Be smart, stay dumb.

Back to the sheet Garden & Tools Watering · B3
Rachio 3
B3 · Hall of smart-shame Oh no, you didn’t?

Rachio 3

By Rachio.

$199
Amazon US, October 2026. Prices change.

A sprinkler controller that needs Wi-Fi and Rachio’s servers to run its schedule around the weather forecast. When either is down, so is the lawn.

Online
Wi-Fi, Ethernet or cellular. An attacker can be anywhere, and it can collect data.
Cloud-dependent
Needs the maker's servers or app to work, so the maker can switch it off.

Buy the dumb one instead

We do not link to the smart one. You can find it.

Survival checklist

What it survives, next to the dumb one.
1
=SURVIVES(threat)Survives…
ThisRachio 3
The dumb oneDumb oneBehrens steel watering can
2
Power cut
FALSE
TRUE
3
Wi-Fi goes down
FALSE
TRUE
4
The company switches off its servers
FALSE
TRUE
5
Someone tries to hack it
FALSE
TRUE
6
A firmware update goes wrong
FALSE
TRUE
7
Twenty years from now
FALSE
TRUE
8
=COUNTIF(TRUE)Total
0 of 60/6
6 of 66/6

The dumb one is the Behrens steel watering can.

Row 3

See it in the sheetIn the sheet
You are here

Checks the forecast. Waters anyway.

Rachio 3

$199
Online · Cloud-dependent Sprinklers with a forecast feed.
#N/A

We looked. Sorry.

Rain also works. Try your local cloud.