GoKawiilIf your lawn is anything like mine, it might already be looking a bit dry and brown, as warm weather and negligible rainfall have sapped all moisture from the ground. Short of paving the thing, irrigation is the only way to keep grass on the ground and plants from withering.
Photograph: Chris Null
Today’s irrigation solutions are a whole lot smarter than the oscillating sprinklers of yesteryear, and even if you don’t have an in-ground sprinkler or drip irrigation system, you can still get in on the action. Case in point is Aiper’s IrriSense 2, which is one of the most sophisticated hose-connected sprinklers I’ve tested.
A Bruiser on the Turf
To start with, photos might be misleading: The IrriSense 2 hardware is surprisingly big—a fat cylinder measuring 2 feet tall and weighing over 11 pounds. The unit must be connected to a standard garden hose and an electrical outlet. A single button on top of the device pairs the system via Bluetooth with your mobile device and initiates manual runs on demand—though you’ll need to use your phone and the Aiper app for most operations. For remote operation, 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi is also supported.
Video: Chris Null
The IrriSense 2 relies on exact positioning to work properly, and it includes two methods for ensuring such. Ground stakes are in the box for use with permanent placements. If you remove the sprinkler periodically (which would be understandable), a plastic locator device (it looks a bit like a football tee) can be spiked into the ground, ensuring you can easily put the IrriSense 2 back in the same place each time you use it.
I placed the device in the center of my backyard for testing. After a quick onboarding and numerous firmware updates, I had the IrriSense 2 ready to use.
Water Aerobics
Using the IrriSense 2 begins with determining exactly how you’re going to water your lawn. While manual watering—via remote control—is always an option, that’s not very efficient. Three automated modes include Point (for watering single spots, such as a tree or bush that periodically needs irrigating), Line (following a linear path, suitable for hedges and flowerbeds), and Area (distributing water over a two-dimensional section of land, as you would with a lawn). I mostly used the Area mode, which presents the most complex (and probably most common) use case.