We’ve all just come through a hot, scorching summer – yet further proof of an era increasingly marked by extreme and unpredictable weather events. Suddenly, the old saying ‘There are no longer any mid-seasons’ seems more relevant and realistic than ever, given that the calendar year now appears to be marked by six months of more or less sweltering summer and six months of more or less cold winter. Heatwaves are not only more intense than in the past, but also last longer: periods of extreme drought alternate with sudden torrential downpours.
Not exactly the ideal climate for keeping your garden in good health!
And this is precisely where the practicality of an electric irrigation system combined with Dry Contact Modules, part of Freedompro’s Smart Modules range, comes into play: an effective, extremely convenient, easy-to-use and, above all, useful solution that helps you, amongst other things, prevent your garden plants and flowers from withering in the sweltering heat of Italy’s long, ‘new summers’.
Why an electric irrigation system is more useful than ever today
Compared to the past, when watering the garden was managed with bulky, heavy watering cans or long hoses that inexplicably and hopelessly twisted in on themselves when needed, electric systems are now available that greatly simplify the process of watering vegetable patches and gardens.
These solutions offer a wealth of benefits, which we have summarised briefly below for your convenience:
- Precision and water saving : did you know that there are irrigation systems equipped with a control unit for programming the amount of water to be dispensed to different areas of the garden? Since it is essential not to deplete our most precious resource, watering intelligently is a small act that can make a big difference.
- Efficiency and time-saving : a benefit that’s easy to imagine! With an electric system, there’s no need to intervene manually every day or remember to switch the watering on: very useful if you’re often away for work or travel frequently.
- Flexibility of use : modern electric irrigation systems allow you to customise watering cycles for different areas of the garden, a significant advantage for those with large outdoor spaces or complex gardens, featuring plants with varying water requirements.
- Environmental sustainability : in the current context of global warming and climate change, a well-calibrated electric system optimises water use, contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle and reducing environmental impact – a crucial aspect given the growing water scarcity in many regions.
- Automation : this is where Freedompro technology comes into play, ensuring that your home irrigation system is not only electric but also smart. How? Thanks to the Dry Contact Modules from Freedompro’s Smart Modules range, which have also achieved the coveted Matter certification (and we are among the first brands to have reached this milestone!).
Make your garden irrigation smart with Freedompro’s Dry Contact Modules!
Freedompro’s Dry Contact Modules are smart, professional actuators connected via Wi-Fi that automate dry contact or pulse-controlled devices – an umbrella category encompassing a wide range of everyday items, such as pedestrian and driveway gates, garage doors and roller shutters, even some boiler models and, of course, electric irrigation systems.
In many cases, the latter use pulse-controlled devices to control the opening and closing of valves: this means that when the system sends an electrical pulse to the valve, it opens or closes to regulate the water flow. The usefulness of this configuration is evident in situations where timing is critical, such as in systems with programmed irrigation cycles (i.e. equipped with so-called ‘timers’).
Irrigation systems that integrate with larger automation systems or home automation might instead use dry contact devices, which are used to activate or deactivate the irrigation system without transmitting direct electricity through the circuit.
In practice, the choice of devices depends on the design and complexity of the irrigation system. And the advantage offered by Freedompro’s Dry Contact Module is that it can manage both, transforming a routine into an experience of total comfort that will make it easier to cope with the constant ‘mood swings’ of our climate.
To understand how, just imagine a few practical scenarios, such as being able to switch the sprinklers on and off directly from your living room, without even getting up from the sofa. All you need to do is tap the screen of your smartphone – or, alternatively, give a command to your favourite voice assistant, such as Siri, Alexa or Google – to have complete control over the irrigation. Is it raining? No problem: with just a few clicks, you can stop the watering immediately without having to go out in the rain.
And what’s more: are temperatures rising relentlessly and you won’t be home for a couple of days because you’re away on business or perhaps on holiday? It’s all sorted: switch on the system wherever you are, from the conference room at your overseas office or from your hotel room.
But that’s not all. Thanks to the Habits available on our Freedompro Home app, you can automate the entire process, scheduling watering only on the days and at the times you prefer. Do you want to water the garden daily, but only if it doesn’t rain between 8am and 12pm? No sooner said than done: the system will do it for you, without you even having to think about it.
Freedompro’s Dry Contact Modules not only offer you absolute convenience, but also allow you to optimise water usage by monitoring and thus reducing wastage (have you read our article on the new ‘Consumption’ feature of the Freedompro Home App yet?) and maximising the efficiency of your system. Your flowers and vegetable patch will certainly thank you!
As with all the Smart Modules in the catalogue, installing the Dry Contact Modules is simple, quick and discreet: the Module is inserted behind the electrical socket to which the sprinklers are connected, and from that moment on you can control them directly from a distance.
Would you like to find out more about the configuration? We’ve covered this in this article. And if you’d like to know why it’s so useful and super-smart to be able to manage your home remotely by automating a wide range of tasks, take a look here: in our article we talk about holidays, it’s true, but all the benefits listed still apply regardless of the scenario.
Happy automating!
