Once installed, the setup proceeds like Aiper and pricier Irrigreen software: You create an area, then use software to define its boundaries. Similar to the systems mentioned above, the Oto sprinkler is designed for precise watering, throwing water in a beam in one direction instead of a wide spray. That said, the Oto spray is relatively thin, hitting only a single, designated patch rather than producing a two-sided water curtain like Irrigreen’s “water printing” system. You get a good overview of this when you border your yard.
Like its competitors, Oto lets you set each area as a spot (for watering a single tree, perhaps), a line (for a flower bed), or a 2-D area (for a yard). I tried all these types but I spent most of my time working with locales, which is the most difficult option. When defining the location, I found Oto’s system to be similar to that of Irrigreen and Aiper, although it was very slow to respond to commands. However, it is very easy to use: The simple interface allows you to drop points around the sprinkler to define the boundaries of the area. When you make a full circle around the sprinkler, the area is complete.
Once configured, you can schedule each location, with many options available around watering days (odd days, even days, select days of the week, daily), and select a start time (although there is no time to connect to sunset or sunrise). Each schedule also gets a weekly watering limit (in inches deep), which you’ll calculate over the weekly watering. Weather-aware features let you choose to skip watering if your zip code receives measurable rain or if it’s windy (both based on network reports); the user can adjust the amount of rain and wind speed needed to trigger the jump. The app records the 20 most recent runs and includes a calendar detailing upcoming events.
When watering the area, Oto takes a new approach to covering the grass, first moving in circular rows directly around the sprinkler, then slowly increasing with each successive swipe. When it’s done, it does an additional “cleaning” to hit any areas that the first few layers of watering didn’t reach. The speed is slow enough and the size of the water beam is large enough that the resulting coverage is stable. After testing, I found the yard to be very moist throughout, with no dry patches.
As with all sprinklers, changes in water pressure can occasionally over-water or under-water areas, but I’ve found this to be less of a problem when using the Oto. However, when watering at the end of the Oto range, the force required to throw water that far can make a large slope, which can cause soil erosion or damage to more sensitive plants.
Oto also has a “play mode” option that lets you use the sprayer for a watery chase game or a random “splash tag” mode, aka “try to avoid getting hit by the water.” Pro tip: It’s impossible not to get hit.
