The S series also includes linking technology that allows the Roomba to communicate wirelessly with other iRobot products, where the Braava Jet M6 can automatically be set to mop after the s9 has finished vacuuming. This robot features the company’s smart mapping technology and sensors that are made to scan ahead dyson robot vacuum at a rate of 25 times per second to detect obstacles in its path. This bundle comes with an extra edge-sweeping brush and a filter to keep up in homes with the most pet hair. Avoid letting the Roomba jostle the water bowls in the corner by designating a “keep-out zone” for areas that don’t need to be tackled.
After setting up a keep-out zone with the iRobot app, the robot will steer clear of these rectangular areas no matter what cleaning cycle is chosen. The brand’s additional device can also create virtual barriers to fence in a Roomba. Roombas use “dirt detect” technology to focus their cleaning efforts, so a unit may spend longer in one area until the sensors detect fewer particles. Models will have varying placement of the sensors and will therefore move differently.
The key is that bots don’t procrastinate or get bored, so they spend more time cleaning, and they clean more thoroughly, than almost any human. Pet owners and people with young kids in particular seem to gain a lot from bots, but many robot vacuum owners have told us that they are amazed at how clean their floors look and feel after they start using one regularly. If you run your bot a few times per week, or even every day, crumbs and pet hair will never get a chance to pile up; the mess is gone before it becomes a nuisance, with very little effort on your part required. In addition to an effective cleaning routine and a carpet boost, it has a long-lasting battery time and a large dustbin.
The Roomba Model 401 was similar but had a standard-size dust bin and vacuum system. Room size is detected automatically based on the longest straight-line path that can be driven; instead of buttons for room size, their buttons are “Clean”, “Spot”, and “Max”. That means you’re looking for a robot that can traverse different floor types or maneuver around furniture without your help. This is especially true if you have dark flooring, as infrared sensors might mistake a black carpet for a ledge, and refuse to pass over it.
First-generation models must be recharged from a wall power adapter, while all subsequent models have a self-charging homebase that the unit seeks out at the end of a cleaning session via infrared beacons. For more, see our lists of the best robot vacuums for pet hair and the best robot mops. If you have both carpet and hard flooring throughout your home, you might want to consider a hybrid that can do double duty as a vacuum and a mop, such as the Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI or the Bissell SpinWave Wet and Dry. Standalone robot mops aren’t eligible for this list because they don’t suck up dirt and debris, but they can leave your hard floors nice and shiny. In our testing, it cleaned for up to 145 minutes in Auto mode before running low on juice—a good battery life result. It never got stuck on common obstacles like power cords and long curtains, and had no trouble sucking up dust, hair, and other debris.
Infrared “cliff sensors” on the bottom of Roombas similarly prevent them from falling off ledges such as stairways. These slow down the Roomba when nearing obstacles, to reduce its force of impact. It’s also used to clean alongside walls without bumping into the wall repeatedly. This technology is also able to distinguish between hard and soft obstacles. When it encounters potential obstacles that aren’t in its database, the j7+ snaps photos and asks you whether it should avoid those areas in the future. It only takes about a minute to review the obstacle images, and doing so can prove extremely useful.
Coordination with the iRobot app allows users some typically higher-end features such as online scheduling and voice activation with Alexa or Google Assistant. Though the 694 has lower suction than other more advanced models, it is one of the most affordable robot vacuums. Its three-stage cleaning system and multisurface brush lift dirt efficiently, while an edge-sweeping brush tackles corners and edges. Battery life is also important to consider based on the size of your home. In general, most robot vacuums can run for between 60 and 70 minutes, which should be enough to tackle smaller homes and apartments.
We were surprised the first time the 11S disappeared under a bed—and then more surprised when it reemerged with an unholy amount of cat hair stuffed into its bin and wrapped about the brush roll. In early 2022, iRobot added several new features to the app, including smart mapping dyson robot vacuum and integration with Siri voice commands. The Roomba i3 EVO has two counter-rotating “extractor” rolls, which we’ve found to be excellent for cleaning rugs and resisting tangles. It also has much more suction than Roomba 600-series bots, which helps its bare-floor pickup.
The laser-nav bots also tend to bump into less stuff than the Roomba bots do and complete their jobs faster as a result. However, we still predict that Roomba bots on average will last shark cordless longer than any of their competitors and work better at getting hair out of rugs. They’re more than a toy or a novelty item, and they can be a valuable floor-care tool in most homes.
Finally, we sprinkle a 2-ounce mixture of cat litter and coffee grounds in a space with a mix of bare wood and a low-pile rug. We run each bot for 25 minutes or until it stops on its own, whichever comes first. The Roborock Q5+ performs exactly the same as the Q5 but comes with a charging station that can empty debris from the robot right into a disposable bag. Although the function works well, we found the Roomba i3/i3+ to be more affordable and a better cleaner overall.