The Eve Aqua Smart Water Controller lets you water your garden from your phone

To install the Aqua device between the faucet and hose, I plugged the device directly into each. If you are using drip tubing instead of a hose, you will use the included adapter to connect the irrigation line to the Aqua. Although the directions are relatively simple, I had trouble getting a great seal on the side of the Aqua faucet, even using pliers. The location of the handle made it impossible to squeeze a tool to tighten the connection, which meant that, in the end, I was never able to avoid some level of water leakage from this area. (An Eve representative suggested using plumber’s tape to improve the seal or adding an angle adapter or hose extension to the setup to make the angle less awkward, but I didn’t test either method.) However, it’s easier to get a good seal on the bottom connection that connects to the hose, as there’s not a lot of hardware in the way on the underside of the Aqua.

Hardware and software testing

ScreenshotEve App via Chris Null

Once the batteries are installed, you can connect the Aqua to a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network within the Eve app, or you can use HomeKit to connect directly to Apple’s iOS Home app. You’ll need the Eve app to use most advanced operations on the unit (like child locks and water consumption routines), but for simple manual control and timer operations, the iOS Home works well.

And that’s a good thing, because Eve’s iOS app is a surprisingly complex piece of software that might frustrate even seasoned smart home enthusiasts — at least that’s what I felt as I tried to navigate the app. A complex set of scenes, timers, and rules determine how your watering schedule works. While the intent here is to bring a sense of flexibility and power to how you manage your watering schedule, the whole thing seems more complicated than necessary. The interface is very busy, with a lot of unnecessary information cluttering each screen. Configuring a simple on/off timer seems like a logical puzzle in this application. To be honest, it’s probably in order to redesign the Eve app wholesale.

ScreenshotEve App via Chris Null

Maybe if Aqua shipped with better instructions, the app confusion wouldn’t be an issue. But I was surprised to find that the module only contains a brief and concise getting started guide. The hardware is easy to get to grips with, but I expect that most users will need a bit more manual control than Eve provides (or a lot of patience) to master the app.

Fortunately, after I had set up my schedules and didn’t need to adjust them further, I was able to put the device on hold and found that it worked well. The unit responded quickly to on-call orders, and schedules ran like clockwork. In several days of testing, the Aqua didn’t let me down once.

An expensive proposition

Here’s the bad news: The Eve Aqua is one of the most expensive smart hose controllers, and it’s a lot more expensive than other smart hose controllers Rachio Smart Hose Timer (which I found simpler but still effective when I tested it) and Orbit 90204Z (A model I haven’t tested but is similar to other Orbit gear I’ve tried and liked). Like the Aqua, both competitors offer app-based smart features, but for around $100 or less. However, Aqua is significantly less expensive than IrriSense 2 smart irrigation systemAll of these options are more cost effective than digging a sprinkler system into the ground.

Unlike other smart water controllers, the Aqua does not require a separate Wi-Fi bridge to operate, making it easy to use. But this feature loses a lot of its luster when it comes to dealing with a complex setup process and the impact of a leaky faucet once you turn it on.