Oto Smart Sprinkler Review (2026): Solar-Powered and Simple to Use

Once configured, setup proceeds much like the Aper and more expensive Igreen apps: You create a zone, then use the app to define its boundaries. Similar to the systems above, Otto’s sprinkler is designed for precise watering, putting out water in a beam in a single direction rather than a wide spray. That said, Otto’s spray is comparatively narrow, hitting only a single, specified patch rather than producing a two-dimensional curtain of water like Irgreen’s “water printing” system. When you set the boundaries of your yard you get a good preview of it.

Like its competitors, Otto lets you set each area as a spot (perhaps for watering a tree), a line (for a flower bed), or a 2-D area (for a yard). I tested all of these methods but spent most of my time working with field areas, which are the most complex option. When defining a field area, I found that Otto’s system is virtually identical to Irgreen’s and Aiper’s, although it is a little slower to respond to commands. Still, it’s very easy to use: a simple interface lets you drop points around the sprinkler to define zone boundaries. When you have made a complete circle around the sprinkler, the area is complete.

Once configured, you can assign each zone a schedule, with plenty of options available for which days to water (odd days, even days, select days of the week, every day), and specify a start time (though there’s no set time for sunset or sunrise). Each schedule also comes with a weekly watering limit (in inches of depth), which you’ll parse into each week’s watering round. Weather intelligence features let you choose to release water if there is measurable rainfall in your zip code or if winds are strong (both based on Internet reports); The user can change both the amount of rain and wind speed required to trigger the skip. The app logs the 20 most recent runs and includes a calendar detailing upcoming events.

When watering an area, Otto takes a new approach to covering the lawn, first moving in a circular arc around the sprinkler directly, then gradually increasing the range with each successive swipe. When finished, it runs additional “clean-up” to attack any areas that were not reached by the initial water. The speed is slow enough and the water beam size is large enough that the resulting coverage is solid. After running the test, I found that the yard was fairly wet throughout the entire area, with no dry patches.

Like all sprinklers, changes in water pressure can sometimes cause over- or under-watering in areas, but I found this to be a minimal problem when using the Otto. However, when water is poured at the terminus of the Otto range, the force required to throw water so far can cause a strong splash, resulting in some soil erosion or damage to more sensitive plants.

Otto also has a “Play Mode” option that lets you use the sprinkler for a water game of chase or a more random “Splash Tag” mode, also known as “trying to avoid getting hit by the water.” Pro Tip: It’s impossible not to get hit.