Rachio now has a 16 Zone (2nd Generation) smart sprinkler controller and in this article, we are going to review it. We are going to discuss its features, accessories, strong and weak points to help you make an informed decision before buying it. However, if you are in a hurry and already know more about this unit click here to buy it from Amazon.com – Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, WiFi, 16 Zone 2nd Generation, Works with Amazon Alexa.

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller, 16 Zone 2nd Generation

Are you looking for the best smart sprinkler controller for 2017? If that is the case, look no further than the Rachio smart sprinkler controller (2nd generation). Rachio has 2-second generation smart wifi sprinkler controllers both topping the charts at Amazon or anywhere they are on sale. There is the 2nd generation Rachio wifi sprinkler for 8 zones, model 8ZULW-B and 16 zones, model 16ZULW-B. This is a Rachio 16 zone review, but first, let’s quickly have a look at what this device is capable of doing and its features and benefits. The Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller Generation 2 gives you control of your watering and sprinkler system. Firstly it removes the guesswork of when or how much to water your yard. The device once installed and zoned will know how much water your garden or lawn needs and when to fire the sprinklers. Rachio uses modern irrigation technology to water your yard with precision. Rachio has a downloadable Rachio App which is easy to use and gives you the ability to monitor, control and manage your sprinkler activity from any Android or iOS device or laptop and anywhere in the world. It works with leading smart home integration technologies like Google Home, Nest, IFTTT.

Why Should You Buy Rachio Smart WiFi Sprinkler Controller

Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller is the ultimate sprinkler controller that gives you control of your sprinklers and watering bill, right from your smartphone.

Rachio 16-zone Smart Sprinkler Controller Features And Benefits

Easy Control From Anywhere Anytime – The Rachio App gives you access completely and easily control your sprinkler system from your smartphone, tablet or laptop. You can check or just your sprinklers at anytime anywhere, whether you are at work, home, with friends, etc. In turn the Rachio App will give you alerts should it adjust your preset schedules in case of rain, snow or seasonal change.

Weather Intelligence To Adapt To Local Weather Conditions – Rachio, being a certified watersense labeled irrigation controller will use the intelligence from your local weather stations to water or adjust watering schedules accordingly. If the forecasts say there will be rain, it will not turn on the sprinkler valves, it will simply adjust the watering times. Save Water And Money – Rachio is not the best smart water sprinkler controller and wearing a WaterSense logo for nothing. It will save you water and money by up to 50%. Depending on your local water provide check if you are eligible for a rebate. Easy Customization And Watering With Precision – Rachio asks you to tell it a bit about your yard to use its in-built watering algorithms and irrigation science to water your yard with precision. The Rachio Wi-Fi Sprinkler Controller will give your plants exactly the water they need to thrive. Integrates With Leading Smart Home Platforms – To enjoy the benefits of your Smart Home, Rachio integrates with the leading best-connected home platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT, Nest, Alarm.com app, SmartThings, etc. Quick Easy Installation – A Rachio smart sprinkler controller installation is quick and easy to follow. Whether you already have a traditional irrigation controller or not switching to Rachio is easy and fast. It takes less than 30 minutes. To top it all off, you don’t have to remove your already existing sprinkler system. Installation is a breeze and does not require special tools or expertise, just follow simple steps.

How Rachio 2nd Generation 16 Zone Device Works

Rachio smart sprinkler controller 2nd generation device works in a combination of 5 dimensions, namely; SMART WiFi enabled controller, The Rachio App, Yard Intelligence Technology, Smart Scheduling and Weather Intelligence.

The SMART WiFi Enabled Controller

The SMART WiFi enabled controller replaces your traditional controller (if you already have one). The SMART controller connects to the WiFi to tap into the Rachio smart watering technology to power up your yard.

The Rachio App

If you have been running to the garage, basement or side to turn on or off your sprinkler system. Or if you would sometimes scold yourself for letting your sprinkler system run more than necessary because you forgot, well Rachio has you covered with their app. This is an app iOS or Android depending on your device which you simply download onto your Internet or WiFi enabled device. The app gives you the ultimate control you need to monitor, control and manage your sprinkler system from anywhere anytime whether at work, traveling, at a friend’s place, etc. The app gives you that much control, virtually from anywhere anytime, as long as there is internet or Wifi. You can access your irrigation system and gain control via your smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.

Yard Intelligence Technology

The Rachio App will give you control over your system but before it can do that you need to feed it some information so that it can water your yard according to your needs. After downloading the app, take some time to tell it a little bit about your yard and what you want. The Rachio App would like to know about sun exposure, vegetation as in the type of trees, garden, lawn, etc you have. The type of soil you have, the type of nozzles you are using and the kind of slope you have. With this information, you can divide your yard into zones such that different watering needs may be attributed to each zone. Now, what is good with Rachio 16 zone is that you can divide your yard up to 16 zones. That is you can have 16 different watering schedules customized to water every part of your yard adequately.

Smart Scheduling

Smart scheduling puts the capabilities of this wifi sprinkler controller into overdrive. The Rachio has 4 different built-in schedule options to fit your lifestyle. You can opt between or mix Flexible and/or Fixed schedules. If you feel you use more water than necessary go flexible if you want more predictability to go fixed. Below are the schedules

Fixed Days – With this schedule mode you will be able to select the exact days of the week you wish to water particular zone(s). Fixed Interval – With this schedule mode you will be able to opt when you want to water your yard per zone. You may choose to water on odd days, even days, every day or for a fixed interval of up to 21 days. Flexible Monthly – This is the weather intelligent schedule and Rachio 16-zone smart sprinkler controller being a weather-based sprinkler controller, it is a perfect match. This schedule will determine an optimal, predictable monthly schedule using historical ET data to adjust the watering interval and duration on a monthly basis to follow seasonal changes. If enabled, Weather Intelligence features will skip waterings based on real-time weather data. Flexible Daily – When you choose a Flexible Daily it means this being the best WaterSense irrigation controller it will determine when to water dynamically on a zone by zone basis. As it is the case will good weather-based irrigation controllers, intervals will adjust based on weather conditions and soil moisture estimates.

Weather Intelligence ™

The Rachio 16 zone 2nd generation is an internet-weather based smart controller, it won’t water before the rain or during the rain or immediately after the rain regardless of what the schedule says. It has Weather Intelligence ™! Weather Intelligence consists of different features that act as weather triggers to skip the watering schedule or adjust watering durations. The Flexible Schedules described above will enable all of these settings by default as they are being created. You do not need to be Weather Intelligence yourself, leave it to Rachio, the web-based irrigation controller! The default settings prompt Rachio wifi irrigation controller to reference thousands of local weather stations to automatically adjust your watering schedule based on the latest local forecasts.

Where To Buy Rachio Gen 2 16 Zone

The Rachio smart sprinkler controller 16 zone, 16ZULW-B is available for purchase at Amazon.com. Why Amazon.com? Simply because this unit has a ton of feedback from customers who have purchased. With this Rachio 16 zone review feedback, you can learn a lot about it and appreciate it more. The customer reviews are not biased they say what they like and not like about it, giving you a fair judgment of the unit. Click Here for Rachio Smart Sprinkler Controller Review page!

Is There A Rachio Discount Code

Amazon normally has select discount coupons on certain items and on others there is a straight-away discount on the price. As an example at the time of this writing, the Rachio Irrigation Controller price is $245.48 but a 20% is offered at 20% discount when you include Rachio Expert Installation Service! Click here to see, if this has not changed! Note that the price may change. Again on the discount code on Rachio Home Depot retails it for $249.99 (at the time of this writing) which means you will still get a better deal at Amazon.com. At Lowe’s Rachio retails for the same $249.99 as Home Depot (well depending on the store and your ZIP Code). The Rachio 8 Zone Gen 2, at the time of this wring, has a list price of $199.99 and is discounted by 7% to buy it at $185.98 with free shipping. This is a bargain.

Is There Rachio 3rd Generation

At the time of this writing, there is no Rachio Gen 3, the current version is Generation 2 with 2 models, one as an 8 zone sprinkler controller (8ZULW-B) and the other as 16 zone sprinkler controller (16ZULW-B). The previous version, rachio gen 1, also had models for 8 and 16 zones. You may view Rachio Gen 2 vs Gen 1 comparison here!