I read this link that states that if we needed HomeKit support and bought the controller for that reason, they’d refund our money.
What I’m not clear on is if HomeKit doesn’t work at all or if it just doesn’t work reliably. I’ve tried adding my Gen 3 controller on my iPhone (using the 8-digit code) and all I see is the screen that states, “Select an Accessory to Add to Home” with a spinner. I’ve clicked, “My Accessory Isn’t Shown Here”, but after I enter the code, it just goes back to the spinning screen.
Well, I got it working. I reset my controller by pulling the power and plugging it back in. I waited until it had fully started up and then I chose Add Accessory on my iPhone. I could see it as a bridge device. I clicked on it and entered my code. Now I can turn on the zones manually for 1 minute. Cool!
Sounds like it might not keep working, but this answers my question at least.
I haven’t been able to figure out what problems people have with HomeKit support. Seemed easy enough and seems reliable enough to me. I do know they were unable to get it working on prior generations do to code complexity.
I do have it working on my system. I don’t really use it, Home isn’t sophisticated enough to do much other than quick-watering a zone and real-time monitoring.
The difference is the rachio controller and app are set up to do configuration and intelligent scheduling, while something like Home or Alexa really can only monitor its state or tell it to run for a while.
That said, it is good for showing off to visitors.
