Onboarding and Troubleshooting your B-hyve Gen 1 Hose timer

In this video, we will be setting up a first-generation Orbit B-hyve Hose Faucet Timer. We will go through the entire process of adding the timer to your B-hyve app, adding a first-generation B-hyve hub, some unique features of the hose faucet timer, and basic troubleshooting steps to help you if you’re experiencing issues with your device. The first-generation hose faucet timer is light gray in color and has a battery tray with wings protruding from the face of the device.

The first step in this process is taking a set of standard batteries, inserting them into the battery tray, and powering the device on. Attach the inlet of the device to your hose spigot and ensure the outlet is also attached to your waterlines. Ensure that the provided screen washer is in place before attaching it to your spigot. Without this washer, the timer will leak at the inlet and you risk debris getting into the valve of the timer, causing it to fail prematurely. Turn the hose spigot on. During the onboarding process the flow meter is calibrated, so ensuring your device is hooked up to your water lines is important.

If you have not done so already, you will want to download the free B-hyve app from either the Apple App Store or the Google Play store and create a B-hyve account. We recommend that you use a valid email address to receive B-hyve alerts and it allows Orbit to contact you if necessary. Once you’ve got an account, you’ll want to log in to the B-hyve app using your email address and password. You will then be prompted to either add another device or use a code to gain access to a timer that has already been onboarded with a different account.

In this demonstration, we will be adding a new device. If you have previously logged into the app and reopened it and currently have no devices on your account, the app will launch the home tab with the option to add a timer. If your account currently has devices added to it and you’re adding more, this can be done by going to the My B-hyve tab at the bottom right corner, then selecting devices, and pressing the plus icon on the bottom right.

In this example, we will continue by selecting this as a new device. You will now want to select the device we are trying to add. This is a Gen 1 hose faucet timer, so we will select that option. If you have not powered your timer on yet, you will need to do that before you move forward. Once the timer is powered on, you will want to check that there is a flashing blue LED on the front of the device. This means that your timer is in Bluetooth pairing mode and is ready to connect. If your timer is not showing a flashing blue LED, please see the troubleshooting section of this video. With your device powered on and in pairing mode, you’re ready to move forward. The B-hyve app will now scan for Bluetooth devices looking to connect. The timer is connected over Bluetooth, so you need to remain close to your timer throughout the onboarding process.

You will now verify that the MAC address found by the app matches the MAC address on your timer. This can be found on the bottom of the timer below the barcode. If the MAC address is correct, press this matches my device. If the MAC address is incorrect, press this is not my device and the app will re-scan for devices. The app is now connected to your device with Bluetooth. Next, you can give your device a new name. You can also take a picture of your device or choose a photo from your photo library. This is especially helpful if you have multiple devices on your account.

Once you’ve named your timer the app will check to see if your device requires a firmware update. If it does, this will happen automatically and should only take a few minutes. The video is sped up through this process. You will see that your device will begin to blink a white LED throughout the duration of the firmware update. Once the firmware installation is complete, the timer will reboot and reconnect Bluetooth. It is now running on the latest firmware.

Now we will enter our location information. If you plan on using a hub to enable smart features, this information is used to identify the closest weather station to your timer to obtain forecast information. The only required field is postal code, although, with a more accurate location, we can potentially find a closer weather station if there are multiple weather stations under one postal code. You may also select use current location to let the app autofill the data for you, or you may enter this information manually.

Next, you will test the timer on the screen. You will have the option to add an image of the zone as well as calibrate the built-in flow meter before pressing the test button. Ensure the water spigot is turned on and the outlet of your timer is attached to the zone you will be watering.
Press the test button. The timer should begin a watering cycle after a few seconds. Allow the entire watering cycle to complete, approximately 30 seconds. This allows the flow meter to gather the average flow rate over your zone. At any point in this process, you can take a picture of your zone. Once a watering cycle is complete, hit the next button.

If your zone is watering at less than one gallon per minute, you will be prompted with a message about low flow. For accurate flow meter readings, it is recommended that your flow rate is higher than one gallon per minute. Once zone testing is completed, you have successfully onboarded the timer and you will have three options for the next steps.

You can program the device, set up another device, or start using the device. In this example, we will press start using my device to take us to the home screen. The home screen has status information about the device, active programs, connection status, manual watering, and rain delay. One of the unique features of the B-hyve hose faucet timer is its built-in flow meter. You can actively view the flow rate and total water usage during a watering event. Here’s an example of running a manual watering event and viewing the active flow. Simply tap on the center of the watering wheel during a watering event to view this information.

Now that we have successfully onboarded the Orbit B-hyve first-generation hose faucet timer, let’s onboard an Orbit B-hyve first-generation hub. It is important to note that you must use the first-generation hub with the first-generation hose faucet timer. If you have a second-generation hub, it will not be compatible with the first-generation hose faucet timer. Please also note that if you do not have a hub on your account, the timer is Bluetooth only. This means that you must be within the range of Bluetooth in order to control the device. Adding a hub enables remote access to your timer from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access on your phone. It also enables smart features, including auto weather delays and smart watering.

Lastly, adding a hub enables full access to watering history. Let’s begin adding the hub. Navigate to the My B-hyve tab on the bottom right of the app. Select devices and then the plus icon on the bottom right corner. You will then be prompted to either add a new device or use a code to gain access to a device that has already been onboarded with a different account.

In this demonstration, we will be adding a new device. You will now want to select the device you are trying to add. This is a hub, so we will select that option prior to powering your device on. It is important to note the MAC address of your Gen 1 hub. The MAC address is located on the back of the hub shown here.

Once you’ve noted your MAC address, you can now plug the hub into an outlet nearest your watering device. Your hub should be within 150 feet of your timer. However, please take into account that building materials and landscape reduce the Bluetooth range of devices, so being as close as possible to your timer while still keeping your hub indoors is ideal.

Keep in mind that the hub is not rated for outdoor conditions. A single hub can support multiple Gen 1 compatible B-hyve devices, so planning your hub location is critical if you’re supporting additional devices. Lastly, additional hubs can be added to your B-hyve account to better support landscapes with B-hyve devices spread beyond a single hub’s range.

Let’s plug in our hub. You will see that the device will begin to blink a blue LED, indicating that the device is in pairing mode. If for whatever reason your device is not in pairing mode, please see the troubleshooting section of this video. With your device powered on and in pairing mode, you’re ready to move forward.

The B-hyve app will now scan for Bluetooth devices looking to connect. The hub is connected over Bluetooth, so you need to remain close to your hub throughout the onboarding process. You will now verify that the MAC address found by the app matches the MAC address on your hub, which can be found on the back of the Hub, also which we noted in the previous step.

If the MAC address is correct, this matches my device. If the MAC address is incorrect press this is not my device and the app will re-scan for devices on the Wi-Fi setup screen. You have the option of manually entering your network information or you may use the dropdown of networks returned from the hub. If your desired network isn’t found, try pressing the refresh button to re-scan for networks or try entering your information manually by pressing advanced.

You’ll want to ensure your hub has a strong Wi-Fi signal. This can be checked by looking at the list of networks in the dropdown list. Please be aware that this hub uses a 2.4 GHz network and is not compatible with 5 GHz networks. You may also need to buy a Wi-Fi range booster depending on your installation location to improve Wi-Fi signal strength. If you have a weak connection, select your Wi-Fi network, supply the network password, and press connect to network. While the app and hub are establishing a Wi-Fi connection, you will see the Hub LED flash yellow as it is connecting. Once the Wi-Fi connection is established, the hub will be solid green.

Next, you can give your device a new name. You can also take a picture of your device or choose a photo from your photo library. This is especially helpful if you have multiple devices on your account. Once you have named your hub the app will check to see if your device requires a firmware update. If it does, this will happen automatically and should only take a few minutes.
The video is sped up through this process. Once the firmware update has been completed, the hub will turn off and then back on and will now be running the latest firmware.

Now we will enter in our location information. This information is used to identify the closest weather station to our hub to obtain forecast information for smart features. The only required field is postal code, although, with a more accurate location, we can potentially find a closer weather station if there are multiple weather stations under one postal code. You may select use current location to let the app autofill the data or you may enter this information in manually.

Your hub is now fully onboarded. You can select Start using my device or if you have additional devices to add to your B-hyve account, you can choose to add more devices. We will select Start using my device. You’ll be taken to the home screen. You’ll notice the icon on the top left corner still indicates that you’re connected over Bluetooth because we added a hub after we added a hose faucet timer. We need to link the hub with our timer in order to enable Wi-Fi connection of the timer.

If you add the hub to your account before your hose follows a timer, you’re given the option to add the timer to a device for during the onboarding process to link here, hub and timer begin by navigating to the My B-hyve tab. Then devices select the timer you’d like to link with the Hub Select move to device group and then select the hub you like to link to the particular timer. Once that is done, you can navigate back to the home screen where you will see that the connection icon on the top left of the screen is indicating that you’re now connected to Wi-Fi.

You now have access to control this device anywhere in the world your phone has Internet access, as long as your timer remains connected to your hub. If you need to manually water and your app is unavailable, the device itself has a button that allows for manual operation. Simply press and hold the B-hyve button on the face of the timer until the LED turns green. Then release the button. Your timer will begin a watering cycle. The default runtime is 10 minutes, but this default can be changed in the app settings. If you need to stop watering prior to the watering time, press the B-hyve button once and the timer will close the valve. To change the default runtime go to My B-hyve Devices. Select the timer you’d like to change, find the preset runtime, and adjust to your desired default time.

If you’re having issues with your timer performance and need to factory reset your device, you’ll want to follow these steps. Before you factory reset, please note that factory resetting your device will wipe all settings and history from the device. This should only be done as a final option. We will start by removing the device from your B-hyve account.

To do this, navigate to My B-hyve in the app. Select the device you’d like to reset. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find remove device. You’ll be warned about removing the device. Accept and the device will be removed from your account. Next, at the device, press the B-hyve button five times rapidly. You should see the LED flash red repeatedly. You have now successfully factory reset the device and can onboard the device following the same steps previously shown in this video.

If you’re having issues with your hub performance and need to factory reset your device, you’ll want to follow these steps before you factory reset. Please note that factory resetting your device will wipe all settings and history from the device. This should only be done as a final option. We will start by removing the device from your B-hyve account.

To do this, navigate to my B-hyve in the app. Select the device you’d like to reset. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find remove device. You’ll be warned about removing the device, accept and the device will be removed from your account. Next, at the device, press the B-hyve button five times rapidly. You should see the LED flash red repeatedly. You have now successfully factory reset the device and can onboard the device following the same steps previously shown in this video.

If your device is not in pairing mode and you’re trying to onboard the device, simply pressing the B-hyve button on the face of the device five times rapidly will reset the device and it should enter pairing mode once reset. This works the same for both the timer and the hub. You will see the device blinking red LED rapidly. Once the red LED is gone, you should see a blue blinking LED. This indicates the device is ready for pairing. You can now follow the onboarding steps of this video to onboard your device.

If your Wi-Fi is no longer connected, usually because of a change in your Wi-Fi network, you can update your Wi-Fi settings using the following steps. You will know that your device is no longer connected to Wi-Fi because the app home screen will indicate it is disconnected. The connection status on the top left will have a Wi-Fi symbol with a slash through it and your hub will be blinking a yellow LED.

You can also control your device using the app if you are within range of the device’s Bluetooth. You can click on the Connect the Bluetooth button on the center of the home screen or click on the connection symbol on the top left of the home page and select Connect Bluetooth. This can be a temporary solution while your Wi-Fi connection is resolved.

To update your Wi-Fi settings, navigate to My B-hyve Devices. Select the hub that is needing Wi-Fi settings updated. Then select Update Wi-Fi settings. It is important you select the hub and not the timer, as the hub is what is connected to Wi-Fi. Next, you will enter your updated Wi-Fi network name and password. If you’re unable to find your network in the dropdown, you can manually enter your network information in under the advanced settings. Please note that the Hub is only compatible with 2.4 GHz networks and is not compatible with 5 GHz networks.

Once you have successfully updated your Wi-Fi settings, the hub LED will change to a solid green and your app should reflect that you are now connected over Wi-Fi again by removing the slash over the Wi-Fi symbol on the home screen.

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