Smart home devices are often a matter of convenience as opposed to necessity, very few of them offer cost savings over time. The Rachio smart sprinkler controller is not just smart because you can connect to it over the internet. It is smart because it has features that are built in and allow it to make watering decisions that you do not have to! That is what makes the Rachio sprinkler controller smart!
Disclosure: First off I want to say that none of the manufacturers featured in this article are paying me for my recommendations. My recommendation comes from purely years of experience and customer feedback.
However, Amazon links contained in the article are affiliate links. Which means if you do purchase an item I will receive a small commission for the purchase. I would appreciate it if you used my links to purchase these products if you found this article useful. Thank you.
1. Accessibility
As a contractor, one of my biggest obstacles was scheduling. Whether it was a meeting with a maintenance man to let me into a control closet or negotiating with a homeowner to leave their garage door unlocked. Have access to the sprinkler systems controller was always an issue.
The Rachio smart sprinkler controller has taken care of that with their shared access control. Now you can schedule an appointment with a service technician and grant them access on a certain day for a specific amount of time. You can also grant them complete access which will allow them to review your stored data such as watering times and scheduling.
Best of all it can all be done from the app, no more leaving garage doors unlocked only to forget to turn off the alarm system. Yes, I have been visited by many police officers this way!
2. Integration
For me this is a big one, I want a device that will be compatible with what I already have. I don’t want to have to buy an IPad just to water my lawn! Fortunately, this is not the case with the Rachio controller. It is compatible with a wide range of devices including, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Nest, and many others.
Picture this, as you are pulling into the driveway one day from work you look at your lawn and notice a big dry spot. Instead of walking around the house to turn on the sprinkler system and walking back to see what is going on. You simply raise your smartwatch and say “Okay Google, water the front yard for 15 minutes”. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
3. Easy Set up
If you’re like me, then you always tend to look at the instructions after you can’t figure something out! This often leads me to spending a great amount of time trying to figure out what I messed up. After creating an account with Rachio, the Rachio app provides a step by step setup wizard. Check out this video fore a more detailed explanation of the setup process.
4. Adjust to weather condition
I am sure each of us has seen an irrigation or sprinkler system watering when it was supposed to be. Like during a rainstorm or even worse under freezing condition. Sure some people have rain sensors, but if they are not properly placed or maintained they will not work. In addition, how do you know how much rain should shut off your irrigation system?
Rachio not only allows you to turn off your irrigation or sprinkler system in the rain it takes it a step further. The Rachio smart sprinkler controller allows you to skip watering for rain, wind and freezing temperatures. In addition, you can program the amount of rain, wind speeds, and temperature set point. 
You don’t want your sprinkler system to cut off at every slight hint of rain. No, you want it to cut off when the amount of rain is more than the required water amount.
MORE: 5 Key Features Of The Best Pop Up Sprinkler Head
5. Flow Sensors
What is a flow sensor and why you need one? Flow sensors monitor how much water you are using and when. Without a flow sensor, the only way of knowing there is an issue with the sprinkler or irrigation system is by physically looking for signs of problems. Dead plants, swampy yards, and wash out spots are all signs of a damaged system.
What if you could find out immediately when there was a problem? That is exactly what a flow sensor does. If there is a deviation from the normal function of your system, Rachio can be programmed to take action and shut down the problematic zone. In addition, it will also send you an alert.
Conclusion
To me, this is the most beneficial factor for this controller. According to the USGS the average shower in a new home uses about 2 gallons per minute. A broken residential sprinkler head could waste up to 8 gallons per minute. If you are watering a sprinkler zone with a broken head on it for 30 minutes, that results in 240 gallons of water wasted or the equivalent of taking a shower for an extra 2 hours!
Even worse if you are not checking your irrigation or sprinkler system every day, the problem could go unnoticed for weeks or even months. You don’t have to be an expert to see that, that amount of water will add up very quickly.
I hope after reading this article it has shed some light on what a smart sprinkler controller can do for and why my first pick is the Rachio 3 combined with an optional flow sensor. Once installed and setup it turns a sprinkler system into a truly Smart Sprinkler System. If you liked this article please leave a comment, share this post or subscribe. Thank you!
