RainMachine – The Forecast Sprinkler

Executive summary 

Green Electronics LLC needed a partner with the expertise to help them develop the software side of their IoT product, RainMachine, a smart WiFi irrigation controller that can be managed remotely from a phone, tablet, or desktop browser. Along with native iOS and Android mobile applications, Tremend created the firmware and server software for the forecast sprinkler. By forecasting seven days in advance and using real-time temperature, wind, and rainfall data, the RainMachine dynamically adjusts the sprinkler schedule, improving watering efficiency and thus dramatically reducing water waste. This innovative controller was ranked by Fortune magazine among the Top 7 most useful home devices (next to the Nest Thermostat!) and became the #1 Best Seller in its category on Amazon just 2 weeks after its launch in October 2014.

The client 

Green Electronics was founded in 2010 by a team of determined hardware and software engineers from Silicon Valley. Based in Fremont, California, the company produces the RainMachine – The Forecast Sprinkler, a WiFi irrigation controller. The product was designed from the ground up to be a powerful tool that empowers people to conserve the most precious resource on this planet: Water.

Business Challenge 

The company needed a technical partner with proven expertise in cloud and mobile development that would round, understand, and extend their hardware and firmware development.

The challenge was to simultaneously launch mobile applications, cloud connectivity to IoT products, two brand new next-generation devices, as well as a completely refreshed firmware for their first generation of forecast sprinklers.

Tremend was involved in every stage of the development process, from the user experience and the system architecture to the software monitoring the actual production of the sprinklers in Chinese factories.

The company needed a technical partner with the required expertise to contribute to the building process of this complex solution. The challenge was to synchronize the entire development process with the technical team of our client, as Tremend was involved in every stage of the development process.

Solution delivered by Tremend 

Helping our client build the RainMachine, we contributed to every layer in the stack: device operating system (Android and Linux Kernel driver development), device firmware (C++ and Python applications), server (Node.js on Amazon EC2 Cloud), and applications (iOS, Android and Web).

Implementation 

Results 

Building the RainMachine in partnership with Tremend, Green Electronics turned an idea into a completely functional device. This innovative controller was ranked by Fortune magazine among the Top 7 most useful home devices and became the #1 Best Seller on Amazon just 2 weeks after its launch in October 2014.