I am thinking of going with a Rachio 3 so I could get automatic schedule adjustment seasonally and based on weather. I have installed a PWS connected to Weather Underground as part of that goal.
One thing I would love to see happening, is a Wireless Sprinkler valve controller that would be compatible with the Rachio 3, for areas that are a pain to wire.
Something similar to the Hunter WVS below that could be attached next to a standard sprinkler valve to control it.
I did find a “home made” device that is exactly what people need and sold by a company called Aivaka (just Google Aivaka).
They manufacture a perfect solution to this problem, their site have a Product page and an FAQ page that answers most questions.
Their WB100 product basically creates a wireless connection between any Controller output (24VAC) and any 24VAC Sprinkler valve (or 6- 24VDC with their WB200)
Basically they have a transmitter that you connect into your controller valve output, and a receiver that you connect to your valve. The receiver is powered by a small solar panel and a rechargeable battery.
The only problem is that they know there is no solution out there that actually solves this problem, and they mostly sell to big companies so their price is beyond reason for a homeowner (Almost 4x the price of the rachio 3…)
@franz@rachiosupport you should look into developing a similar solution, this would increase the functionality of your system!
One other possible source I need to investigate is Tucor’s Nexus Wireless Valve system, but I cant find much details about it.
Update on this thread.
I have now installed and tested the Wireless sprinkler valve controller solution connected to the Rachio, and it is working great.
Not cheap as the transmitter and receiver(/valve controller/MPPT Solar charge controller) plus the battery and solar panel are little over $300, but it was a fun project.
If anyone is interested in the details, let me know and I will make a write up.
For anyone interested in Controlling Sprinkler valves wirelessly from the Rachio or any other sprinkler controller, the full writeup on my home made solution is in the Online folder below https://1drv.ms/u/s!At3vMAQjaOZLkVA8c7YAwQVcGEMV?e=x91OOY
Great stuff! Trying to figure out how to forward those files to my email in case you lose them, but I rarely use MS files, esp. from my phone, so will try later on the laptop.
