Customer Ratings & Reviews

Comparing this to the 25yr old controller it replaced, it's sleeker, easier to program, the history and stats the app provides, and being able to control it from an app makes this a no-brainer purchase. First the install - super simple. Label wires and take pictures of everything before you yank the old controller. Because many old controllers the wires wrap around a screw terminal (so the stripped wire is bent and longer than you'll need for the Rachio), simply cut the wires just below the where the lead insulation starts (leave enough behind to see the wire color). That way if (when) a label falls off, you can look at the old controller and match where that color wire was connected. Strip the wires a 1/4" or so, easy push to connect. When I compare to what I was expecting it to be able to do, some of it fails short, but every issue is software related, and it appears some of my main concerns may be fixed hopefully in the next couple quarters. My primary purpose (justification) was to be able to fix/adjust sprinkler/drip line heads in the yard using Siri to turn on and off zones as needed. Almost a year later I've not achieved that. While the Rachio HomeKit connection worked the first time I set it up, after about month it stopped responding in the Home app, and after deleting the item from the Home app attempts to add it consistently fail. Chatting with Rachio support (last time in August 2021), they were aware 'some' units weren't connecting, but they had new firmware they were about to beta that implemented the HomeKit ADK directly, and once that was done and tested they'd update the WiFi firmware and retest everything, and roll that out. As of December I'm still limited to protecting my phone from getting wet and turning zones on manually through the app. A bit disappointed, but that's still way better than running back-n-forth to the garage to turn zones on and off. The second goal I hoped to accomplish was saving water/lowering my bill. That I have accomplished, though not as much through the 'intelligence' of the software as I expected. Most of the savings has been it using local forecast and deciding not to run because rain appeared likely soon. That's works most of the time, but I still find I have to manually override it's decision to run or not some of the time - fortunately it's all done in the app, so it's a useful feature. Yes, it can automatically adjust the watering time per zone depending on season and adjust for past/predicted weather, but it makes a couple assumptions that prevent me from using much of what I thought would be killer features. The smartest schedule mode assumes it can adjust when (what days) to apply water. I live in an area almost always under water restrictions - so for the main yard zones I have 1 day and only certain hours within that I'm suppose to water - the software can't deal with that. The other intelligent mode adjust the time per zone based on the season, but there is little to no tweaking/settings you can control for that, it just picks a new monthly value on blackbox logic, so you really have to examine the adjustments it makes monthly. Instead of a fantastic advantage, my old controller was actually better at this. While it didn't have a clue of impending rain, adjusting the watering times for season was incredibly easy (though manual) with a global 'budget' value I'd tweak monthly from 40% in the winter to 150% in the summer. The most unexpected limitation in the software I discovered is with 2 of my 11 zones which are drip zones. The software's logic and inputs don't get that these run for very brief times, sometimes multiple times per day. Multiple times per day you can manually create by creating multiple schedules, but it only supports watering intervals rounded in minutes. So 2 minutes or 3, 3 or 4, but not 150 or 210 seconds. Other useful features I didn't expect is an option that overlaps starting and stopping zones - so instead of closing a zone and then starting the next, it can do that in reverse: start the next zone and close the previous, which results in a softer/quieter operation on the whole system. Overall great addition. Would be a full five stars if the 'intelligence' could better deal with water restrictions, watering times could deal with fractions of a minute, and HomeKit actually worked.

I bought this controller to replace a 13-year-old Hunter 15 zone. The Rachio controller is quite easy to install. I had to cut back some of the existing wires which were all the same length. I had to make a fan shape out of them. I also had to press them down to fit under the magnetic cover. That took the longest part. But inserting wires and turning on the controller was minutes. Attaching to the wall was simple too. I installed the app and it found the controller. Then configuring the app was a bit fun. I created a few schedules and added the zones to them. I do have an extra 16th zone. I enjoyed taking pictures of my yard and adding them to each zone. This makes it easy to remember zones 11-13 in my yard which always confused me as the sprinkler guy spread the spray heads everywhere. Anyway, the controller works well. At first, I missed my hunter remote control, but using the Rachio app is easier I suppose as I always have my phone on me. Besides, I can turn on the schedule or zone from anywhere. I did some research and I was pleased to find out that I could attach my hunter rain click sensor to the Rachio controller. It worked in the first rain. The outside of the controller allows a scroll through zones and the ability to start/pause/stop a zone. It is possible to turn off the horizontal status light on the controller. I like it turned on as it adds a night light to that corner of the garage. The smart wifi weather checking appears to be connected. I did see (in history too) that it delayed a zone as the weather was coming. This will be interesting to see how it works in the future as we have specific hours that we are allowed to water. So if I water at 6 am, I can't delay to the 11 am-6 pm no water window. An improvement on this controller would be a latch on the cover. The magnets hold, but I have tools nearby and hope they don't knock off the cover. Overall, great product. BTW, still waiting for rebate from our city of $100 for a smart controller install.

Great product. Simple to install and use. My favorite feature is you can name zones and take a pic to help you know remember which is which.

I love this thing! It saves so much time and hassle when testing a particular sprinkler section. It is so much easier to turn it on while I am testing each zone, cleaning out sprinkler heads etc. I recommend this without reservation. I already had a sprinkler box and all I had to do was unplug the old cables and plug in these new cables. Very easy.

Replaced my builder install hunter irrigation panel that unit did not have Wi-Fi or any smart capability but to add smart capabilities it would cost me about $175 to buy a new main board from Hunter replacing that with this unit was the best decision ever. My utility company gave me $150 rebate for smart irrigation, just for showing them the receipt it’s online, it’s very easy to set up. I can take pictures of each zone so I actually know what I’m watering with and hooked up my existing rain sensor, which I will be replacing with the weather station overall I could not recommend this product more

I purchased this conroller after hearing a user praise it and wanting a panel I could remotely access. It was easy to install and configure and it is nice to have one that takes into consideration recent percipitation. I like the way it alternates between zones for better absorption and less runoff. However....it isn't close to being problem free. After an 1" of rain it notified us that the cycle would be skipped but at 4 am another notification that it was going to run. Who is up at 4 am to override this last minute decision? So to promote this as better water conservation is a bit of a misnomer. After several incidents like this, I called support which is overseas and the agents are difficult to understand. She had me change my setting for the lawn to every other day and the flower beds on their own Flex schedule. There are problems with both of these programs. It still checks the weather but of the 10 lawn zones, only 8 ran one night. It didn't notify me, only told me it completed the schedule and how long it ran. I discovered it by chance in the history. The flower bed had a similar issue. It said it ran which to me means both zones. The history showed it ran but we have one area that needs to be fixed as the water drains away and I expect to see standing water on the patio but that area was dry. I knew it had not run. I called support again and waited 40 minutes and talked to an oversees agent whose accent was so heavy I could hardly communicate with him. After not understanding hardly a word he said, I gave up. I didn't want to wait another 40 minutes to call back so may just spend that time returning this. I would rather rely on a product that I know is going to run and that I can manually turn off than have to babysit one that is unpredictible.

My water bill went from $800 to $200, no exaggeration, even BEFORE getting the Rachio Flowmeter. The controller when I bought the house made it so difficult to figure out what zone was what, to trouble shoot, to set up a schedule, and FORGET troubleshooting! I had a Hunter controller, so installing and setting this up myself was super easy. Now, I can watch my yard respond for a couple weeks, tweak here and there, and like I said, get to a point where I'm saving $600/mo with a beautiful yard! When this season started, the Flowmeter helped alert me to two sprinkler heads that broke, and I'd never have known. Love this thing!

Replaced my traditional Rain Bird sprinkler system with this. Now I have the capability to control my system from my phone. Setting schedules and manual runs is easy and convenient. Hyperlocal weather detection knows when to not run due to rain and/or wind. Absolutely love this product and very easy to install - even a caveman can do it!

This is the best sprinkler controller you can buy. It is very easy to setup and the app works great. Just note the wires on your current controller and hook them up the exact same on the new one. It makes it so easy to quick run zones. You no longer have to walk out to the controller to start a zone and then back out to the zone to check. Do it all from the phone. This sprinkler controller does all the work for you. Sets the perfect watering times and knows when it rains to skip scheduled waterings.

Installed the control easily with good directions form the box. Set it up in a few minutes and already can see the savings in water use. It also made clearing the lines for the fall a lot easier as I can turn zones on ad off more easily.

Set up was a breeze and the rain skip smart feature automatically skips watering when rain is coming. Makes it much easier than remembering to turn off the old system.

Install / setup took about 15 min (including mounting) and was very simple. Automatically skips watering based on online weather info & estimated ground saturation levels.

Installation is painfully easy. The rachio app is reliable. The software is fantastic - doesn't water your lawn when it rains or moisture is too much, notates how much water is being used, etc, etc, customizability is awesome, but really the best part of this is how you just hook it up and it just..does its thing. Honestly, i'm not so great with lawncare, and this thing just waters when it needs it once you set it up, no thought involved. Minus one star for the amount of advertising that the app / rachio bombards you with at every corner though. They try to use this as a gateway into their ecosystem to get you to spend more money on lawn stuff, so it's a little bit spammy. But aside from that, this is incredible.

This controller is the best controller on the market today. It is easy to set up. The app can control your system from anywhere. This smart controller knows where you live, how much rain has occurred at your house Recently and how much rain is in the forecast and adjust the watering schedule accordingly. I am very happy with the purchase of the Rachio and would recommend it highly.

The Rachio 3rd generation smart Sprinkler Controller is a great product. It is designed to replace standard non-smart sprinkler controllers. With the Rachio App on your smart phone, you can control your sprinkler system from anywhere in the world based. You can do that manually, instantly, or on a stored program, If it rained or about to rain in your area, the controller stops irrigation saving you money and water. You can view the status of the watering status instantly on your phone. It also provides you with data about watering daily and a monthly basis. I highly recommend this product. It is extremely easy to install by swapping zone wires. The app is simple.

We replaced an old Rainbird 16 zone controller with the Rachio 3 16 zone. Most everything is just better. Setup was beyond easy and once hardware installed the app on my phone made it simple to assign values while confirming operation of the device. We did have an issue with our internet provider that shut off our connection for a few days and while it made sense the Rachio was out of sync, so far is the only thing I've missed. Definitely a leap forward in convenience, control/precision, and simplicity.

Has been a great controller and the app is good. It took a minute to get it to connect to the wifi but after that it was really easy.

Picked this up due to the Round Rock Rebate. Previously had the typical Hunter unit and wanted something I could utilize through WiFi. I was stunned how easy to it was to install, set up, and adjust. Already it has paid for itself by adjusting for the weather and making the run times more efficient. Would highly recommend.

We bought this controller as we had an outdated one that wasn’t very user friendly and needed replacement. This was almost as plug and play as you can be, just some minor low voltage connections and you are good to go. I like that I can use dynamic weather to increase or decrease the water intervals to keep our landscaping hydrated. Have used the mobile app to be able to walk around and check heads without having to go to the controller every time. Unfortunately I had to buy the 16 zone to use on my 9 zone system

I'd been looking for a smart sprinkler controller for some time and with the available rebate and the high reviews it seemed to be a good choice. Being able to control the sprinklers remotely is a nice benefit especially when travelling or when the weather changes. You can also take pictures of the areas being watered giving the app a personal touch when turning on zones. The Rachio unit also adjusts for high heat or rainfall so you don't have to look foolish when your sprinklers are running during a storm. The biggest issue that I have with the unit is there is no display so turning the unit on manually is impossible if you or your gardener haven't read the manual. A display and some info on the touchpad would make life much easier in those situations. Other than that the unit has worked well with no issues.