Ethernet port a requirement, when add?

post by Joe1 on Apr 4, 2020

Your sprinklers offers powerful capabilities, but I hope you produce a wired ethernet port Rachio.

Until there is that feature I must pass on this, despite my strong desire to get one, unfortunately must pass.
Range and Interference issues are the most obvious. Setup problems could occur (Wi-Fi adds complexity to connection). Access to my sprinkler location is easy, would take me about 10 minutes to toss a line to my switch (and cost less than a repeater). Security is the biggest issue I have and one people should be aware of. Any Wi-Fi device is a door for exploitation, even a sprinkler controller. Criminals use equipment to listen to a device for a few minutes, then spoof the Wi-Fi station into thinking a malicious cracker computer is a sprinkler. In my house I have an 8 point router for all fixed devices (like cameras, security), with Wi-Fi station on a completely different branch and firewalled for safety. When the Rachio includes Ethernet, I would like to see a physical switch for the Wifi. I have seen some devices automatically turn on WiFi after power issues, which is not safe. Thank you for reading my concern and with.

post by GeoWoz on Apr 4, 2020

I agree that having a hard-wired Ethernet connection option for the Rachio 3 would be a valuable improvement. After having problems with the WiFi signal strength in my garage when I first installed the Rachio 3, I found that I had to install a WiFi extender pod in the garage to get it to work. My house is hard-wired with Ethernet cables, and I would have much preferred to use an Ethernet connection in the garage rather than installing a WiFi booster pod. I agree that security is a concern with a WiFi connection, but because there if no other option, I have decided to accept the small possibility of getting a security breach with the WiFi system to obtain the benefits of having the Rachio 3 smart sprinkler system.

post by Stewart on Apr 4, 2020

Your request is not realistic; you won’t be seeing smart sockets, light bulbs, thermostats, etc. with Ethernet connections. The boogeyman is not out to get you. Most prosumer APs (Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, high-end TP-Link, etc.) support multiple SSIDs on separate VLANs. Set up a network just for your IoT devices; if it gets hacked into the intruders will have no access to your valuable data.

post by wafflesngravy on Apr 5, 2020

I’m a network engineer, you should be far more worried about your WAN port than your wifi. Wifi has a range of what, a dozen nearby homes? There are billions of devices trying to hack you from the WAN side and unless you have a real router you don’t even see it happening.

post by Joe1 on Apr 5, 2020

I can find wired sprinkler systems, wired cameras, wired security, wired thermostats, all of that exists so you are wrong. Not hard to make some devices with Raspberry Pi either, if one had time to tinker. Why did bother posting that nonsense?

post by wafflesngravy on Apr 6, 2020

Good luck to you Joe. Be sure to stock up on tinfoil in these hard times.

post by Joe1 on Apr 7, 2020

If I need them (I won’t), I will get my stock from you. After all, no need for EM protection when one is not blasted from multiple nodes. Leave the WiFi for mobile devices.

post by Chris2 on Oct 9, 2020

For health reasons, I have removed all WiFi from my home and all devices, except my Rachio controller, are now hardwired. Is there a way to connect my Rachio controller to the Internet with an Ethernet cable?

post by Stewart on Oct 9, 2020

Not directly, but a device such as https://www.amazon.com/GL-iNET-GL-MT300N-V2-Repeater-300Mbps-Performance/dp/B073TSK26W/ may meet your needs. There are many similar inexpensive devices available.

post by Joe1 on Oct 15, 2020

An ETHERNET controlled power switch! Reliable connection, always stable, even includes automatic call-home. BRILLIANT! It’s wonderful you support wired IP devices! Wireless station is just a fail point for a device that will never move from its location, And another item to setup when WiFi station is replaced.

post by Nickbelli on Apr 7, 2021

I’d like to keep this thread alive. I too would pay more for Ethernet, but in fact, I won’t buy a sprinkler controller without ethernet. I’m not concerned about getting hacked, I understand the bandwidth needed for the device is minimal, I don’t want to deal with the hassles of configuration, poor signal, recovery, etc.