Add me to the list also. I have four existing manual controllers already wired and operational in different parts of my yard. I would love to replace them with Rachio Controllers, but there is no logical way to do so.
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Iām glad I read this thread and related posts. Without proper integration, like others, I will have no viable option but to to go with another product that supports more stations. Shame.
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So, all 5 of my Rachio systems made it through the Woolsey fire that ravaged our canyon. We lost all our barns, tack rooms, outbuildings and a lot of fence and trees, but saved the house and vineyard.
However we lost our booster pumps and water distribution manifolds and now the single controller limit issue is even worse. Without the water pressure boost for the main water line (Due to be repaired by August 2019) I am back to manually adjusting fixed schedules every time the weather changes here in Southern California. Except I am not able to live there (for another Ā±3 months) and I cannot get any real data on ground moisture so I have to drive over the 10 miles every other day to check on everything.
Multiple controller integration would help.
API so we could manage the system in other ways would help.
Multiple moisture sensors would help.
In fact almost all the things people ask for would help.
FIXED only schedules would help for allowing simplistic multi-controller set ups.
Look back in this thread - The need for MORE zones not less will only increase as water rationing increases across the country and that means we have to have a way to communicate with more zones. 16 will soon not be enough. In fact it already is. We are renting a small house on an R8 lot until our home is repaired. It has a small back yard (45 sqM) and a small front yard (30sqm) lots of planter beds and flowers in each yard. THey have 19 zones to keep water pressure in check when watering.
This thread is about what we were led to believe and what we were told was on the road map. Do I like Rachio the product? Yes. Do I feel the same about Rachio the company? Not so much.
I donāt follow the line of reasoning described by the CTO. Seems like an attempt to overcomplicate.
From a very high level these devices are nothing more than wifi connected, database controlled, 24v relays. How difficult can it be to make one unit act as a dumb slave to a primary unit. For one database to extend the other. If this is complicated to implement at the database level, something is very, very wrong already.
My personal issue is not that I need over 16zones. I simply have two dumb controllers that I want to turn into a smart system without having to extend the 24v lines to a single point. Having me buy two units to accomplish this seems like an easy money maker for rachio Mr CTO.
I would sit down with your database and software guys again and take a more constructive approach to solving this moneymaker before the competition arrives with an easy fix.
The fact that two devices can be on the same network unaware with each other in order to not interfere with each other without user intervention, (manual scheduling) seems beyond strange in 2019. In a world of connected devices, this seems like a must have feature.
I love the simple intuitive UI that is miles ahead of competition but this is such a thorn that for me takes away the entire value proposition of ditching my dumb timersā¦that do work.
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Raising my hand here as another residential multiple unit user. I have a 2.5 acre property, and Iām currently running 3 controllers, 8+8+16. Conflicts for me mean the pump shuts down, and thatās no fun. I really like the product otherwise; Iād love to be able to take advantage of more of its features. An API would be great; then Iād just roll my own schedule adjuster.
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Rachio has pretty good API support, as documented here (link). Feel free to ask if anything is unclear. Always nice to see 3rd party developers 
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Iām a newbie to the forumā¦
We have 29 zones across to 16 zone units. Adjusting the schedules to not overlap is frustrating. I would love it also if they could be controlled as if they were one unit.
Thank you
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I have 2 controllers covering 21 zones, as do many of my neighborsā¦ it is not uncommon for homes to have more then 16 zones, especially ones on 1 Acre+ Lotsā¦ Not having them work as one or at least some sort of zone expander is horrible. All of the sprinkler companies around here recommend against Rachio because of this, they push Rainbird smart controllers because they goto 24 zones. This seems like a super simple development cycle.
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I have 48 zones 3-16 zone v3
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How about a way to load all the zone and schedule data into a spreadsheet, that flags overlapsā¦
I can handle the programming across my four controllers if you give me an easy way to identify conflicts across controllers,
Agree. An export settings feature would alleviate some of the pain.
I have two controllers and 23 zones. The controllers are over two acres apart. All water is drawn from a single well. Need to run one zone at a time. Zones are comprised of many different characteristics, and need varied run times.
I find it strange that I can establish point-to-point network links that span distances of 1-2 kilometers (1.2 milesĀ± ), illuminate both 2.4 and 5GHz(ac) WiFi access points at the remote locations, control gates, stream and record video (security), trigger scenes from motion sensors that control various devices, and so onā¦ BUT I cannot make two irrigation controllers work together as a single ecosystem.
Having a single āmasterā hub
that manages remote controllers would be ideal. The master could just be software on a standalone PC or a dedicated unit. I am thinking about about abandoning the Rachio scheduling functions and making my own schedules using āscreensā on my Vera controllers, which have a Rachio plug-in. Downside: This will not work if Internet connectivity is unavailable, and I will not be able to take advantage weather or seasonal shift adjustments. Essentially, this would turn the Rachio into an Internet attached dumb switch.
I really do love my Rachios, but understand I will abandon this platform if any other vendor comes to market with multiple controller functionality. Hopefully itās Rachio.
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Add me to the list. Need to integrate two controllers as one virtual controller.
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Well - I am now in the same boat as the rest of you. I have a current Gen3 16 zone, but due to some challenges with pressure and existing wiring under concrete, will need to install a new rachio on the other side of the house. Not actually using all the zones, but itās more of a location thing. I was hoping that both Rachio controllers at the same ālocationā would talk to each other and have a master schedule and not conflict, but it sounds like this still isnāt an option?
Matt
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I have also purchased 2 16 zone controllers and wished they would work together on a single schedule. My house sits on a 1/2 acre lot that needs much more than the 16 zone limitation on a single controller. My controllers are also separated by the house (i.e. front yard controller and back yard controller). Both of my controllers have lawn zones and planters with drip/sprayers on them. This would be a perfect controller if I was able to use both physical controllers as 1 single virtual controller so I could keep all of my lawn on a single schedule and all of my planters on their own single schedule.
I have read back in this forum and seen where it was suggested that we wire lawn to a single controller and planters to the second controller. That would not be a viable solution for me at all. I understand Rachio not wanting to devote large amounts of time/costs to develop this option but I personally think they would have the perfect controller if they did as well as expand their customer base.
This is all something for Rachio to consider since by their previous comments on here it has already been decided. Searching for myself I have seen a lot of requests for this option, enough to warrant an update.
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I have 6 Rachios controlling >80 valves, and a Flume WiFi water meter. Any Rachio could simply poll the Flume over the API right before a watering schedule starts to see how many gpm are currently being used. If the Flume reports a flow over some preset gpm, the Rachio delays the schedule 5 minutes and then polls again, until thereās enough available flow. Thoughts?
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I agree, I have 2 controllers that need to be coordinated and itās tough when using flex schedules, which is why I bought Racio.
Would like to create a schedule that can incorporate zones from more than one controller and let the software calculate watering schedules.
I have 21 zones and unable to consolidate all 12 grass zones to one controller. Front and back yard.
Sales led me to believe this would work, but not the case.
Add me to the list. 27 zones on 1.25 acres and I have 2 16 zone controllers. The principle reason is the drift in watering where one zone could be affected by the other. In a disconnected environment, I have to alternate days for each controller (live in Texas). Unless I want to start watering at 2 in the morning, but still, you have disconnected intelligence and the algorithm would essentially be inaccurate cause itās missing 50% of the data.
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Thatās what I was thinking. Seems that only a small percentage of people need more zones than that number of zones in one area, which probably explains why most other competitors donāt have do that except for commercial applications.