zaphod Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I have been using a IrrigationCaddy controller for many years. This device is wifi connected and I can control if via a web browser or app but I don't have mine connected into C4. It appears that IrrigationCaddy is now defunct and I am thinking of replacing it. I have read good things on this forum about the Rachio and it seems to get good ratings. Is the Rachio still the best controller to get? Is the C4 driver free or do you have to buy it (I see little reason to integrate it into C4 but if it is cheap and easy then why not). It looks like the Rachio 3 just came out and it is C$60 more than a Rachio 2. Looking at the web page I am not so sure that I really need the features that were added to the 3. Anyone have an opinion on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecheech Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Picked up Rachio 3 last May. Upgrade from dumb controller so no other point of reference. I think the app is really super after using for one season. Lots to geek out over. You will likely enjoy. C4 driver was about $100 and have never really done anything with it except program an automatic shutoff if the landscaper opens the gate while it is on. Limited API in my opinion as it mainly does start / stop. For example, when that programmed stop I just mentioned occurs, you can’t set it to resume your scheduled program where it left off when it stopped. You can configure a scheduled program with scheduler, I guess, but tons of time to do that and the APP does that for you much better, especially with the adaptive watering features. I recommend the R3 but you can definitely wait or pass on the C4 driver, unless it’s a must have for you. msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Rachio 2 and very happy here! ekohn00 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chopedogg88 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Agreed, Rachio is great and works well with c4. You have to buy the driver from Blackwire as far as I know. It's $100... Or free if you buy the Rachio from them. PM me if you need help with that... Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekohn00 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 +1 Rachio I have to ask, because I'm not connected, what is everyone doing that needs connection to C4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSTRONG Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Have Rachio3 Driver here and only really use it to quickly turn a zone on from my touch panels. Other then that, never really use it because the watering is all automated and scheduled during sleep time using the rachio app. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAS Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I looked at Rachio a long time ago. I have a rust inhibitor pump (rid-o-rust) that runs on some zones but not all zones. When I looked at Rachio it was only capable of running the rid-o-rust pump on all zones or none of them. Does anyone know if the new Rachio controller will allow me to select the zones in which I want the pump to operate on? I do not want the pump to run on all zones. Or perhaps that adjustment can be made through C4. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I just replaced a modular Rainbird controller with a Rachio3. It has all the features of the pro Rainbird it replaced and many more. The simplicity of setting it up was amazing. We have 10 zones and because of the shape of the house and numerous flowerbeds, zone numbering just could not be more complicated. With the app, you can name the zone anything you want and even take a photo of it. Bottom line: Happy wife and daughter. The worked very hard to update all the flowerbeds and they can easily water whenever they want via their iPhones. My son has one and a new yard and flowerbeds and he says he just "turned it over to Rachio" and it waters perfectly. He's had his running for over a year and his recommendation sold me. The 3 does give you a few features, like the flowmeter, that the 2 does not. If you use Homekit, the 3 integrates but the 2 does not. Apparently some towns require leak detectors, so if yours does, you'll need the 3. I have no reason to integrate it in C4 that I can see because we would use Siri or the app if we needed to quickly stop it from running. msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekohn00 Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 26 minutes ago, Elvis said: The 3 does give you a few features, like the flowmeter, that the 2 does not. If you use Homekit, the 3 integrates but the 2 does not. Apparently some towns require leak detectors, so if yours does, you'll need the 3. Unfortunately the flow meter was discontinued. I have one, and it was worth the trouble to install. It also will let you know if there's a leak in your line..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 We have to turn our system on/off each year due to our location in the northeast - pipes will freeze. The Rachio driver is handy because I have a t3 from the garage entrance into the house - so the tech from the sprinkler company comes out i set up like a 5 min timer per zone on the app, then he knows if he needs to play with individual zones he can get it on the touchscreen (I navigate to the menu where it shows the zones so he just needs to wake it up). I still have the old school Gen 1 rachio, still works, just no buttons on the unit itself, so that is why the driver is handy - for the tech. Otherwise the actual watering is done at like 2-5am and all handled by Rachio itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koxkp Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 [mention]Elvis [/mention]I got a system installed last year and the installer typically always used rainbird. So, I went with what he was comfortable with. It is an ESP-ME3 with WiFi module, are you familiar with this version? You can take pictures of the programs, not sure about zones, but zones are re-namable and so far it’s been pretty decent for it’s first season of use. Keeping an eye on this thread, but not sure it’s worth to make the change any time soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 20, 2020 Author Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 hour ago, eggzlot said: We have to turn our system on/off each year due to our location in the northeast - pipes will freeze. Same thing here in Toronto. They way that I have been dealing this is that I have to be home, when the sprinkler guy shows up. That is less of an issue this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 hour ago, zaphod said: Same thing here in Toronto. They way that I have been dealing this is that I have to be home, when the sprinkler guy shows up. That is less of an issue this year yeah I still have to be home too but at least I do not have to tail him. I can sit upstairs and work while they run around do what they need to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanE Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I've enjoyed the Rachio, although I also don't have it integrated with Control4. I don't see a lot of benefit, since I'd mostly be triggering it with my phone, outside, and the app and/or app.rach.io website work fine for that. Since all the scheduling is on the rachio itself, there's no reason to schedule it through Control4, etc. RyanE msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amr Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Rachio 2 as well, can’t remember if I ever paid for the driver, modest programming as well, when there is a lot of activity in the backyard it skip working! msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
South Africa C4 user Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 I must say, I may be a bit backward here... but I love my setup. I have all my zones hardwired into an IO extender and I use the native C4 driver and this works great for me. I monitor rainfall over the last few days and then decide whether or not to water (and whether or not to reduce zone times). I have various schedule options, all of which can be chosen from a T3 and the irrigation pauses if our shower starts to run etc. Clicking one experience button switches seasons for me - winter defaults to 2 days of watering per week, shorter zone times, grass only once a week and early morning watering. Summer defaults to 3 days of watering per week, longer zone times, grass twice a week and late afternoon watering. All these variables can be changed individually using experience buttons from Chowmain or Blackwire but in reality, all we have used is a season experience button which flips between a snowman for winter and the sun for summer... I have a garden from which my gardener can easily access from our patio and this allows any zone to be run or a test to be run (single click) which runs each zone for 30 seconds (from memory - may be a minute). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted April 20, 2020 Share Posted April 20, 2020 Rachio 3 16 zone is on sale now - saw it at Amazon and HD For $200. That is cheaper than the $229 for the 8 zone model. msgreenf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Willis Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 https://slickdeals.net/f/13987415-rachio-3-smart-sprinkler-controller-16-zone-200?src=frontpage&attrsrc=Test%3AfpPersonalizedMobileWidget%3ARecombee|Feature%3AisPersonalized%3Afalse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 21, 2020 Author Share Posted April 21, 2020 A very good deal but for most folks 16 zones is overkill. It's not like there is any utility in buying a 16 zone of you have less than nine zones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eggzlot Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 32 minutes ago, zaphod said: A very good deal but for most folks 16 zones is overkill. It's not like there is any utility in buying a 16 zone of you have less than nine zones. well the 16 zone model is cheaper than the 8 zone model right now - or at least yesterday it was - given the current sale on the 16 zone one. May be overkill but its cheaper and if 1-2 zones / valves flake you got a back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaphod Posted April 21, 2020 Author Share Posted April 21, 2020 I agree but I am in Canada and I am guessing that the deal won't work for Canada. I am probably going to go with the Rachio 2 8 zone for C$230 at Amazon. That's about US$160. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperman Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I need a 24 zone controller. What would you guys recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msgreenf Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 2 rachios Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperman Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 1 minute ago, msgreenf said: 2 rachios I was just reading up on that and they don't seem to be able to seemlessly program together. Am I missing something. I currently have a manual Toro 24 zone controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elvis Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 16 minutes ago, Viperman said: I was just reading up on that and they don't seem to be able to seemlessly program together. Am I missing something. I currently have a manual Toro 24 zone controller. You are not missing anything. You can have two controllers but they don't talk to each other and can't be "merged" or linked to act as one controller. If you don't have a master valve or irrigation pump, it's not that big of a deal -- you just have to program each one so they don't run at the same time. But you lose a lot of the smart features doing this. Hunter might be a better option until Rachio figures this out. https://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/hunter-wifi-24-station-smart-controller-phc-2400i?gclid=CjwKCAjwqJ_1BRBZEiwAv73uwG_sFdLqR5ZL6f3cz3JQPRk7ZIU_CtJ6wRwqh4i7DH6cNO7hNceLnRoClHQQAvD_BwE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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