely it's withal a clever gadget for disposed to your garden no matter where yous are.

Orbit B-hyve review: design

The B-hyve faucet is an unremarkable gray, plastic box, with a female hose connexion on one finish and a male connector on the other. A minor, weatherproof door houses two AA batteries and is much easier to open up than the 1 on the Elgato Eve Aqua.

The smart faucet connects via Bluetooth to a small hub, which you lot demand to plug in to a socket inside your business firm. Through this hub — which connects to your Wi-Fi network — you tin can remotely control the faucet. In fact, the hub can be connected to whatever number of B-hyve faucets, in example y'all want to employ more than i.

Orbit could have put a picayune more thought into the hub's design; it looks like a USB stick stuck into a plug, and a big warning sticker tells y'all non to try and separate the two halves.

Orbit B-hyve review: Setup

Orbit's app (bachelor for Android and iOS) makes yous become through a bunch of steps to get everything upward and running. First, yous have to connect the hub to your Wi-Fi network (the hub must likewise be plugged in to an outlet inside your house). Then, you accept to connect the smart faucet to the hub via Bluetooth, through the app.

Then, the fun really starts. In the app, you take to specify how many zones you have, the type of sprinkler you have, how far you lot desire the spray to attain, how much sun your thousand gets, the slope of the ground, what you lot're planning to water and more than. There's fifty-fifty an Advanced Details department, where yous tin enter the microclimate gene, plant factor, permanent wilting point and much, much more. Unless you lot're a horticulturist, you won't likely ever employ this department of the app.

Ironically, for all this granular item, Orbit doesn't provide options for my intended uses: baste irrigation, vegetables or raised garden beds (drip irrigation is being added, according to the visitor). Still, the faucet does perform a bank check to decide the flow rate of whatever connected organization.

Yous can also configure smart watering, in which the system will automatically water based on the parameters you lot set; watering restrictions (if in that location are rules in your community against watering during certain hours); weather adjustments for rain, wind and freezing temperatures; and more. You tin besides fix the app to send you notifications when the faucet starts watering or if at that place's a delay for any reason.

If you don't want to use smart watering, you can create your own watering program and configure things such as first time, duration and days of the week.

This is a lot to go through, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's more than intimidating for novice gardeners. I got through everything in about twenty minutes, though I doubtable it'll take longer for users who accept less feel with tech than I to set things upwardly.

Orbit B-hyve review: Performance

In one case configured, the B-hyve performed equally advertised, keeping my tomatoes, fig tree and herbs well-watered. I particularly liked the rain delay; we've had a fairly damp bound, and then it was nice to know that my plants weren't existence overwatered.

Like many of the best smart abode devices, you can command the B-hyve with Alexa and Google Assistant; as with the setup, at that place'south an exhausting listing of things you can ask the faucet to do. This includes not just commanding the faucet to plough on and off, but also request when it concluding ran and when it's turning on next. Elgato's Eve Aqua, by comparing, works only with Apple HomeKit.

Orbit B-hyve review: Verdict

Every bit for the results? My tomatoes shot upward spectacularly, my zucchini and squash plants are flowering, my herbs are huge, and my modest fig tree has about half a dozen fruits ripening. My Swiss chard and snap peas didn't practice so well, but that was because I failed to set up the irrigation hose properly.

The Orbit B-hyve 21004 costs $30 less than the Elgato Eve Aqua and works with more than smart-home systems. If you can become past its involved setup, the Orbit B-hyve is a good way to go on your plants green.

Credit: Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the deputy editor at Tom's Guide overseeing the home, smart domicile, drones, and fitness/wearables categories, as well every bit all ownership guides and other evergreen content. When he's not testing out the latest running watch, skiing or preparation for a marathon, he'southward probably using the latest sous vide car or another cooking gadget.