This is another clever use of smart devices. My wife is a keen gardener. This means my duty is to water the plants on time. There were a couple of instances where I forgot to do so with severe consequences (for plants as well). No more!
This routine is part of the Automation Bank, a community-driven list of over 50 practical automation ideas for your smart home. Read more about Automation Bank or search ideas by room, by device or by use case. Also, have a look at best home automation ideas as voted by our users.
Simple automation below will make sure your plans are always watered (and your wife is happy)
How Does It Work?
- There are two ways to record if your plans had enough moisture:
- Use weather forecast provider (like DarkSky) which has a specific sensor to monitor rain in your locations
- More accurate but more expensive is to use a dedicated sensor like Mi Flora. You do not need to buy the sensors for each plant. Just have a routine way to do so and water the plant with the sensor last (or first).
- If the moisture readings below the threshold or you have more then certain dry days trigger the action.
- There are two main actions you can have:
- Notification – it will simply send a message to your mobile asking to water the plants
- Switch on irrigation system like RainMachine or Rachio
What Do You Need?
Device Our Recommendation Price New_recommend
IR hub
- Broadlink RM Pro4 is best IR blaster to use. It is simple to install and easy to operate
$44.99 IR Hub - helps you to integrate non-smart devices like TVs, AC / HVAC units and similar. Top choices are Broadlink RM4 pro Smart IR/RF Remote ($49.99) which is a battle tested devices which has great integrations with smart hubs. Bestcon RM4C Mini Universal IR Blaster () is the new kid in the block which has good pre-setup IR base and also neat up that you can use out of the box."
Comms Sticks - give Zwave/Zigbee connectivity to your hub
- Aeotec Z-Stick Gen5, Z-Wave Plus a Z-wave stick that we have but not deserve. reliable, easy and practical
- dresden elektronik ConBee II even if it combines RF and IR. Sonoff RF bridge is easier to use (see below)
Price not available or $23.34
Home Assistant Server - a smart hub to run your automations
- If you are new to Home Assistant, start with Raspberry Pi 4 4G . It will cover your basic needs and easily expand.
- Intel NUC 10 Performance Kit once you understand how cool Home Assistant is, go for NUC. There are dedicated images for NUC which makes it great to use and simple to set up.
Price not available or $330.00
RF hub
RF bridge that emulates your Remote
- No products found. () is our favourite RF bridge. The first thing you need to do is to flash it with Tasmota. This will allow you to connect to your bridge but also just control the bridge better.
$20 - $30
Shut off valve
A valve that will close and open water supply
- Dome Automatic Main Water Shut-Off Valve Controller (Price not available) is the most affordable option. Easy to install (you do not need a plumber) and operate. Requires Smart Hub
- leakSMART Water Leak Detection Kit (Price not available) is a more expensive option. It has all you need to set you up shut off valve. There are some negative comments on the hub but it works well in general.
- Grohe 22503LN0 ($514.31) is even more expensive. For the additional price, you have flow sensors capable to detect the pipe bursts without the sensors and better overall build quality. At the same, it has fewer options for integrating with your smart hub.
$99 - $400 Leak Sensor - this sensor will trigger as soon as the level of moisture is high. Our advice is to look for simple to install and reliable one. Top choices are THIRDREALITY Zigbee Water Leak Sensor ($79.99) due to price and quality of the build. There are no good wired Zigbee sensors on the market (as you do not really need it) but D-Link DCH-S1621KT Wi-Fi Water Leak Sensor and Alarm Starter Kit ($72.99) might be another option you consider"
Door/Window Sensor
Reports if a door or window is open or closed
- Zigbee: Linkind Door Window Sensor (Price not available) is the best sensor by BeSense. Reliable, good battery life, and looks amazing
- Z-wave: Z-Wave Door & Window Sensor ($32.99) is the sensor we recommend by Ecolink. It is easy to install, has up to 3 years of battery life and great customer feedback
$20 - $30
Motion Sensor
Detects any motion. Ideally combined with luminance sensor.A relatively simple device, with the price, mainly depends on the protocol you are using:
- Z-wave Motion Sensor: Our favouritez-wave sensor is Aeotec TriSensor (Price not available) for a good battery life, responsiveness and price. It also has luminance sensor built in. For a multisensor we recommend Zoos 4 in 1 multisensor (Price not available) or Aeon 6 in 1 (Price not available).
- Zigbee Motion Sensor: AGSHOME ZIGBEE Motion Sensor (Price not available) is the best for its price and stability.
$25 - $60 Motion Sensor - This sensor detects any motion and ideally combined with luminance sensor. Our advice is to go for Zigbee (Matter) and battery operated. Eve Motion Sensor (Matter) ($49.95) is our top chose as supports Matter (future proof), has luminance sensor and good battery life. If you want to go fancy, Linptech mmWave human body sensor ($33.99) would work, but you will need to sort out wired power supply
Multisensor
Measure several environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, or light levelsThis is a more complicated device than a motion sensor and can be used where multiple environmental factors need to be detected:
- Z-wave: Our favourite z-wave sensor is Aeon 6 in 1 (Price not available) for its reliability and flexibility in use. It detects motion, humidity, temperature, light lux, UV, vibration sensor and has 2-year battery life
$20 - $60
Water leak detector
A sensor that will trigger the shut-off valve to work
- HomeSeer HS-LS100+ Leak sensor (Price not available) is the most affordable and simple solution. At this price, you should cover all the areas in your house. Requires A Smart Hub
- FIBARO Flood Sensor ($42.97) is a very good Z-wave leak detector. It has great battery life, easy to pair and very accurate at alarms. Requires A Smart Hub
$20 - $55 Water Leak Sensor - this sensor will trigger as soon as the level of moisture is high. Our advice is to look for simple to install and reliable one. Top choices are THIRDREALITY Zigbee Water Leak Sensor ($79.99) due to price and quality of the build. There are no good wired Zigbee sensors on the market (as you do not really need it) but D-Link DCH-S1621KT Wi-Fi Water Leak Sensor and Alarm Starter Kit ($72.99) might be another option you consider"
Outlet
Allows you to remotely switch on and off. Can be retrofitted to any existing devices.
- Wifi outlet: Kasa Smart WiFi Plug (price for 2 - Price not available) is the best for price and local connectivity.
- Zigbee outlet: Sylvania Smart Plug (Price not available) is also a good option for ZigBee outlet
- Z-wave outlet: GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Smart Plug (Price not available) is good practical device that do not take a lot of space and work perfectly
$20 - $35 Smart Plug / Outlet - Allows you to remotely switch on and off a plug. Can be retrofitted to any existing devices. Kasa Matter Smart Plug w/ Energy Monitoring ($36.99) is a simple and easy choice here. It supports Matter, provides good value for money and great brand. You can also check outKasa Outdoor Smart Dimmer Plug ($13.99) if you need an outdoor version.
Plug with Energy Monitoring
Reports the power consumption
- Wifi outlet: BN-LINK WiFi Heavy Duty Smart Plug Outlet, No Hub Required with Timer Function, White, Compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant, 2.4 Ghz Network Only (4 Pack) ( ) is the best for price and local connectivity.
- Z-wave outlet: Aeotec Smart Plug (Price not available) is a good practical device that does not take a lot of space and work perfectly
$23 - $32
Smart Color Bulb
A colour bulb you can remotely control
- Wifi: Kasa Smart Light Bulb, Multicolor ($24.99) is best wifi colour LED bulb. We recommend TP-link devices for a great value, easy integration with almost any smart hubs and excellent quality.
- Zigbee: Sengled E11-N1EA Smart LED Multicolor Bulb ($19.99) is the most practical RGB smart bulb around
$24 - $35 Smart Color Lights / Bulbs - Allows you to not only remotely switch on and off, but also change the color and temperature of the light. Sengled Zigbee Smart Light Bulbs (Price not available) is our advice due to great quality and good selection of bases and bulb types. You can also check out Kasa Smart Light Bulbs ($20.99) if you prefer wifi version.
White Bulb
Practical bulb that would work for majority of use cases
- Wifi: Kasa Smart WiFi Light Bulb ($44.90)
- Zigbee: Sengled Smart LED Soft White A19 Bulb ($17.98))
$10 - $20
Switch US
Switch to turn on and off lights. Require neutral wire in the box.
- Zigbee: Innr Zigbee Smart Plug (Price not available) is a great device. It does not require neutral wire so will be really easy to install.
- Z-wave: Honeywell Z-Wave Plus On/Off Switch (Price not available) is a switch that easy to install and operate. Works with all the major hubs and looks great.
- Z-wave Dimmer: GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Smart Dimmer Switch (Price not available) in addition to being a great dimmer can also act as extender.
- Wifi: Wemo Light Switch ($99.95) is really good if you do not have Z-wave of ZigBee and not planning to buy.
$30 - $45
Voice assistant:
AI driven device that can respond to voice commandsThere is no right answer which Voice Assistant to choose, but we have the following recommendations:
- The most comprehensive: Amazon Alexa (Price not available) has a lot to offer. Zigbee radio means potentially one hub less (although we still recommend getting a dedicated hub). It also has the biggest ecosystem to tap into (including Ring, Phillips Hue, TP-link)
- The most intelligent: Google Home is using the brains behind the biggest search engine in the world to deliver the best answers for your questions. It is definitely more capable compared to Alexa
$100
Smart Blinds
Motorised shades that automatically open and close the blinds
- Best DIY Blinds: Rechargeable Wireless by RollerHouse ($93.99)
- Best Horizontal Blinds: MySmartBlinds Automation Kit Bundle (Price not available)
- Best Vertical Blinds: Somfy Sonesse ST30 ($329.00)
Read more: Best Motorized Blinds
$40 - $279
Smart Buttons
A convenient way to trigger routines and specific actions
- Zigbee: Sylvania 8 Functions 4 Buttons (Price not available)
- Z-wave: Aeotec NanoMote Quad, 8 scenes, (Price not available)
$8 - $50
Irrigation System
Make sure your plants are always watered
- Best for most users: No products found. () is our top irrigation system pick due to complete independence from cloud, good integrations and great quality
- Alternative: Rachio 8ZULW-C Sprinkler Controller ($181.99) is another good option for irrigation system
$180 - $220
Outdoor Lights
Lightning for your garden protected from water
- Zigbee: SSengled Flood Light with Motion Sensor Light Outdoor ($25.49) is a very convenient way to bring smart lights to your garden. Easy to install and integrate. GLEDOPTO Smart ZigBee LED Strip Controller RGB (Price not available) is also a good option and has more brigness and metal chasis.
- Z-wave: Z-wave is not great with lights, but GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Outdoor Smart Plug Switch (Price not available) would work great to control existing lightning solutions.
$49 - $70
Smart TRV
Thermo Regulator Valve that can be controlled remotely
- US: tado Smart Radiator Thermostat (Price not available) is part of Tado which is great heating system with local controls
- UK: Popp POPE010101 Z-Wave Radiator Thermostat (Price not available) is a decent solution with good installations options.
$60 - $200
Outdoor Outlets
Protected plugs for outdoors
- Wifi: Kasa Smart WiFi 2 Outlet Outdoor Plug by TP-Link ($23.99) is a great outdoor plug and wifi connection would work great for the majority of users
- Z-wave: GE Enbrighten Z-Wave Plus Outdoor Smart Plug Switch (Price not available) is a well functioning outdoor plug with good range.
$40
Outdoor Cameras
Cameras that would work well outdoors
- Best Overall Outdoor Camera: Amcrest 5MP UltraHD Outdoor Security IP ($59.99) is a great quality outdoor camera. It has 5k resolution making it perfect for large outdoor areas. It is ONVIF protocol compliant making it easy to connect to almost any NVR
More: Detailed Review of 4 Best Outdoor Cameras
$70 Survailance Camera: there are so many options here and it really come down to what type of camera you need. Our top pick is still Amcrest 5MP Turret POE Camera ($59.99) as it has the best value for money, great RTSP implementation and good tech spec. If you want to go more fancy, Hikvision DS-2CD2387G2P-LSU/SL ($202.68) is the best high-end camera due to the amazing quality of video feed. Also, check out our guide Best camera for Home Assistant Guide
Outdoor Sensors
Protected sensors for your gardenHomeSeer HS-FLS100+ Z-Wave Plus Outdoor Floodlight Sensor (Price not available) is a AC powered motion and lightning sensor. It would work with your smart home but also control floodlights. $40
Moisture Sensor
Reports the level of humidity
- Best for most users: No products found. () is a Bluetooth device that can monitor moisture as well as Sunlight, Temperature, and Soil Fertility
$30
Security Alarm System
System to alarm you of any unauthorized entry to your house
- The best for the majority users: SimpliSafe 8 Piece Wireless Home Security System ($194.92) has all the main things for a good security system. Great customer service, main sensors included for the most users and good quality hardware.
- More affordable security system: No products found. () is a cheaper no-monthly-fee system. It will be more difficult to integrate with your hub but can be done with Sonoff Bridge.
- More capable security system: No products found. () is a great option for more sophisticated needs. The system has great good integration with hubs, an optional monthly-fee system, and a well-designed mobile application.
$89 - $300
Robot Vacuum
Little helper to clean your house
- Best Overall: iRobot Roomba 690 ($450.00) for great value, good quality and connectivity to all major smart hubs
$300
How To Set It Up?
Section below will have step by step instructions how to set this automation routine in the most popular smart hubs like SmartThings, Home Assistant, HomeSeer and Hubitat
Please leave comments below if you have any questions, or interested in the instruction for a specific system. This will help us to better focus our effort.
Last update on 2024-11-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API