CanuckPanda Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Hello, I see some posts for Rachio but I then see people worried that if they go out of business you lose intelligent control. I'm having a sprinkler system put in next week, the installer was going to use Hunter controller with WifFi by default, but I want to ensure the easiest to integrate into Control 4 for programming solution. Zones will include front yard, backyard, and veggie planters. Nothing crazy. What's the recommendation from everyone? Myron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 9 minutes ago, CanuckPanda said: Hello, I see some posts for Rachio but I then see people worried that if they go out of business you lose intelligent control. I'm having a sprinkler system put in next week, the installer was going to use Hunter controller with WifFi by default, but I want to ensure the easiest to integrate into Control 4 for programming solution. Zones will include front yard, backyard, and veggie planters. Nothing crazy. What's the recommendation from everyone? Myron You are 100% correct if Rachio goes away the Iro becomes kinda worthless. I am not aware of a driver for Hunter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanuckPanda Posted October 28, 2016 Author Share Posted October 28, 2016 I don't understand the technology (perhaps its cloud based) but doesn't the Control 4 controller control it directly or does it have to interact with Rachio's servers then to the local controller...that seems like a bad design. And cost wise I ahve to cough up the 199 to purchase the Houselogix driver or does C4 have a driver for the 2nd gen controller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 11 minutes ago, CanuckPanda said: I don't understand the technology (perhaps its cloud based) but doesn't the Control 4 controller control it directly or does it have to interact with Rachio's servers then to the local controller. connect to Rachio cloud - no direct control. 11 minutes ago, CanuckPanda said: And cost wise I ahve to cough up the 199 to purchase the Houselogix driver or does C4 have a driver for the 2nd gen controller? Agreed. that is why I haven't integrated it yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 10 minutes ago, CanuckPanda said: I don't understand the technology (perhaps its cloud based) but doesn't the Control 4 controller control it directly or does it have to interact with Rachio's servers then to the local controller...that seems like a bad design. And cost wise I ahve to cough up the 199 to purchase the Houselogix driver or does C4 have a driver for the 2nd gen controller? its 199 for the driver. with the Gen 2 Rachio I dont think the driver is needed. I got a Gen 1 rachio and since there were not hard buttons/controls on the Rachio box, I needed a way for my sprinkler tech to access the zones and turn them on/off for our 3 service appointments a year. so i got the driver so he could use a touch screen in my basement to control everything. The Gen 2 Rachio has hard buttons so a tech can control the zones straight from the box. In 2 years I do not use any other integration between the sprinkler and Control4. Rachio has enough weather intelligence built in. Someone said well if your alarm is set to c4 too if there is a fire you can turn on your sprinklers - cute idea, doubt its that effective. Unless others have ideas not sure integration is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave w Posted October 28, 2016 Share Posted October 28, 2016 Agreed. I have 2nd gen rachio Iro and have yet to find any reason to integrate beyond ease of access from touchpads maybe. I usually use my iphone though so no big gain. I'm not sure there is any real threat of Iro going out of business though? The "if they go out of business their devices will not work" is more of a hypothetical risk than a real one. No different that Amazon and Echo or Iphone and Siri for that matter... BTW I have 1 Gen for sale if anyone is looking for one. Its already installed in a Orbits weatherproof enclosure with GFi outlet, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiam Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I've have the Rachio. It works perfectly and hasn't gone down once in about 2 years. The only way remember it's there because every month or so I get an auto-generated email telling me it adjusted the watering schedule to take into account rain or high temperatures or whatever (you can turn those off.) The iPhone app is clear and works every time. We also have Nest smoke alarms in our house. There's a button on the Rachio portal to hook it up ("Works with Nest") I added my Nest account name and password and 30 seconds later the controller and the smoke alarms were talking to each other. One button and everything just worked. (Pay attention, Control 4 Corporate.) Now if my smoke alarms go off for longer than (I think) 3 minutes, the sprinklers will turn on so my backyard doesn't burn down also. Okay, it's probably silly but my point was the Rachio is a very polished product. At only a couple hundred bucks, it's worth every penny. Unless you want to control your sprinkler from a touch-screen, it's not worth integrating it with C4. My opinion. By the time you navigate to the controls via a remote on an onscreen Navigator or thru the menus of the remote, you might as well have walked a few extra feet and picked up your phone to use the app. Attached is pic of the web portal showing my system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sturama Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I got the gen2 Rachio after ditching a 'pseudo-smart' RainBird controller. These new controllers (w/ smartphone/web interfaces) are eons more user friendly, especially with respect to historical data use, etc. Troubleshooting leaks and making changes (i.e., sprinkler->drip) is also much easier, walking around w/ my phone to turn on/off stations for testing purposes. Absolutely no comparison to the older guard controllers; pays for itself in ease of use looking around the yard for leaks, etc. (was a pain to do when running back to the old controller turning it on/off, now it's 'kinda' fun to go around the yard checking things out). I have it integrated w/ C4. Why?... solely to have an easy local control option (via keypads) if any cloud/company issues arise- though as noted above, the gen2 has a basic manual on/off control on the device itself. Of note, w/ the IFTTT driver out now, the RainMachine is (imho) likely the best option for a non-cloud based smart controller that integrates easily w/ C4. In fact, if you ask Rachio's tech support about a non-cloud option, they will refer you to RainMachine; there was apparently some commonality of engineers back in the day. If that IFTTT driver was out just a little earlier, I would have bought a RainMachine- just my preference to keep control 'local' :-) At the end of the day, either way should work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Integration of a sprinkler/irrigation system into C4 would primarily to have additional (easy) override options (ie backyard TV is on, do not turn on sprinklers, if there's a flood don't turn on sprinklers, if there's fire turn them on, turn them on if motion in backyard after 2am), but also the other way around - use it as a TRIGGER for programming other things - you can let your imagination go wild, but you could consider things like: -NOT turning the TV on or turning it off if sprinklers are on -override motion detector lighting in the back yard, or turn it on specifically so you don't walk out groggily in the morning while it's on -trigger an alarm state on your security panel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I have an IrrigationCaddy but it isn't connected into C4 and I don't know that there is much benefit in doing so as my irrigation system runs early in the morning when no one is awake. The other thing is that you don't actually need to interact with the irritation system very often, maybe just once every few months for most people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balanchine Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 Any info if Rachio irrigation system and RainMachine integrate with C4? I'm looking for a quality sprinkler controller and actively think about getting either of these two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEORY Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 3 hours ago, balanchine said: Any info if Rachio irrigation system and RainMachine integrate with C4? I'm looking for a quality sprinkler controller and actively think about getting either of these two. Take a look at the Hydrawise, one of the best on the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 I recommend rachio Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitaltrader Posted October 7, 2017 Share Posted October 7, 2017 I currently have the Rachio, but it's a bit of a hack if you have more than 16 zones. Theory could you tell me some of the benefits of hydrawise, as I'm thinking of changing platforms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatguy230 Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 On 10/7/2017 at 1:45 PM, THEORY said: Take a look at the Hydrawise, one of the best on the market. I have the Hydrawise and it work flawlessly you can control individual zones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEORY Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 On 10/7/2017 at 4:26 PM, digitaltrader said: I currently have the Rachio, but it's a bit of a hack if you have more than 16 zones. Theory could you tell me some of the benefits of hydrawise, as I'm thinking of changing platforms. There are more features and it's latest versions of the pro controller was designed with feedback from irrigation/landscape professionals. Hunter is the biggest for irrigation and have been very active in improving the product. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeHammelton Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 On 07.10.2017 at 5:08 PM, balanchine said: Any info if Rachio irrigation system and RainMachine integrate with C4? I'm looking for a quality sprinkler controller and actively think about getting either of these two. Yeah, the Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 8 Zone 2nd Generation is good! I read some pluses of this system here https://gadgets-reviews.com/review/209-5-best-irrigation-controllers.html and have a conclusion that this system best (as for me) For example, Rain Bird SST900I Simple to Set Indoor Timer, 9-Zone i don't love Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEORY Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 I've replace a few first gen Rachio with the Hydrawise and both the customer and irrigation contractor have been thrilled with the performance. The only negative I have it the network isn't hardwired. Their Pro controllers with ample room inside and weatherproof housing are a huge plus too. Most irrigation contractors hate the small housing on almost all smart controllers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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