AWEHIRUSPW Hunter Hydrawise HCC-800 HCC-FPUP Wi-Fi Facepack Upgrade

This controller replaces my parent's Hunter ICC irrigation controller, which was failing. The HCC has built-in WiFi so it can access your home WiFi connection. With this conne room, it automatically gets the current time, weather information for the nearest airport, and allows you to control the sprinkler system from anywhere you have internet access by your phone, a tablet, or a PC through a web browser.I spent about three hours removing the old controller panel and power module, placing the new power module and the new panel, wiring the new module, powering up the unit and setting WiFi access credentials, as well as setting up all 18 zones, and pump power, plus full operational check out of the zones. The manual is reasonably well written, with decent illustrations. The manual could be improved, but is useful as-is.The controller seems to be responsive, with sprinklers emitting water within 2-5 seconds, depending upon how dare they are from the controlling valve. Turn off shoes nearly instant response, as the water pressure drops faster than the pressure builds when a valve is turned on. The app on the phone is very responsive and the information provided is pertinent and useful.

I have a Hunter ICC installed in 2008 with 31 zones. I was thrilled to find this upgrade. It was extremely easy to install. Initially, I couldn't get it to see any wifi signals. I struggled with this for quite awhile - rebooted both the system and router, made configuration changes to both systems, and still nothing. I found some online tech support that suggested doing a factory reset. After the system rebooted and got to the screen where it searches for signals, there they were.I'm still working on getting everything tweaked just the way I want it - it takes awhile with 31 zones. The app is fairly well done, but there are some things that seem like could have been done better. For instance, in the winter, I want to just suspend the system. You can do this in the app, but you have to set an end date. Here in North Texas, I don't know when I need it to come on again - it could be as early as March, or as late as June. Just let me suspend it without putting in a date for it to come back on. I do like that you can add photos of the zones. I haven't done that yet, but I plan to.All in all, I love the system and highly recommend it.

I had a 24-station ICC and used this to upgrade to the new, Wi-Fi technology. This is a must-do if you own an ICC (and I would assume a ICC2.). First, it is the easiest upgrade ever. It took me maybe 1 minute to switch out the console to the new HCC. It is that easy. I don’t think it even requires any tools. What you get is a completely different experience. All Wi-Fi enabled. Much easier to program and test stations. It is tied into weather underground, so you can link your water schedule into local weather conditions (has rained, will rain, too windy, evaporation levels, too hot, etc.). It claims to save up to 50% water usage (I have not had it long enough to validate it) but logically it makes sense that this will save water and money. Depending on your water Bill, this should pay for itself very quickly. (There is no charge for use of hydro wise.). I can’t recommend this enough.

This product only connects to routers via 802.11g which is a decade old technology. This limits distance and speed. If you connect a 802.11g device to your network, it slows down all devices on the network to 802.11g speeds. Shame on hunter for not upgrading their WiFi devices to current day technology.

I installed this retro-fit kit myself. It took about 15 minutes...super simple. The application is nice, but can be kind of complicated; probably because I have 21 zones. But once it was done, I loved it. The tie-in to local weather stations works great; not running the system on rainy days...pretty much making the rain sensor obsolete. Given how hot the summer has been, I had an area of the lawn that was burning out a little. It took 30 seconds to adjust the watering time for the 2 zones in that area...while sitting in my living room. If you've got an ICC2, I strongly recommend installing this upgrade

I was quoted $1200 from the sprinkler installer to upgrade to the HCC. This kit for $200, was easier to install (a few wires, replace door panel) and offers the same functionality. Software is good, but UX could use some work.

I had been contacting Hunter for years wanting a cloud solution. I was willing to toss my old controller out and Hunter suggested the retro-fit kit. I have 20 zones. 15 lawn and 5 shrubs. I was able to follow the instructions and replace the face plate in 10 mins. Wifi was instant on. I do have good wifi coverage. App was easy to set up. I am still learning features and how to do things I used to do on the controller faceplate or with the ROAM. I bough this for the remote access via the phone. That works fantastic. The part I did not really anticipate liking so much is the smart /predictive technology based on weather. Got up yesterday and the zones were not running. Looked at the weekly report on web page and it said did not run because temps were below 60 deg. All true. I don't rate stuff often, if ever. This product works, Hunter took a long time to develop this system but was worth the wait. I love it. The only reason its. not 5 stars is there are some things in the app and web page that are kind of hard to find like suspend/resume. Also cancel a scheduled run. We were planting flowers and the zones wanted to run so I stopped one and then next zone ran. I am sure there is away to do this but as I said, there are some UI controls available that are tough to find. These are easy issues for them to fix via an app update. Good job Hunter.

super simple face-plate replacement for the ICC or ICC2. Makes the irrigation a smart system and can control from anywhere. It takes some programming and getting used to, but it is keeping my lawn green. I have not seen my water bill since I installed it, but it doesn't seem to water excessively. It is actually quite smart and re-programmed itself to not water into the warm hours of the morning