Discontinued Rachio WiFi Smart Lawn Sprinkler Controller, 8-Zone 2nd Generation, Alexa Compatible with Rain, Freeze and Wind Skip (8ZULW-B)

Welcome to modern sprinkler control! It makes the other big brand units on the market look like childs toys. I've used the software from one brand which was terrible- buggy and it never worked as it should, it also looked like it was designed in the early 1990's. In addition of course, the regular controller systems that take forever to program, you have to keep an eye on the seasons and change it regularly to ensure you're not over or under watering, etc... This really puts them all to shame. Unboxing- It's a little odd to me based on the number of sprinkler system controllers I've installed over the years that there isn't any control panel on the front. It kind of reminds me of a router or something similar, which is what they were going for. A bit stylish for the garage, but simple is good, and it probably saves them quite a chunk of cash to not have all that stuff on board. Besides, why would you use a clunky panel when you can just run it off the smartphone or computer! Physical installation- Super easy. Just like any other sprinkler controller on the market. A couple of screws, wire it up, good to go. The push in terminals for the wiring is a nice touch, again keeping it simple. Wireless setup- Had to run the setup a couple of times to get it registered all the way on my wifi network. It was pretty darned intuitive though, so it didn't take more than about 10 minutes to get it hooked up and done. Software setup- This took a little more time, as I wasn't familiar with some of the terms or the specific soil types. After a little research on the county soil maps, I was able to find what I needed to select the soil type correctly. This is an important step, as different soil types will drain at different rates. It would probably impact the way the unit waters as well. I selected a pretty close weather station to get the most local information possible, and tested all the zones. Sure enough, worked like a champ. Rain delays- A+ on this one. The day I was installing this unit we were getting a pretty good amount of rain. I set the unit to the default water saving schedule and it immediately pushed out the first watering day from Saturday to Monday based on the amount of rainfall the local weather station got. Neat! I'm not 100% sure how accurate the water usage estimates are, but in the first couple of weeks it estimates I've save almost 1000 gallons. Web/phone interface- Nicely done. Both the app and web app are really simple to use, and obviously major thought has gone into the user experience. You can drill deeper into it if you want to, or just keep it fairly simple. I use the android app to check in on it, as well as the web app from my computer. TL;DR: Great unit. Well thought out and performs as it should.

I've only had this a few days (watering cycles) but I'm very impressed with everything so far. It does seem that you get what you pay for. The installation was easy. I had absolutely not problems connecting the app to the controller and then to my home network. The signal strength to my router was average. I would say that the functionality of the controller is so-so, you can setup and run zones from the controller but all the good stuff in in the app and it makes setup and configuration very easy. I've had other hardware that depended on an app to configure it and been disappointed with the app (I'm looking at you Linksys) but the Rachio app is outstanding. You can set schedules, start/stop zones, and even check the current weather. If you use the automatic scheduling feature you can look several months into the future to get an idea of when and how often watering will occur. It's smart enough to know that here in Florida I don't need to water as often in Winter but forecasts that I will during Summer. The app allows you to configure each zone based on vegetation, soil type, amount of sun it receives, the type of sprinkler heads used, and the slope. There are advanced parameters to allow you to set much more in-depth configurations. The app provides information about the last time it watered a zone and the next time it is planned to be watered. It also provides information about how much water, in gallons, that have been used and saved but without a flow meter or being very precise in the advanced configurations I don't see how this can be very accurate, but it is a nice touch and does provide at least some knowledge of your water use. You could probably read your water meter before and after to get an idea of how accurate it is and then make some tweaks to the app to get it closer. I think the thing I like most is that when I'm working on sprinkler heads I can start/stop the zone I'm working on standing next to the head that I testing. No more starting a zone and then having to run thru the sprinklers to get to the head I'm working on. Very convenient. I cannot speak (yet) to it's ability to monitor rainfall in the area and shift watering schedules but I will know better once warmer weather returns and I'll re-post to my review. Anyway, I feel comfortable recommending it and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I have been using a Rain Bird controller for over 16 years and recently converted to Rachio. The setup is very simple, although I connected a couple of wires incorrectly, it was easily resolved with a call to Rachio's support which is amazing. They are very helpful and responsive via email and phone. In fact, based on support alone, I would recommend the product. My Rachio is in the garage and connecting to wifi was also very easy (I am using a wifi range extender). The Rachio app is very intuitive, thus easy to setup and use. Zones are easy to reference as the app allows pictures and description. It is now so much easier controlling the sprinklers with my phone from any place and at any time instead of being restricted to when I am in the garage.

I have installed the Rachio Gen 2 controller a few months ago and since then I've had an opportunity to discover helpful features and missed opportunities. I have read numerous reviews on this product and decided to purchase through Amazon.ca since there was no retailer available here in Canada. The product was delivered in a timely manner and the price was comparable to other irrigation controllers. Upon receiving the product I was surprise and pleased with the small size of the controller. I ordered the 8 zone model but the size is no different from the 16 zone model. The manuals provided or the ones available for download were fairly helpful. Some of the language and terminology could be changed but basically they were helpful. This model, Rachio Gen 2, has replace a Rainbird Esp-ME (working) and is used for my 4 zone irrigation ( front yard, side yard, back yard and flower gardens). We don't experience the water restrictions that others in warmer clients do however we do have some restrictions occasionally. We are on city water and we pay a flat rate for the water service each year. Water savings is not critical however it is always a concern. It also rains here...a lot. Since I am a building contractor, installing the Rachio controller in my home was not a problem. The controller looks as though it is hardwired however it is not. A nice clean look is very important to me. I was able to modify the wall which accepts the controller. Installation of the controller was pretty straightforward. Here are a few of the pros and cons: Pros: The ability to control most aspects of the irrigation through my phone or computer is certainly beneficial. The Rachio Gen 2 controller uses local weather or PWS's for irrigation times. There are a couple of sensor options on the controller as well. (rain, flow) I can also manually water each zone, anytime, anywhere, if I want, thru my phone. I can also change schedules through my phone or computer. This is a very convenient feature for myself and potentially for my clients. I haven't had to use the one 800 number yet and the updates are relatively frequent. The engineers at Rachio seem to be making slight changes to the product with some improvements. So far...so good. (That's encouragement btw) Cons: since the Rachio product is reliant on local weather stations to preform at its best, availability of good local or personal weather stations in my area is critical. The Rachio app allows you to choose local weather stations however these are limited to a few. My closes pws is 4.5 km away and the reliability is questionable. Having the WU (weather underground) as an option could be benificial to me and to Rachio. Personal weather stations in my area afiliated with the weather underground appear to be more reliant. Rachio does provide a work-a-round to the WU, but you must have a Mac ($1000-$2000). There are other option too but the price just goes up. ( special router, your own PWS $$$). Power. An option to hardwire the product. I don't want to see the wires. Start/Stop. I see the option to start irrigation at a specific time within the app but...I don't see the option to stop irrigation at a specific time. I need to stop at 9am. C'mon! Generally the Rachio Gen 2 product is fairly good. The updates and improvements seem slow in coming but I hold out hope that they will eventually arrive. I'll use the Rachio and watch the updates but I will keep the Rainbird ESP-ME on hand just in case. Update; April 2017, I've been using the Gen2 Rachio for almost a year now. No glitches at all. Updates are regular and the controller preformed as advertised. Other irrigation controllers are late to the table (smart features) or too bulky. I would give this controller 4 1/2 to 5 stars (ability to hardwire and weather station). So far...very good.

Amazingly functional with almost too much information. So many options for programming zones. I don't have grass. Half acre of trees, perennials an annuals all on a multi level slope with as much as a 200' rise. I use various styles of emitters (drip, spray, low volume spinners, etc.). Over time things disconnect, clog and break. These must be discovered and repaired. All of the emitters in all of the zones are remote from the Rachio controller. There's at least 600' of half inch poly serving the zones. The beauty of this situation is that I can be in the field turning zones on and off for testing from my cell phone and making repairs as needed without slogging up and down, in and out to operate zones from the controller. Extremely easy install and a short learning curve for basic operation. Now I will study up on yhe advanced control features to see ow and which ones apply. I had thought to add a flow meter to the main irrigation line but they appear quite pricey and seems there's a limited number of supported meter for thr Rachio. Still looking

I have only used this for a week, but I am already impressed. As other reviews state, installation is fairly simple, and the initial setup using the app is smooth. The app itself is well-designed, and I found it easy to use. The main reason I bought this was that my old controller was beginning to give me issues (the programming keypad was failing). Using this unit, I am able to perform manual watering when I am away from home (this is especially beneficial for our garden). I predict that this will also make my fall maintenance easier, in that I won't have to physically go to the controller to manually advance the irrigation zones while evacuating the water lines.

This is a great system, easy to install, works great with the app, etc. But... the Rachio skill for Alexa is not available in Canada (yet), so you won't be able to use that at the moment. Also it seems to me like it is going to use more water then before. I set the automatic watering features up which take into account, weather, soil types, lawn or shrubs, etc. and the schedule it has setup is running my sprinklers way longer then the program I had before, and I had no issues with anything drying out before. Maybe it will adjust over time.