The Roomba 694 is the most current model with Wi-Fi (for on/off remote control through a smartphone app), but at times you might be able to find a more basic model, without Wi-Fi. This affordable robot vacuum is quieter and fits under more furniture than most models we’ve tested. While it works best in small spaces, it rarely gets stuck, and it does a good job on bare floors and short-pile rugs. We tested many of the newest Roomba products from iRobot, including six robot vacuums and one robot mop. We used real-life situations to test the robots’ cycles and monitored their ability to navigate common obstacles, from cords to furniture.
I’m PCMag’s expert on fitness and smart home technology, and I’ve written more than 6,000 articles and reviews in the 10-plus years I’ve been here. I unbox, set up, test, and review a wide range of consumer tech products from my home in Florida, often with the help of my pitbull Bradley. I’m also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. I’m PCMag’s executive editor of reviews, steering our coverage to make sure we’re testing the products you’re interested in buying and telling you whether they’re worth it. I previously managed the consumer electronics reviews team, and before that I covered mobile, smart home, and wearable technology for PCMag and Gigaom. The height, rounded up to the nearest half-inch, of the shortest vertical space the robotic vacuum could enter while operating.
But some great robots rely instead on a camera or gyroscopes , and they also get the job done—just a little slower, while bonking into more stuff, and with a slightly higher chance of missing areas. We’ve also tested some cheap bump bots that are slightly different from the standard-issue Eufy, including the Eureka Groove. That bot was basically fine, but it couldn’t match the agility of the Eufy model or the durability of the Roomba bots we’ve tested.
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 shark cordless 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.
In 2017 iRobot released the 890 with Wi-Fi connectivity that can be started with an app and various personal-assistant software. Roomba is a series of autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners made by the company iRobot. Introduced in September 2002, they have a set of sensors that enable them to navigate dyson robot vacuum the floor area of a home. These sensors can detect the presence of obstacles, particularly dirty spots on the floor, and steep drops (e.g., to avoid falling down stairs). The Wyze Robot Vacuum’s low price and competitive feature set make it a nice option for first-time robot vacuum buyers.
If you’re tired of manually emptying your current bot’s bursting dustbin on the daily, the Roomba i3+ EVO will eliminate that chore. It’s a particularly compelling option if you suffer from allergies, because it also uses a high-efficiency filter to capture allergens as it cleans. You no longer have to suffer the indignity of dragging around an unwieldy plastic hose connected to a clumsy, wheeled canister the size of a Galapagos tortoise. Robot vacuums can help you dispose of dust, pet hair, and other debris in your home without requiring you to lift a finger.
The RoboVac G30 offers a lot of power for its size, and it automatically increases the suction when it moves over carpets and heavily soiled areas. Floors cluttered with obstacles like wires, charging cords, toys, shoes and clothing can stop robots in their tracks. Some robot vacuum models clean tile, wood flooring and different types of carpet better than others. We also found the Roborock Q5 to be easier to use and program than other robots we tested, including the iRobot Roomba i3 EVO. On the robot vac itself, you’ll find a power button and a home button; the latter can send the device back to the dock or tell it to spot-clean if you hold it for a few seconds.