Rain BirdSST400IN Simple-to-Set Indoor Sprinkler/Irrigation System Timer/Controller, 4-Zone/Station (this New/Improved Model Replaces SST400I)

Very easy to install. A great price!

The last one of these I had lasted 20 years and I had it mounted outside of the house under a patio cover. It is listed as an indoor timer. The new one has a few added features and I now have it mounted inside my house.Since I reside in Phoenix, this one should pretty much last forever.Great produce and easy to use.

I had installed a different type of Rain Bird controller and returned it to the store. I found this Rain Bird controller on Amazon, and it is very easy to use. Even if I schedule too long of a sprinkling time for a couple of stations, so that it does not complete the 4 stations within an hour, it remembers to go back to the other stations and water them. It also has provisions for 4 watering periods on the same day, so that shorter watering periods can be used and repeat after the water has soaked into the ground.

Easy to install and program.

Basic set up for this device is easy, but battery replacement and attaching a wireless sensor are more complicated. This is the second time I have installed a sprinkler timer. The first one was from Orbit, and it lasted 12 years. Looking at the wifi models, there were several reviews that said if the wifi connection dropped, the controller wouldn't operate. So I decided to get this basic Rain Bird because I liked the programming features and I hope it will last another 12 years.However, there are a couple of big trade offs. First of all, if you want this to last for 5 or 10 years, you will need to replace the battery more than once. I recommend doing a search on YouTube for Rain Bird SST600in Battery Replacement. Basically, you have to uninstall (remove power and all wires) to the unit, and take the unit apart to get access to the battery. It needs a CR 2032. Then you have to put the unit back together and reinstall it. My old Orbit had a convenient little tray that slid out for the battery.Secondly, I have a wireless rain sensor. My city requires sensors for all sprinkler systems. The directions in the user manual only show the procedure for installing a wired sensor. The big difference is that the wireless sensor needs a power supply. What I ended up doing was using the power cord for my old Orbit, twist the wires together, and wrap it in electrical tape. In the attached picture, those wires look like rabbit ears. For existing homes, wireless sensors are a lot easier than running a wire from the controller to the sensor. It looks funny, but it works fine. This is in my garage, so I care more about function. But I did wrap all the wires in white electrical tape since the walls are (kind of) white.The battery issue is annoying. Rain Bird must want people to buy a new unit when the battery goes out. I wish I had researched that before I bought the controller.

Bought to replace a still-working, 43-year-old Rainbird control panel. Easy to install (but the old wiring to connect to sprinkler system was far more rigid than I expected), and immensely easier to program than the old one (old one took over 10" to program for just three zones, this one takes about 90 seconds.)The only "con" I can think of is that, unlike the old one, this one doesn't have a battery backup to preserve settings after a power loss; but it's so quick and easy to program I'm not sure that makes any difference, unless you happened to be out of town when it happened.

I just installed this sprinkler timer so my rating is based on how easy it was to install and it’s basic functionality. It is very easy to install. The instructions are easy to understand but I would highly recommend watching the installation video before starting if you’re in the least bit concerned. Basic operation and programming are easy even if you are not familiar with timers. Again, the video is helpful.

Our spring irrigation startup appointment didn't go as planned because our indoor Irritrol timer wasn't working properly. All of the sprinklers themselves were working fine, but when the tech tried to test the timer, the zones would only turn on for a few seconds before shutting down. 24 V was flashing on our timer display (same as last year too but it worked fine), so the tech switched out the AC adapter thinking that had to be the issue--it wasn't. So he recommended we purchase a new indoor timer. The Rain Bird one he had with him would have cost us $150, so he recommended I purchase one elsewhere and install it myself. I was hesitant because I had no idea how easy it would be, and trust me, it was very EASY TO INSTALL this timer. (And it was 1/3 the cost of having the irrigation technician do it for us.) All I had to do was: 1) remove the wire cover from existing timer and take a pic of the wire configurations. 2) detach all the wires and unscrew the existing timer from the wall. 3) attach the new timer to the wall (I did have to make new holes but it was a snap). 4) reattach the wires to the new Rain Bird timer. 5) program the timer, which was also SUPER EASY. The whole process didn't take longer than fifteen minutes.So if you have an existing indoor irrigation timer that isn't working properly, I can safely recommend this one. Great price, easy to install (with existing wires), and easy to program.