Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller Review: The 2nd Generation

Sharing is caring!

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller is a great gadget, and if your home garden or yard matters to you, then you will love the convenience of being able to irrigate seamlessly.

Rachio 2nd generation will;

  • Save you water.
  • Save you money on a lower water bill.
  • Save you time so that you can concentrate on important things in life.
  • Improve the health of your lawn by only irrigating when necessary.
  • A healthy lawn will improve the value of your home.
  • You get up to 100% rachio rebate on the retail value.

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller is suitable for small to large gardeners, homeowners, and bigger landscaping agencies and contractors.

Why Rachio Sprinkler Controller

Rachio, the company that manufactures the gadget set out to answer one important question.

“why is the device that manages more water than your toilets, showers, dishwashers and washing machines combined so bad at its job, wasting half of what it controls?”

And yes, the device was the sprinkler controller.

Upon conducting several studies, they found out three things the typical sprinkler controller sacked at;

  1. It wasn’t convenient for you
  2. It wasn’t intuitive for interacting with you – Mostly found in the basements and garages.
  3. The conventional controller was damp – It depended on your knowledge to schedule and forecast the weather lest it irrigates even on rainy days.

And so, they came up with Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 1st generation.

The first of its kind.

The 1st generation of rachio was well received and widely bought. If you liked the highly rated Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 1st generation, then you’ll love the 2nd generation.

Get more information and buy now on Amazon.com 

Rachio smart sprinkler controller

Features and Specifications

  1. LED Status Lights. Let’s you know when the controller is working normally.
  2. On Board Control. Allows you to manually cycle through the zones.
  3. Enhanced Integrations. You can easily control the gadget using your voice, thanks to integration with Amazon Echo
  4. Rain Sensors. Stops watering when it rains and saves you water.
  5. Trendy Rachio App. Available on all android, IOS, and web interface – Helps to connect the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller to your home’s WI-FI router and makes the setup process a breeze.

 

The 2nd generation of Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller

Revolutionary best in class. The device is the next generation of the highly rated and reviewed Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 1st Generation. You’ll love the 2nd generation for its improved hardware capacity and functionality.

You keep your plants healthy. Rachio uses proven cycle-and-soak watering methods to promote healthier plants. Ensuring a beautiful landscape and a lower water bill.

Self-scheduling. Waters automatically based on the weather. This genius device considers past, present and future weather plus real-time and forecast rain delays. You don’t have to worry about updating schedules. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy life!

Instantly take control from anywhere. Rachio smart sprinkler controller gives you complete access to adjust your sprinkler system from your Android, iOS, and laptop devices, improving your interaction just like you interact with the other apps.

Install easily without the help of an expert. You can replace your current controller within 30 minutes. Yes, it’s not a mistype. Just 30 minutes. Rachio works with any sprinkler system up to 16 zones, with no extra special tools or expertise required, and connects with your home Wi-Fi.

You save water and money. With EPA WaterSense, certified smart watering, including automatic rain delays, can save you over 50% of their outdoor water use. Plus, eligible for rebate options up to 100% of retail value.

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller is the most connected sprinkler controller. Works with Nest Partner. Integrates with other top tier home automation systems for expanded functionality such as Xfinity, IFTTT, Nexia, Control4, and iControl.

Get further details and buy now on Amazon.com >>>>

 

External Waterproof Enclosure

A sprinkler controller is nothing without proper protection.

Rachio Sprinkler controller comes with an optional trendy, external waterproof enclosure that is used to mount your sprinkler controller outdoor.

Here’s the catch.

With the waterproof case, you can be sure that your smart gadget will be well protected from the rain or water and guarantee its durability.

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller
Custom designed enclosure for the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 2nd Generation.

 

Automatic Pre-Set Programs

The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller features various automatic pre-set programs, and of course, one of them is the sync up.

It is totally different in that, just approaching the device with your smartphone it will ask for the serial number, and then you are linked with the unit.

What’s more,

This device practically thinks, does the math, and forecasts for you!

I’m always a bit skeptical of pre-set anything as I feel it takes away my control.

If you’re anything like me, don’t worry.

There are several manual cycles when you do not have Wi-Fi available during initial installation.

The manual controls let you cycle through the zones with up/down arrow buttons and start/stop using the circle shaped button.

However, the automation pre-set on Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller works flawlessly.

Being able to rely on automatic pre-set to produce exactly what is needed every time is a convenience, par excellence.

Read: Smart Irrigation Controllers: The Definitive Comparison Guide

Upgrade to the 2nd Generation.

Since the launch of the 1st generation, Rachio has been receiving invaluable feedback from the current owners. It is through that feedback that the company decided to iterate and release the newest version of the 1st generation.

The 2nd generation has the following improvements

  1. Smaller, easier-to-install design than ever before – Uses limited space
  2. Easier Wi-Fi setup – ‘No blink up’ protocol – Set up and forget
  3. Run zones installed directly from the controller
  4. Additional sensor ports for future improvements
  5. Easier diagnostic and troubleshooting (Not yet available but coming soon)
  6. New custom outdoor enclosure option (Easier to mount outside)
  7. Enhanced integration especially with Amazon echo
Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 2nd Generation
Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 2nd Generation is undoubtedly the most connected sprinkler controller.

Get further details and buy now on Amazon.com >>>>
 

Customer Reviews and Scores

The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller is an extremely versatile device.

It can forecast, save you water, fully automates your irrigation or do any of the many things a good sprinkler controller is capable of.

But if you are really into the conservation of resources, and saving big, then you will really appreciate this model.

So many customers have tested Rachio 2nd generation and at the time of updating this review, I found 694 customers on Amazon who had awarded the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 2nd Generation a score of 4.8 stars out of a possible five on average.

The customer reviews are generally positive overall, but there were a few niggling points raised. One customer complained,

“I only use 8 zones, and therefore, find 2nd generation with 16 zones a waste”

However, Rachio assures such clients that 16 zones are just a maximum and that the device functions just as well with minimum zones.

Furthermore, the 2nd generation also has an 8 zones version.

No one else appeared to raise the same issue, perhaps not a widespread concern.

Other clients said,

“I was a beta tester of this product, for full transparency. The product has been great, in all phases. First, it was really easy to install.

It has a really nice system just to poke the wire into its connection, super easy.

And getting it connected to my Wi-Fi network was super easy (slightly easier than the blink-up method on the previous version).

Once it was installed, using the mobile app was the next phase. The mobile app is beautiful.

You can tell this is a company with software and UX/UI design skills, because the whole process is incredibly intuitive.

I love that I can choose the weather station I want, and I love the granular control I have over my zones and schedules.

Finally, the device has been 100% reliable. It has watered at exactly the appropriate times, and I have literally saved money on my watering bill”

Another one emphasized that,

“The 2nd generation unit is a significant improvement over first-gen. Easier set-up, less required tooling to get it up on the garage wall.

Easier Wi-Fi setup as well as Wi-Fi reliability itself – the first-gen unit would lose the network connection about once a week or so, to the point where I needed to add a Wi-Fi signal repeater to the garage.

The company has sent me a second-generation unit to test out for roughly a month, and so far both the app and hardware have performed flawlessly, to the point of “set it and forget it”

That makes it very easy for me to recommend Rachio’s device as well.

So, how much will it cost you to make your home smarter?

Probably much more than you can afford?

$1000 maybe?

Not at all.

You get the 2nd generation of Rachio smart sprinkler controller, 16 zones with all features and benefits at a dinner price.

Besides,

For the same value, you get free system support that helps get your controller up and running in no time.

Available at Amazon with free international shipping to selected countries.

 

Conclusion

In summary, the 2nd generation of Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller can handle most of your smart watering as it’s a highly rated…..highly reviewed irrigation controller.

Well-made and easy to use, most real buyers of this product are extremely pleased with their purchase and would recommend this device to others.

Do you currently own this gadget or considering buying?

Please share your experiences with us.