Rachio 3 and Australia - illegal!

Or they could, you know, realize that there is a much bigger market outside the US, and design their product accordingly.

Surely this is the easiest option - a firmware update to disable the flow meter broadcast would resolve issues for us Aussies.

I’m sure we can live without the Wireless flow meter if it means we can stay current with the controller.

A firmware update like this should be a simple thing added into the boot sequence. The device is going to know it is in Aus based on the weather data so may not even need user intervention.

Hi mate could you give me some more info on what to get from Jaycar? And the rough cost? Cheers

I think I used this one:
https://www.jaycar.com.au/mains-adaptor-24vac-1a-unregulated-bare-ends/p/MP3032

Then just soldered on the plug.

It was an early gen Rachio, they might have gotten their shit together and be offering international options for plugs now though. Swapping them for whatever country it’s going to. Pretty silly if they aren’t.

Let me know if you need a hand.

About to drop the money I have budgeted on a smart irrigation controller to complete my home setup when I found this thread. Rachio 3 is my first choice but I notice this discussion has been going for more than a year now so was just wondering if Rachio has done anything towards making this legal for the Australian market or if this is just a case of it not ever being available for alternate markets?

Also tweeted Rachio in the hopes of an answer: https://twitter.com/aukiman/status/1120792115976388608

Hey @aukiman!

Just wanted to share our most up-to-date post on this:

Wish I had a better update!
:cheers:

Thanks for the reply Laura, for the interest of the DIY’ers is anyone from the Rachio technical team able to confirm if the frequency of the comms between the flow control and the Rachio 3 device is controlled by crystal or by inbuilt processor?

As described elsewhere on the forums, just snip the connection to the transmitter on circuit board with $5 scalpel, or cover it with shield tape, both from Jaycar. Well worth the effort.

Thanks for the information.

I live in Japan and was keen to import a Rachio 3 here - given the frequencies above the closest mobile carrier is Softbank using 900MHz (not sure the exact frequency).

Would you have any specific information in regards to Japan?

I removed the transmitter from my Rachio3 and its working well (in Canberra).

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Would you be able to help give the instructions on how to cut the transmitter wire. And where can I get rachio 3 in Australia?

There’s various options detailed here with photos: Ability to disable Wireless Flow Meter radio? Australian usage

You can buy rachio3 from amazon.com (not .au)
They will ship to Australia.

I got mine 2nd hand but unused from auction disposal business on ebay US and the weatherproof box from another US vendor.

Total one off I suspect, I was lucky.

Hi just wanting to no an update looking at getting 2 rachio 3 will buy from eBay USA and post over hoping there has been an update or is there news on a rachio 4 yet please

I’m also keen to hear if there’s an update. It’s been close to a year but no real answer apart from going ahead and modding it (which I’m ok with).

Now that the wireless flow meter has been discontinued (and this is the purpose of the transmitter) can we expect to see an updated hardware any time soon?

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So now that Rachio has EOL’d the flow sensor, will we be able to disable the 900 MHz radio in software soon?

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I have two Rachio weather proof boxes (Perth, Australia) if anyone wants them.
Brand new, opened the boxes, but decided that the form factor did not suit my site.
(Currently listed on eBay, at $1.00 each…)

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Hi mate, are your items still available? looking to set up a DIY system in Darwin, NT

Ramsey,
No, I sold the two Rachio weather proof boxes on eBay.
But the good news is that I found a much neater weather proof enclosure locally.
Made by Sistema, a new design, available in any IGA Store, among the plastic storage/lunch boxes.

Photos enclosed…

It is a bit fiddly to fit, but really just a mater of drilling a few holes in the right places in the box to suit. I fitted three spacers under the Rachio 3 Controller (to make room to hide the wiring), drilled three holes in the box to match exactly the three mounting holes in the Rachio 3, plugged the wall, added the spacers, and I was done.

Ah, but “One More Thing”…
You have to dump the Rachio 110VAC power pack.
I bought a 240VAC unit from Jaycar Electronics, same output specifications (24VAC 1,000mA), but weatherproof and suitable for outdoor mounting, cut off and Rachio 3 power plug/cable and soldered it to the Jaycar unit cable. While you are at Jaycar, you will find the spacers (feet for a small equipment cabinet), and the few grommets you will need to weather proof the cable entries into the Sistema enclosure.

A nice little DIY project, you will have fun…


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