If you go through this thread Franz didn’t appear very receptive to this feature if you check the tone of his replies. I don’t want to requote all of them here as the thread exists but it’s there to read.
The gist was that it was “too complicated”, “few people would benefit” “few need more than 16 zones” (It’s not about zone quantity it’s about number of valve sets), “we tried but it’s too complex”.
I would argue this would greatly separate Rachio from competition and in fact add a much needed feature for everyone with multiple valve sets and Rachio units combining what is probably the best UI and Intuitive feature set with what you could then call a smart controller.
I don’t know if the above is what he actually believes or just what his “engineers” told him at that time to make it seem this complex.
Smart Lighting solutions constantly create virtual control sets by combining separate light bulbs each with its own IP address (hardly any different from rachio switches) into one set so multiple “separate” lights can come on and off on a schedule or with one button/action or condition, even the most basic Chinese knockoffs.
So what Rachio is essentially saying here is that IF Rachio’s were controling light bulbs instaed of valves that you couldn’t combine them into a virtual group in your APP. That each has to stand on it’s own and be managed separately. The mobile App can see and select multiple units to be managned but can’t merge them into a larger virtual controller? It’s insane and I’m not buying the “complexity” narrative.
If it can be done manually by the user in the app, then it should be easily accomplished with software.
Rachio A - uses Schedule A and has a unique IP address and 8 ports (switches)
Rachio B - uses Schedule B and has a unique IP address and 8 ports (switches)
Whats required is the creation of a virtual “GROUP” C that uses a new Schedule C that resides in your cloud (Rachio’s DB), (ignores Schedule A & B) and sends requests to either Rachio A and/or B.
Virtual Rachio C now has available (16 virtual ports from two sets of physical ports) - ports 1(1a),2(2a),3(3a),4(4a),5(5a),6(6a),7(a),8(a) AND Rachio B - ports 9(1b),10(2b),11(3b),12(4b),13(5b),14(6b),15(7b),16(8b)
Rachio A saves the schedule dictated by cloud Virtual Rachio C Schedule associated with it’s ports while Rachio B receives schedule dictated by Vrirtual Rachio C Schedule associated with it’s ports.
This is a cloud/app solution that would require little change and all cloud based weather adjustment controls currently used can be applied to the new interface Schedule C interface. (if this is too complex just make this feature available for fixed schedules only). This on your DB end should simply look like the customer has a 3rd device and on their App end they would see A and B grouped into a new virtual Rachio
Conversely you could do what OpenSprinkler is doing and designate a Master/Slave unit where the master extends virtual ports and associates the said ports with slave ports on the other units and maintains the schedule of all physical and virtual (extended) ports on the slave units with one schedule on the Master which you then sync with the rest of your adjustment algorithms.