Would you like to control the watering of your garden from your phone or by voice, and even automate watering in a simple way to save energy and increase comfort?
Today we’re going to look at the benefits of the Immax Immax 07524L (QT-05M) Zigbee irrigation controller.
Why does Immax 07524L (QT-05M) have this price?
The price of the Immax 07524L (QT-05M) Zigbee watering timer is higher than that of other models on the market because it incorporates a 0-100% watering control function and a solar panel.
Advantages and disadvantages of 07524L / QT-05M
Benefits
- Tuya compatible: As a Tuya-compatible smart irrigation controller, you can use the Smart Life app and combine any other smart device in the Tuya ecosystem to bring everything together in a single interface: Lidl, Nous, Moes, Woox, Immax and more.
- Z2M compatible: If you want an advanced smart home experience, you can use this 07524L / QT-05M irrigation controller with Jeedom or Home Assistant thanks to Zigbee2MQTT.
- Solar panel: No need to maintain the battery as this irrigation controller has a built-in solar panel.
- Rechargeable battery: Even if there’s no sun for several days, your irrigation controller will continue to work thanks to its rechargeable batteries.
- Water flow control from 0 to 100%: You can control the water flow from your phone and use the automatic functions to improve the irrigation of your garden.
- Compatible with voice assistants: you can control the watering of your garden using Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
- Physical button: If you don’t want to use your phone, you can always use the irrigation controller’s physical button to turn the watering on or off.
Disadvantages
- Price: The price of this Zigbee irrigation controller is higher than other models on the market.
- Zigbee hub required: As it works on Zigbee, you need an additional Zigbee-compatible hub.
- Size: Unlike more compact models, this Zigbee irrigation controller takes up space, which can be a disadvantage in some installations.
Tutorial on using the Tuya Zigbee irrigation controller
Let’s find out what this intelligent irrigation timer does and how to install and use it.
General characteristics of Immax 07524L/QOTO QT-05M
If we open the packaging, we see the Immax irrigation controller, a screwdriver with screws and an adapter.
This Immax controller is black and measures 176x112x66 mm.
It operates with a water pressure of between 0 and 10 bar.
A remarkable feature of this timer, compared to other models on the market, is that you can control the water flow from 0 to 100% thanks to its gradual motorised valve, which lets you manage the flow of water, as well as the opening of the tap.
In other contents we have seen how a user controls the watering of his garden with the Woox Zigbee watering controller, which is one of the most popular on the market due to its low price, but in this case it only manages the ON/OFF function.
At another installation, we also saw the Saswell Zigbee watering controller, which is very compact and can be used to switch watering on and off.
But this Immax device manages watering from 0 to 100%.
This is essential if you want to avoid wasting water, by watering plants just enough without wasting water on the lawn.
This Immax irrigation controller communicates with Zigbee wireless technology and is compatible with the Tuya ecosystem.
This is very interesting, given that you’ll be able to use this device with a Zigbee hub from the Tuya ecosystem, whatever the brand, such as one from Silvercrest, which you can find in Lidl shops.
Or a home automation hub from the company Moes, which you can find in any online shop and which is the hub used by the user who sets up various intelligent devices in his home.
What’s more, this sprinkler controller is also compatible with the famous Zigbee2mqtt platform, which you can use with Home Assistant or Jeedom, as we’ll see below.
It’s powered by a solar panel, so we don’t have to maintain batteries over time.
You will also need to buy 2 AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries.
This battery holder is supplied with a seal to prevent water penetration.
As far as this criterion is concerned, this watering controller has an IP65 protection rating. This means you can use it outdoors at temperatures between 1 and 60°C.
At the top, we have a water inlet with a filter, preventing small debris from entering, which helps prevent clogging or damage to the internal mechanism of the sprinkler controller, ensuring more efficient operation and extending the life of this device.
It also ensures that the water reaching plants and lawns is cleaner, which benefits the entire watering system.
On the top we have a ½” and ¾” female threaded inlet, offering greater flexibility and compatibility with different irrigation systems or hoses.
On the lower part, the device incorporates a water outlet with a ¾” male thread.
In the centre, we have an LED indicator that informs us of various states, such as when the controller is in pairing mode.
As far as association is concerned, we have a physical button on the right that lets us link this device to our Zigbee home automation hub.
But this button can also be used to activate or deactivate watering manually, from 0% to 100% or vice versa, which is another very interesting detail: we can always have local control of our smart device in case we don’t have our phone to hand or in the event of a technical fault, such as poor communication between the device and the home automation hub.
How to connect the Zigbee irrigation controller to Smart Life and Zigbee2mqtt
Speaking of Zigbee associations, let’s take a look at how to pair this device.
You must insert the 2 AA rechargeable batteries in the watering controller.
Now, from the interface of your home automation hub, you need to launch the inclusion mode. We’re going to connect it to our Tuya hub via the Smart Life application.
To do this, press the physical button for more than 5 seconds.
Ready, we now see the sprinkler controller in our Tuya Smart Life interface.
If you have a home automation hub such as Home Assistant or Jeedom, the process is similar with Zigbee2mqtt. You need to launch association mode.
Follow the same steps, i.e. press the physical button on the device for more than 5 seconds.
And it should integrate with your home automation hub.
How to install the 07524L / QT-05M irrigation controller
You can install your Zigbee watering controller 07524L / QT-05M in a ½” or ¾” tap.
When you connect it to the tap, you need to tighten the adaptor properly and check that there is no water leakage.
If necessary, you can add Teflon tape to prevent water leaks.
You can now connect the garden hose to the Immax 07524L / QT-05M controller at the bottom.
Now you can set your watering level from your phone.
Detailed functions of the 07524L / QT-05M irrigation controller
With the Smart Life application, we have a very pleasant interface for controlling the watering of our garden.
We can see the current opening level from 0 to 100%, called “Flow State”, and next to it we see the battery level.
The “Off” button closes the Zigbee watering controller completely and the “Max” button opens it to 100%.
In the middle we have a button that allows us to adjust this level from 0 to 100%, and below we have the current state of the opening level of this watering controller.
Clicking on the icon at the top left gives a history of the watering controller’s activity.
In the top right-hand corner, we have another very interesting option which allows us to program a watering time defined in a calendar that we can adjust.
In Zigbee2mqtt, we have different parameters and similar information:
- “Water Flow”: indicates the current water flow rate in percentage (%) from 0 to 100%.
- “Last watering duration”: displays the duration of the last watering cycle in seconds.
- “Remaining Watering time”: indicates the time remaining until the end of the current watering cycle before it stops automatically. This value is updated every minute, and every 10 seconds during the last minute of the cycle.
- “Valve state“: displays the percentage of valve opening, which indicates the amount of water it lets through. It can be set from 0 to 100%.
- “Valve state auto shutdown”: used to define the valve opening percentage and an automatic shutdown timer. You must first set the valve opening percentage before setting the auto shutdown timer.
- “Shutdown timer“: used to set the time in seconds before the valve closes automatically.
- “Battery”: displays the percentage of battery remaining in the device. The update can take up to 24 hours.
- “Link quality”: Indicates the quality or strength of the connection signal between the device and the home automation hub.
If the Zigbee communication range is short, you might consider buying Zigbee devices that repeat the signal.
As well as being able to control your watering from your phone, you can also control the opening level of this 07524L / QT-05M watering controller from 0 to 100% by voice, thanks to voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Home connected to your home automation hub, which is another interesting option.
“Alexa, turn the watering on to 50%”.
“Alexa, turn the watering on to 80%”.
“Alexa, activate the watering at 100%”.
And, of course, the magic of a smart home is being able to create different automations where devices interact autonomously, according to defined criteria.
For example, if you have soil moisture sensors and a smart rain gauge, like another smart home user, you can create automatic watering criteria based on soil moisture and whether or not it’s raining.
Your imagination is your limit.
In short, this Zigbee 07524L / QT-05M watering controller, compatible with the most popular home automation systems, provides precise control of the watering system, adjusting both the water flow rate and the watering duration, while ensuring that the device operates maintenance-free thanks to a solar panel.
This makes it a very attractive option for your smart home project.
Usually purchased together with 07524L / QT-05M
Buy now your watering controller 07524L / QT-05M
Graduated with a Higher Technician’s Certificate in Home Automation, a Professional Bachelor’s degree in E-commerce and Digital Marketing, and a Master’s degree in SEO, I have been working since 2013 in a home automation e-commerce company called Domadoo, where I have the opportunity to test a large number of the popular Smart Home products on the market.