We love our green grass here in Washington and some HOAs require a minimal level of water to maintain curb appeal and keep lawns from igniting easily. I've been watering my yard for the last couple of months while at home, at the office, on business travel, and while on vacation with the Rachio 3 Smart WiFi sprinkler system[1] system and the grass looks great with a minimal amount of wastage.
Rachio 3 improvements
I previously took a look at the second generation Rachio system[2] so the upgrade to this new version was performed in about fifteen minutes with a few cable connections and a couple of screws attached to my garage wall.
This third generation Rachio Smart WiFi Sprinkler provides the following features and enhancements over the second generation:
- Premium Weather Intelligence Plus (hyperlocal accuracy, continuous monitoring, comprehensive data).
- Supports dual band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz & 5 GHz).
- Easy-press connectors supporting 14-22 American Wire Gauge (AWG).
- On-unit Run, Pause and Skip buttons.
- Compatible with Rachio Wireless Flow Meter.
Connect and setup
After installing the Rachio 3, I connected it to my Google WiFi mesh network and setup my three zones through the app. The setup wizard walks you through setting up each zone. This process includes naming the zone, including an actual photo of the zone, choosing the zone type (grasses, shrubs, trees, various flowers, and garden options), spray head type (rotor, fixed, nozzle, mister, bubbler, emitter, and drip line options), soil type (sand, loam, clay, silt, and mixtures of these), sun exposure (6-8 hours, 4-6 hours, 2-4 hours, or 2 or less), and slope (flat, slight, moderate, and steep). Advanced settings include specifying square feet that the zone