The Hunter Node controllers are a battery-powered controller that mounts on or beside the valve, so you can automate watering somewhere with no mains power and no trenching. Garden beds at the back of a block, a greenhouse, a median strip, a remote paddock tap.
This guide covers the difference between the Node and the Node-BT, the solenoid catch that trips most people up, and how long the batteries actually last.
Which Hunter Node Controllers do I need?
| Model | Stations | Programming |
|---|---|---|
| Node | 1, 2, 4 or 6 | Buttons and LCD on the unit |
| Node-BT | 1, 2 or 4 | Bluetooth, from your phone |
Same job, different way of talking to it. The standard Node has a small screen and buttons, which means kneeling at the valve box with the lid off every time you change a schedule. The Node-BT has no screen at all and is programmed entirely from the app, from up to about 15 m away, so you never open the box.
If you set it once and forget it, the standard Node is fine and cheaper. If you’ll be adjusting it through the seasons, or you’re maintaining several sites, the Node-BT pays for itself in knees and time.
The Node-BT is also more flexible on run times: three programs with eight start times each and run times from one second, which suits drip and seed germination. The standard Node runs three programs with four start times, from one minute up.
The solenoid catch
This is the one that catches people out, so it’s worth being blunt about it.
A Node will not operate a standard 24V AC solenoid. It needs a DC latching solenoid. If you’re retrofitting a Node onto an existing valve, you swap the solenoid over as part of the job.
Some models ship with one and some don’t. The single-station Node-100 includes a DC latching solenoid; the multi-station models don’t, so you need one per station. If you’re starting from scratch, the Node and valve packages come matched and save you working it out.
Maximum distance from controller to valve is about 30 m.
Batteries and solar
The Node runs on 9V alkaline batteries. It takes one or two, and two is worth doing: roughly a year on one, up to two years on a pair, and the second battery costs a few dollars against a return trip to a remote valve.
Both models are IP68 rated, so they sit in a flooded valve box without complaint.
For sites you’d rather not visit at all, there’s a solar kit for the Node-BT and the standard Node that removes the battery change entirely. Worth it on anything remote or awkward to reach.
Node or tap timer?
Both run on batteries with no mains power, so the line between them is worth drawing.
A BTT tap timer screws onto a garden tap and controls what’s downstream of it. No plumbing, no valve, no digging. That’s the answer for pots, a veggie patch, or a hose run.
A Node controls a proper inline solenoid valve in a reticulated system. It’s what you use when there are pipes in the ground and real zones, just no power at the controller end.
Mounting
The Node mounts five ways: straight onto the solenoid, to PVC pipe, to a valve box wall, or to a flat surface, vertical or horizontal. The adapter comes with it.
Most installs sit it directly on the solenoid inside the valve box. With a Node-BT that’s fine because you never need to see it. With a standard Node, think about whether you can comfortably read the screen where you’re putting it.
Common problems
Valve won’t operate. First check it’s a DC latching solenoid, not a 24V AC one. That’s the cause more often than anything else.
App won’t connect to the Node-BT. Bluetooth range is about 15 m, less through a closed valve box lid and wet soil. Stand next to it with the lid off and try again.
Schedule stopped running. Check the battery. There’s a battery-check button on the unit that flashes green or red, so you don’t need the app to test it.
Buying in Australia
We’re an authorised Hunter stockist and we sell nothing else. Node controllers, DC latching solenoids, valve packages and solar kits are all held in stock here and dispatched the same day.
Not sure what you need? Tell us how many valves and whether there’s power at the site and we’ll tell you what suits.
