An irrigation controller (104) for determining a connection status of at least one valve (114) in an irrigation system (100) is provided. The irrigation controller (104) is coupled to the at least one valve (114). The irrigation controller (104) comprises a switch (222) configured to selectively connect the at least one valve (114) to a power supply (106). The irrigation controller (104) further comprises at least one transmitter (224) and at least one receiver (228), wherein the at least one transmitter (224) is configured to transmit a detection signal to the at least one valve (114) and the at least one receiver (228) is configured to receive the detection signal from the at least one valve (114). The irrigation controller (104) further comprises a processor (232) configured to control the switch (222) to selectively connect the at least one valve (114) to the power supply (106). The processor (232) is further configured to determine the connection status of the at least one valve (114) based on whether the detection signal is received by the at least one receiver (228).
