I’m upgrading to AT&T fiber tomorrow morning. They tell me this will require not only running fiber to the house, but replacing my existing wireless router (gateway). I plan to create the same networks I currently have, and use the same passwords.
I realize that killing my wi-fi for several hours will confuse my wireless devices (Rachio is one). Would it be better to just unplug the Rachio during the service window, then once everything is up and working, plug it back in? Since I’m using the same network name (SSID) as before, and the same password, I would expect the Rachio to power up and re-connect.
I wouldn’t worry about unplugging your rachio, if it doesn’t come back online within half hour after your networks are back online, power cycle the Rachio. If there are connectivity issues after that, just rerun the setup from the Rachio app to get your unit back online.
Will I notice any lights changing when wi-fi is off? I just figured it normally comes back after a power cycle, but if it get’s confused with the wi-fi it might be more hassle (running setup again, etc.)
Having your Rachio powered down during the network change is no different than power cycling your rachio after the network change. If rachio can recover by itself, than let it do it’s thing, otherwise power cycle it and you should be good to go.
As @plainsane mentioned, we don’t anticipate needing you to rerun the setup, but if it comes to it, it was probably unavoidable.
If your network name (ssid) and password do not change, irregardless of the router the controller will reconnect to the router. I do this all the time shuttling units from my house to the office
I have had a bunch of router issues lately. I must have power cycled 20+ times over the course of weeks. I finally had the router repaired under a SquareTrade warranty. I had the same SSID & password throughout, never power cycled the Rachio, and am still connected with no issue!
The only other thing you may need to look at with a new router is the power levels of the wi-fi signal. Not all routers provide the same level. Once your router is up and running suggest you go to your controller with your smart phone on the same network and see how many wi-fi bars you have.
The Arris 5268AC router is supposed to be better than the one I currently have. To quote their data sheet:
“In the 2.4 GHz band, the gateway uses 802.11n 2x2 MIMO technology at over four times the transmit power of competitive 2.4 GHz products that traditionally transmit at less than 100 mW. This means greater flexibility and optimal performance regardless of the wireless technology.”
Just a quick followup on my router replacement. I got my Gigapower upgrade from AT&T last week. The speeds are awesome. I set up 2 SSIDs on the new router. I was a little concerned when the tech told me that this router is smart enough to pick either 2.4GHz or 5GHz depending on the device connection. Before, I had 2 separate SSID names, one for the 2.4 and the other for the 5. I was sure the Rachio would have issues. But I’m happy to report, the Rachio had no problems. After my wi-fi network came up, everything was working just fine. I did keep the same SSID name and password. What a relief.
