Rachio - 8-zone 2nd Generation Smart Sprinkler Controller - White

I bought the Rachio to replaced my Rainbird controller. The time display on my old Rainbird was flashing for a while and I tried to fix it by reset (unplug / plug) and replaced the battery with no effect. Replacing and setting up the Rachio took me 15 mins max. What I like most is that I can snap photos of every zone of my front and backyards (which I have quite a few) and assign one to each of the zone. Rachio also allows very descriptive naming of the zones - such as, "Side yard with Neighbor John", "Common Area"...etc. The long names together with the photos allow me to instantly identify the zone that I need to adjust watering times or start a manual watering cycle.

I had been looking for a wifi enabled irrigation controller for some time so I could monitor and control my lawn watering, as well as to upgrade from the old Watermaster irrigation controller that was in the house before we bought it. The replacement to the Rachio 8 zone controller was very easy, including the wiring and setup in the app. Using the app I can easily turn on and off any of my 6 zones, as well as set up custom watering schedules. When the schedule starts and stops, I get a notification. It also tracks weather for the set zip code, and knew not to water at 6am a couple weeks back when the temperature was close to 32 degrees. I bought a second unit for our Florida home along with a separate rain sensor that should connect very easily. Highly recommended.

Looking for an easy way to keep track of your lawn watering? This is it! It's never been so easy. Ditch that old Rainbird and get up to date with Rachio! This thing allows you to set schedules for watering that focus on all areas of your yard down to just a specific area. It let's you set the amount of run time your watering runs for or you can let it set automatically. It also connects with the closest weather station to read when it should and shouldn't water. It's never been so easy to make sure your lawn is getting the water it needs.

As the internet of things continues to expand in our lives I feel obliged to argue this is an absolute must. I took advantage of the water efficiency program in my Area and actually was reimbursed for the price of the unit. I would have bought it anyway though, as this is a very cool controller. Swapping out my old controller was very easy and the unit connected to my wifi effortlessly. The app lets you add pictures of your zones for reference and is very intuitive. It tracks water usage (estimated) and shows when you last watered. It even works with your Amazon Echo. Just ask Alexa to water zone X. I love this thing. If you don't have it yet, what are you waiting for? Oh... and it's made in America!

Installation consisted moving eight colored zone wires and one white neutral from the old timer to the Rachio. The Rachio push-in connectors made this easy to do. The Rachio app on my iPhone got me hooked up to my router quickly, and I was running the system within an hour out of the box. Note: I had previously used my iPhone to test that there sufficient bars at the place in the garage where the Rachio unit was to be mounted. Love this device. I can control my watering without having to wander back and forth from the garage.

Finally a controller that works flawlessly with my setup. The water for my lawn irrigation system is supplied by a 1.5 hp 220v pump. With my previous controller, it would take multiple attempts before the pump would actually turn on, and there was a long delay before it went on and off. With my Rachio, traction time for on/off is nearly instant. As far as the software, it takes into account so many types of conditions in your lawn to determine the ideal watering schedule. Since I installed my new Rachio, it actually only watered my lawn 4 times and breaks up the major zones watering on separate days, something I never considered when thinking of saving water. Overall I'm very satisfied with my new Rachio.

The 2nd Generation Rachio is an excellent addition to any home, but especially a home that love automation. The installation was easy and the setup within the app was well guided and got me running in minutes. There are plenty of deep lawn options that if someone really knows the details about their lawn and soil they could create a very detailed, automated watering plan. I love the weather look ahead. Better than a rain sensor because it's proactive rather than reactive. Integration with Wink is awesome and this product has really saved me time and water!

I didn't expect to save money buying this, but I am. We're watering about half as much and the lawn looks better than before. The system cycles through the zones (watering for less time allowing water to soak in and then coming back and watering again) and skips days when it doesn't need to water... Also, I get alerts and can start and stop things manually if I need to. Install was really easy (just replaced the old unit in a few minutes) ... I could go on and on, but I will just say, if you want more control without having to ever physically approach the controller box, buy this! I'm so glad that I finally did.