Ethernet port a requirement, when add?

Stewart, Thank you very much! I’ll have to test the WI-FI signal on this device to make sure it doesn’t reach my bedroom. If it does not reach my bedroom then this device will solve my problem.

Now, I need a device that will remotely switch breakers off in my electrical panel. I hate having to go outside every night to turn them off and then back on again and each morning.

A robot that literally switched breakers on and off would be very expensive and likely not compliant with the electrical code. You could have an electrician install a box outside with contactors (big relays) in series with the breakers you wish to control. The contactors could be in turn controlled by remote controlled outlets or switches. Unfortunately, most of those are Wi-Fi and you wish to avoid that.

Ethernet controlled switches are available, though not cheap. For example:
https://www.controlbyweb.com/webswitch/
Most of them are designed for indoor use and can’t handle a wide temperature range. If your panel is e.g. outside your garage or a closet, you could bring the cable from the contactors through the wall and put the controls inside.

If your schedule permits, it would be simpler and less expensive to have a mechanical timer control the contactors. The timer would have an override button that you could operate manually when needed.

An ETHERNET controlled power switch!
Reliable connection, always stable, even includes automatic call-home. BRILLIANT!
It’s wonderful you support wired IP devices! :wink:

Wireless station is just a fail point for a device that will never move from its location,
And another item to setup when WiFi station is replaced.

I like ethernet cables too, but the idea of wifi is not necessarily to service devices that move, but rather to service areas without an ethernet cable. Like outside. Like my garage. Like places where irrigation controllers are located. Today’s wifi is pretty foolproof, just about omnipresent, and, according to NCTA, is present in 89% of the US households with broadband. I’ll bet most of those don’t even have an ethernet cable; none of my friends do. Even companies have abandoned them: too hard to keep track of and replace, switches take up rooms, and can’t keep up with changes.

I wouldn’t mind if the Rachio controller had an ethernet port, but I’m willing to be at least 90% of the users won’t care and won’t use it. I wouldn’t.

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I would love to see an ethernet option for the rachio. As of now I have decided not to buy the rachio, because it doesn’t offer ethernet. If anybody understands how homes are made in Florida, there is block and all kinds of barriers that stop wifi. Wifi will not travel through the walls or the windows. It is hit and miss when it comes to cell phone reception. It’s just the way they build down here because of the heat, so they installation has metal barriers and I was told the windows have metal in them that works to reflect the sunlight back out. An installer told me it is the equivalent of having your windows covered with aluminum and makes it virtually impossible to get signals through. I even put a router on my window sill to stream music out to my pool and it still wouldn’t go through. So to have a device outside that relies on wifi will not work. It would however be somewhat easy for me to run an ethernet line. Can’t believe rachio overlooked large sunbelt markets that make outside wifi unreliable. It looks like they didn’t even talk to home builders on how new homes are built now. Looks like no research was done.

You are correct about windows having metal in them. I had a few replaced because the seal was bad which caused condensation on the inside of these windows, which then caused rust. This is part of the UV protection that the windows have. At least for my windows, it actually is a ferrous (iron) material.

I know some people are more concerned about Ethernet security than WIFI security. However, I would rather use Ethernet over WIFI for several reasons. I believe having that as an option would be helpful to those that want it. Some might say an alternative though would be to run Ethernet to the garage or outside and have a WIFI router out there. I believe this has issues as well, such as heat, humidity, enclosures, etc. The problems with enclosures includes they are not easy to find one that fits, takes care of heat & humidity, and if metal it is a Faraday case).

Squard D makes a schedule based and remote controlled based panel intended for commercial and industrial lighting. Powerlink is the name. Lutron makes a system that uses Eaton smart breakers also. Leviton also makes a very pretty smart power panel, but I dont like Leviton products. All of these are probably a $3-5k change out for parts and labor.

I would be concerned about isolating the ethernet port from a lightning strike. The controller is one of the higher risk items in the house to take a hit, and I wouldn’t want to add my router, and possibly every device wired to it to that chain.

I actually considered adding a surge arrestor to my sprinkler wires, like my invisible dog fence has, but I didn’t know where to get 10 circuit ones.

There’s not “no demand”. I’d buy one if it had wired support. My Gen2 16 has had wifi issues, not often, but I’d love to take wifi out of the equation entirely.

So don’t be dismissive of someone making requests, if because you don’t need it or understand why.

Unrelated to this application, I’ve installed these in places where rebooting the router was necessary when the cable modem or device got hung up.

http://www.msnswitch.com/

The one I’ve used is the 522b. It can monitor two devices, in layers and power cycle them accordingly. As in, the device isn’t responding to pings… power cycle it. And ‘the internet isn’t responding to pings, power cycle the router’. Works like a charm. And when the link returns it sends me an e-mail letting me know it’s had to reboot things.

At $99 it’s been cheap insurance against remote site networking woes. Where it’s been MOST useful has been at the mother-in-law’s place. I see an e-mail from it, and I can mention to my wife that the router had to reset… and she can decide if that factors into a conversation with grandma. As opposed to yet another panicked call from the battle ax…

Please don’t quote me out of context. I said “essentially no demand”; perhaps it should have been “minimal demand” or “little demand”. Some of that demand arises because Rachio has IMO implemented Wi-Fi related firmware poorly and their controllers have a reputation for frequently losing connection. This should be fixed. That said, AFAIK my own 16-zone Gen 2 has never lost its connection to the network.

Most of the remaining demand is for locations where Ethernet is available (or can easily be made available), but there is no Wi-Fi, the signal strength is inadequate, or the firewall has incompatible restrictions. This is easily solved by adding e.g. a $15 N150 access point.

A controller with Ethernet would obviously cost more to manufacture, in addition to substantial engineering costs for design and ongoing firmware maintenance. I’m a retired engineer who used to design embedded systems for a living. IMHO, the slight gain in market share would not come close to covering the additional costs.

Another issue is that an irrigation controller is connected to outdoor valves, often with hundreds of feet of cable buried only a few inches below ground. A nearby lightning strike can induce many kilovolts in that cable, which could result in the destruction of network gear costing thousands, as well as increasing the chance of setting the house afire.

I’m puzzled at a) your vehemence on repeating the same point, and b) your lack of status as a vendor representative.

There are absolutely many ways to mitigate lightning strikes. And since the device is powered via AC there’s already that risk. Which would have to be mitigated…as would any wired network connection.

Having configured dozens of inter-building networks I’m well aware of the factors involved, the statistical likelihoods of the problem and the extremely low numbers of situations where it’s actually be a problem. But hey, you go with your retired engineer shtick.

Clearly you have a point of view and you feel that repeating it is somehow going to make it more valid than the concerns and request of other customers.

Perhaps what you should do is take a break from belittling what others are asking.

I’m not belittling anyone. I’m merely posting my opinion that providing Ethernet does not make economic sense for Rachio and users shouldn’t expect future models to have it, unless possibly if Rachio develops a unit tailored to the industrial / large commercial market.

I don’t claim to have expertise about lightning. There have been a few credible posts in this forum about controller failures caused by an electrical storm. Also, I’m not the first in this thread to mention lightning as a hazard to Ethernet, even though the actual risk is very small.

I’m a big fan of wired networking where there are specific benefits. As I write this, nmap shows 48 hosts on my LAN, with the majority wired:

  1. Security cameras are wired because they require considerable bandwidth. I ran the PoE cables myself, rather than pay a licensed electrician to install AC outlets.

  2. Desk and wall phones are wired because the PoE switch is fed from a UPS, so we can call 911 during a power failure.

  3. Access points are wired; ceiling installation has better aesthetics. Performance and reliability are better than a mesh network.

  4. TVs are wired; our Wi-Fi network can’t reliably support two 4k streams.

  5. Computers are wired to achieve Gigabit transfers from other LAN devices.

And your Rachio would be wired because? If you don’t have Wi-Fi there, a $15 AP will solve the problem. If the Wi-Fi is unreliable, Rachio should fix it. Many of my IoT devices cost less than $25 and stay connected just fine. If some other reason, please explain.

Why the reluctance for a wired unit?
And you are missing the obvious: spending another $15 (possibly more) for yet another wifi unit, and then spend time to find the optimal location for the Rachio to have a good signal with.
There is NO practical simplification of Wireless device by adding another wireless node. Added all up in many cases a wired box is cheaper than a wireless one.
With nearly all control boxes located outside the living area, almost all will have to adjust or add to WiFi to get the wireless to work.
(Granted there are cases of good signal and solid connection, but it is not every instance).

It will cost about $6 in parts to add a Ethernet port with surge isolation. I would pay more for a unit with ethernet.

I wanted to hop on this thread as well - would VERY much like an Ethernet port.

WiFi is needlessly complicated and more prone to failure. Flashing up with the unit is tedious and error prone. the Rachio 2 is finicky about SSID’s so I had to rename my network to please it, or it wouldn’t connect. It would be so easy for me to just run an ethernet cable to the basement closet where the Rachio lives.

I can’t imagine this would cost much for them to add as a feature. Otherwise very pleased with the unit.

After having spent Three Plus hours trying to get the wifi running, I absolutely agree with this suggestion.

This is not a simple IOT device like a light bulb or a switch. It is a full fledged computer.

Adding ethernet NIC does not add much to the Bill of Materials since it already has a full network stack for the Wifi. It will save a lot of hassle, at least in the initial setup. Probably save more in the support costs, and return of controllers which do not work than the cost added.

I have run an ethernet cable to my garage, added a new Wifi Access Point to the garage and then struggling to get past the yellow flashing light. Have tried connecting directly to the Raico-xxxxx wifi network but no luck from my mac air or iphone.

While Wifi is a necessity, it helps to have a fall back available. Even if it is just to clean up the messed network config files.

I live in a 6000 sq ft house on a 12000 sq ft lot. I would like to think this is above average for a US house. My wifi signal (asus router in the middle of house) reaches everywhere on the property. Rachio which is in the garage has not disconnected once in the last 3 years. I have 50 devices - 10 or so wired near the router and the rest on WiFi.

I can see 15 other wifi signals on my property so I am afraid there is no escaping it if wifi signal is bad for health. I am more afraid of millions of people from other countries hacking WAN to get into my wired devices than someone in my driveway hacking rachio which is on a different guest network.

There is a reason why ethernet ports were removed from macbook pro, macbook air since years ago. I understand power users/network guys swear by hardwired lines but unfortunately they are in minority as far as the user base goes for these devices.

Ethernet removed from a portable device is a classic example of someone desperate to find an excuse not to have a wired ethernet.

A sprinkler controller cannot go anywhere.
Not only is it physically and permanently wired to not just power but the valves, but it also
literally BOLTED TO THE WALL!

Perhaps TV’s should they have all the HDMI and audio connects be removed, Wi-Fi only, and use the iPhone MagSafe power adapter, make it easy to take it off the wall and put it on your coffee table.

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Hypothetically speaking if someone showed you a poll of rachio users where 99% said they don’t care about wired port 1. you would not believe it and 2. insist that rachio build for the 1%?

If they build it, I’d buy it, even with an added cost.

As for ‘insist they build it’, give that nonsense a rest. You don’t speak for anyone other than yourself, stop trying to bully the argument against having a wired OPTION.