Automatic irrigation

This page describes the automatic irrigation logic of the MIYO Cube (Cube series). The Cube decides locally and regularly for each circuit whether and for how long it should be irrigated.

The complete automatic irrigation logic is not yet enabled for the LoRaWAN series. You control LoRaWAN valves manually or according to a schedule in the app; see the LoRaWAN section for details on the current status.

Manual irrigation (via the app or magnet) follows its own logic and is mentioned here only where it affects automatic operation.

Basic principle

Automatic irrigation runs only when all of the following levels are met:

Basic requirements for the circuit and the devices
Time window (configured irrigation times)
Demand and protection conditions (sensor, weather, pauses, …)

If one condition is missing, the Cube does not start—or stops ongoing automatic irrigation again.

Without a sensor, the circuit behaves more like an intelligent irrigation controller (time windows, optionally evapotranspiration and weather). With a sensor (typical MIYO operation), soil moisture and other sensor readings are added.

What an irrigation circuit is

A circuit combines:

one or more valves
optionally a soil moisture sensor
Settings such as automatic operation, winter mode, time windows, moisture limits, pauses, and durations

The Cube continuously checks the circuits, including after weather updates and device changes.

Decision process (overview)

The check generally proceeds as follows for each circuit:

Devices / system ready?
  → winter mode off?
  → automatic operation enabled?
  → not blocked by Smart Home?
  → within the configured time window?
  → (with sensor) soil dry enough and protection conditions okay?
  → pause since the last cycle observed?
  → (with sensor) the opening duration of the current cycle has not yet elapsed?
  → no rain foreseeable / no lockout due to wind, mower, …?
  → then start or resume irrigation

1. System and devices

Automatic operation does, among other things, not start when:

the radio channel is currently being changed
the Cube is in pairing/teach-in mode
the circuit is in winter mode
the (only) valve is not initialized, unreachable, has too little battery/charge, or a firmware update is currently running

With multiple valves on one circuit, an affected valve can be suspended while the others continue running. With only one valve, the error blocks the circuit.

If manual watering is running, the automation does not intervene in parallel on the same circuit (the manual session ends after the configured duration).

2. Automation and external block

Automation off: No automatic watering takes place. Valves are not opened by the automation; the soil may still be dry (a notice may appear in the app).
Smart-home block (extern block): An external system (e.g. IFTTT/API) can block the automation. Manual intervention remains separate, but the automation will not start.

3. Time window

Automation runs only within the watering time windows configured for the circuit (for each day of the week).

Outside the window: no automation; ongoing automatic watering is stopped.
Within the window: additional conditions determine whether the valve is actually opened.

The next scheduled start/end time of the window is calculated by the Cube from your schedules (including across multiple days).

4. With Sensor: moisture requirement

If a sensor is assigned to the circuit, the soil is considered in need of watering only when the moisture drops below the lower limit (border bottom)—and this is confirmed:

First drop below the limit: “possibly dry” (not yet approved)
Further measurement below the limit and some waiting time: dryness confirmed → the automation may water within the time window

Moisture is approved again or the automation is stopped when:

the moisture exceeds the upper limit (border top), or
the moisture rises again between the limits without MIYO having watered (e.g. due to rain)—the soil is then no longer considered “approved for watering”

As long as MIYO is watering itself and the moisture remains between the limits, watering can continue within the window (in cycles) until the upper limit is reached or other stop conditions take effect.

Without Sensor, moisture is not checked: within the time window, the need for watering is generally assumed to exist (subject to the other protective rules).

5. Duration, cycles, and staggering

Without Sensor (within the time window):

The opening duration is based on the time window (optionally adjusted by evapotranspiration when enabled).

With Sensor:

Cycles with the configured watering duration and pause are run as long as the soil remains dry and the time window applies.
The pause between two cycles must elapse—only then may it be opened again.
The watering duration limits how long the valve remains open continuously in one cycle; once it is reached, the valve closes (even if the time window is still running).

Sequencing (multiple valves on the circuit):

If multiple valves are assigned to a circuit and sequencing is active, they open one after another, not simultaneously:

First, the first (main) valve for the scheduled duration
then the next valve for the same scheduled duration
and so on, until all valves in the sequence have been processed or automatic watering ends

This keeps the water pressure stable and supplies the zones one after another. If a valve in the sequence fails (e.g. is unreachable), the others can continue running as far as possible.

6. Evapotranspiration (optional)

If evapotranspiration is enabled, the scheduled duration can be adjusted downward (e.g. shorter in cool or humid weather and longer with high evaporation, within limits). This shortens or extends the planned opening time, but does not replace the time window or moisture authorization.

7. Weather, surroundings, and optional blocks

Additional conditions depend on the location, watering type, Sensor, and circuit settings in the app:

Condition	When it applies	Effect
Rain forecast (rain in the next approx. 15 hours)	The circuit setting Take the weather forecast into account is active (can be enabled or disabled for the circuit in the app)	No automatic watering
Rain (current rain signal, e.g. external)	Location open (covered areas / greenhouses: rain signals are not taken into account)	No automatic watering
Wind too strong (external wind signal)	Mainly sprinklers / pop-up sprinklers; with other watering types only if the location is not a greenhouse	No automatic watering
Robot mower active	The circuit setting Take the mower into account is active	No automatic watering
Brightness too high	Sensor on the circuit and watering type Sprinkler / pop-up sprinkler (drip irrigation and similar ignore brightness; greenhouses do too)	No automatic watering as long as it is “too bright”
Temperature too low (below approx. 4°C at the Sensor)	Sensor on the circuit	No automatic watering
Insufficient battery charge	The circuit setting Take battery charge into account is active (can be enabled or disabled for the circuit in the app); this mainly affects valves with weak solar charging	the affected valves are not opened, or automatic watering for the circuit is blocked

In the app (circuit settings), you can disable in particular:

Take the weather forecast into account – then the rain forecast will no longer stop the automatic watering
Take battery charge into account—then insufficient solar charging no longer blocks automation (devices may still be offline or empty for other reasons)

You set the location and irrigation type for the zone; they control the hard-wired rules for rain, wind and brightness (see table).

8. Safety: moisture does not change

In Sensor mode, the Cube checks after several cycles whether soil moisture has increased meaningfully. If it remains practically unchanged, automation is blocked—as a safeguard in case, for example, the Sensor is no longer inserted in the soil and irrigation would otherwise continue indefinitely.

The first cycle in the time window and the initial cycles are more generous; the lockout mainly takes effect after repeated cycles that have no lasting effect.

Why automation often “does not run”

Common, understandable reasons:

Automation for the zone is off
Winter mode is active
Outside the configured time windows
Soil is not yet dry enough or dryness has not yet been confirmed (moisture above the lower threshold)
Soil is moist enough again after rain/irrigation (upper threshold / moisture cleared)
Rain forecast (for the next approx. 15 h, if weather forecasts are taken into account) or rain detected (location open)
Pause between cycles has not ended yet
Too bright (sprinkler) or too cold
Valve or Sensor offline, battery/charge critical (if battery charge is taken into account), or device updating
Smart Home locks irrigation
Cube in pairing or channel change mode
Automation locked because moisture does not increase despite the cycles (safety)

In the app, the status, next time window, moisture readings, notifications (e.g. dry but automation off, Smart Home lockout) and zone settings help you understand the situation.

Briefly: with and without Sensor

	Without Sensor	With Sensor (recommended)
When during the window?	Yes, as long as protection rules are met	Only when the soil is cleared as dry
Duration	during the time window (optional evapotranspiration)	Cycles consisting of duration + pause
Stop	end of the window, weather, devices, …	additional upper moisture threshold, moisture safety

Difference from manual irrigation

Manual (app/magnet) irrigation can run independently of automation and often independently of moisture and time windows (with its own duration and device limits). Automation is the rule-based control running in the background—it is designed to save water and irrigate only when the zone, time and, with a Sensor, the soil allow it.