i will take the Pepsi challenge. you are not a typical residential user when you install your own valves. ill have to find data now…
As I said above in the thread, I am a residential user with 35 zones total, and of the 3 controllers that I replaced with Rachio two were cheap hardware store units while one was a commercial grade Irritrol (basically an older version of what I think is now an MC-E). The Irritrol at the time was around $2,000, and it showed when compared to the hardware store cheapies.
Having a 2.0 feature that created a larger virtual controller would be nice, but I think then Rachio would definitely be competing against the thousand dollar plus commercial grade controllers, in many cases multiple thousands of dollars. Based on Rachio’s pricing and feature set, that’s not who they are going after, and I have to agree that makes sense. I think the set of prospective customers who need 30+ zones AND want to manage the yard themselves is pretty small, and it’s hard to blame Rachio for not going after that group.
Bob
1 Like
After looking at my options for larger configurations, I’ve decided that Iro looks pretty good after all. So, I’m sipping the Cool Aid now, and it tastes pretty good 
If the ET works as well as advertised, it should be great… It looks like I can work around things via the start times or daily intervals.
In Southern California, homes with >1 acre are given rebates of $35 per zone, maximum 100 zones. So, a 16 zone controller earns a $565 rebate, (but only up to the purchase price or installation cost). A little math shows this to be a really sweet arrangement for larger residential applications.
I like having an open API, IFTT, history data, and other device integration. I’d love to get something on my Pebble watch (at $80, waterproof to 30m, and with big buttons, it’s a little more practical to wear while mucking around the water and the mud around the sprinklers than an expensive).
So, here’s hoping…
2 Likes
Shit yea, excellent choice.
+1
Add this as a key feature for me too.
I do have an automation system that controls my 23 zones of irrigation, but its so complicated to run that only I manage it, and if something goes wrong when I am away, my wife is helpless to fix it.
I was about to order a 16 and 8 zone unit, but this thread made it clear it would not be integrated, which would really make it be too complex for my wife, much less my gardeners to use.
Can you guys please reconsider this limitation? I would buy 2 units and tell all my friends about it. I am the guy in my community who is the techie, and folks looking for problems usually ask me what they should do based on my experience. I am probably responsible for a bunch of Nest thermostats, Asus WiFi routers and harmony remote controls being bought because of the advice I give.
I suspect many of the power users here who need this feature are in a similar place of helping drive decisions for their friends.
Thanks,
Mike
1 Like
Well after set up my three systems this is what I was let on to believe. I think I can work around it. but I would have been nicer to use as one system. I have one well pump and can only run one zone at a time so I will have to be careful with the schedule of the 3 separate systems. the information provided is miss leading when you say you need more zones just add another iro. so that answered my question of needing to wir the mater valve form all three to my one pump relay. I hope the doesn’t cause issues form 3 different power supplies?
Ditto- I am trying to decide what controller to use for my rebuilt 23 zone system and I am not sure if I should get Rachio.
I assume many customers are “high end” sophisticated users who might have larger more sophisticated systems.
Customer is ALWAYS right. I will be calling in to discuss my options.
Can I be put on a list to be notified when/if this feature is added? I have 22 zones would be in for purchasing the product(s) when that happens.
We don’t have a list for those sort of things, but if that feature is delivered will definitely have notifications here on that functionality. We are doing a major rebuild of the software for next year and will be planning into our system to accommodate.
That would be very welcome. The sooner the better.
Awesome! Since you are planning on doing it as a back end software feature, I would consider running out and get the 16+8 now. What are the chances you build a 24 zone system? I am not sure they would be that high since a user can just chain a bunch of 8 zone units together.
At this time we are not building a higher zone unit 
Also, we will be rebuilding our infrastructure to support multiple units, but I don’t know when this functionality will be released. Just want to be clear not to make any promises regarding this 
2 Likes
I’m thrilled to see that you have future plans to enable this functionality. Please realize this is an important feature many of us over 16 zones have been hoping would come. By the way, your customer support has been amazing, and love the new features being added this season. Great work!
1 Like
Any updates here? I really need this feature to convert my 23 zone system over to Rachio!
Thanks!
Mike
Hey Mike,
No updates at the moment. We’ve got some backend work going on that will hopefully allow us to do this, but nothing for this season. Still no timing on this (like Franz said previously).
Thanks!
1 Like
What if I have more than 16 zones?
You can connect multiple controllers within one Rachio Account on the Rachio app. Say for instance you have 24 zones, you can combine an 8 & 16 zone controller on one account.
Is this working or not? I just ordered a 16 zone and 8 zone as the FAQs say it works, or do i need to return them?
We have been waiting for over a year for the real functionality of 16+ zones ( I need 24 , for example), but the software does not support it. It works like two separate systems, which is a pain and almost impossible to manage, in particular if you have water restrictions, low water pressure, complicated schedules,…
So what i’m hearing is that I need to return my order and the FAQ’s are VARY misleading.
this is so simple, i don’t under stand the why it isn’t done. controller one runs thru the last station (8 or 16) and keeps the pump output on and then first station of controller two runs. simple start finish relationship. It would be nice that the two controllers talk on the local network and not thru the server/cloud. And the pump output on station 1 (master) stays on until the last controller shuts off the last station. And in manual mode, the pump output on controller 1 would switch on with starting of a station on another controller.
I would just add more stations (24, 32, 40…) to the code and let controller two station one map to station 17 in the code, and so on…
In the app, i would have a button to add more stations, which would allow you to setup/enrol an additional controller or more…
Apologies for any confusion regarding the FAQ.
To clarify, both controllers will work under one Rachio account, per the FAQ you linked. The distinction here is that they still function as independent controllers (see: http://support.rachio.com/article/232-running-multiple-controllers) and need to be programmed with this in mind.
You can still control multiple devices from one account (I have five on mine, currently)
As Franz indicated, there is an effort underway to allow us to operate multiple units, similar to what you’re describing here. Just to emphasize, what you’re suggesting will require a large-scale overhaul of Rachio’s infrastructure.
Unfortunately, this is a big project - but the feedback so far has put it on Rachio’s radar.
For what it’s worth, I personally still prefer the current setup to some competitors’ requirement of a one-controller-per-account setup.
4 Likes
I could limp along with the software as is, just being sure start times don’t overlap. I’m watering an acre in texas and total run time can be over 14 hours in the heat of summer, plus i’m on a well (~12/14 gpm).
Is the quote above in reference to time line or that this will ever happen?
If it isn’t going to happen i will have to return my hardware.
If i keep the controller, can i bond the common on both controllers together so that the sprinkler on station 17 will work? I am unwilling to dig up my yard to run a new common wire to station 17…