Best Smart Home Devices for Pool Owners — Turn Your Backyard Into an Oasis

Your pool is the centerpiece of the backyard, but keeping it clean, safe, and energy-efficient has always meant a steady stream of maintenance decisions: When should the pump run? Is the sprinkler system drowning the lawn again? Did I leave the pool light on?

The good news: the same smart-home ecosystem that controls your lights and thermostat can now orchestrate your pool and landscaping, too. We've dug into the latest pool automation systems, smart irrigation controllers, and voice-control hubs to find the gear that actually delivers on the promise of a set-it-and-forget-it backyard. Here are the things actually worth buying.

Why Smart Home + Pool Automation Is a Genuine Win

Full-pool automation systems from Pentair, Hayward, and Jandy have been around for years — they let you control pumps, heaters, lights, and sanitizers from a single panel or app.1 What's changed is how well these systems now integrate with the broader smart home. Pair a variable-speed pump with a smart hub and you can schedule filtration during off-peak electricity hours, shaving real dollars off your energy bill. Add a smart irrigation controller and you stop watering the lawn right after a rainstorm. The result: water conservation, energy savings, and a pool that practically runs itself.

The Best Smart Home Devices for Pool Owners

1. Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller — Best Smart Irrigation

Why it wins: Pool owners pour water into the pool and the surrounding landscape. The Rachio 3 is the smartest way to manage both without waste. It uses local weather data — hyperlocal, not just the nearest airport — to skip watering when rain is coming and adjust schedules seasonally.2 The app is dead simple, and it integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit, so you can tuck it into the same routines as your pool pump.

The trade-off: It's pricier than basic timers. But if you're already running a variable-speed pump on a schedule, the Rachio 3 pays for itself in water savings within a season or two.

2. Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) — Best Smart Display for Centralized Control

Why it wins: A pool-side command center that doesn't look out of place. The Nest Hub's 7-inch display shows your pool automation app, security camera feeds from the backyard, and the weather forecast at a glance. Google Assistant handles voice commands — "Hey Google, turn on the spa jets" — and the Soli radar sensor lets you snooze alarms or pause music with a wave. It's the ideal dashboard for a connected backyard.

The trade-off: No built-in camera, so you'll need a separate outdoor cam if video doorbell-style monitoring is a priority.

3. Amazon Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) — Best Smart Display for Alexa Households

Why it wins: If your home runs on Alexa, the Echo Show 8 is the natural fit. Its 8-inch HD display is sharp enough to keep an eye on pool camera feeds, and the adaptive content wheel surfaces the weather, your pool pump status, and upcoming watering schedules without you lifting a finger. Spatial audio makes it a legit poolside speaker, too.

The trade-off: The camera has a built-in shutter, but you'll still want to position it under shade — direct sun can wash out the display.

4. Orbit B-hyve Smart Sprinkler Controller — Best Budget Smart Irrigation

Why it wins: Not everyone needs 16 zones and hyperlocal weather. The Orbit B-hyve delivers smart watering — Wi-Fi connected, app-controlled, with weather-based scheduling — at roughly half the price of the Rachio 3.2 It's a perfect companion for smaller yards where the pool takes up most of the lot.

The trade-off: The app is less polished, and it lacks HomeKit support. But for basic "don't water the lawn in a thunderstorm" intelligence, it gets the job done.

Full-Pool Automation vs. Smart Home Add-Ons: What's Right for You?

If you're building a new pool or renovating an old one, a full automation system from Pentair IntelliCenter, Hayward OmniLogic, or Jandy iAquaLink is worth the investment.1 These systems control pumps, heaters, lights, sanitizers, and water features from a single app — and many now support Alexa and Google Assistant directly.

But if your pool gear is already installed and working, you don't need a full rip-and-replace. A smart irrigation controller and a voice-enabled display give you 80% of the benefit — energy savings, water conservation, and one-tap control — for a fraction of the cost. That's the smart-home approach we recommend: add the layer that makes the biggest difference first.

How We Tested

We evaluated pool automation guides from industry sources, cross-referenced smart irrigation reviews, and tested each device for real-world ease of setup, app reliability, and integration with major voice platforms. Our picks prioritize devices that play well together — because the best smart home is one where everything just works.

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