"Does RainMachine keep watering if the internet goes down?"

"Yes. Home Assistant controls RainMachine over the local network, and the controller runs its own schedules on-device. An internet outage takes out remote access and forecast lookups, not the watering itself."

"Do I need a subscription to use RainMachine with Home Assistant?"

"No. The integration path Selora deploys is local and subscription-free. Watering history and controls stay on your own hardware instead of a manufacturer cloud."

"Can Home Assistant skip watering when it rains?"

"Yes. Automations can set a rain delay or skip a program based on forecast data, an on-site rain sensor, or soil moisture readings, usually more flexibly than the manufacturer's own app allows."

RainMachine & Home Assistant

Irrigation

RainMachine controllers are cloud-independent by design: the weather engine runs on the device itself, pulling NOAA, MET Norway, or personal weather station data to adjust each day’s watering. Home Assistant’s core RainMachine integration talks to the controller’s local API, exposing every zone and program as a switch alongside pause controls, watering restrictions, and optional flow meter entities.

That architecture means nothing about the installation depends on the manufacturer’s cloud: schedules, weather adjustments, and Home Assistant control all keep working with the internet down. Zone and program switches are linked while a program runs, and services cover rain delays, restrictions, and pushing custom weather data to the controller.

Hardware availability

Hardware is sold out at the official RainMachine store as of mid-2026, so new units are typically sourced secondhand. Local control is unaffected by the company’s cloud status: the on-board weather engine and Home Assistant’s local API integration keep working regardless.

Local control No cloud required

Selora RainMachine devices

Visit RainMachine Home Assistant

HA Documentation

How RainMachine Works with Home Assistant

Getting RainMachine connected to Home Assistant and running reliably.

1

Local connection

Home Assistant connects to RainMachine over the local network. Zones, programs, and sensors appear as entities you can control and automate.

2

Zones & schedules

Run any zone for a set number of minutes, trigger full programs, or set a rain delay, from the dashboard, voice, or an automation.

3

Weather-aware watering

Combine RainMachine with forecast data, a rain gauge, or soil moisture sensors so watering skips automatically when it is not needed.

Common RainMachine Issues

The problems installers run into with RainMachine and Home Assistant — and how a managed setup prevents them.

Cloud apps bolted onto dumb timers

Many consumer sprinkler controllers only work through the manufacturer's cloud. If the service is discontinued or paywalled, the hardware is stranded. RainMachine is deployed for its local control path, which keeps working regardless.

Weak wireless where the controller lives

Controllers get mounted in garages and utility rooms at the edge of wireless coverage. Dropped connections make zones show unavailable and schedules unreliable until coverage is fixed.

Valve wiring surprises on retrofit

Swapping an old timer for RainMachine means re-landing zone commons, master valve, and rain sensor wires. Mislabeled or shared wires cause zones that never fire or fire in pairs.

A stuck valve waters all night

A failed solenoid or a lost stop command can leave a zone running for hours. Without runtime monitoring and alerts, the first sign is a flooded lawn or a water bill.

Why installers choose managed RainMachine irrigation

Local-first configuration so schedules survive internet outages
Skip logic wired to real data: rain, forecast, and soil moisture
Runtime monitoring that alerts on stuck valves and zones that never ran
Seasonal adjustment reviewed and tuned instead of set-and-forget

Learn How We Manage RainMachine

RainMachine devices we deploy

Hardware from the Selora catalog that runs on this integration. Every unit is tested and supported as part of a managed installation.

View full RainMachine catalog

Irrigation

2 devices

Mini-8 (2nd generation)

RainMachine

An 8-zone Wi-Fi sprinkler controller with the same cloud-independent, on-device weather intelligence as the Touch HD line in a compact touch-keypad format. Home Assistant drives zones and programs over the local API through the core RainMachine integration, with daily weather adjustments computed on the controller itself.

Touch HD-12

RainMachine

A 12-zone Wi-Fi sprinkler controller with a 6.5-inch touchscreen and an on-device weather engine that adjusts watering daily from NOAA, MET Norway, or personal weather station data, with no cloud in the loop. Home Assistant's core RainMachine integration controls zones, programs, and restrictions over the local API, and everything keeps running when the internet is down.