A $200 device that can’t reliably connect to a wifi spot 11 feet away.
“Way to go” Rachio.
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I had a defective unit which stoped connecting to the network after one season of use. They did replace it under warranty with no hassles so I’ll give them a thumbs up for that, just a little inconvenience. I hope they’ll do the same for you.
Three days , three disconnections per day. Each time requiring a reboot and about 25 minutes to reconmect. I have wyze and tp-link devices that cost me a fraction of what I paid for this piece of JUNK, all connected to the same wifi access point for months with no problem.
You’d expect more out of a $200 product.
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I was told the Costco version (12 stations, $199) has an inferior wifi antenna, and I’d better go with the 8 station or 16 station versions . These are not sold by Costco, and are pricier. However apparently have better /improved hardware that don’t have connectivity issues (that is, are able to connect to a wifi extender that is positioned 11 feet away in line of sight)
My question to Rachio is how is it that other manufacturers are producing IOT devices at a fraction of the cost without any connectivity issues. But the $200 rachio device fails. And why would the units sold thru Costco have this issue.
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That’s a lot of inconvenience but if it’s still under warranty get them to replace it.
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I have multiple Rachio units ranging from Gen 1 to Gen 3 across multiple homes with multiple different networking gear and haven’t had a single issue in over 5 years. There are thousands of users with similar experiences. I’m not saying that there couldn’t be a hardware issue with your particular unit, but if Rachio support finds it to be an issue, they are great about swapping units…but you’ll have to do some troubleshooting to make sure there isn’t another network issue at play. And saying that your Wize cameras aren’t having issues doesn’t constitute troubleshooting.
Do you care to attempt to troubleshoot the issue, or have you already made a decision that Rachio is a giant POS?
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I’m a IT engineer with so I know when my network has an issue and I definitely am qualified enough to compare the connectivity of different devices.
I’ve already been told that the version sold by Costco has an inferior wifi antenna. My experiments with different devices from FOUR different manufacturers (not just Wyze) demonstrate this issue. You’re free to arrive at your conclusion.
And yes, I’ve already arrived at my decision about the quality of Rachio devices.
So, Wyze, TP-link, and all the other low buck IoT devices never have a bad unit with the many devices they sell?
I’d never have known that since you’ve only come on here in multiple posts with the same “$200 device…”, rather than mentioning what you may or may not have done to look into it. They have a network tool that they can access to see what might be causing the issues, hardware or other.
Rachio stands behind their product, so if you were to contact them with your issues, they have a couple tools to confirm a possible issue, and they would mail you a new unit. Again, there are thousands on here, and MANY thousands more not on here without connectivity issues
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Hi @Kbd ,
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had a poor experience with our product. It would require troubleshooting by our Support team. I understand that other devices connect, but there is likely network changes that we would need to make during the troubleshooting. DM me your contact info and I can have Support Team member schedule a call. There are a variety of factors and network configurations that can result in poor connection quality. The fact that other devices are connecting doesn’t tell us enough information.
I do want to let you know that there is no difference in WiFi hardware across our different model Rachio 3 controllers. The 12 zone Rachio 3 sold at Costco has the same WiFi antenna as the 8 and 16 zone controllers sold through authorized retailers and Rachio.com.
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Yes, I’ve used the Route This Helps app as well.
I really don’t see a point in continuing a discussion with you. My main point was to voice my frustration and dissatisfaction with Rachio support, not to get into a tit for tat with you and your loaded replies. Move on.
Hmm. My unit works fine from the garage to my router downstairs in the basement. Sounds like a personal problem. 
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My unit stopped connecting after about 4 months and a particularly bad storm. About 10 minutes on the phone trouble shooting they shipped a replacement next day air (after I reminded them it summer in north Texas) . New one works like a charm.
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It’s worth bearing in mind that there’s a maximum wifi signal strength as well as a minimum. Devices that are too close to an access point risk overloading of the input front-end both in the device and in the access point, causing packet loss and disconnections.
The WiFi spec has a maximum signal strength of -28dBm as I remember. Anything higher than that will lead to problems, and with some access points blasting power out at maximum power, 11 feet may simply be too close.
Typical maximum signal is -28dBm, or 0.0000016 watts at the antenna. Minimum signal is around -90dBm, or 0.000000000001 watts. That’s a big range for the chip to deal with.
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Kbd is the kind of customer that stubs his toe at a restaurant and posts a rant on Yelp! about how bad the menu looked.
Man, contact Rachio and let them troubleshoot.
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Similar experience here (at least after I ponied up for decent wifi service and a mesh-network, which I needed for my work anyway). 16 zones going to lots of trees and a fair amount of lawn. No problems. Zero, nada, zilch. Looking forward to any further upgrades and/or integrations they might do. I will buy them.
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D-bag
Seems troubleshooting a buggy antenna would be an incredibly simple task for an “IT engineer” (MCSE? 
). It would be for me and I am not one of “those”.
Apparently there’s no shortage a people that think they’re “funny”. Perhaps you can do a standup with your Rachio, funny man.
Your name describes your contribution to society, spam boy.
Alright guys…I’m shutting this one down. There is no purpose engaging in personal attacks. If @Kbd wants to troubleshoot with support and figure it out, that option is there.
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