If you are planning to buy smart sprinkler and confused between Rachio Vs Hydrawise HC then you are landed at the right place.These smart water sprinklers enable you to water your lawns and gardens just by a click on your smartphone or tablet. But choosing the best water sprinkler for oneself is one of the common problems that people face.
Rachio and Hydrawise are two famous brands providing smart water sprinklers in the market. But which of these is the best for you? We will help you choose one as per your needs. So, let’s start.
Our Verdict
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Comparison Chart: Rachio Vs Hydrawise HC
| Specifications | Rachio | Hydrawise HC |
|---|---|---|
| 8- zone model | Yes | Yes |
| 12-zone model | No | Yes |
| 16-zone model | Yes | No |
| 36-zone model | No | Yes |
| Rain and soil sensor | Present | Present |
| Wired Flow Sensors | Absent in Gen 1, Present in Gen 2 and Gen 3 | Present |
| Wireless Rachio Flow Meter | Only in Gen 3 | Absent |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4 GHz (Gen 1, 2 and 3) or 5 GHz 802.11 b/g/n | 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g |
| Temperature Range | -4 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit | 0 degrees to 150 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Cloud Sync | Yes | Yes |
| Weather Intelligence | Standard in Gen 1 and Gen2, Advanced in Gen 3 | Free and paid |
| Monthly charges | None | optional |
| Master Valve | “M” terminal slot | Zone terminal slot |
| SmartThings, Wink, IFTTT, Alexa, Google Assitant, Nest | Yes | No |
| App | iOS 10.3+ and Android 4.4+ | iOS 10.3+ and Android 4.4+ |
| Indoor Use | Yes | Yes |
| Outdoor Use | With enclosure | Yes |
| Dimensions | 2.165 inches x 7.25 inches x 7.25 inches (Gen 1) 9.25 inches x 5.625 inches x 1.625 inches (Gen 2) 9. inches x 5.5 inches x 1.4 inches (Gen 3) | 7 inches x 6 inches x 1.3 inches |
| Warranty | 1 year | 2 year |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Differences
1. Zone Control
Each of the models of the Rachio smart water sprinkler i.e. Gen 1, Gen 2 and Gen 3 come in two options of zone control which are the 8 zones and 16 zone. There is no other option available and if one wants to expand the area more, he/she will have to use a completely different system. And if you add more than one system on one account, you will have to handle the two of them separately as they will not share the same schedule and configuration.
In case of the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler, it has two options of 8 zone and 12 zone. However, the 12-zone model can be expanded to 36 zone using a special accessory which is the Expansion Module. With this, the area of the 12-zone sprinkler increases considerably.
Therefore, Hydrawise HC is much flexible and expandable in comparison to the Rachio water sprinkler. And 36 zone model is enough for almost all residential purposes.
2. Master Valve
The master valve controls the water flow in your smart sprinkler system. Both the Rachio and the Hydrawise HC sprinkler system has the Master valve to control the flow. However, they differ in the manner this master valve connects to the sprinkler system.
In case of the Rachio smart water sprinkler, there is an M terminal present where the master valve fits in. This terminal for the purpose of the master valve only.
On the other hand, if you are using the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler system, you will have to use one of the zone slots to fit in the master valve. This means that your usable zone slots become 5 in case of the 6 zone model and it becomes 11 in case of the 12-zone model. This is no issue if you use the expansion module to get a 36-zone system. But the loss is considerable if you are using a 6 zone model.
3. Wi-Fi Connections
Both the smart water sprinkler the Rachio and the Hydrawise HC differ considerably in terms of wi-Fi connections.
In case of the Rachio smart water sprinkler, it supports 2.4 Ghz 802.11 b/g/n connections. The 3rd generation of Rachio also supports 5 Ghz connections.
On the other hand, the Hydrawise HC water sprinkler only supports 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g connections. As the Hydrawise system lacks ‘n’ connection, it is not as quick as the Rachio system in terms of data transmission.
Thus, the Rachio water sprinkler gets an upper hand over the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler in terms of Wi-Fi connections. It stands much more modern and fast and flexible in this regard.
3. Manual Control
There may be times when you want to need to manually handle your water sprinkler system. Both the Rachio and the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler allows manual control, they differ in the manner they allow this.
While the Rachio system offers you only the basic manual control using a few buttons, the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler has a 2.8 inch colour TFT display touch screen for manual control. With the help of this, you can control a wide range of aspects of the water sprinkler system. With the touchsctreen you can control settings without any Wi-Fi connection.
This control on the device is very advantageous for the users as they can start using their device as soon as they have the installation done.
4. Weather Intelligence
Weather Intelligence uses the world’s most accurate weather monitoring to decide the need of watering at your place. Both these water sprinkler systems give you the advantages of weather intelligence but they differ in it as well.
In case of the Rachio water sprinkler, you get access to Premium Weather Intelligence Plus which use the best weathering monitoring over the world and tracks more than a quarter million sources to give you the most accurate weather forecast. With this, it efficiently lets you know the weather forecast of your area and lets you have an accurate water schedule which is suitable for your home.
On the other hand, the Hydrawie HC gives you access to over 10, 000 weather stations by deafault. This is much less in comparison to that of Rachio. Therefore, it functions with lesser accuracy than the Rachio smart water sprinkler system. However, you can increase the accuracy in Hydrawise HC but you will have to pay an extra subscription charge for the same.
Thus, Hydrawise HC stands behind the Rachio in terms of weather intelligence as it charges for the service that Rachio offers for free. Subscription Plans
5. Outdoor Use
The Rachio smart water sprinkler system is waterproof and it can as well be installed outside the house if you want to save space inside. However, you will have to get the outdoor enclosure if you want to install the sprinkler system outdoor.
On the other hand, you cannot put the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler outside the house as it is not water proof.
6. Smart Home Integration
Integration with smart home controller is a very basic advantage that any smart device can offer you. Smart homes and smart home controllers have become very popular and it ids an added advantage if your smart water sprinkler stands compatible with your smart home controller.
the Rachio smart water sprinkler is compatible with bot Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Thus, this enables you to control your sprinkler through your smart home assistant. You won’t always have to take the help of the app or do manual wirk to control your sprinkler. Moreover, the Rachio system integrates well with the smart home controllers like Nest, Wink, SmartThings, etc. It also supports IFTTT with the help of which you get endless options to customize your smart home sprinkler.
On the other hand, the Hydrawise HC sprinkler is much behind the Rachio system in terms of compatibility with smart home controllers. It is compatible with only Amazon Alexa. Unfortunately for the Google users, you cannot use the Hydrawise HC smart home water sprinkler with your Google Home.
7. Subscription
The Rachio offers you all the features it has without any extra monthly charges. Rachio has no subscription lan and once you invest in buying the smart water sprinkler, you can use it to the fullest without any extra charge.
On the other hand, the Hydrawise HC water sprinkler offers many features buy default but if you want to use the fullest of your smart sprinkler, you will have to get the ‘Enthusiast’ plan by paying for it. The cost of the enthusiast plan is $60 per year. Having the enthusiast plan, you can get access to 100,000= weather stations. You can also monitor up to 5 stations at a time, it enables you to provide hyper local rainfall monitoring. You also get SMS alerts on your registered device and multiple users can use your account through various different devices.
Thus, Rachio again gets and upper hand here because it offers all the features without any additional charges.
Similarities
1. 8 Zone Control
Zone control defines the size of the area on which a particular smart water sprinkler can work. Both the Racxhio and the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler provide you with options of 8 zone models. The 8 zone model is suitable for most of the residential houses. These devices have other options available as well but 8 zone model is common in both the brands.
2. Weather Intelligence
The weather intelligence in the devices let you get access to many weather stations and forecasts the weather in your area. This enables the device to schedule the watering and adjust it according to the weather reports. This saves a great deal of time, money and energy and of course the water. Both the Rachio and the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinklers have the feature of weather intelligence.
3. Rain Sensors
Rain sensors are present in both the Rachio and the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler. This backs up for the weather intelligence features and makes sure that your lawn or the garden gets an adequate amount of watering as and when required.
4. Soil Sensors
Soil sensors are also present in both rachio and Hydrawise HC system and this again helps in ensuring the right amount of watering to be provided to the area.
5. App
Both the Rachio and the Hydrawise HC water sprinklers give you the ability to control them through a mobile app. Both thee brands have their respective apps for both Android and iOS systems.
6. Smart Assistance
Both these water sprinkler systems are compatible with Amazon Alexa. This is a very useful features for the Alexa users as they can control their device through their smart home assistant as well besides being able to control it through the mobile app and by manual control.
7. Warranty
When you buy any of these smart water sprinklers, be it the Rachio or the Hydrawise Hc sprinkler, they come with a warranty of two years.
Features And Technical Specifications Of Rachio
- Zones: 8 zone, 16 zones
- Weight: 1.2 Lbs
- Dimensions: 9.25 inches (length) x 5.625 inches (height) x 1.625 inches (width)
- Power Supply: External transformer (6 feet cord – 2.5 mm x 5.5 mm dimensions Female barrel plug)
- Transformer Power Input: 120 V AC/ 60 Hz
- Transformer Power Output: 24 V AC
- Designed for: 24 V AC
- Other software integration: Nest, Amazon Alexa, IFTTT, Wink, Control 4, Nexia
- Rain sensor
- Soil sensor
- Flow sensor (in 2nd Gen)
- Wi- Fi connection: 2.4 Ghz
- Weather Proof
- Optimum temperature: 31 degrees to 140 degress Fahrenheit
- Seasonal Auto adjustment
Features And Technical Specifications of Hydrawise HC
- Zones: 6 zone and 12 zone (expandable to 36 zone)
- Weight : 6.1 ounce
- Dimensions: 170 mm x 150 mm x 35 mm
- Expandable zone
- Wi-Fi connections: 2.4 GHz b/g
- Designed for 24 V AC solenoids
- Short circuit protection up to 800mA
- Water scheduling set up
- Rain sensor
- Soil sensor
- Touch screen function
- Working pressire of 232 PSI
- Minimum flow – 0.22 GPM
- Maximum Flow – 21.2 GPM
Overview Of Rachio
Rachio has emerged as one of the mot popular brands in the market for smart water sprinklers. Giving options of 8 zone and 16 zone models, the Rachio smart water sprinkler works on 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n network. Due to this, the Rachio water sprinkler provides great speed of transmission. Having a rain sensor, soil sensor, etc, the Rachio water sprinkler is equipped with weather intelligence that gets access to more than a million weather stations that gives an accurate weather forecast of your region and helps you One of the best advantage of the rachio water sprinkler that you can use it outdoor as well. For installing the water sprinkler outdoor, you will have to purchase an outdoor enclosure for it. The Rachio water sprinkler is compatible with most of the smart home controllers and integrates with most of the controlling systems. Altogether the Rachio smart water sprinkler is one of the best smart water sprinkler systems for any residential home. If you want more of Rachio, you should check out Rachio vs. Blossom.
Pros:
- Weather intelligence
- Compatible with smart home controllers
- Reduces water bills by 50%
- Good customer service
Cons:
- Difficult to install
- Complicated settings
Overview Of Hydrawise HC
Hydrawise HC is one of the leading brands in the market that provides smart water sprinklers. Giving options of 8 zone and 12 zone models, the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler works on 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g network. AS it lacks the n network, it is not as fast in transmission. Having a rain sensor, soil sensor, etc, the Hydrawise HC water sprinkler is equipped with weather intelligence. However, it allows access to only about 10,000 weather stations which is not enough to provide an accurate weather forecast of the region. However, if one gets the ‘enthusiast subscription’, this feature gets enhanced and then there is access to about 1 million weather stations which is quite enough to give an accurate result. One of the best advantages of the Hydrawise HC water sprinkler that its 12-zone model can be expanded to 36 zones with the help of the expansion module. This increases the coverage area many folds. The Hydrawise HC water sprinkler is not water proof and thus, it cannot be installed outside the house. Moreover, it is compatible with only the Amazon’s Alexa. Unfortunately for the Google users, its not compatible with Google Home. Therefore, inspite of being a good smart water sprinkler, Hydrawise HC lacks behind as it is not compatible with most of the smart home controllers and requires a monthly charge for getting the full use of it.
Pros
- Expandable to 36 zones
- Soil and rain sensor
- Android App
Cons:
- Incompatibility with smart home controllers
- Monthly subscription charges
- Cannot be installed outdoors
FAQs:
1. Is the Rachio irrigation system compatible with Alexa?
Yes, the Rachio smart home sprinkler system is compatible with Alexa as well most other smart home controllers like IFTTT, SmartThings, Nest, etc.
2. Does the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler support Google Home?
No. Unfortunately for the Google users, the Hydrawise HC smart hone systems is not compatible with Google Home.
3. Is the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler water proof?
No, the Hydrawise G=HC system is not water proof.
4. Can we use more than one zone at a time in Hydrawise HC system?
No, you can use only one zone at a time due to power output restrictions.
5. Does my controller water when there is no internet?
Offline Watering Adjustments are only applicable when the unit is shown as offline on the Dashboard that is 30 minutes after the controller loses the internet and the next scheduled irrigation cycle for each zone is complete.
Bottom Line
Rachio wins as a better smart water sprinkler system than its counterpart i.e. the Hydrawise HC smart water sprinkler as it has an upper hand in weather intelligence, compatibility with smart home controllers, etc.
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