Intermittent connectivity & General Wifi Troubleshooting

Last Update:Oct 19 2023 8:23pm • Est. Read Time:Est. Read Time: 6 MIN

Summary

There are a couple of things that could be impacting the connection of your Rachio controller to your WiFi, making it lose the connection constantly. In this article, we are going to approach the variables and find solutions for each type of issue. If your controller connects, but after some time it loses connection, please follow the steps in this article. If your controller is stuck on any light and it does not connect at all, please go to the articles below accordingly:


Light 2 Rachio 3 / Light 2 Generation 2


Light 3


Common Issues causing intermittent connectivity.


Before spending the time troubleshooting your home network, you should verify that one of these more common issues isn’t causing the problem:


1. Connection to the Internet at your home is down.

2. Power failure at home.

3. Problem with your Wi-Fi router.

4. Signal loss or interference.


If you are able to identify that one of the variables above is the reason why your controller is offline, please troubleshoot them accordingly, before trying to connect the controller again. You can use the RouteThis app to do this.    


How can I tell if my Rachio has intermittent connectivity?


You can tell if your controller is experiencing connectivity problems if your device displays "Offline" when you log in to the Web or Mobile apps. For quick troubleshooting help, tap the "Offline" banner to access our in-app Wi-Fi help tool. 






If the connectivity issues happen often, or if your controller is ever offline for 24 hours or more, you can view this in the History feed by tapping the "Settings Wheel", then "History".


Step-By-Step Troubleshooting


The best first step in troubleshooting these types of issues is to try restarting your router. While most routers just need to be unplugged and plugged back in to restart them, we recommend referring to your router’s documentation for specific instructions.


Have any of your network settings changed? (SSID / Password)


If so,  update your Wi-Fi network. From your App Homepage go to the Settings Wheel > Controller Settings > Update Wi-Fi Network and follow the steps provided. Please be sure to enter your network password correctly — including uppercase, lowercase, and any other special characters — as the network credentials are case-sensitive.


Scan your network

 

Rachio has teamed up with RouteThis to offer secure, remote network troubleshooting. If you are experiencing problems with connecting your Rachio controller to the internet, or are having internet connection issues, please run our network diagnostic tool by following the steps here.


Issues with your network setup that can cause intermittent connection


Duplicate SSIDs 


This happens when each of your Pods (if you have more than one) are broadcasting a copy of your WiFi network name (SSID), but most WiFi devices understand that the multiple versions are identical and will not display the duplicates. If the Rachio is trying to connect to only one of two networks that have the same name, it can cause issues and not connect properly.

If this applies to you, all you must do is change your network SSID names and passwords. If you are unable to, you can contact your ISP for assistance. It's important to keep in mind that changing the network SSID and password will cause all the paired devices to stop communicating with the router.  We recommend setting a 2.4 guest wifi so you can keep all paired devices connected.


Weak signal


The most common cause for intermittent connection is low connection quality detected between the router and the controller, often caused by device distance from the router, network congestion, or interference.

An option to resolve this problem would be moving either the controller or the router closer to each other. If this can’t be done, you could get a cheap, simple range extender and place it in between the two devices in order to help with the signal strength.

A good indicator of this, to determine the strength of where the Rachio is connected, is to check the RSSI. (This can be checked through Settings Wheel > Controller Settings > Technical Info.)


-Is the RSSI value between -45 and -69? If it is close to either of those numbers consider it as if it was outside of that range


-If the RSSI is over -69, then the signal is too weak. 


-If the RSSI is under -45, then the signal is too strong. This indicates that the access point is too close.


-If the RSSI is -55 (indicating the effective range of 5 GHz signal), the access point's band steering might be causing the issue.



High network utilization


High router usage will affect network performance, lower speed results, and cause things like video buffering. This can compromise the signal quality and speed.

A solution for this problem is creating a guest network to connect the Rachio device. This is something that you are usually able to do yourself, by following the router’s instructions, but if you are not comfortable with it, usually your ISP is able to assist.


Mesh networks


A mesh network is a group of devices that act as a single Wi-Fi network; so there are multiple sources of Wi-Fi around your house, instead of just a single router. Some access points act like secondary routers and output their own signal, which can often cause issues when connecting to the network.


A definitive solution for this problem would be assigning a static IP address to Rachio controller, this way it could not only hold on to the connection better, but if the controller eventually loses the connection, it would be able to pick up the signal much faster. This is something that you can do yourself by following the instructions from your router’s settings, or, reaching out to your ISP for assistance. 


The steps for it would be:


1. Set a static private IP address.

2. Reboot the router.

3. Update wifi network on the Rachio app.



Merged frequencies


Gen 1 and Gen 2 controllers are not compatible with 5G frequency. The Rachio 3, despite being compatible with 5G, may present intermittent interference if you have the two frequencies merged into the same network, since it’s capable of connecting to both frequencies, but not capable of dynamically switching from both frequencies. For that to happen, the controller has to disconnect and solicit a new connection for the router. Every time this happens, the router is the one to send the controller back to the frequency with the higher signal strength, but many times, this isn’t what happens, so the process repeats itself many times causing the intermittent connection.


Finding a way of locking one frequency or the other is the best way to keep the controller connected. For that, we recommend a static IP reservation or creating a guest network for the controller to be connected to. This is something that you can do yourself by following the instructions from your router’s settings, or, reaching out to your ISP for assistance. 


The steps for it would be:


1. Set a static private IP address.

2. Reboot the router.

3. Update wifi network on the Rachio app.


What if my controller goes offline, but only while it's watering?


If the controller goes offline during a scheduled run, there may be an issue with the wiring or the irrigation system itself.


When zone faults occur, it is often because the controller receives too much electricity from the irrigation system, causing the controller to shut down. To fix a zone fault,  start by looking at which zone was last run. 


  1. If you have a  Generation 3 Rachio, you may see a notification within the app that says “Zone Fault Detected” with a specific zone called out.

  2. If you have a  Generation 2 Rachio, you may see a notification within the app that says “Zone Fault Detected” with a specific zone called out.

  3. The Generation 1 Rachio may require some light "detective work" for this first step. Check out this article for more Generation 1 Offline Troubleshooting tips.

  4. For more info on zone faults, and how to fix them, please see article:  Zone fault detection.

Do you still need help?


We suggest you run a network scan following the steps here. After you scan your network, please reach out to our support team with the key provided. 


We have a chat support team ready to assist you! You can submit a support request by selecting the chat icon in the bottom right of this page and a member of the support team will contact you live.


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