Why, oh why, is the web browser experience so bad?

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I’ve just powered on the Rachio controller as the spring time has arrived, and logging in to the browser-based app, I really don’t get it. Why is it so bad?

on the ‘home’ page, a calendar kind of thing is shown, but, the way the days are shown really do not make any sense at all. it’s not showing the days in any kind of sensible sequence like one would expect. Some days have numbers, some have words, but the numbers aren’t going up from left to right, and they seem to be at least a week in the future. why those are shown is a mystery.

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(captured using Firefox browser. Date today is April 4th). Dates are shown very weirdly. Sun, Sat, 4/17, 4/16, Fri, Today, 4/15, 4/14, 4/13, 4/12. I don’t get it. ‘today’ is not in any kind of positional sequence among the other dates, and, the numbering is going down as one moves to the right. makes no sense.

so, next, I try to add a schedule.

I make a 1 of 3 choice regarding the ‘type’ of schedule I want to create, and click the ‘next’ button.

instead of seeing something useful, all I see is a completely blank web page.

it sits there for a loooooong time, and still nothing at all is happening.

what good is a smart watering controller that you are unable to use to set up a new schedule???

it just doesn’t make any sense at all.

how can such a tech-focussed company and product set have such a poor showing with the controller app in the web browser???

I’m using the latest version of Chrome.

Ok. I’ll try Firefox.

oh crap. it’s doing exactly the same behavior !!!

why, why, why is this such a bad, bad, bad experience???

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It’s bad because Rachio thinks that everyone would prefer to work on a tiny phone screen. And more stations/controllers you add the more miserable it is to try work on a phone.

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Rachio announced that they would stop developing the web app in July 2021. The rationale behind this decision was to focus their resources and efforts on enhancing the mobile app experience, which is where the majority of their users interact with the system. They aimed to streamline development and provide a more robust and feature-rich experience on mobile platforms.

The reaction to the announcement that Rachio would stop developing the web app has been mixed among the community members. Some users expressed disappointment and frustration, citing the convenience and ease of use of the web app for managing their irrigation systems. They highlighted issues such as the inability to use the mobile app effectively on larger screens and the need for a desktop interface for more detailed management tasks.

Other users, however, understood the rationale behind focusing on mobile development, acknowledging that the majority of interactions with the Rachio system occur through mobile devices. They appreciated the company’s efforts to enhance the mobile app’s functionality and reliability.

Wherever you stand on this debate, it appears the developer has no intention of revisiting the decision at this time.

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If I’d known, I might not have bought this product.

It’s truly disappointing to find that Rachio appear to have chosen to go down the mobile-only route.

Fiddling around with the phone is not the way for someone to manage multiple devices and customer devices, let alone forcing people to use mobile for a single device.

IF they had built the product using Flutter, they would have been able to develop one solution that is then deployable across multiple types of platform - mobile, web, desktop.

It’s really a shame.

I see that their marketing is now not mentioning being able to control devices from other than mobile devices.

Very sad.

Very short-sighted.

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This is aggravating. I’ve had the device for quite a while but never had the time to really figure out the best settings for my needs - just used generic-type settings. I’m actually surprised that the company can’t be bothered having a decent website. In order to set this up correctly and optimally, a phone screen is clearly insufficient! I’ve used progressively more sophisticated residential controllers and this one seemed like an advance. Wrong. Not an advance if the features are difficult to manipulate.
What I really want to do is to reconfigure my whole irrigation system from the ground up, including drip for some part(s) but now I’m concerned that I might not be able to do it.
Does anyone know a good irrigation system designer and installer?
1mediatorr@gmail.com

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