We're out here celebrating the start of spring by taking a closer look at smart garden tech and how it's evolved over the past couple of years.
So without further ado, here's the state of the smart garden.
Let's start with plant sensors.
As a category, as of March 2018, plant sensors are trending down.
I thought this category would be the darling of the smart garden, they're relatively cheap, 60 bucks, a 100 bucks, anyone can use them, you can stick them in your indoor garden, your outdoor garden for a potted plant, for one but, a lot of the big plant sensors I've reviewed like the parent flower power, and the Eden garden sensor are no longer available.
So what the heck happened to this once promising category?
Well, they kinda got caught in the middle, they didn't give enough details for experts, and for beginners, they cost probably still a little bit too much.
Now let's talk about robot lawn mowers.
As of right now, robot lawn mowers are holding Steady.
They used to be very expensive and tedious to setup.
As of right now, they're very expensive and tedious to setup.
They are taking off a little bit more in Europe and companies around here are adding technology like GPS to robot lawn mowers So we may see a leap and then hopefully, as this category grows, you start getting options that are a little more accessible.
As of right now, it's still cool, it's still promising, but it hasn't really fully matured as a category.
Next, let's talk about smart weather monitors.
I thought these things were way too niche to survive, especially now that smart plant sensors are dying off.
But has it turns out smart weather monitors are holding study.
They were in each product, they're still in each product.
But people that are really interested in hyper-local weather data are still very interested in them.
And we are seeing some improvements.
More and more of the smart weather monitors are working with other smart home gadgets like your Amazon Echo or your Google Home.
So they're still niche but they're actually getting a little better.
Lastly smart sprinklers.
Again these things didn't use to excite me as much as plant sensors because you need an in ground sprinkler system to make.
Use of the product and there are $100 to $200 at least, but believe it or not, smart sprinklers are trending up.
As it turns out, if you already have a in-ground sprinkler system, giving a smart sprinkler is a really good option.
These things watch the weather for you, they set your sprinkler's schedule for you And they make controlling your sprinklers a whole lot easier.
And as a result, these things are spreading.
More and more companies are offering them.
They're getting more and more feature right, and demand continues to grow.
I talked to a few smart sprinklers companies, and people are replacing their old dumb sprinkler controllers, for smart options Even when the old ones are still working.
So because smart sprinklers are kind of a no-brainer upgrade, they as a category are taking off.
So we'll continue to keep an eye on these categories as they grow and evolve, and we'll put them to the test here at the CNET Smart Home to see which ones can help us make our own garden grow.
