Rachio to Offer First Matter-Compatible Smart Landscape Lighting Controller

Smart home exterior specialists Rachio are expected to release a landscape lighting controller, which will bring Matter-controlled lighting to your garden.

The Rachio Smart Lighting Controller will support three lighting zones, and complement Rachio’s other smart outdoors hardware. Among its other items are a Smart Hose Timer, drip kits, and sprinkler controllers.

Who are Rachio?

Based in Denver, Colorado, and founded in 2013, Rachio’s aim so far has been to help customers save water. Its first product, a smart sprinkler controller, hit the market in 2014 . Since then, the range is believed to have saved an amazing 150 billion gallons of water (Forbes).

In 2023, a Smart Hose Timer was added to Rachio’s range of smart devices. This brings a greater level of control to lawn watering, and is preferable to an old fashioned timer. 

Both of these items are notable for relying on traditional Wi-Fi for connectivity, rather than Zigbee or Z-Wave. This makes the adoption of Matter for the upcoming Rachio Smart Lighting Controller all the more surprising.

What is a Smart Lighting Controller?

If you want to get your lights online, you need a controller. This is an interface that allows you to control your lights remotely, across the network. Such a device typically has wireless connectivity and Ethernet.

Indoors, the task is incorporated into smart hubs and smart lamps themselves. Outdoors, however, lighting is different. Not only does it typically need to illuminate a larger area, exterior lighting requires a power source. A lighting controller provides this, while a smart lighting controller incorporates networking.

The result: you can control your landscape lighting from the comfort of your home.

What Do We Know About the Rachio Smart Lighting Controller?

Full details of the device are still to be released. Here’s what we do know about the Rachio Smart Lighting Controller from their Matter certification.

• Part number: LC101-200W-3Z
• Power: 200W
• Type: three zone lighting controller
• Network: Wi-Fi, Matter

Further information will be added when we have it.

When Can You Buy the Rachio Smart Lighting Controller?

At this time, the Rachio Smart Lighting Controller looks to be announced as the first Matter-compatible smart lighting controller for gardens and yards. However, it is currently unavailable for purchase. The release date for the device has not yet been announced, but we’ll let you know as soon as that information is available.