Rachio WiFi Smart Sprinkler Controller (16-Zone Irrigation Remote Control) – App-Based Scheduling, Local Weather Intelligence, Rain Skips, Easy DIY Install

The eero Pro 7s are a great product. I have them wired via ethernet to an eero Max 7 that I use as the router. Performance is top notch.Can't say the same about Amazon customer service. I used the trade-in program Amazon offers and traded in my Orbi 960 system. I received a gift card and the email said I could get 20% off on my next eero purchase. When I ordered the Pro 7s, there wasn't a place to use the 20% discount so I chatted with an Amazon agent who told me to go ahead and do the purchase and chat back in once it had arrived. I did that but Amazon wouldn't give me the 20% discount. I then had numerous chats and phone calls to no avail. One agent told me over the phone that he had issued the refund and it would arrive in 3-5 business days. It never arrived. So, I am left with the impression that Amazon mislead me with the discount offer and the agent on the phone simply lied. At this point, I have given up on getting the 20% discount Amazon offered in their email to me.

I love Rachio sprinkler products. They are easy to use and set up. It’s quick to setup zones , times and days for the sprinkler to come on. . You can easily do a quick run and just do a few minutes per zone. You use your phone or tablet to setup and it’s a breeze to do. You can rename zones so you know which part of the yard your Rachio is watering. You can turn sprinklers on with the app even if you’re not home. Definitely worth the money. This is my 2nd house I have used the Rachio for the sprinkler system.

This is the second Rachio Ive purchased as the first one purchased years ago worked excellent. The most important thing I’ve found with this gen 3 beyond an excellent phone AP is that you can connect two valves to the same zone. You cannot run more than one zone at a time though. This met my design as hoped. Rachio also seems to support there products over many years which is another huge benefit as it’s frustrating that most other companies have decided to charge a “service fee” to keep their products supported or force you to upgrade to there latest product just to continue to be able to stay connected and use phone APs.

I have had a number of different controllers since I purchased my home 30 years ago. I've always had low expectations when I purchase one. This is the first time I have ever purchased a controller that checks all my boxes and I enjoy using it. From hooking the wires in to controlling it with my app it's been fantastic. It hooks up to my Wi-Fi interface very well. I don't recommend many products but this one is on the top of my list of a good quality product with a good app.

This product is absolutely amazing. I could not be without the Rachio timers. This is a product is a game changer. I have two 16 zone timers and they have worked flawlessly for years. The setup is much easier on the new version. You can actually turn on the water and test it as you stand in front of the valve. You do not have to run back to the timer and turn off and on the system like the old timers. It saves TONS of time when starting up the system after winter.

I purchased the Rachio 16-zone controller to replace my aging Weathermatic controller. I have 9 zones; of course, Murphy's Law, Rachio only makes an 8-zone and a 16-zone controller; hence, I had to buy the larger one leaving me with 7 unused zones.Online reviews imply that Rachio has both a mobile (smartphone or tablet) and desktop (web app) programming interface. Actually, this was one of my primary criteria for purchasing the Rachio - I'm "old-school" and prefer a web-based interface. 🙂 However, I ran into problems when trying to create (add) a schedule using Rachio's web app. I contacted Rachio Support about this and was told, "[Rachio] no longer recommend[s] using the web app for managing schedules or making any changes to your account. Unfortunately, the web platform hasn't been updated in quite some time, which can lead to bugs, inaccurate information, or other unexpected issues, such as the one you're currently experiencing."Boo! 😕 So, looks like it's the mobile app or nothing.I live in the Dallas (north Texas) area which typically imposes watering restrictions during summer months (for example, one or two days a week, and only during restricted hours). Rachio offers three types of schedule: Fixed, Flex Monthly, and Flex Daily. A Fixed schedule allows you to explicitly specify the day(s) of the week when the schedule is to run, and is recommended by Rachio for localities (such as ours) with watering restrictions. The other two schedule types rely on the controller to "do its own thing" watering on day(s) and at times when it deems necessary, based on factors like plant type, temperature, rainfall, wind, etc. Flex schedules are inappropriate for our area since they would violate watering restrictions.So, looks like I can't make use of Rachio's "smart" features, and I've set up a fairly straightforward Fixed schedule specifying one day a week during the overnight hours and a fixed time for each zone to be watered.In this area, it's commonplace to build homes with "foundation drip systems" to keep the clay soil around the foundation moist, preventing it from drying out and shrinking away from the foundation. The foundation drip systems are a zone in the sprinkler system, and consist of buried, perforated plastic tubing. While the Rachio controller supports a variety of zone types, there's no zone type for "foundation". So you just have to pick any of the supported types.These are a few of my "first impressions" on setting up the Rachio controller. I'll update this review to let you know how well the Rachio controller actually works.

Life-changing! I didn’t realize how convenient switching to Rachio would be.The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller (16 Zone) has made managing my yard so much easier. Setup was straightforward, and the app makes it simple to control everything from my phone. I really like how it automatically adjusts for rain, wind, and freezing temps—so I’m not wasting water when I don’t need to be watering.The local weather intelligence is surprisingly accurate, and the automatic schedules take a lot of guesswork out of it. I’ve definitely noticed a drop in my water usage since making the switch.The Quick Run feature is super handy when I just want to test a zone or give a specific area a little extra water. Overall, this has been a great upgrade—reliable, easy to use, and actually kind of fun to check on from the app. Glad I made the change.