There's a working timer on your garage wall. It does the job. And every second ad tells you to rip it out for a WiFi controller you run from your phone. So: is it worth it, and if it is, which one? Here's the honest version from someone who installs these for a living across York Region.
For most Ontario systems the best smart controller is a Hunter HPC-400 (Hydrawise). It reuses your existing wiring and heads, skips watering when it rains, handles the daylight-saving change itself, and typically saves up to $580 a year in water. But not every system needs one — a small, hand-managed lawn may never see the payback.
What actually makes a controller "smart"?
A traditional timer runs a fixed schedule no matter the weather — it'll water in the rain because it doesn't know it's raining. A smart controller pulls live local weather data and adjusts: it skips or shortens cycles after rain, waters more in heat, and lets you change everything from your phone.
The features that matter in practice: weather-based (predictive) watering, rain skip, phone control from anywhere, and fault alerts — including a warning if a zone's wiring fails or, with an added flow meter, if a pipe bursts. It's the difference between a clock and a system that watches itself. (More on that leak-detection layer in our irrigation flow sensor guide.)
Do you actually need a smart controller?
You'll get real value from one if your system is medium-to-large, if you travel, if you keep forgetting to shut it off before rain, if your water bill jumps in summer, or if you want automatic compliance with York Region's watering bylaws. If you've got a small lawn you already manage by hand and you're home most weeks, it's a convenience, not a necessity.
We'd rather say that plainly than sell hardware nobody needs. The bylaw angle is underrated locally, though: across York Region's nine municipalities the rules differ and drought stages escalate, and a smart controller quietly keeps you inside whatever your town currently allows. (More on that in our York Region watering bylaws guide.)
Which smart controller is best for an Ontario system?
The right controller for our climate reuses your existing valve wiring and heads, rides out power outages without losing its schedule, handles freeze-thaw and daylight-saving on its own, and has real local support behind it. PJL installs one controller — the Hunter HPC-400 (Hydrawise) — for exactly those reasons.
Rachio and Rain Bird's smart line are the usual alternatives, and they're capable units. We standardize on Hunter Hydrawise for serviceability: one platform we know cold, spare parts on the truck, and a controller we're Hunter-certified and Hydrawise Authorized to install and support. When the same operation that installs it also services it, problems get solved faster. A full Hunter-versus-Rain-Bird breakdown is a separate piece for another day.
What does a smart-controller upgrade cost and involve?
A Hydrawise retrofit starts at $595 and scales by zone count. It reuses your existing wiring, valves and heads, so it's a swap at the controller — not a system rebuild — and it's usually a single visit, with the app and schedule set up before we leave.
On a typical Newmarket property the water savings — up to $580 a year — often cover the controller inside a season or two. You can put real numbers to your own lawn with our water cost calculator.
See the retrofit for your zone count.
The Hunter HPC-400 (Hydrawise) is the one controller we install — weather-aware watering, phone control, and fault alerts, reusing the wiring and heads already in the ground. Tell us your zone count and current brand and we'll confirm compatibility and quote it upfront.
See the Hydrawise WiFi upgradeWill a smart controller lower my water bill?
Usually, yes. Between predictive watering that trims cycles it doesn't need and rain-skip that cancels the ones it shouldn't run, a smart controller cuts typical GTA irrigation use by 30–40% — up to about $580 a year on a standard Newmarket lawn.
How much you actually save depends on your lot size, zone count and how you water now — the water cost calculator runs your specific numbers.
When should you call us?
Trying to decide whether to upgrade, or which way to go? Start with our AI diagnostic tool, call (905) 960-0181, or book online. In season we're same-day across the York Region core — Newmarket, Aurora, King City and immediate surroundings. Already have the controller and just need to set it? See how to program your Hunter controller.