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    Rachio Problem

    I wanted to put this out there in case anyone was looking to buy one.
    I just found out that the Rachio controller can not be connected directly with it's IP and a web browser.
    Bummer as this is a necessity for me in case the internet goes down.
    Anyone know of a way to do this?

    #2
    Not sure why you call this a "problem" I would say most of us who have purchased one knew this before the purchase via research...
    If the Internet goes down your schedules still run, and since one should be watering before sunrise, I don't see the need to have to do an emergency "stop" on a watering zone, which is still possible from the front panel control.
    Rachio 3 Manual Controls

    If you want a fully local option then you might want to look into Open Sprinkler.
    OpenSprinkler | OpenSprinkler

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Jamr View Post
      I wanted to put this out there in case anyone was looking to buy one.
      I just found out that the Rachio controller can not be connected directly with it's IP and a web browser.
      Bummer as this is a necessity for me in case the internet goes down.
      Anyone know of a way to do this?
      How often does your internet go down? I use the Rachio plugin and haven't had an issue since I installed this sprinkler controller. My internet hasn't gone out (that I know of) in two years so this isn't an issue for me thank goodness as I now work from home.
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        #4
        Originally posted by TC1 View Post
        Not sure why you call this a "problem" I would say most of us who have purchased one knew this before the purchase via research...
        If the Internet goes down your schedules still run, and since one should be watering before sunrise, I don't see the need to have to do an emergency "stop" on a watering zone, which is still possible from the front panel control.
        Rachio 3 Manual Controls

        If you want a fully local option then you might want to look into Open Sprinkler.
        OpenSprinkler | OpenSprinkler
        I appreciate you sharing your opinion but it does not apply to me in any one of your points you made.
        I already explained why it is a problem, if my internet goes down, as we often have in our area, I have no access to the controller. Maybe you live in the city where it is much more robust but where I live, it is not. I trust my network much more than the web.
        This controller is pretty expensive especially for one without a display screen and I would have very much appreciated someone else here stating some of it's flaws before I bought one.
        My last controller was a Open Sprinkler and it now sits in my "Junk Box" as it didn't even last 3 years and is no longer supported by many home controllers it once was. Even HS has shut down its support page here and it no longer works with HS4 so why would you recommend it????,

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Rupp View Post
          How often does your internet go down? I use the Rachio plugin and haven't had an issue since I installed this sprinkler controller. My internet hasn't gone out (that I know of) in two years so this isn't an issue for me thank goodness as I now work from home.
          Our internet goes down several times a year along with the power. Living in Southern California has changed over the years and I have learned that nothing is reliable in this state.
          Why do you think Solar and battery backups are so popular?

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Jamr View Post

            I appreciate you sharing your opinion but it does not apply to me in any one of your points you made.
            I already explained why it is a problem, if my internet goes down, as we often have in our area, I have no access to the controller. Maybe you live in the city where it is much more robust but where I live, it is not. I trust my network much more than the web.
            This controller is pretty expensive especially for one with a display screen and I would have very much appreciated someone else here stating some of it's flaws before I bought one.
            Your last statement befuddles me... "would have very much appreciated someone else here stating some of it's flaws before I bought one"... is what you are stating is that it was incumbent on the rest of us to do your research before you purchased??

            And what I stated is true, if your Internet is down the unit still operates on schedule previously setup and one can still manually stop and start zones. So I'm not sure which points I made doesn't apply to you since you didn't state any particular use-cases other than needing control when Internet is down.

            Best of luck in your search.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Jamr View Post

              Our internet goes down several times a year along with the power. Living in Southern California has changed over the years and I have learned that nothing is reliable in this state.
              Why do you think Solar and battery backups are so popular?
              I didn't know that solar and battery backups were so popular. I've not seen a solar installation in our area in years. I guess cheap power and lots of it sort of control that.
              Are your schedules not running when your internet is down?

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                #8
                I see a lack of empathy in this thread.

                Rachio is a big-box-store item that targets 75% of the market. Those in the 25% that expect to get the low cost of the mass market production are not doing their due diligence if they find they are not part of the norm. It is not the responsibly of the 75% to inform the 25%.

                Internet availability varies widely in this country. I have internet. Uploads are 100 KB and downloads 1 MB. (If Microsoft, Apple, or Amazon and other are not pushing product update downloads of 1G+). I can live with this and set my expectations accordingly. When web sites disconnect me because my response times are too slow then I effectively have limited internet. I cannot upload plugins to Homeseer. I cannot upload to my GoDaddy hosting site. I need to travel to a public site in the nearest city if I want to upload more that 1 MB or so.

                A response of those that live in a metropolitan area were service is good does not help those of us that do not have such an option. If the user's use case is interactive with their irrigation controller, then access to it is important. This is not the 75% use case of set-and-forget, but one for the 25% that have other needs.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Michael, I don't disagree with your sentiment in terms of empathy, I do disagree with your evaluation of this thread. The OP seems to be blaming everyone else for their lack of research. Could you imagine if one bought a Ford XYZ then complained that no one, in public forums that have nothing to do with Ford, ever mentioned it only came in manual transmission and that they can't drive a stick?

                  While I have a Rachio, I have no need for the continuous Internet connectivity, it's basically set it and forget it. This also came up in another thread in that the HS4 plugin for it is useless.. what's the use-case for integrating it into one's home automation?? If one desires to have HS actually control the watering and make decisions then that defeats the purpose of having a "smart" irrigation controller and then one should be looking at alternatives like OpenSprinkler which I believe is MQTT compatible and would more than likely integrate locally with your plugin.

                  Again, the OP has yet to state their use-case so that people could directly address their needs other than "I have bad Internet and want to control it locally". If that's the case then an off-the-self programmable irrigation controller will suffice. But I suspect the OP wants a fancy phone app or web interface.

                  Just my 2-cents, when adjusted for inflation, is now unfortunately $3.98

                  Comment


                    #10
                    If one desires to have HS actually control the watering and make decisions then that defeats the purpose of having a "smart" irrigation controller and then one should be looking at alternatives like OpenSprinkler which I believe is MQTT compatible and would more than likely integrate locally with your plugin.
                    To assure assumptions are not propagated, mcsSprinklers is a standalone application that was adapted to run as a plugin in HS. MQTT and xAP are the two network protocols available to integrate the standalone application into HS. mcsSprinklers contains the irrigation brains and the UI that deals with setup, current scheduling and historical data. For valve control it can handle a wide variety irrigation valve controllers using protocols of RS-232, X10, RF, TCP, UPB, any HS device, MQTT and xAP.

                    It does not support smart irrigation controllers such as Open Sprinklers or the new Hunter and Orbit smart controllers. These have their own UI and it would be a mess to try to integrate two UI's.

                    mcsSprinklers is for those who have specialized needs and want maximum flexibility in their ability to control their irrigation. The primary customer for mcsSprinklers has been nurseries and small commercial sites. In the earlier years there was a good demand from DIY households that wanted to reduce their irrigation water costs using the Evaptranspiration calculation built into mcsSprinklers. Scheduling can also be based upon measured soil moisture. While there are issues for larger areas such as lawns using moisture sensors, a localize measurement such as a raised bed or pot can be effective. There is an entire industry behind soil moisture and how water migrates under the surface.

                    When considering a valve interface it is a good practice to have some minimal smarts in the valve interface to close the valve after some timeout period should something happen with the communications between the brains and the valve. This distinguishes a simple relay from an irrigation valve controller. This handles the electrical failure. Another failure mode is the valve being mechanically stuck open. This is sensed by mcsSprinklers with notification automatic protection if a master control exists for the water supply.

                    For those looking for the cheapest implementation, an Ethernet (or Wifi) valve controller with mcsSprinklers as the brains can be done in the $25 range, excluding the field plumbing and wiring. For the commercial implementations, the Etherrain controller is the favorite.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Thanks for the information Michael. That does clarify things.

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