I purchased 2 Oto units and received them this past week. Everything in the advertising and on the website looks great, BUT they have not worked as advertised for me. I read all the intructions and tips multiple times to be sure I set everything up correctly, and i did. I charged one of the units for 24 hours, and the other for 48 hours. Both units had the red "charging light" the entire time. I decided to set them up one at a time to be sure one worked properly before moving to the next. I live in Arizona, so I placed it 100% into direct sunlight, and attached a powerful 5/8" hose, just as Oto recommend. I connected the unit to wifi and blutooth with the Oto app, no problems. Then I ran through the full setup routine and created my zones, no problems, and the water pressure and range were great (probably even a bit more than the advertised 30 feet). So I expected the programs to run the following morning, but the very first night when I checked the app, it gave me a "battery dead" message. I went outside, flipped the switch to "wake it up" and nothing... no light, nothing. So I figured, ok maybe the battery just drained itself extremely fast for no reason. So I plugged the unit back into the wall to charge it, and over 24 hours later, still nothing... no red "charging light", no lights whatsoever when connected to power, or disconnected. I've tried multiple known working outlets, checked the connector on the unit, everything looks fine, but the unit is completely DEAD. So I figured ok I just got a bad unit... good thing I bought 2. I read the directions yet another time and ran through everything following exactly what they said. This time I charged the second unit for 48 hours and had the red charging light on it the entire time. Setup went smoothly, the unit reported a "great" wifi connection on the app, and I thought I was finally up and running AGAIN. Later that night, I get a "low water pressure" error, even though the pressure was super strong during setup. I go outside, and can't get the unit to respond at all AGAIN. This time I ran the power line outside to be absolutely certain it was not a power issue, but even with the unit plugged into the wall, there was NO LIGHTS, NO RESPONSE, NOTHING. I tried deleting the unit from my app and reconnecting, but there was no response and no light when "flicking the switch" and no possible way to physically reset this thing, and I don't dare try to open it up and look at the electronics. Maybe somehow water is getting inside to the electronics and frying them? These units are supposed to be water proof, and they should be since they will be out in the rain, and just in normal operation the water spray from the nozzle gets some drips onto the unit right where the switch is. I'm assuming they planned for all this when designing the system. **Customer Service** - I've been attempting for 2 days now to reach customer service via their phone # on the website, as well as email and opening a ticket on their website. The phone is not connected to a human and will only allow you to leave a voice mail. The only email response I've received is an auto-generated message saying they are "back logged" and will reply when they can. I have a feeling a LOT of customers are having these issues, and they can't handle all the support requests. I will continue to spread the word on all the social media websites and consumer reporting outlets such as the BBB until I get a personal response from Oto, and my issues are completely resolved. I spent a lot of money on these units trusting that they would function as advertised, but it seems there have been some severe quality control and customer service issues. I will happily amend my review as soon as I get some answers from OtO. Until then, buyer beware! @shesmaddie
Edit: Their customer service finally got back to me and arranged for shipment of new units, which have fucntioned much better than the original ones. Battery life is still an ongoing issue at times, but at least I can plug them in and they function that way. Still not sure why it took 3 months for a reply on this post, but it seems like they are at least trying now?
Hey Steven!
Sincerest apologies for the severely delayed response on the Product Hunt platform. I took a careful look at the conversation you had with our customer support agents and it does look like they were able to get back to you on August 12 and you were issued replacement units as a warranty claim on August 15. It does appear that both of your units unfortunately experienced a manufacturing defect which caused these issues.
In terms of customer service, we've since made major improvements to our workflows and staffing procedures. The response time you experienced is certainly NOT what we're striving towards and I am confident will not happen again.
How is everything going with your new units? I'd love to hear more of your feedback when you have the time! This type of candid feedback (though painful) is invaluable to helping us grow.
I've given you a couple of calls and sent an email. Hope to speak soon :)
I would give my OtO's ten stars any day. During our super hot summer months OtO has been integral in keeping our lawns alive. Between automated watering and manual watering sessions we had a nice healthy green lawn and bushes all year long. I have started using the lawn food and stop the bites solutions and couldn't be happier. The lawn food is a great way to keep our lawn healthy while making sure it is safe for our fur babies and neighbors kids. The stop the bites solutions was a game changer as we were finally able to enjoy summer evenings in the back yard with a noticeable reduction of fly pests.
I have two odd shaped yards and Oto Lawn was the PERFECT solution. Not only did I not have to waste money on an underground system, but if gives me the flexibility in case things change in the future. Great app, great customer service, and its a product that is only going to get better.
My previous sprinkler system required electricity so, the cable had to pass through the bedroom wall!! Also, in the backyard, the tubes were broken, and required to hire someone to fix them. Searching on LinkedIn, I found this little guy that works only with the sun! I do not have to worry about damaged tubes or water that goes to waste because the mapping system is precise and, you can also add food plants while it waters the lawn.
This sprinkler is meant for the yard and therefore wifi is a bit out of range of normal home so it’s always struggling to be connected. The watering range is very small for such an expensive sprinkler. Then on top of it, even if the subscription lawn fertilizer bottles aren’t empty it stops applying them because they want you to buy more overpriced expensive single use bottles from them. By the time you buy the product, a wifi extender, and get roped into the subscriptions it’s a waste- the product isn’t worth all of these costs and hoops. Took more than 30 days to realize all of this so the guarantee also didn’t help.
Hey Maura! Maddie from OtO Inc. here. I'm so sorry we missed your review and weren't able to get back to you in a timely manner. We just saw this now.
We'll reach out via email to see if there's anything we can do about your watering range and Wi-Fi. However note that OtO only reaches up to 30 ft when there is enough water pressure and flow rate.
I'm really sorry to hear your lawn food seems to be acting up - this definitely isn't expected behavior. The solution should last 2 months and not stop applying until the bottle is empty.
I want to say that we pride ourselves on being a company that you should feel great about. If you're really not happy with the product, I'd be more than happy to speak with you about a return.
Hope to chat soon!
This was one of my first smart home products. I was drawn to OtO since I have some planters and a small lawn in my backyard. The sprinkler works great, I love how easy it was to install and from there, it just does all of the work!