If you go to the main page you'll find the Outdoor Enclosure on sale for 50% off too: https://gma-rachio.com/
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expired2kcougar posted Mar 25, 2021 12:32 PM
Item 1 of 1
expired2kcougar posted Mar 25, 2021 12:32 PM
Rachio 3 16-Zone Smart Sprinkler Controller
+ Free Shipping$140
$280
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I've got a 20 year old controller. To save water I put a SONOFF smart relay in the box to disconnect the power to the ground wire. An IFTTT routine checks the weather and toggles the relay as needed. Not smart like Rachio by any stretch, but it made it "brighter" for a whopping $15 and I reduced water waste by a ton.
If you want only the basic smart control of the sprinklers, then I'd recommend Wyze ($58). If you also want weather-based control, paying Wyze's recurring fee for Sprinkler Plus ($10/year) will still be cheaper than Rachio for the first 9 years.
If you have more than 8 zones, get the Rachio. If you want weather-based control, and you think your sprinkler controller would last longer than 9 years, the Rachio would be cheaper AFTER 9 years. (Of course, Rachio's Return-on-Investment is even worse with their regular price, instead of this deal price.)
Disclaimer: I don't have either one - so I cannot speak to other features, user-friendliness or reliability.
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Is the 3 that much better and with the extra $50?
No need to worry about fiddling with the controller.
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I've got a 20 year old controller. To save water I put a SONOFF smart relay in the box to disconnect the power to the ground wire. An IFTTT routine checks the weather and toggles the relay as needed. Not smart like Rachio by any stretch, but it made it "brighter" for a whopping $15 and I reduced water waste by a ton.
Is the 3 that much better and with the extra $50?
How does the irrigation person do the seasonal spring and fall maintenance? Does he need to use my phone?
And my Skydrop does not have a place for a rain sensor...just connectors for the valves and a place to hook up the pump relay if you have it. It 100% relies on the weather forecast to drive the schedule. Again, I don't have the Rachio, but I assume it has similar hookups.
The only reason I am here is because Skydrop folded as a company back in 2018, so even though the device is still chugging along doing it's thing, it's not connected to the Skydrop cloud servers and I don't think it's using the weather forcasts or anything anymore. It's essentially a dumb timer currently.
Far better but will depend on your needs.
Also,, If the power's out the last thing im thinking about is watering my lawn.
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