Model: GENERATION2_8ZONE
Firmware: iro2-firmware-5-115
My gen2 rachio went offline on 1/16/21.
I followed all the troubleshooting steps as per the iOS app. There is a message that the Rachio joined the network but the final step just hangs, “Waiting for Device to become active… This may take a minute or two”.
I did the routing helper app and worked with customer service. They told me I have an incompatable network, but it’s the same network that the Rachio has been connected to since I purchased the unit in 2019.
Some ISPs supply a ‘gateway’ (combination modem, router, and Wi-Fi access point). If you have one of these, the ISP may have updated the firmware such that it is now causing trouble. With luck there is a setting you can change to work around the issue.
If you have a separate router, it may also have done an automatic update, though in this case it’s usually possible to revert to older firmware.
Possibly, a change on Rachio’s end resulted in an incompatibility with your present network.
Or, maybe you changed a firewall or parental control setting that caused the problem.
IMO, don’t worry about what has changed; just troubleshoot the problem you have now.
For an easy test to see whether the problem is related to your network, set up a temporary mobile hotspot on another phone. Confirm with your phone that you can connect to it and access the internet. Then, reset Wi-Fi on the Rachio and attempt to connect it to the hotspot network. If this succeeds, you can use it to set up one or more fixed schedules, keeping your vegetation happy while you solve the problem. It’s also possible that the firmware will update (I’m on iro2-firmware-5-119) and the new code will work with your network.
Let us know your network details; a member may be able to suggest the needed settings change:
Who is your ISP?
Modem make/model?
Does your modem have more than one Ethernet port? If so, is it in bridge mode?
Separate router (if any) make/model/version?
Separate Wi-Fi access point(s), if any? Wired, extender(s), or mesh setup?
Does your 5 GHz network have the same SSID (network name) as your 2.4 GHz?
When the Rachio is in the “Waiting for Device to become active state”, please answer:
State of lights on controller?
In your router, does the Rachio appear in the list of connected devices?
If so, can you ping the IP address shown?
If so, what do you see (or what error do you get) when you attempt to access that address with a browser?
