Is anybody else experiencing issues with the Rachio integration?
It’s been happening for a few days now that the integration does not retrieve the proper info from the service, e.g.
the Rachio schedule is running as it has been set up on the Rachio website, but the integration doesn’t recognize it (i.e. the status of the Zone switches doesn’t change)
and
I can use the zone and schedule switches to trigger an activity of the Rachio service itself but it doesn’t feed back through the integration.
This just changed suddenly a few days ago; worked all fine until Jan 10th.
BTW:
My HA instance is not set up to be remotely accessible (other than through WireGuard), but that has previously not been a problem.
Restarting HA or reloading the integration as no effect.
I having been having this issue for a few weeks, but mine has not fixed itself. Like you mentioned I can control everything from Home Assistant, but nothing updates back.
Did you change anything to possibly fix this?
Was testing again this AM. If you reload the integration while rachio is active everything updates correctly. When anything changes HA does not update again until the integration is reloaded. Seems to be a polling issue with the Rachio API.
I had recently changed my external URL into HA. I never updated the external link in settings. Once I updated it and reloaded the integration everything work. Rachio webhooks need the external address to send back to your HA instance.
Is anyone using the Homekit integration with Rachio 3?
When I add the rachio to my network, it is detected and added using the homekit controller (after adding the pairing code), but few days after it stops working with msg:
Retrying setup: Timeout while waiting for connection to device
I cannot see anything else on the logs
I delete the integration, I restart to factory the rachio and it works for a few more days, then, same issue.
Any idea?
To clarify, you’re using the integration without your HA being externally accessible? Based on the docs it seems that that would be a requirement for getting updates.
With updates, I was referring to the various HA sensors updating when the state on the Rachio side changes. My understanding from the docs is that an external link is required for that to work. See documentation:
In order for Rachio switches and sensors to update, your Home Assistant instance must be accessible from the internet, either via Home Assistant Cloud or another method. See the Remote Access documentation for more information.
I am trying to decide if I should get the Rachio or BHyve, which doesn’t seem to have that requirement for the HACS integration. But if you’re saying it’s also not needed for Rachio that would be a big plus.
External access is required for Rachio, either through HA cloud or some other method. The updates use webhooks and they need a way to reach your HA instance. The new Rachio smart hose timer will be different, as it will use polling and not require external access, at least for the time being.
Thanks for clarifying. @brg468 is there a reason that polling isn’t supported for the other Rachio systems?
@chairstacker did you figure out a way to get the webhooks work via VPN, or you some other way, since you mentioned that you don’t have access through an external link?
Apart Fri the 2 or 3 random disconnects between Rachio and Home Assistant over the last 6 months I had nothing out of the ordinary.
I have set up an automation, though, where my Flume sensor on the water meter triggers a notification when it senses a flow for more than 10 minutes without one of the Rachio zone switches being on.
I then just reload the Rachio integration or restart Home Assistant which fixes the issue - not ideal, but ok for me.
I wanted to add my Rachio to home assistant, while the integration was easy to set up, I don’t like opening holes to network for webhooks. So I created Rachio local plugin.
[rachio_local: Simplified and Secured for Home Assistant Integration]
(GitHub - biofects/rachio_local: rachio_local) (Beta Release)
While the name “rachio_local” might suggest purely local control, this integration actually takes a different approach to enhance security in your Home Assistant setup. Instead of true local control, it leverages Rachio’s APIs without relying on webhooks.
Why No Webhooks?
The traditional Rachio integration requires exposing your Home Assistant instance to the internet to receive webhook updates. This creates unnecessary security risks for your home automation setup. By avoiding webhooks, rachio_local eliminates the need to expose any ports or create public endpoints.
How It Works
The integration polls Rachio’s APIs directly to get device states and send commands. While this means we’re still using cloud APIs, the key difference is that all communication is outbound from your Home Assistant instance. This approach:
Keeps your Home Assistant instance secure behind your firewall
Eliminates the need for SSL certificates and port forwarding
Maintains reliable control of your Rachio devices
Provides near real-time updates through efficient polling
Simple Setup
Getting started with rachio_local is straightforward - just add the integration to Home Assistant and provide your Rachio API key. No additional security configuration or network changes required.
Please let me know if this solution will work for you or any improvements you would like.
