Summary:

This article will help you identify what a Light 3 on your Generation 2 and Rachio 3 looks like and how to troubleshoot it. You can identify this behavior if the controller is having this light pattern:

For Gen 2:

For Rachio 3:


Troubleshooting

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can follow in order to troubleshoot a Rachio that is stuck in the Third Light Section. We should try reconnecting the Rachio to the wifi after successfully completing each step.

Step 1

Let's check if the router and any range extenders can be power-cycled. Depending on the error, the Rachio might connect by itself, without the need for a reset. Also, make sure it is compatible, you can check this on this article: Is my router supported?

Step 2

Poor connectivity is one of the main reasons. Check how many wifi bars you have on your phone, if you see only two, this could be the reason why you are getting this light code. Getting a wifi extender can help in these cases. You can follow the steps here if you need to check this: Wi-Fi Troubleshooting Self Help

Step 3

Make sure to check on the following(Especially if there are any special characters within the Wifi Name or Password, the Rachio is not compatible with characters such as #, %, $, &, etc.):

Requirements

Wireless Frequency: 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz) for Gen 2- (dual band (2.4 / 5 GHz) supported only on the Rachio 3, and "blended" networks are NOT recommended).

SSID: We do not support non-standard characters in SSIDs, or passphrases for wireless networks. This is classified as any emoji, not English letter symbols added from Unicode Revision 9.0.0 onward. (Ex: 😂女书↪)

Encryption: Only WPA2-Personal or WPA2-PSK is supported. Older WEP is not acceptable, and we do not work with enterprise level encryption most of the time. We also do not support splash pages/captive portals, or MAC address filtering.

If everything is in order then you have to troubleshoot the advanced settings of your wifi. The following steps have to be done through the settings of your router, and this can vary by model. It is suggested to have the manual, of the specific router you have, to use as a reference.

Step 4

We need to check if there are any ports that are being blocked and stopping the Rachio from connecting. Make sure the following ports(outbound traffic) are open:

Step 5

Make sure that  MAC address filtering on your router is disabled.

If you prefer to keep your MAC address filtering on, you will need to add the controller's MAC address to your router's access control list. Your MAC address can be found in your Rachio App, under  Device Settings, and on the sticker on the front of the controller, just under the serial number (for the Gen 2 & Rachio 3)

Step 6

You may need to reserve an IP address for the Rachio controller and/or increase the lease time on your DHCP.

Reserving an IP address for your controller will ensure that every time the controller requests an IP address from your router, it will receive the same address. Increasing the lease time will enable your controller to have an IP address for a longer period of time without having to request a new one.

Still not working?

If the latter does not fix the issue, it would be a good idea to try connecting to a hotspot. This will identify if the problem is with the router setup or something more general.

The instructions on how to do so are in this article.

If the controller connects successfully, then the connection is getting blocked by a setting within the router. It is suggested to create a guest network in your router and try connecting the Rachio to it. If that does not work, please get in contact with your ISP provider and ask them if they block any services in specific. 

If it does not connect to the hotspot, 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. 

Do you still need help?

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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