Rachio 3: 8 Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller (Simple Automated Scheduling + Local Weather Intelligence. Save Water w/ Rain, Freeze & Wind Skip), App Enabled, Works w/ Alexa, Fast & Easy Install | 8 Zones, It Just Works, App Control, Rain Skips, Local Weather Scheduling, DIY Install, Smart Home Ready, 2-Year Warranty

This is a solid controller that doesn’t require you to have a subscription for it’s helpful features. I will also add that I wouldn’t buy this if I wasn’t comfortable using the app. The unit does have buttons on it, but this is definitely an app focused controller. Setting up is straightforward and wiring is as simple as any other controller out there. It has a ton of features and customizations. I really think this is the best sprinkler controller for most people who are comfortable using phone based apps.

I finally replaced my RainBird system which worked well but was old and outdated. This system was recommended by friends and relatives and it is great! Right out of the box the instructions were very clear and easy to understand. I labeled all the old wires as I took the old system apart which definitely helped with the new installation. The controller is very easy to mount and the wiring is a simple push and lock mechanism. Since it connects to wifi it gathers weather data from numerous sources and seems even more accurate than the local forecast. I've already had it tell me it would "skip" watering and then as the forecast changed it deleted the skip and watered as required. The app is very intuitive and user friendly. Having access anywhere makes watering a breeze with the ability to control everything about all zones (we have 15). I highly recommend this system as a great value for the cost.

This enclosure works great for keeping my Rachio sprinkler controller protected outdoors. The fit is clean and secure, and it feels sturdy enough for regular outdoor use. Installation was straightforward, and I like that it gives the controller a neat, finished look instead of leaving the wiring and unit exposed. It is also a good match for the Rachio controller design, so everything looks like it belongs together. Overall, this is a practical and well-made enclosure if you need to install your sprinkler controller outside.

I picked up this Weatherproof Outdoor Enclosure to protect my Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller that I have mounted outside. It was very easy to install and feels sturdy enough to handle the elements. It fits the controller perfectly and keeps everything clean and protected from the weather. If you're installing your unit outdoors, this enclosure is definitely worth the investment for the extra peace of mind.

After several years with a RainMachine HD-16, I decided it was time for an upgrade, and the Rachio 3 has exceeded my expectations. The setup was straightforward, and I had my existing zones migrated and running much faster than I anticipated. The biggest improvement is the software. The app is modern, intuitive, and responsive, making it easy to adjust schedules, run individual zones, or make changes from anywhere. I also appreciate how well the weather intelligence works. Instead of watering on a fixed schedule, the Rachio automatically skips watering when rain is expected and adjusts based on local conditions, which should save both water and money over time. The integration with my smart home ecosystem was another plus. Everything connected quickly, and I like being able to manage my irrigation system without having to think about it. If you’re coming from an older smart controller like the RainMachine, the Rachio 3 feels like a significant step forward in both hardware and software. It’s one of those upgrades that simply works, and I wish I had made the switch sooner.

This irrigation controller is perfect for homeowners who have 8 or less zones to their irrigation system. If you have basic level knowledge of tools and how to do simple home improvement tasks, installation is very easy. A perfect replacement for old school controllers (like my old Rainbird model with a dial and simple numerical screen) that were annoyingly complex to try to control schedules, do seasonal or rain adjustments, or just manage in general. These are often on sale during big Amazon sales events, so I picked it up for quite a discount during Black Friday / Cyber Monday sales. - Installation consisted of unplugging the old Rainbird controller, carefully labeling each zone (1, 2, 3, etc.) and the common wire as it was installed before, disconnecting all labeled wires, and then removing the old controller from the wall. New install was pretty much the reverse. Took approximately 30 min at a leisurely pace. - Initial Setup: Super easy via the app and only need to setup a Raachio account, and of course needed my WiFi password to connect the controller to the network. - The app: Very intuitive and easy to use. I love that I can take a picture for each zone so I know what is what. I can use the app to quick run each zone while I'm walking around to inspect sprinkler heads and make adjustments. No more running back and forth to the controller on the wall. Schedule setup was very easy and it is easy to have multiple schedules with any combination of zones assigned to each schedule. For example, I have one schedule to run my yard zones, and a separate one for my raised garden beds using drip lines. The system uses local weather reporting to perform "rain skips" based on predicted or actual precipitation. The rain skip is really the only drawback I have found so far. When summer temps are really high (95+ deg) it is not uncommon where I live to have inaccurate rain predictions due to small thunderstorm cells that may rain close by but not at my location. Sometimes the system will rain skip a schedule based on the weather prediction, but in reality no rain was received. I end up having to manually un-skip the rain skip occasionally. However this is only a minor issue and still miles ahead overall compared to the old outdated controllers. This also could be a function of the type of schedule I set up; there is a much higher level of customization available than I have fully utilized.

I debated for a long time before purchasing this product due to the mix of very strong reviews — both positive and negative. After using this unit for about 2 weeks, and experiencing a lot of weather in the North TX area, I’m writing to speak to both sides and offer my observations in hopes that it will help others who find themselves in the same dilemma that I did. First, let me say that this is an awesome product. Having worked in technology, and specifically software engineering and product development for 15-20 years, I truly appreciate the simplicity of the product. The entire setup process — from opening the box to having water running in our yard — lasted maybe 10-15 minutes max, and it was only that high because I spent about 5 minutes creating a label on our label maker to “mark” the zones on the outside of the unit. Some might call this overkill… my wife calls it particular… but nevertheless. Everything from the design, to engineering, to the magnetic cover, the software in the app (we use iOS)… it was simple and the experience was like opening an Apple product and having it “just work”. Second, let me speak to the setup options, since I think this is where most folks that write negative reviews get hung up. There are basically two paths to choose from, and there doesn’t really seem to be a middle ground. One path is to basically set it up as a “dumb controller” — meaning, think of what your parents probably had 20-30 years ago in their garage. You set a schedule, it is fixed, and it basically runs on certain days and times that you set. If this is your preference, then save your money and buy a different controller. There are way cheaper options on the market, and this product is going to be overkill for a schedule that simple. The other option, which is why I suspect most of you are probably interested or reading this in the first place, is what this system is really designed to do. You can set it up as a “smart controller” — meaning, you set a base schedule, along with some data points specific to your location, and these are fed into an algorithm, along with real-time weather information from your area, and it basically adjusts “on demand”. For example, if it rained more than a certain amount (you can set the threshold), or if rain is even expected in your area in the next 24 hours, it will skip a cycle. Or if it detects winds (again, you can set a threshold), it might adjust the time. Same thing for temperature below freezing, soil moisture, etc. There are a lot of options and you can customize which ones per zone… for example, one of our zones is a dedicated drip hose, so the wind alert doesn’t really matter but the soil moisture does. The neat thing is you can set multiple “schedules” and target different settings for each. The only thing to be aware of, is one of the settings is “time of day”… so if you have multiple schedules for the same day, and they are both set to “finish before sunrise”, for example, you might run into weird situations. We get around this by alternating days (or you can set a “fixed” time of day for one). Just a heads up for anyone running more complex schedules across zones. The “smart controller” setup (as I call it) is a little more work up front, and if you do it wrong, I can totally see how it will mess up your yard. However, it’s not all that difficult, and once it’s setup as intended, it’s totally worth the money. Based on our water usage, and the unpredictability of weather in the North TX area, I think this unit will pay for itself in a matter of a couple months. In the past 14 days alone, it has already saved us from running 4 different cycles for who knows how many hundreds of gallons each time. Again, this means that you actually have to do some work up front to make sure it is setup correctly. It does require a little bit of knowledge of your soil type and the ability not to over-estimate slopes. For example, just because your yard is graded (to get water away from your house) does not mean that the slope is “extreme”. All of the factors go into the algorithm… so if you get it wrong, that is not Rachio’s fault, even though it sounds like that is where most of the negative reviews stem from. It’s just like anything else with data… garbage in = garbage out. If you put good data in, then the results can be remarkable. The only downside, if there was one, is I could not get this to work with our existing rain sensor or HomeKit. The rain sensor threw false positives, and once I figured that out (thanks to Rachio alerting us "why" the system did not run), I just unplugged it and it's one less thing to have to worry about. For HomeKit, with a background in software engineering, I’ve looked into this technically and this appears to be an issue with Apple’s integration rather than Rachio. Practically, all this means is I cannot say “Hey Siri, turn on our sprinklers for 10 minutes". Would that be impressive to show off? Absolutely. But with the intelligence already built into Rachio's software, there’s a good chance I’ll never need to do anything manually ever again. In summary… this is an excellent product, but it is not for everyone. I do wish there was a review like this a few weeks back so I did not have to spend time second guessing myself before we purchased this product. All in all, this is a solid product, and I would highly recommend it… as long as you have some time to set it up correctly. I hope this helps! Justin

I replaced an existing controller with two 16 zone Rachio 3 units. The old controller handled all 20 zones but an expensive monthly subscription service and additional module are required to achieve remote access and weather data for the controller to use in modifying the watering schedule. It would have been nice if Rachio offered a 20+ zone option or a 12 zone option, but it is nice to know I can add up to 6 zones per controller in the future without upgrading the hardware. I'm very happy with the Rachio controllers and discovered I can operate two zones simultaneously (one on each controller) which reduces the total time required for watering. Initially I wished the app did not treat each controller separately, but this actually is a nice feature. Admittedly this might not work well in areas that don't have necessary water pressure. I located the Rachio units outside so I also purchased the weatherproof outdoor enclosures. The need for two controllers located outside complicated the installation, but once I had the wiring sorted and the outside enclosures mounted, the remaining installation was very easy. Connecting the zone wiring to the controller could not be easier and was completed in about five minutes for each controller. I don't doubt that replacement of an existing indoor controller or installation of a new indoor controller is as easy as Rachio and the many positive reviews indicate. The controllers fit perfectly in the outside enclosures and the provided holes in the enclosures worked perfectly with the 1" PVC that protects the zone wiring and the flexible conduit I used for the AC wiring. The enclosures are very sturdy and appear to be designed to properly block moisture. We haven't had any rain since the installation to confirm their effectiveness. The Rachio app is great and is reason enough to go with the Rachio product if everything else is equal. It is intuitive and very easy to use. Rachio also offers browser access to the controllers and I found it was a bit easier to set up the zones that way. One can use the default wide-area sourcing of relevant weather data, select a nearby weather reporting station or use a personal weather station. The nearest reporting station is nearly two miles from my home so I've ordered a Tempest unit to maximize the accuracy of the data used by the Rachio system to determine the watering requirements for each zone.

Very easy to use, a lot of modofications available, really good device. The only problem if you don't have US socket, but you can solve it using another adaptor.

Best money I've spent in a long time. Replaced 2 older Hunter 8 station electronic controllers with one 16 station Rachio. (Hunter units were quite good for their day but Rachio was better recommended online and also doesn't seem 'dealer' oriented, a business model I preferred to avoid.) Software takes a while to get used to and we're not using too much of the weather station stuff yet, but just the smartphone access and overall flexibility makes it easily worth the money IMO. Not perfect, but really good. Super glad I did this. Dead simple to install too, with no network or connectivity issues and programming only took a few minutes.

Shipped to Australia but with a US power socket, which is kinda annoying. Also went on special a couple of days after I paid $AUD70 for it. Otherwise it seems ok.

Unusable device in UAE based on our power standards. Avoid!!

It's only been two weeks but I will give you my first impression and it's a good one. The reason I was looking for a new controller was my old Rainbird always had issues with connecting to my wifi. It was ok feature wise but felt it was falling short. This new Rachio was super easy to install. I loved that fact the bottom of the control was left open so you don't have to pull wires through any holes. Face is held on with magnets, another nice feature. Connecting wise, Are you kidding me! I blinked and I missed it. I thought for sure I did something wrong as it should not be this easy but no! I was wrong and it was connected and it really was that fast! The rest of the set up was just as easy. I'm a guy, who has time for instructions, not me!!!! And you truly do not need them. It walks you through everything step by step. I found everything easy to understand and to navigate through. It has some great features in my opinion zone wise. Asks about your area you live, asks what kind of watering you are doing (Grass, bushes etc) what type of irrigation heads you are using. What slope the area is on. It then gives you the option to name the zone and add a picture. All this is to optimise your watering. So cool! Timer wise, again super easy. I asked to end my watering cycles at sunrise and it figured out the start times. Because you entered all the information about the zone it automatically calculates how long each zone waters for. Keeping in mind you have full control over all of these settings if you wish. It watches your local forecast and it has only watered once so far. Its early spring here and it has been cloudy and sometimes raining. It is pausing my schedule automatically for me. Such A nice feature. I was a little hesitant on giving it full control but since you can easily go into the app and monitor your past watering cycles I feel comfortable knowing I can monitor it and see what is going on. Another very cool feature. It's not the cheapest unit on the market but due to all the features, the care free operation it's worth every penny. For anyone that has never used an App based watering system its pretty cool. My cell phone notified me someone was in my yard (Security camera system). When I looked someone was walking their HUGE wolf dog and it decided it didn't want to go any farther and layed down on my lawn. She was pulling and pulling. No way she was moving him. So I decided to help her out..... I opened up my Rachio app and flicked the zone on. Wanna see how fast a Wolf dog can move!!!! She literally said out loud laughing. THANK YOU WHOEVER YOU ARE !!!!! LOL!