Hey @Skidmd!
I’m sorry for the frustration. We’ve been waiting on a couple third parties to get this fixed before we can do anything on our end. We’re starting to take matters into our own hands given the entirely too long wait on this and see if there are any hacks or fixes we can do internally while we wait on others for a full fix. I’m keeping everyone updated as I hear more details.
It’s been doing something different the last few days. It goes offline. I briefly press the Wifi button and it goes back online almost instantly. It does the chasing blue light for a bit that I posted pics of before finally going solid. Then some hours later it goes off line again. With the led a solid blue.
As the OP (original poster of this thread) back in April 2019, I think this bears mentioning again:
The Rachio app is far more capable and is really the only good way to use the Rachio device…
My HomeKit has been working perfectly with Rachio for quite a while now…
Having said that, HomeKit integration doesn’t really offer anything except for quick operation of any given watering zone… I typically use it if I want to get the grand kids wet when they are playing in the yard. That’s about it… You can easily use the Rachio app for that same zone watering - Just as fast…
While HomeKit Integration was promised and should be delivered as promised, I think you will find that it’s all not what it is cracked up to be… Just sayin…
Now, if HomeKit gets better, I may change my mind. But for now, I would advise that you just use the Rachio App and spend your time on other things…
Hello @laura.bauman - sorry, very long thread so I don’t know if I caught all of it, but I have been skimming through it and wanted to provide my data point. I have been having this issue too for a long time (pretty much since I got the device 2 years ago). I saw a post here where you asked if anyone has a mesh network. I do. So that’s one data point I guess. But before or after the latest FW update, I am still getting the No Response, unless I power cycle - then it will be controllable in the Home app for a variable amount of time. It is always available and connected through the Rachio App.
Thank you so much for the information @Lucanaut!! Sharing this with our team for more research 
(cc: @franz & @dane)
Hey team! This is the latest update I have. This is by no means an official solution, but something our CS and Eng teams are investigating.
It seems that if a HomeKit user doesn’t have Apple TV, HomePod, or a configured iPad on the same network as the Rachio controller at all times, then the controller will go offline in the HomeKit app. This means that if a HomeKit user is using an iPhone and it switches to cellular, the controller will go offline in the HomeKit app. If they are using a HomePod, Apple TV, etc, they have to take the steps to ensure that the Apple device is connected to the exact same band as the Rachio 3 (which means they’ll need to configure their APs at appropriate distance from Rachio 3 and HomeKit device.) It seems that both the HomeKit hub and the Rachio controller need to be on the 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz network. The team found that if the Rachio controller is connected to the 2.4 and the HomeKit hub is connected to the 5.8, the controller will lose connection to HomeKit.
Does this apply to any of you? Again, this is just speculation at this point, but I’m working hard to keep everyone as updated as I possibly can!
First of all - a HomeKit hub must be an Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad (it can’t be an iPhone).
Can the Rachio connect to either 2.4 or 5.8, or is it only able to connect to 2.4?
How does this apply to backup home hubs as well? That is, if I have two apple TVs and a HomePod, only one is “active” at a time - do all the hubs need to be on the same band as the Rachio?
Correct!
Rachio 3 controllers can connect to both, Gen 1 or Gen 2 controllers can only connect to 2.4.
Great question! Let me ping the team to see if they know.
I have three HomePods, an iPad and three Apple TV’s. One is a hub and the others on standby. So is the one that’s the active hub the one that needs to be on the same band or any one of them? That kind of makes a big difference.
Checking on this - great question!
This is something we need to confirm with Apple, but the educated guess is that only the Active hub needs to be on the same band. That is not an official answer - just an assumption based on research and knowledge at this time.
I have had zero problems with Rachio in the Home App for months now… I know that doesn’t help others issues but here is some info that hopefully help push this along:
Maybe I am just lucky? Or maybe because of my current config *see screenshots:
Router - Synology AC 2600 (mesh capable by adding another access point). I have only the one…
I think more importantly, As illustrated below, I have 4 home hubs showing in the Apple Home App:
• Living Room Apple TV (ATV 4K) - The one that is “Connected” (via ETHERNET) almost always
• Living Room HomePod - Standby - connected via WiFi
• Master Bedroom ATV - In Standby (via ETHERNET)
What I have noticed about Hubs:
*I have seen the HomePod “Connected” and Rachio still works…
*A new iPad is not showing up as a Hub… It did, but now it does not??
*The connected Living Room Apple TV (ATV 4K) is connected to my network via (good ole) VIA ETHERNET Hmmmmm…
Again, for what this information is worth, I am having NO Rachio issues whatsoever.
*Suggestion - Try connecting your "Connected Apple Home Hub VIA ETHERNET if Possible??
** Also, I must say again, Once this is all working for you, ALL YOU CAN DO is turn single zones ON and OFF - That’s it… The Rachio App is the only one to use IMHO *see screenshots
I Hope this helps!
-Macsterguy
After trying everything including splitting my network into a 5 ghz and a 2.4 ghz network and trying setting up the Rachio in both networks the homekit still disconnects. Although now that it is connected to the 5 ghz network at least it seems to fix itself after a while.
So now I’m being sent a replacement Rachio.
My question is will I need to set it up from scratch or is there a way to bring my settings into the replacement Rachio?
In answer to Macsterguy.
Yes having it work in Homekit is worth it.
Besides paying extra for this it is nice to be able to control everything in one place plus when I working in the yard, like finding and fixing sprinkler heads, it’s really helpful to be able to control them using Siri voice commands.
I have three zones. You can give them proper names in homekit so I don’t have to remember which zone is which.
It’s also nice getting the homekit notifications when they run or when they skip due to wind conditions or something.
But mine it once again down and now I’m being sent a replacement Rachio.
I just hope there is a way to bring all my settings into the new controller.
I could be mistaken, but I don’t think Homekit supports state transition notifications for sprinklers at all.
I get Sprinkler noticed all the time from HomeKit.
As I’m being sent a new controller I haven’t reconnected rachio to HomeKit again. Today I had to fix a few broken heads and really missed being able to use voice to control tether using voice.
Interesting. Usually the settings page for every Homekit device offers an on/off switch for notifications. I don’t see that option on the Rachio page, so that’s why I was confused/surprised. I do get notifications from the Rachio app when a schedule starts or stops, though.
I think I may have stumbled upon the trigger that knocks it off of homekit.
I’ve been emailing back and forth with a tech from rachio. One of the things he had me do was give my 5 ghz network a different name than my 2.4 ghz network.
This didn’t fix it but has resulted in learning the trigger that cause homekit to go offline. It is the handshake from when your phone switches from your WiFi and switches to cellular.
Today I received a replacement controller. That also didn’t fix it. I set it up and the first time I left home it went offline. Sometimes it would reconnect when I got back on my WiFi but not always.
I had the controller on the 5 ghz and also my iPhone. After a few more disconnects I switched my phone to the 2.4 ghz WiFi so that I could try adding the controller to the 2.4 ghz WiFi. But got the same disconnect behavior.
But then I told my iPhone to forget the 2.4 ghz WiFi and only use the 5 ghz network. So now the rachio is no longer directly connecting to my phone when I’m home as it is on a different WiFi than my phone is.
So far success, It hasn’t disconnected and I’ve been really trying hard to get it to go offline by turning the WiFi on and off on my iPhone. Actually homekit overall seems to work slighter better like this.
