What if my controller goes offline?

Last Update:May 24 2023 3:44pm • Est. Read Time:Est. Read Time: 2 MIN

Summary

The controller needs to be connected to the wifi to update data, but you might be wondering what happens if your Wi-fi someway stops working. Will your schedules still run if your Rachio goes offline? Good news, we have all the answers below!


Rest Assured - Rachio has your back!

Most connectivity issues you might see are normal behavior; the Rachio controller's Wi-Fi features hinge on the reliability of:


  1. Your internet service provider (ISP)
  2. Your in-home router and/or access point.

However, unless the device goes offline for an extended period of time,  you won't experience any loss in functionality your controller. In situations of more lengthy disconnects, we send out email and push notifications to let you know your controller has been offline for 24 hours and needs to be power cycled (unplugged and plugged back in).

On-Board Schedule Memory

If for some reason the Rachio does not reconnect to the Wi-Fi, the controller will continue to run the last saved schedule. During this time, the controller will be unable to perform weather skips, as it has no way to check the forecast without an active Wi-Fi connection.

Note

If you are running  Flex schedules, the Rachio controller will not run the last saved schedule, as they are dynamic. Instead, we will create a two week schedule based on the forecast for the upcoming two weeks. After the controller has been offline for that two week period, it will then revert to a Rachio-supplied default watering schedule until the controller gets back online. Then, we will send the controller a new schedule based off of your Flex Daily schedule selections.

Battery Backup

The controller does have a battery backup, but it's not used to maintain a schedule; instead, it's used to maintain an internal clock so that when the controller comes back online, it can resume running your schedules correctly, before syncing with the Rachio cloud.

Keeping track of waterings while offline 

Even when your controller is offline, it will still continue recording watering events and keeping track of which zones are watered when (and with how much water). Each watering event will be cached on the controller and then combined with your watering history once the controller comes back online.

Note

If your controller comes back online after an extended period of time, the water usage displayed in your history may be much higher than expected. No need to be alarmed! This is because the controller aggregates all of the cached watering events and reports them at one time; your controller is still watering normally. Want to double-check your water usage? You can view or download your historical usage.

Total Blackout?

Should you lose power to your home, the system will not run because there is no way to power the solenoid valves without electricity (24VAC). When power is restored to your home, the Rachio controller will automatically reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.


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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