Last Updated: July 21, 2022 (Refresh Now)
Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller 8 Zone 3rd Generation Alexa and Apple HomeKit Compatible with Hyperlocal Weather Intelligence Plus and Rain Freeze and Wind Skip
Last Updated: July 21, 2022 (Refresh Now)
8.4
SCORE
/10
Total Reviews
1000
Old Reviews
43
Unverified
86
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Review Analysis - 871 recent, verified reviews
Detailed Mode
Usage
452easy to install, app, installation, zones, easy to use
+94%
-6%
" ... The install went well - Make sure you turn your water on afterwards!!! ... Schedules are easy to set, and Quick Run is so easy. ... "
" ... I found installation a breeze, remove the existing controller and mount the new one in it's place. ... Setup was intuitive and easy and programming equally so. ... "
" ... Easy to install and set up. ... Convenient to use from app. ... "
" ... Installation was straight forward. ... "
" ... I love the features of this controller and it’s very easy to use. ... "
" ... Included instructions are basic but you tube has excellent tutorial. ... "
" ... Easy to install and use. ... "
" ... I wish my builder would have installed this when my house was built. ... "
Software
230rachio, alexa, homekit, integration, sprinkler
+82%
-18%
" ... Was also able to add the new controller to my existing app and I am able to access both devices from 1 app, very convenient. ... Set up was quick and easy, just had to follow the prompts on the app. ... "
" ... Once you dwonload the App, you can adjust to the needs of your zones. ... "
" ... Very thorough app. ... "
" ... The Rachio 3 is everything you would expect from a consumer Internet of Things (IoT) device. ... All the integration you could imagine with other smart devices and IFTTT too. ... primarily that there should be a way to block a day of the week when using the smart schedule. ... Small concern for an otherwise great product with a great app. ... "
" ... Finally the App - A+. ... "
" ... The app is easy to use. ... "
" ... It works great via the app and with Alexa integration too. ... "
" ... I installed the app, set up my zones, and schedule and it has been great!! ... The app is great, you can program it on a set schedule, a rotating schedule and so on. ... Overall great value for the money, I just want the smart features to be updated ... Edit*** the smart features are updated!!! ... "
Connectivity
184rachio, controller, alexa, wi fi, connected
+77%
-23%
" ... This is a great device. ... "
" ... First, what I like: Connection to wifi means I can turn on a zone while standing near that zone. ... "
" ... It works great via the app and with Alexa integration too. ... "
" ... Once I got it linked up (using my older iPad) it worked great and updated software so now newer iPhone compatible. ... "
" ... We've been researching wifi enabled irrigation controllers for a while and had seen some positive trusted reviews on the Rachio. ... Oh yeah, integrates easily with Alexa. ... "
" ... my controller is outside, behind a stucco wall in a box and I had absolutely no issues connecting to Wi-Fi. ... Regarding setup with Alexa – its very easy to do. ... It will then link Alexa account with Rachio account. ... "
" ... It's so convenient to be able to modify a zone or schedule from a phone or similar device. ... "
" ... Easy to control with phone app. ... "
Body
115bill, rain, rachio, lawn, weather
+83%
-17%
" ... But we all know it is better to have one long watering than many small ones so the water goes deep into the soil and promotes deep root growth. ... So if I need to water for 1 hour and 15 minutes, the Rachio automatically does this in 15 minute increments. ... "
" ... Absolutely love this smart water system. ... "
" ... I can manually have it water my lawn. ... "
" ... Protect the Rachio from the element. ... Everything is neatly organized. ... "
" ... My lawn looks better, and the roots are growing properly avoiding thatch buildup due to proper water cycles. ... "
" ... This controller is amazing and already saving me about 30% on water Bill. ... "
" ... That helped with the garage door opener later anyway. ... "
" ... It installed easily (although a bit more room in the wiring compartment would be appreciated). ... "
Reliability
90ago, stopped working, controller, error, schedule
+47%
-53%
" ... I have had this product for a month. ... "
" ... Bought in September 2020 and now in April 2022, it stopped working. ... "
" ... Rachio - after years to fix this after my last feeback, you should be ashamed. ... You're really broken here, time to own up to it and fix it once and for all. ... "
" ... Error messages after error messages. ... "
" ... while it really worked perfect over the first few days, it died from one day to another in less than one month. ... "
" ... When I had trouble setting up, I noticed the manufacture date was January 2019. ... "
" ... Product failed after less than 3 months of use. ... "
" ... Unfortunately, the two I got from Amazon (directly, not through a third party seller) both were defective. ... "
Features
84smart, weather, zone, rachio, zones
+94%
-6%
" ... So far it has all the features needed to keep our lawn green in our new home. ... "
" ... It is a nice to have feature. ... They can easily support this feature in Rachio2. ... "
" ... Now that is working I can see all the new features this 3rd version has. ... "
" ... Some advanced features are hard to find, just have to spend time with it. ... "
" ... Smart features are impressive. ... "
" ... We will eventually set everything up so we can use the smart features, but that will take some time. ... "
" ... One of the nice features is that it will run through all the zones for half the time and then let that water soak in before making another pass. ... "
" ... All the real functional capabilities are awesome! ... "
Marketplace
54return, replacement, rachio, pictures, box
+54%
-46%
" ... Looked to replace and review Rachio and some others. ... "
" ... This is a great product that works as advertised. ... "
" ... Highly recommend this as a replacement! ... "
" ... Still waiting for my rebate. ... "
" ... Thank you for this great product! ... "
" ... All the features work as advertised. ... "
" ... Replaced with the Rachio 3. ... "
" ... Great product as advertised. ... "
Network
53signal, network, rachio, garage, house
+64%
-36%
" ... It took a while to connect to wifi. ... "
" ... The connection to the home network was automatic and seamless. ... "
" ... My previous box was outside and now with this outside installation I can do everything on my phone and the Wi-Fi signal is great. ... "
" ... This device holds a reliable connection to my wifi router despite being in the far corner of the garage and the spotty performance of the router from my cable company. ... "
" ... This is my third house installing this unit. ... "
" ... If you have more than 3 zones and good wifi coverage wherever you keep your controller, I highly recommend this. ... "
" ... Connected perfect and have had no wifi issues. ... "
" ... Setting up the WiFi was simple, and it maintains a good connection with our home WiFi setup. ... "
Cable
34wire, wiring, zone, zones, sprinkler
+85%
-15%
" ... Worked flawlessly with conduit to protect wiring. ... "
" ... I did and it saved me in reinstalling zone wires. ... "
" ... All you really need to know how to to do is to properly strip wires. ... "
" ... The wiring is so easy a caveman could do it - M=Master pump, +/- 24volt power and one wire for each zone. ... "
" ... I was lucky to have a different colored wire for all 8 zones ... "
" ... First, I found out the wiring in a sprinkler system is really the simplest thing in your house - one wire for each zone, and a couple master wires. ... "
" ... The built-in outlet for the power wall wart is a nice feature as it makes the wiring easier and the wall wart is not exposed to the outdoor elements. ... "
" ... First took a picture of existing wiring, and wrote down colored wires going to which ports and this couldn't be anymore foolproof. ... "
Price
33worth, waste, time and money, spend, saved
+70%
-30%
" ... Buy it, it's worth every penny. ... "
" ... Simply the best on the market. ... "
" ... ), for a rediculously low price, so I had him complete all that. ... "
" ... Worth the money. ... "
" ... Worth every penny. ... "
" ... Perfect investment for a sprinkler system with money saving. ... "
" ... If you dont have the patience to figure this out get the gen3e and save yourself some money but it makes it so much better! ... "
" ... It will save you time, money and frustration over time and pay for itself. ... "
Marketplace / Marketplace
33pictures, rachio, zone, works as advertised, see
+64%
-36%
" ... Anyway, see the pictures for the solutiion I ended up with. ... "
" ... Arrived as requested. ... "
" ... (see pic above). ... "
" ... We have 15 zones which pictures and description for each zone. ... "
" ... It comes with the option to hardwire it to an outlet in the box (see the first picture). ... "
" ... Replaced with the Rachio 3. ... "
" ... So far it works as advertised. ... "
" ... 4 stars has more to do with Amazon than the product itself. ... "
Size
24magnets, cover, fall, magnetic cover, enclosure
+67%
-33%
" ... Only rec for improvement is make the cover more of a snap on instead of just two magnets holding in place. ... "
" ... Magnets are cool but for something that really should never need to be opened again, a more secure latch would have been better. ... "
" ... The controller fits perfectly into this housing. ... "
" ... Mine fit the existing controllers conduits almost perfectly. ... "
" ... Easily fit Rachio 3 8 zone sprinkler. ... "
" ... The tips to put tape flags on the wires before removing them was a good one. ... "
" ... Fits the Rachio controller perfectly and provides protection from the elements. ... "
" ... The pattern is in a triangle pattern, and this complicated the installation just a bit because only one of the screws aligned with the vertical wall stud, the other 2 would have to be installed with anchors (and I don't like to use those). ... "
Marketplace / Returns
20replacement, returning, rachio, unfortunately, send
+25%
-75%
" ... I'll be returning this. ... "
" ... There solution was to just return it. ... "
" ... After sending them screenshots of the issues, I got no response. ... "
" ... I've sent this one to Rachio directly so that they can send me a replacement. ... "
" ... Anyway returning and putting my old system back :) ... "
" ... Returning the Rachio 3 for the B-hyve from Orbit. ... "
" ... I have lost the time window to return this product. ... "
" ... Will return product. ... "
Gaming
20rachio, rachio 3, like, sprinkler, seems
+90%
-10%
" ... I'm coming from a dumb controller, Hunter C400 or something, and this Rachio3 has convinced me I wasted my time and money not making the change sooner. ... This controller handles it all. ... "
" ... Overall, I'm pleased with the controller. ... "
" ... I had purchased a version 2 of the Rachio controller. ... "
" ... What a game changer. ... "
" ... It is a great sprinkler controller. ... "
" ... Overall a good controller. ... "
" ... Really like this controller. ... "
" ... This controller is absolutely worth it. ... "
Performance
14rachio, performance, runs, reboot, year
+50%
-50%
" ... When it powered down to reboot, it never turned back on. ... "
" ... It's not able to reboot and stops with first light flashing red. ... "
" ... I’m going to depend on it’ll work after a restart. ... "
" ... Every time any update happens it goes off line. ... "
" ... My yard and my plants fared a lot worse when I let Rachio do it's job. ... "
" ... Gave up after countless tries and resets. ... "
Marketplace / Product As Described
14works as advertised, see, zones, zone, unit
+86%
-14%
" ... Great product as advertised. ... "
" ... works as described. ... "
" ... Works as advertised. ... "
" ... All the features work as advertised. ... "
" ... So far it works as advertised. ... "
" ... It works as advertised. ... "
" ... (see pic above). ... "
" ... Anyway, see the pictures for the solutiion I ended up with. ... "
Calling
12rachio, voice, support, calls, alexa
+42%
-58%
" ... Talking to a human is near impossible. ... "
" ... I have resorted to straight up fixed watering times and used what Rachio calls "seasonal adjustment." ... "
" ... And then they scheduled a call and did not call me. ... "
" ... Rachio does not have a phone number where you can reach anyone and they don't call you. ... "
" ... We tried all the troubleshooting fixes and had 2 calls with the support folks and in the end, they can't figure it out either and are sending me another controller. ... "
Design
11design, look, like, nice, grass
+82%
-18%
" ... If you're in the market, look no further! ... "
" ... Everything looks great. ... "
" ... It look like a great buy ... "
" ... Oh, and my grass is looking super! ... "
" ... Bravo to a great design! ... "
" ... Looks very nice also. ... "
" ... My grass looks fantastic! ... "
" ... Looks awesome with the blue light. ... "
Cleaning
11makes, running, clean look, back spray, wiring
+73%
-27%
" ... This allows for easy troubleshooting clogged nozzles or leaks. ... "
" ... Gen3 handles wiring much better than gen1 and a simple magnetic front makes it clean. ... I think they put too much effort into a clean look and it makes the design much less user friendly. ... "
" ... The box just makes the install so much cleaner and easier as the wiring and room is a plus for a clean install. ... "
" ... I mounted this inside my garage, just to get a super clean look and dustproofing for my Rachio controller. ... "
" ... Works great, had an electrician run a conduit from a GFI into the box and has a very clean look. ... "
" ... I used the Rachio enclosure for an outdoor location and mechanically and electrically, this was a clean install. ... "
" ... the phone app is clean and easy to use, and the web app (yes, you can use it from your PC) is also clean and easy to use. ... "
Dry
10soil, yard, watering, live, hot
+70%
-30%
" ... Before u mount/install it, do a dry/benchtop install. ... "
" ... I installed it a few months ago and everything is still dry inside. ... "
" ... And if the lawn/yard looks dry you cannot tell it to run the zone(s)/schedules at the programmed time over the next day, not now. ... "
" ... Automatically changes watering time for seasons and wet or dry conditions. ... "
" ... The Rachio enclosure allows us to lock the box and keep the Rachio dry. ... "
" ... Easy to set a basic schedule or you can dive in deeper and really fine tune things with soil type, how fast the soil dries, smart watering based on weather etc . ... "
" ... I live in northern Colorado and it gets really hot and dry in the summer. ... "
Comfort
10controller, head, strain, relief, pain
+70%
-30%
" ... Love the hands off system. ... "
" ... Get one, you'll be glad you did, hands down better then anything out there! ... "
" ... Installer was a great help with hands on teaching. ... "
" ... The controller fits perfectly into this housing. ... "
" ... It is good to hold the controller ... "
" ... Not that WiFi doesn't work, but I would feel more comfortable (security-wise) on a wired connection. ... "
" ... I just needed a phillips head screwdriver. ... "
Marketplace / Delivery
9used, today, item, seal, open
+56%
-44%
" ... Does what it says on the box. ... "
" ... Arrived on time in perfect condition. ... "
" ... Arrived as requested. ... "
" ... I just got this delivered today and on the outside it looked ok. ... "
Stand
8screws, unit, mounted, 30, template
+88%
-13%
" ... 3 screws is all it takes to mount it. ... "
" ... Then I used the included template to install the unit on my wall. ... "
" ... It was installed on the outside garden wall. ... "
" ... Mounted easily and comes with screws to do all that. ... "
" ... Looks good on the wall and should blend in nicely in other houses too. ... "
" ... Took a picture of my old unit, disconnected it, and screwed this unit into the wall. ... "
Notifications
8weather, sends, love, get, easy
+75%
-25%
" ... It sends notifications when it plans to skip a cycle due to weather and those are easy to override if you need to- something my old controller just did on its own without me ever knowing what was happening. ... "
" ... Love the wind, weather etc notifications. ... "
" ... Another great feature is the notifications you get whenever it runs the cycle. ... "
" ... The device gets 5* primarily for just allowing you to control things via your smartphone with notifications. ... "
" ... It is nice to get these notifications, however. ... "
" ... So easy, love the notifications, lots of options. ... "
Lagging
6-100%
" ... When it powered down to reboot, it never turned back on. ... "
" ... It's not able to reboot and stops with first light flashing red. ... "
" ... I’m going to depend on it’ll work after a restart. ... "
" ... Every time any update happens it goes off line. ... "
" ... Gave up after countless tries and resets. ... "
Programs
5timer, run, cycle, sprinkler, rain
+80%
-20%
" ... The whole process including scheduling the watering cycle took 10-15 minutes. ... "
" ... The soak feature is nice ... "
" ... The smartest irrigation timer on the market! ... "
" ... But I suggest taking your time figuring out which modes you want to use. ... "
Battery
5within, rachio, hours, charging, 24
+40%
-60%
" ... We tried a battery backup, but eventually we would get a power outage that would outlast the backup battery and the device would break. ... "
" ... And you see it when you check your email, which says you can expect a response within 24-48 hours. ... "
" ... Of course they won't do it.they want to charge you more with Rachio 3. ... "
Power
4rachio, unit, time, requires, replacement
+25%
-75%
" ... The unit needs to come with a higher amperage power supply AND needs to be able to handle the extra amps so that it can power 2 valves (or more) at the same time properly. ... "
" ... The next day I received a replacement power supply from Rachio. ... If you get this, please check on your power supply for the first few days and if you have a problem, reach out to Rachio support for a replacement. ... "
" ... Unfortunately, my unit was faulty and did not have any power. ... "
Display
4screen, display, touch
+75%
-25%
" ... No Display is kind of scary at first, but once you realize your smartphone is the display, and you can change zone settings from anywhere in the world it becomes a moot point. ... "
" ... Currently it's a sleek display which has a zone indicator that is not that easy to deciper unless you take the cover off. ... "
" ... I bought this to replace the existing panel on my newly purchased home. ... "
Cut
4rachio, green, unit, transformer, much
+75%
-25%
" ... My grass is green. ... "
" ... I have both grass and shrubs/trees that need to be watered differently and making those customizations using the Rachio is much, much easier than with my old clunky system. ... "
" ... Grass is looking great ... "
Camera
4pictures, night, light
+75%
-25%
" ... Anyway, see the pictures for the solutiion I ended up with. ... "
" ... Flash forward several years and I have bought a new home that came with a Rainbird. ... "
" ... And the night light on the controller is a nice night light too. ... "
Marketplace / Defective Delivery
3seal
-100%
" ... Unfortunately, the two I got from Amazon (directly, not through a third party seller) both were defective. ... "
" ... The store that sold us the defective product is Thinktech LLC ... "
" ... The seal was broken on arrival. ... "
Cooling
3took, 20, installed, cool, 5
+67%
-33%
" ... The whole process took perhaps 30 minutes. ... "
" ... Installed in like 20 minutes. ... "
Battery / Charging
3rachio, charging, installation, install, controller
+67%
-33%
" ... My landscaping company wanted to charge me $500 to buy and install this, but I’m so glad I just bought it myself and saved $300 for an installation that takes 10 minutes. ... "
" ... When others are charging more for their boxes, I was skeptical about the quality. ... "
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Specifications
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