The One and a clamp
Your contractor mounts the One beside the existing controller and clamps the valve common. In Watch, no valve wires move.
From the
controller
to the roots.
A Droughtless One beside your controller and soil probes in the ground. It checks every run against the soil, then takes over the watering when you’re ready.
What goes on your site.
The One mounts beside your controller and reads every run it
makes.
Soil probes measure the soil at the roots.
Soil probes
A wireless node with up to two soil probes, set at root depth where the zone actually waters. It reports back to the One by radio, so no wire runs to the cabinet.
Where the probes go
10cm
Turf
One shallow probe in the spray pattern.
15+45cm
Trees
Two probes inside the dripline, one shallow and one deep.
Standard depths from the Sense install guide. The installer records each probe’s depth when pairing the node in the app.
Powered from the site
The One runs on 24 VAC. Sense runs on two lithium AA cells.
On LTE, off your network
Nothing joins your property’s network, so there’s no IT ticket. The sensor radio is encrypted.
Add a flow meter for the pipes
A flow meter adds leak and broken-line checks. Freeze sensors and pumps connect to the One too.
Your controller
can stay.
The clamp reads the valve wiring, so the brand on the cabinet doesn’t matter.
Already on central control?
Keep IQ4, ICC Pro or Sentinel. Central control logs that a valve was told to run. Droughtless checks that the water reached the roots.
The clamp goes on the field wiring, so there’s nothing to integrate.
Clamp
Conventional 24 VAC controllers
Any brand. The clamp sees every run, and each station is mapped to its zone at commissioning.
Watch
Decoder clocks
Two-wire decoder controllers such as ESP-LXD and ICC2 connect for Watch.
Bridge
Hunter Hydrawise
Connects through the Hydrawise cloud, which lets Droughtless run, stop and suspend zones.
Soil
Battery timers
Sense checks that each zone’s soil gets wetter after the timer runs.
Every check starts
with a measurement.
Sense and the clamp cover the soil and the controller. Add a flow meter and it watches the pipes too.
WatchChecks the controller you have.
ControlThe One drives the valves and checks them too.
| Fault | Needs | Watch | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone didn’t run when scheduled | The clamp, or the One in Control | Included | Included |
| Zone ran, soil didn’t get wetter | Sense | Included | Included |
| Soil too dry for the plants | Sense | Included | Included |
| Water flowing with no zone running, or a valve stuck open | Flow meter | Included | Included |
| Broken head, cut lateral, clogged drip line | Flow meter | Included | Included |
| Shorted or broken valve wire | The One’s current sensing | No | Included |
| Pump running dry | Pump on the One and a flow meter | No | Included |
| Freeze | Freeze sensor, thermometer or the forecast | Alerts | Shuts off |
| Probe offline, low battery, sensor fault | Sense | Included | Included |
The text tells the crew what to check.
Every alert links to its evidence. The crew opens it from the text or email with no account, sees what was measured, and marks it real or false.
-
First
The repair contact
When a fault holds a zone’s watering, your crew hears first. Everyone else on the alert list hears only if it is still open 24 hours later.
-
Right away
Everyone, for the big ones
Stuck valves, pump faults and mainline leaks text the whole alert list at once, quiet hours or not.
-
After the fix
Proof the repair worked
The alert closes when the next run gets the soil wetter. The crew’s verdict goes into the Season Scorecard.
Each contact picks English or Spanish and sets their own quiet hours.
Droughtless Evidence
Practice Green · Sunridge Corporate Campus
No water reaching plantsPlants have about 2 days of water left
Practice Green ran but the soil did not get wetter
What we saw
- The zone ran at 5:30 AM.
- The soil did not rise after the run. It normally rises about 2.1%.
Check on site
- Check that the zone’s isolation valve is open.
- Start the zone and check that the heads pop up and spray.
- Check that the soil sensor is in the spray pattern and firm in the ground.
Was this a real problem?
Yes, it’s realNo, false alarm
No login. This link opens this alert only.
It waters from the soil
and the forecast.
An ET controller estimates what the landscape lost. Droughtless also measures what the root zone still holds, so it skips the runs the plants don’t need.
Root-zone outlook
Seven days ahead.
Use the left and right arrow keys to step through the days. The same values are in the table that follows.
- Measured
- Forecast
- Likely range of 31 forecasts
- Rain
- Watering
Hold watering
The soil lasts until Thursday’s rain.
The root zone stays above the watering threshold until the rain arrives, so nothing runs this week. If the rain misses, the next night’s plan adds a run.
Example zone: Bermuda turf on clay loam, from the demo site.Cycle and soak
Every watering runs as short pulses with soak time between them. Valves run together only when a pipe-network pressure check passes; otherwise they take turns.
Restrictions held at the controller
In Control, watering days, hours and drought-stage rules are checked before any valve opens, manual and offline runs included. An override needs a written reason.
Keeps watering offline
The plan lives on the One and covers the week ahead. If the cell link drops, it keeps running that plan for up to 7 days.
It watches before
it waters.
Through the pilot season it checks your controller and changes nothing. Then you decide whether the One takes over, one controller at a time.
Watch
Your controller keeps running
Every run is checked against the soil. Each night you also see the plan it would have run instead, zone by zone.
Your controller keeps the valve
wires.
Control
The One runs the watering
Once the valves are mapped, plants and preferences are set and the One is online, you turn on Control. Your contractor moves the valve wires to the One.
Every run planned from the soil
and the forecast.
Reports for whoever
signs off.
The Monthly Digest is the month’s operating record. The Season Scorecard lists every fault caught and how it ended. Both arrive by email on the schedule you set, with each alert linked to its evidence.
Droughtless Contents
Sent every month
Monthly Digest
01
Per-Zone Water & Run Ledger
What ran, what was missed and the water each zone got.
02
Alert Scorecard
What was flagged, what was fixed and what is still open.
03
Deficit Outlook
Which zones run short in the days ahead.
Monthly Digest 1
Droughtless Contents
Sent at the end of the season
Season Scorecard
✓Confirmed Real
×False Alarms
Every alert, with the crew’s verdict.
01
Faults Caught
Each fault, how long it took to alert, and the fix.
02
Water Delivered
The water each zone got across the season.
Season Scorecard 1
Filing and certification reports, too
MWELO Annual · WUE Data · LEED WE · GRESB Export · Audubon ACSP · Board Presentation · Insurance · Regulatory Submission
How the water comparison is worked out
Your current schedule and the Droughtless schedule run through the same soil model on the same weather, rain included. The baseline keeps whatever your controller already does, such as a rain sensor’s skips.
In a season simulated on 2023 weather, the Droughtless schedule applied 22% less water than a fixed summer timer, and 14% less than the same timer with a rain sensor.
A controller for the wall. Sensors for the root zone.
Your contractor installs both. The install guides are linked below.
Droughtless One
Controller32 zones on four swappable valve cartridges, LTE built in, and outputs for a pump or master valve. It senses solenoid current on every run, so a shorted or broken valve wire shows up on the zone that ran.
Droughtless Sense
Soil nodeUp to two probes at two depths in the root zone, reporting to the One over an encrypted radio link. Built to run for years on two lithium AA cells.
Compare specifications
| Specification | The One | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Watches your controller, then drives the valves | Measures soil moisture at root depth |
| Capacity | 32 zones on four 8-zone cartridges, plus two pump or master-valve outputs | Up to two probes per node |
| Sensing | Clamp input for your existing controller; solenoid current on the valves it drives | Soil moisture at each probe depth |
| Power | 24 VAC from the site | Two lithium AA cells, built to last years |
| Connection | LTE, off your property’s network | 915 MHz LoRa radio to the One, AES-128 encrypted |
| Security | Per-device certificate for every connection | Per-device encryption key |
| Install | Wall mount beside your controller | Node at mulch level; probes at 10 cm for turf, 15 and 45 cm for trees |
In the office and
out on the walk.
The web app for every site you run. The iOS app for walking a site, pairing sensors and checking work in the field.
Works without signal
Download a site once and walk it offline. Photos and AR captures sync when you’re back in coverage.
A separate space for each client
Contractors switch between client organizations. Owner, Editor and Reviewer roles cover an organization; Viewer, Installer and Surveyor access covers a single site.
Alerts arrive investigated
Each new alert is investigated automatically. You see the likely causes, the evidence for each and what to check on site.
Your data stays yours.
Your maps, readings, photos and configuration belong to you.
Authenticated equipment
Every One connects with its own certificate. Every Sense encrypts its readings with its own key. LTE keeps all of it off your property’s network.
Familiar sign-in
Google, Microsoft or a passkey. Organization roles and site access decide who sees what.
Plain data terms
We don’t sell your personal information, and we don’t use your site or sensor data to train third-party AI models. Your data is stored in the US and exported on request.
Aggregated data that can’t identify you or your site helps us run and improve the service.
One season to see
what it catches.
We agree the sites, equipment, dates and checks before anyone installs anything. It starts in Watch, with your schedule in charge.
Pilot seasonFree
The hardware is ours. We install it, watch the site and take it out.
Nothing bills automatically. Anything after the pilot is a separate written offer.
Either side can end it. Any time, no reason needed. We take the hardware out, and in Watch your controller never changed.
One page before install. Site access, our certificate of insurance and your ownership of the data.
Questions we get
What happens after the pilot?
If the Season Scorecard earns it, we send a written
subscription proposal. If not, we take our hardware out and
part as friends.
How long does the install take?
About half a day. The One mounts beside your controller and
each Sense goes in at mulch level, with probes set at root
depth.
What if a mower hits a sensor?
We place sensors with your grounds crew, at mulch level and out
of the mowing line where we can. If one gets hit during the
pilot, it’s on us.
How long do the batteries last?
Sense is built to run for years on two lithium AA cells. When
one runs low, you get an alert before the node goes quiet.
Can we stay in Watch and never enable Control?
Yes. Control is on only for the controllers you turn it on
for, and it stays off until you do.
What happens if we leave after enabling Control?
Your contractor moves the valve wires back to your old
controller and restores its schedule, then we take the One
out. Your data is exported or deleted on request.
Let’s see what
your site needs.
The assessment is free. We’ll come back with proposed coverage, equipment and pilot scope.