Ecowitt Soil Sensors
The Ecowitt GW1200 gateway + WH51 soil moisture probes are the easiest way to add moisture-aware irrigation to TentPilot. The gateway serves a local HTTP API — no cloud required. TentPilot polls it every 30 seconds for per-channel moisture percentages.
What you need
- Ecowitt GW1200 — the gateway that collects from WH51 probes (~$30)
- Ecowitt WH51 — wireless soil moisture probes (~$15 each, up to 8 per gateway)
Setup
Set up the GW1200 gateway
Follow the Ecowitt app (WS View Plus) to connect the GW1200 to your Wi-Fi. Assign it a static IP in your router's DHCP settings — this prevents the IP from changing and breaking TentPilot's polling.
Pair WH51 probes to the gateway
Insert batteries into each WH51 and press the pairing button. They should appear in the WS View Plus app as soil moisture channels (CH1, CH2, etc.). Give each channel a name matching its plant or zone.
Enable local HTTP API on the gateway
In the GW1200 settings (via WS View Plus app → Device settings → DIY Upload), set the upload protocol to Ecowitt and the upload path to /data/report. Note your gateway's IP address.
Test the local API directly:
curl http://192.168.1.XX/get_livedata_infoYou should see a JSON response with soil moisture channels.
Add gateway to TentPilot
In the dashboard, go to Settings → Integrations → Ecowitt. Enter the gateway's local IP address. TentPilot will discover all connected WH51 channels automatically.
Assign sensors to irrigation zones
In Devices, assign each WH51 channel to a room and irrigation zone. The irrigation scheduler uses this reading to decide whether to skip or trigger reactive irrigation events.
Configure dryback_floor_pct (minimum moisture — triggers a reactive pulse if substrate falls below this) and day_target_pct (maximum — skips a scheduled event if substrate is already above this) in your room's irrigation settings.
Troubleshooting
Gateway not responding
Confirm the IP address is correct and the gateway is online. Check that the local API is enabled (the curl test above should return data). If using DHCP, set a static lease in your router for the gateway's MAC address.
WH51 not showing up
Check battery level in the WS View Plus app. Probes with low battery may drop off the gateway. Re-pair if needed. Range is up to 100ft line-of-sight — walls reduce this significantly.