The very first impression that one has when one visits the place is how clean the lawn is and how green it is. Gone are the days when people use to sprinkle the water through different pipes, now there are modern sprinklers which are available to control. We bring to you 2 such smart sprinkler controlling system which have many features and which have made a mark in the market. The 2 smart sprinkler controlling system that we are going to discuss are Rachio and Spruce. Now, let’s start.
Our Verdict
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While having a neck to neck comparison it is seen that both the devices have many similarities and less of differences. However, Rachio with its sophisticated features stands out in the market as compared to Spruce. The important reason that has kept Rachio supreme than Spruce is the provision of Rachio to integrate with any smart home devices. The other reasons which contribute to buy Rachio over Spruce are more zone control, wireless flow meters and additional Wi-Fi Support. If you don’t want any smart home integration then Spruce is a device.
Spruce Vs Rachio: Comparison Chart
| Specifications | Spruce | Rachio |
|---|---|---|
| Warranty | 1 year | 2 year |
| Wink | No | Yes |
| Nest | No | Yes |
| IFTTT | No | Yes |
| 8 Zone | No | Yes |
| 16 Zone | Yes | Yes |
| Wired Flow Sensors | Supported | No |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Similarities
1. Saves Water
Since, both the devices are smart devices they both help you in conserving water. It conserves water buy adjusting the water supply according to the slope and also to the plant. A normal sprinkler would not do this and give water equally in all areas, which might lead your plant to not grow properly and addition to that there would be wastage of water.
2. Get Access Through Phone
The Spruce and Rachio apps can be downloaded on any android or iOS device. These app helps in controlling the devices from any location but these are only functionable having internet connections. These app helps you monitor your watering schedule and if you have not scheduled, then you can also start and stop the watering as per your convenience.
3. Manual Control
The devices can also be controlled manually from the device if you donot have a Wifi connection. Controlling the device manually is not that difficult, just with the press of a button your device can be operated.
4. Alexa And Google Assistant Paired
These devices can be paired with Alexa and Google Assistant, so you simply have to say “Alexa start Spruce” or “Ok Google start Rachio” and your watering will start.
5. Watering Adjusted By Weather Conditions
If you set a particular schedule for watering and if it rains suddenly, both these devices take predictions from their own weather prediction database and make a customized schedule for you so you don’t need worry whether your lawn will get extra water and spoil the quality of soil.
6. Soil Moisture Sensor
It might happen that your weather detection system might not work due to some circumstances, both the systems being smart systems they provide you with a back of soil moisture sensor. So, if the weather detection doesn’t work then your soil moisture will be sensed and accordingly the lawn will be watered.
7. Wired Flow Meter
The main reason of putting a smart sprinkler controlling system is to save water and save water bills and indirectly save money. With the help of a Wired Flow Meter you can easily check the amount of water which is consumed and detects leak in the system and gives you an alert for the same.
Differences
1. Smart Home Integration
We live in a generation where we like everything to be served at a snap. Devices having smart home integration is the need of the hour.
Rachio and Spruce are the devices which use Wifi connectivity but unfortunately only Rachio can be integrated with various devices at home. The Rachio uses a 5ghz frequency which makes it stand out in the crowd.
2. Wireless Flow Meter
As we saw in the similarity section that both the system provides you with a Flow Meter, but these flow meters are Wired Flow Meter.
The Rachio flow meter comes with a Wireless Flow meter which means that if there is any leakage then it will not only alert you regarding the leakage but it will also shut the watering to that particular place. This feature becomes useful as you donot loose water which is required for other areas.
Apart from this advantage, it also detects the various abnormalities that take place for exam clogging in the pipe, excessive root growth etc.
These are the most advance feature that any system in the market can offer, which is the reason Rachio is considered as the most advanced product as compared to Spruce.
3. Zones
Every area in the lawn needs to be given a customized treatment. So, these product divide your lawn into zones so that they can be given a tailored treatment. The Spruce can divide your lawn only upto 16 zones but the Rachio can divide your lawn into 8 and 16 different zones.
Features & Specifications Of Rachio
- It has 3 different models, to cover a minimum of 8 zones and maximum of 16 zones.
- Wireless Flow Meter.
- Integration with the Smart Home Products.
- Soil Moisture Sensor.
- Water adjusted through Weather Condition.
- Manual Control.
Features & Specifications Of Spruce
- Soil Moisture Sensor.
- Water adjusted through Weather Condition.
- Manual Control.
- Wired Flow Meter.
- Covers maximum of 16 zones.
What You Get In The Box
Rachio
- Base
- Cover
- Adapter
- 4 screws with anchor
- Moisture Sensor
- Yard Care Kit
- Flow Meter
- User Manual
- Installation Manual
Spruce
- Controller
- Adapter
- 4 screws with anchor
- Moisture Sensor
- Flow Meter
- User Manual
- Installation Manual
Overview Of Rachio
We have seen the similarities and the difference between the two product and we have observed that Rachio stands out to be a winner. Rachios ability to get integrated with the smart home appliances truly makes it the appliance for the need of the hour. It has also got the ability to cover a maximum of 16zones.Rachio would be in the to buy list of any person who wishes to take care of their lawn without any compromise in the luxury.
- Wireless Flow Meter
- Moisture Sensor
- Rain sensor
- Elevation and Shape Adjustment.
- Pricey
Overview Of Spruce
The Spruce covers a maximum of 8 zones. It has the capability to adjust the watering schedule with the help of sensors, so that your lawn doesn’t get excessive water. The spruce also has the ability to schedule the watering as per the slope of the lawn so that every area gets the amount of water that is required.
- Moisture Sensor
- Elevation and Shape Adjustment.
- Rain sensor
- Wired Flow Meter
- Cannot be integrated with smart home devices
- Covers a maximum of only 8 zones
FAQs
1. What happens if I lose power while using Rachio?
Rachio controller has built in memory. So if your power goes off then you need to worry about the system. The device will regain its functionalities once the power is back.
2. What happens if I lose Wi-Fi in Rachio?
Rachio has a system to connect to your wifi every 30 seconds when the wifi goes off for 24 hours after which the system will go offline. In this case you then need to control the device manually. However, you need not to worry about the watering schedule as the rachio has a memory to water your lawn according to the schedule.
3. How safe is my Rachio controller from mischievous users on the internet?
Rachio specifically adheres to keep a 8 character long security password which helps you protect from the mischievous users on the internet. Also, the system would not detect any wifi network access less than WPA2 encryption.
Bottom Line
We have kept in front of you the specification of each product and we have made sure that we cover all the technicalities as well. We hope that by going through this article you will be able to make the correct decision for your lawn and keep it greener. What is spruce is not your type, You should check out, Skydrop halo vs Rachio.
Rachio 3 - Editor's Choice
Summary
Rachios ability to get integrated with the smart home appliances truly makes it the appliance for the need of the hour. It has also got the ability to cover a maximum of 16zones.Rachio would be in the to buy list of any person who wishes to take care of their lawn without any compromise in the luxury.
Pretty blatant mis representation of Spruce. Spruce was built with Smart things integration in mind for home automation and works with Hubitat, Google and Alexa. Wireless flow meters are inherently inaccurate so that’s not a plus. In most cases, and extra pair of wires should be at the valves (if your irrigation installer didn’t cheap out) so you can use it for the flow meter. There have been a lot of complaints of the spruce moisture sensors dropping out of the Zigbee network but that may be due to lack of proper repeaters. Either way, sensors may not be a plus.