Hands-off cleaning can create problems when a Roomba encounters something it shouldn’t roll over, like cords or animal waste. In addition, besides the initial cost, some Roombas require ongoing cost in the form of cleaning pads and fluid for the mops and dustbin evacuation bags for the + models. The maximum height of a threshold that all Roomba models can transition over while cleaning is ⅝-inch or 1.6 centimeters. Higher thresholds may create unpredictable routes and could upset robot operation reliability if the machine is stuck. A Roomba, however, won’t match the power of or replace a standard vacuum.
Some do, including a version of our top pick, the iRobot Roomba i3+ EVO, and our also-great pick, the Roborock Q5+. Self-emptying robot vacuums come with a big charging dock that sucks debris out of the robot through a trapdoor in the dustbin and stores it in a disposable bag or a bagless bin. You still have to toss the bag or empty the bin regularly, and the charging stations are big, noisy, and kind of ugly, but the system saves you from having to empty the dustbin on the robot every time you vacuum.
The Roomba Open Interface allows programmers and roboticists to create their own enhancements. Roombas are driven by two independently-operating side wheels, which can drive the Roomba forwards and backwards as well as perform turns of any radius, including 360° turns in place. Rotary encoders on the wheels can detect the rate at which the wheels are spinning so it can determine if they’re slipping or stuck, and drop sensors detect if a wheel is too low . An undriven swivel caster (located at the front of most models, and at the back of the D-shaped S series) is used not for steering, as is often believed, but as an additional sensor.
Other RoboVac variants, including the 30C, 35C, and 15C Max, do have WiFi connectivity, which allows you to use a companion app to turn the appliance on or off, steer it, and set a cleaning schedule. Aided by multiple sensors and lasers, efficient navigation is the S7’s strong suit. The vacuum cleaner covered the entire floor of our test room in an average of just 16 minutes. CarpetShows how much surface litter and embedded dust the vacuum picked up from a medium-pile carpet. Shows how much surface litter and embedded dust the vacuum picked up from a medium-pile carpet.
Keeping a constant eye out for pet waste didn’t seem to slow the Roomba J7 down. This Roomba robot vacuum left about half of the material on the floor during this test. It can even mop and vacuum carpets within the same cleaning run by raising and lowering its mopping pad.
“Dock” mode, introduced with the third generation, instructs the Roomba to seek a charging base for recharging. Many second- and third-generation Roombas come packaged with infrared remote controls or special control panels, allowing a human operator to “drive” the Roomba to areas to be specially cleaned. We provide a detailed analysis of each of these vacuums in our reviews, and you can see our vacuum product guide for the latest models. If you specifically want to stick with the iRobot brand, we also have a roundup of the best Roombas. When you find the right one for you, be sure to read up on our simple robot vacuum tips. Finally, we test how easy it is to set up, program, and control the robot.
Keep a can of compressed air handy in case you need to blow dust out of gears or other hard-to-reach nooks in the bot. Wipe the sensors clean as needed, according to the manufacturer’s guidelines—usually with a microfiber cloth or cotton swab with a little water or rubbing alcohol. If you understand that you’ll probably be disappointed but want to try an AI bot anyway, consider the iRobot Roomba j7 (or j7+), which is a higher-end version of our top shark cordless picks and costs a little extra. Once we whittle down each test group to arrive at our picks, we keep running those bots, and we examine how loud each one is , what replacement parts are available, and what warranties are offered. If a robot runs across anything smearable, get ready to do some nasty cleanup. Senior staff writer Rachel Cericola first started testing smart-home devices more than 20 years ago, when the only smart-home devices were X10.
The brushless, rubberized rollers are great for pet hair; it earns an Excellent rating on that test. The Roomba i3 Evo is also sold as the Roomba i4 (and Roomba i4+) or Roomba i2 from certain retailers. That said, the Roomba S9 Plus removed an average 71% of sand from our medium pile carpet while vacuuming, which is the best result that we’ve seen on this specific test. It also cleaned up more dog hair, pet dander and allergens than any other vacuum in this test group. The S9 Plus can navigate and map multiple rooms and floors, while avoiding “keep-out zones” that you can designate. The app also lets you use Alexa or Google Assistant commands to tell it to begin cleaning a room.
However, unlike the Neato D7, our previous midrange robot vacuum pick, the Roborock S7 was much more effective at pulling sand away from both medium-pile (50.4%) and low-pile carpets (64.2%). On hardwood floors this Roomba picked up an average of 93% of our test sand, the second-highest amount in our test group. With 95% sand removal, the Neato Botvac D7 still reigns supreme on that test. In an open area, some models travel in a grid-like pattern in the area until they encounter obstacles.
It projects a pattern of infrared light, which the vacuum detects and treats as a physical wall, prompting it to stop and turn around. Third-generation and newer models are compatible with the Dual Mode Virtual Wall, which, in addition to simulating a straight wall, can create a circular barrier roughly 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter. Some 500-, 700- and 800-series models are compatible with the Virtual Wall Lighthouse. It initially confines the vacuum to one area to be cleaned; then, once the vacuum reports the area has been sufficiently cleaned , it directs it to proceed to the next space to be cleaned, and contains it there. Depending on the size of your house, a robot vacuum can save you anywhere from minutes to hours of your time every week by taking care of a pretty thankless chore.