10 Apps To Help You Control Your Robot Vacuum

How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're able to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and don't mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose a model with an uncluttered base that can work with voice assistants.

It is the best vacuum we have tested at picking up dirt and pet hair from hardwood floors, tile, and carpeting with low pile. It also maps and set virtual no-go zones for rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum cleaner can help you keep track of the dust, pet fur and dander that collects on your floor every day. It can also reduce the frequency at which you have to deep clean and saves you time and effort. The best models have powerful suction that can take on the majority of messes and leave your house cleaner.

You can cover more area by using a robot vacuum as well as a mop, which is especially useful if you have an extensive home. There are models with a tank for water either in the chassis itself or as an extra piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It'll need to be emptied and refilled and refilled, which is an additional task.

In ideal world, you'd clear your floors before you used your robot vacuum to prevent it from hitting things. In most homes, however, this is not possible or desirable. Thankfully, most models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot can detect and avoid. Some have no-go zones which you can use to mark areas you don't want the robot to be in, like kids rooms or a pile of device cords in the corner.

This model is a great choice if you want a basic robot cleaner that does not have all the bells and whistles. It's quiet, it works on both hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed using the app to vacuum and mop at your own convenience. It has a long battery life of around 180 minutes.

2. Simple to operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They use navigation tools like sensors, lasers and cameras to move through obstacles and collect food particles, dust and pet hair from flooring, tile, hardwood and low-pile carpets. Many models have boundary strips to help them remain in a room. The more expensive models can be programmed to start up at a certain time and start cleaning. Some models include fall detection technology to help users avoid falling down the stairs or getting caught in cords.

Look for models that allow you to control from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also look for models that connect to Wi-Fi and allow you to begin a cleaning session from anywhere via an app. You might want to choose one with a long-lasting battery and an enormous dust bin, based on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums can double as mops, using water reservoirs to clean your floor. This is helpful for everyday mopping, but will not work for tough messes like pet poop, or other wet spills. You can pick hybrids with an adjustable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying model that allows you to stay up to 60 days before emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots utilize advanced mapping technology to build a detailed map while they clean. This helps them avoid bumping into furniture and getting caught on cords or chairs. This feature is usually only available on more expensive models, but it's certainly one of the best ways to ensure your robot has a full understanding of the layout of your house and knows where to go next when it's low on battery.

If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your home that you'd rather it stay away from (like your children's toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide the possibility of creating virtual barriers, either through their apps or physical boundary strips. This lets you block off zones that you don't want your robot venture into, so it can concentrate its attention on the rooms and spaces that need the most attention.

Many robots can also automatically navigate to different floors depending on the flooring they're cleaning, be it they're switching between hard and carpet or focusing on specific areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. In our tests this was a helpful feature that helped improve their performance in picking up hardwood and low-pile carpeting. But, it's still essential to secure furniture and cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn't get stuck or get into something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums are WiFi-connected and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts that allow you to control them using voice commands or through your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems that create a map of your space after each cleaning session, so they can "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future trips. Some have obstacle avoidance features built in that prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots have an remote control that can be used to guide them around your house. However, most can also be controlled with a mobile app, which gives you more features. You can set up multiple cleaning schedules and create an inventory of your preferred rooms. You can also manually guide the robot with the directional arrows.

Some models provide no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can create within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for children or dog beds and bowls). Some apps let you create an outline of your home and provide more detailed information about the floors. The roborock robot vacuum (Gohammer Co said in a blog post) S7+ app has a number of useful features to aid in cleaning the house. However, its interface isn't quite as polished as that from iRobot or shark vacuum and mop robot.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that can sweep your entire home without stopping to recharge or to empty their bins save time and effort. Some of them work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also make an outline of the space that allows you to program them for specific areas or rooms, and to stay clear of obstacles.

Most robot vacuums offer some level of object detection however, higher-end models such as the iRobot j7 offer sophisticated features like "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that can really simplify your life (although our test bot did "eat" socks). socks). If you're seeking to improve your home maintenance, consider an automated mop that comes with a water container that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models we tested could match the ability to pick up dirt of a stand-up vacuum they were able to do a fantastic job cleaning hard floors as well as carpets with low pile. They are excellent at sweeping up food crumbs and tracked-in dirt. They can even tackle some stray cat litter and metal screws and nuts. The most effective robot vacuums are able to easily maneuver around furniture and do a great job of cleaning corners and edges as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the right setup, a robot vacuum can aid in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh on a regular basis without much work from you. You can schedule cleanings using the app, and create no-go zones so that your robot doesn't step on your plants or sit on your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks will empty their dustbins and clean their docking station.

The top robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for weeks or even months at a time, saving you from the tedious chore of manually cleaning your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This lets you spend more time doing things you enjoy and decreases the amount of time that your floors require to be cleaned manually.

During testing during testing, Q Revo was able to grab small particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also picked up heavier debris like metal screws and nails and fluffy things like pet hair. It does not have the smart mapping and object-avoiding features of our top picks but is still a great choice for families with children.

The best thing about the j7 is its ability to detect and avoid obstacles such as power cords as well as socks and shoes and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up after using your robot. However, messy rooms may cause your bot to become stuck and do an inadequate job.