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Pro-HC vs HPC

Updated: 23 October 2026

You want Hydrawise on day one, and the remaining choice is a fixed station count or a cabinet that grows. The Pro-HC is sold as 6, 12 or 24 stations and stays there. The HPC starts at four stations and takes modules. Both have Wi-Fi built in. A bare X2 is a footnote: it needs a separate WAND and it sits outside Hunter's flow-meter column. A 120 V build exists in both families, so a station-count winner can still be the wrong parcel. The rows are on the [Hunter Hydrawise comparison](/hub/garden-watering/hunter-hydrawise). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

You want Hydrawise on day one, and the remaining choice is a fixed station count or a cabinet that grows. The Pro-HC is sold as 6, 12 or 24 stations and stays there. The HPC starts at four stations and takes modules.

Our top picks

Hunter Hunter PRO-HC PHC-1200 12-station

Best overall

Hunter Hunter PRO-HC PHC-1200 12-station
9.2/10about £404.00
View offer
Hunter Hunter PRO-HC PHC-600 (listing model PHC1200I)

Alternative

Hunter Hunter PRO-HC PHC-600 (listing model PHC1200I)
9.2/10about £257.00
View offer
Hunter Hunter HPC-400 4-station

Alternative

Hunter Hunter HPC-400 4-station
9.0/10about £226.01
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Fixed stations on the Pro-HC
  2. 2.Modules on the HPC
  3. 3.What they share
  4. 4.Which listing to open

Fixed stations on the Pro-HC

Hunter's chart fixes the Pro-HC at 6, 12 or 24 stations, with six programmes and two sensor inputs. Seven valves are a 12-station controller. There is no 8-station Pro-HC, and you cannot slide a PCM module in later. In this set the 6-station rows are £257 and £266, and the 12-station rows are £340 and £404. There is no 24-station ASIN. The £404 listing prints 120 V. The lower prices do not prove a 230 V build. If the valve count is already final, the Pro-HC is the simpler family. The wider tree, including the X2, is on the which Hunter Hydrawise controller page.

Modules on the HPC

The HPC in this set is the HPC-400, a four-station base. Hunter's module page lists the PCM-300, PCM-900 and PCM-1600. Conventional wiring tops out at 23 stations. A PC-DM decoder path reaches 32 stations in total. Amazon bullets on both HPC-400 listings say expandable to 16 zones. Hunter's conventional ceiling is 23, and the decoder total is 32. The two listings are £226.01, with 4.5 from 154 reviews, and £238.71, with no reviews. A UK review on the £226.01 row says the unit was US voltage. Quote the PCM modules before you treat the £226 base as a 12-zone system.
Hunter Hunter PRO-HC PHC-1200 12-station

Testsieger

Hunter Hunter PRO-HC PHC-1200 12-station
9.2/10about £404.00
View offer

What they share

Both have Wi-Fi in the cabinet, which is why the bare X2 stays a footnote. Hunter's chart gives each HC flow-meter compatibility and two sensor inputs. The meter, like a rain or freeze sensor, is separate hardware. Hunter's Pro-HC pages lead with a touchscreen. Match the HPC-400 photographs rather than assuming the same screen. The Home plan is $0 a year for up to three controllers, and that fee does not change the station count or the mains voltage.

Which listing to open

Open a Pro-HC when the station count is already 6 or 12 and will stay there. In this set that is the £257 or £266 six-zone rows, or the £340 twelve-zone row, after you confirm the European code. Open the £404 row only when the unit is a 230 V build, because the listing prints 120 V. That distinction is on the best Hunter Hydrawise controller page. Open an HPC-400, at £226.01 or £238.71, when four zones are enough this season and you will add PCM modules. Quote 16 from the amazon bullet and 23 from Hunter's module page. The voltage check is the Hunter controller 230 V UK page.

Common questions

Can I add a module to a Pro-HC?
No. The Pro-HC station count is fixed at 6, 12 or 24 on Hunter's chart. A PCM-300, PCM-900 or PCM-1600 belongs in an HPC. If you buy a 6-station Pro-HC for the six valves you have today, a seventh valve later means a different controller, not a card in the same door. The HPC is the family that starts at four stations and expands. Spare terminals on a 12-station Pro-HC are still that fixed model.
How far does an HPC-400 actually expand?
The base is four stations. Amazon bullets on the two HPC-400 listings in this set say up to 16 zones. Hunter's module page says conventional wiring reaches 23 stations with the PCM modules, and a PC-DM decoder path reaches 32 stations in total. Use 16 when you are repeating the listing, and 23 when you are repeating Hunter's conventional ceiling. Get module prices in pounds before you call the £226 base a 16-zone system.
Do both take an HC flow meter?
Yes. Hunter's residential chart marks flow-meter compatibility for the Pro-HC and the HPC, and gives each two sensor inputs. The HC flow meter is a separate part on these listings, as are rain and freeze sensors. The X2 is the family that stays outside that column, even with a WAND. You can add the meter later, when you want leak alerts. It does not change a fixed Pro-HC count.
How many programmes does each have?
Hunter's chart gives the Pro-HC six programmes. A programme is a schedule, not a valve. Six programmes do not water six extra zones. The HPC notes used for this page print the modular station path, the flow-meter tick and the decoder option, and they do not print a second programme number you should shop on. Station wires remain the count that has to match the garden.
Is the touchscreen on both?
Hunter's Pro-HC pages lead with a touchscreen, and that is the face to expect on a Pro-HC. This research does not include a Hunter sentence that every HPC-400 uses that same screen. Compare the photographs on the listing. Both still have to be the 230 V build before the screen matters.
Why do bullets say 16 if Hunter says 23?
They are different sources. The amazon.co.uk bullets on B08BJBKW44 and B07HFGJV8P say the HPC expands to 16 zones. Hunter's HPC module page says a conventional maximum of 23 stations, with PCM-300, PCM-900 and PCM-1600, and 32 stations if you take the PC-DM decoder path. Neither number cancels the other. Describe the listing with 16, and describe Hunter's conventional wiring with 23. Neither source gives a GBP price for the module.

Related pages

How to connect Hydrawise Wi-Fi

Hunter hydrawise

Best Hunter Hydrawise controller for UK mains 2026

Which Hunter Hydrawise controller for the UK garden

Hunter controller 230 V before you use a UK socket

Sources

Public UK sources listed below, plus the amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts captured for these eleven listings. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.

  1. Hunter, Pro-HC metric models (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Hunter, Pro-HC US models (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Hunter, HPC station modules (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Hunter, X2 with WAND (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Hunter, Hydrawise Wi-Fi specifications (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Hunter, Hydrawise Home plan (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, regulation 5 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Thames Water, temporary use ban legal notice (retrieved 22 October 2026)