Orbit B-hyve 57925 Smart 8-Station Wi-Fi Sprinkler System Controller, Gray

Q: can someone please confirm; can this connect to an external rain sensor? i hear forecast based delay is not dependable .

Yes. Can confirm my old rainbird external rain sensor still works well with this Orbit B-Hyve device. I've found the web-based rainfall data from the app to be inaccurate, so I prefer local control.

Q: I need more than 8 zones. Can I control more than one device from the app?

An alternative: Orbit B-hyve now offers a 16-zone indoor/outdoor controller. https://amzn.to/2SqSEe2

Q: Will this system still work if your internet is down?

It will work without the internet, in terms of controlling the programmed zones, however the app wants to use the Internet for many functions so you would have to use the panel which is a nightmare! Make sure you have a "kill" switch on your pump (if you have a pump) since if the pump tries to run with the zones closed (their default), you will blow up the pump or blow out the pump pipes in a few seconds. I put in a couple of easy to replace PVC pipe links since this will happen. Sort of like a fuse.)