Blossom Smart Watering Controller Review
by Ganesh T S on August 28, 2015 8:10 AM ESTMiscellaneous Aspects and Concluding Remarks
Power consumption is an important aspect of home automation equipment. We hooked up the Blossom Smart Watering Controller to a Kill-a-Watt meter and recorded 4.3W as the power consumption at the wall during operation. The unit itself gets a little warm to touch, but nothing too worrisome, as the thermal photograph below shows. When the zones are in operation, there is an audible whine from the unit. Given that the unit is going to either be installed in a garage or outdoors, it is not much of an issue.
The following table summarizes the various home automation aspects / consumer checklist for the Blossom Smart Watering Controller and how it compares with the other systems that we have evaluated before.
| Home Automation Device Aspects - Summary Table | ||
| Aspect | ||
| Evaluated Devices | Blossom Irrigation Controller | mPower mPower Pro InWall Outlet InWall Dimmer Switch |
| Communication Technology | Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) Powerline Communication (PLC) |
Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) |
| Platform | Marvell 88MC200 MCU Marvell Avastar 88W8782 1x1 802.11n Wi-Fi SoC Qualcomm Atheros QCA7000 HomePlug Green PHY PLC |
Qualcomm Atheros AR9331 1x1 802.11n Wi-Fi SoC Host CPU: MIPS 24Kc, DRAM: 32MB |
| Power Source | AC Powered | AC Powered |
| Hub / Bridge Requirement | No | No |
| Control Center | Cloud (for setup and configuration) Local Device (stores backup schedule) |
Local Device (basic access, rules and scenes) Local Server (comprehensive access, rules and scenes) |
| User Control Interface | Mobile Apps | Web Browser Mobile Apps (basic control) |
| Open APIs | None | Yes (uPnP, HTTP, SSH) |
| Third-party / Hub Compatibility | None | None advertised |
| Cloud Reliance | Optional (compulsory only for initial setup and configuration) | None |
| Security Notes | Username / Password authentication at app level | Username / Password Authentication LAN Access Only |
| User Support / Discussion Forums | Blossom on Twitter | Ubiquiti Networks Community - mFi Forums |
| Street Price | USD 199 | USD 60 (mPower) USD 95 (mPower Pro) USD 59 (InWall Outlet) USD 59 (InWall Switch / Dimmer) |
Coming to the business end of the review, we have to say that Blossom has managed to bring out a unique home automation device. In our opinion, the inclusion of powerline communication (PLC) as an alternative path to the network in case Wi-Fi is not up to the task is a very good decision. This is something other home automation device manufacturers need to evaluate. In our opinion, consumer IP cameras (which rely on Wi-Fi right now) can also benefit from this dual approach. The IP54 rating allows users to install the unit wherever they see fit. The cloud-based 'Xona' intelligence seems to be effective in altering pre-set schedules based on weather conditions. We see no issues with the unique points set marketed by Blossom. There are multiple options in the market for automated gardening, and Blossom manages to stand out in the crowd.
Our main issue is with the cloud reliance aspect. While the Blossom does have a fail-safe schedule to fall back upon in case the Internet connection goes down, there is really no way to alter the schedule without going through the cloud. One of the main benefits of having smartphone control for the irrigation controller is the ability to turn a zone on or off immediately, even during operation. In the case of the Internet or Blossom's servers being down, this is simply not possible right now. Fortunately, Blossom recognizes the need for users to be able to configure the unit locally. I have heard that local browser access and control over the schedule is definitely in the roadmap. Till this feature comes about, we will not be able to recommend the Blossom Smart Watering Controller without reservation. To a lesser extent, we are also not comfortable with some alerts not being sent to the e-mail address associated with the unit. E-mail could also be used to inform the user about updates to the smart watering schedules.
Users not paranoid about being reliant on the cloud will find the Blossom Smart Watering Controller to be a great way to add automation to their irrigation needs. Ease of setup, usage and the 'it just works' aspects are the positives. We hope that Blossom will address the open APIs and local control capabilities as soon as possible.
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ddriver - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
Money for nothing... That product has a profit margin that will make apple jealous.Amandtec - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
Well, profit margin should include the design cost - not just the parts costs - otherwise you are not in business.ddriver - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
There is nothing about this product a newbie cannot design in a few hours. You can get a ESP8266 derivative and a bunch of relays for 10 bucks, and it will take about an hour to design and implement the circuit and program the MC.Oh well, there is the case too, I have no doubt that was an engineering challenge on its own.
ganeshts - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
Time, effort, convenience, IP 54 rating?, powerline communicator? (AFAIK, it is not trivial to integrate PLC into a DIY system.. Wi-Fi, yes, very easy with pre-existing modules, but not PLC).I mentioned in the review that DIY approach is also there with a link to instructables.
Have to give credit where it is due :) Also, pricing is decided by market demand - Blossom's competitors are also in the same range - so, I think they are justified in pricing at 199 - customary 20% off that seems to be available all the time.
ddriver - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
They use a ready solution for PLC, so it is just as easy as the wifi. Also, pretty much needless.Pricing is dictated by the level of chump-ness. In a world where many people buy completely useless garbage, such as "solar charger apps" or "lose weight hypnosis apps" or an app, whose sole purpose is proving you paid good money for nothing... You can buy a golden computer mouse with some diamonds for 20k, is that price dictated by market demand?
I would never recommend the purchase of any product, that easy and cheap enough to DIY. There are two ways to go, buy it and be a chump, or DIY - it will cost a tiny fraction, will give you full control over the device, and doing that will make you a tad smarter. It is a win-win-win situation. But nah, let's be model consumers and buy shamelessly overpriced stuff, just because ;)
close - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
So basically what you're saying is that you're a chump for not being able to build 75% of things you may need in your lifetime. Because yes, you can build your own furniture for a fraction of the cost of store bought furniture. You can also do almost any home repair without an electrician, plumber, painters, maybe even some building jobs (how hard is it to lay some bricks and some plywood?). And the list can continue.You can even make your own spoons and forks from leftover piping you may have lying around after your plumbing job is done, because only chumps buy them. And this concludes your 48 hour day.
So after you do all these by yourself come back and tell us what's a chump. I know you think you're l'ombelico del mondo (don't be a chump, translate it by yourself) because you may be technically inclined to build a watering controller but you're still a chump for anything else that you're not so good at. And that's not to say that you could actually build this anyway.
maniac5999 - Tuesday, September 1, 2015 - link
It's been almost 10 years since I did lawnsprinklers (It put me thru college) but the rule of thumb was around $100 installed per head, and normally 4-8 heads per zone on city water. Even with a small install of 5 zones and 6 heads per zone is looking at $3k. How much difference is $200 on that cost if it makes the whole thing 10X easier to interface with?ganeshts - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
Can you link me to this 'ready solution for PLC'? I would love to see the PLC connectivity option for DIY consumers.ganeshts - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
oh, and btw, PLC is definitely not 'pretty much needless' - there are plenty of situations where Wi-Fi reach is just not there. It all depends on the customer's installation settingV900 - Friday, August 28, 2015 - link
Or maybe we could learn to water a garden ourselves, and leave technology to do the hard things instead?Computers and technology were supposed to make our lives easier and more meaningful. Having a gadget water your garden for you, so you have an extra five minutes to spend on YouTube isn't easier and more meaningful, it's just lazy and senseless.
If you're trying to squeeze a gadget and software into every task imaginable, no matter if it makes sense or not, you're doing it wrong.