Product name: Roborock S6 MaxV robot vacuum
Reviewed by: Joe Lonergan
Product Description
The Roborock S6 V Max is a robot Vacuum cleaner with a built-in mop.
It has Lidar technology and dual cameras, which will help see obstacles such as pet waste, cables, and chair legs in its path, instead of getting caught on an obstacle or causing a mess, it will avoid obstruction and clean without interruption. So, this will give guide dogs and pet owners peace of mind that the Roborock Vacuum does not drag around dog poo or any other unfortunate accidents that might happen.
It also has infra-red imaging which helps it see in the dark. It has AI obstacle avoidance technology so it can estimate the size of obstacles and decide the best way to clean around them. It is only compatible with 2.4GHZ Wi-Fi. Up to 10 No Go zones can be set up and room-specific vacuuming and mopping,
It is set up in the Roborock app. We decided to evaluate this product because vacuuming is one of those household chores that are notoriously difficult to do if you have vision loss. It is especially useful to have a robot vacuum if you are a guide dog owner to keep on top of all the hair that a dog will shed.
Unboxing/What are my first impressions of the item?
When I unboxed this item, I discovered that there was a charging dock that I had to plug in, then I placed the Roborock vacuum on the dock to start charging. I got an audible message from a female voice to let me know it was charging. The Roborock vacuum is about the size of a circular box of Roses, if you are not familiar with the popular brand of sweets, it measures about 12 inches in diameter and about 4 inches high.
After a while, I pressed one of the buttons and it announced started cleaning, so technically it can clean without connecting to the app. It took me a little while to figure out how to connect it to the app but looking back it was actually straightforward enough and very similar to connecting up other smart home products. First, I had to register an account in the Roborock app with an e-mail address and password and then I had to tap on add new device and select the name from the list. It followed up by giving me instructions on what to do next such as press Home and spot clean simultaneously on the vacuum to connect to Wi-Fi. After I connected the Roborock to Wi-Fi it prompted me to go back into the app. Then I could control the device from the Roborock app, which is mostly accessible.
I also got the option to link it to my smart speaker, which is Alexa. Siri and OK Google are also available. So, I could give a voice command like, “Alexa, ask Roborock to start cleaning”. The Roborock made an announcement, starting to clean and off it went around the floor picking up all the dust. When it first does a full clean it also maps out the floor using the built-in Lidar technology. It is fascinating to watch as it goes up and down the floor in straight lines, avoiding and taking note of obstacles as it goes. For the maps to be useful you may need sighted help to name the rooms or set up no-go areas as I did not find this part useable as a blind user.
Before starting a full clean it is a good idea to check the floor for loose objects like toys or cables, so all the floor area is covered. If on the rare occasion it happens to get stuck, you will get a notification on the app letting you know the wheel is suspended or any other problem it might recognise. You also get a notification when the bin is full. The bin is easy to empty, just lift up the flap and lift out the bin, and empty it into the rubbish.
There is a Spot Clean feature on the Roborock robot vacuum. This is handy if you want to cover a specific area, for example, if you spilled a product like breakfast cereal and wanted to pick it up easily. Carry over the Roborock S6 to the soiled area and press spot clean and it will vacuum a 5 by 5 square area. It will announce initiating spot clean and will let you know when it is finished. There are three physical buttons on the device Home, Clean, and Spot Clean, and they are easy enough to find and distinguish but you could place a bump-on on them if you wish.
What did I like?
I love the fact that it vacuumed the whole downstairs area without any major issues, and it seemed to do a very good job. I could only assess it on hard floors.
I like that it linked to my smart speaker, and I could use some voice commands with it.
The app was great for checking some things like battery status and how much cleaning was done and there is also a cool feature in the app that you can view the camera from your phone and check in on your home when you are away, I did not use this but it is available. It also gives you the ability to make an announcement from the robot vacuum.
You have the option to play around with the clean settings in the app such as the power and noise levels, you can even adjust the volume of the audio speaking voice that makes announcements like starting to clean and returning to the dock.
I liked that it also had the ability to mop. The mop actually follows behind after it picks up dust so there is no crossover.
What didn’t I like?
If you want it to get into certain areas, you have to move the furniture, but this is an obvious inconvenience.
I found some voice commands did not work from the Roborock skill on Alexa, this was frustrating.
Sometimes it had difficulty finding the dock and I would have to lift it and bring it closer so it would go back and charge up. It is important to find a good and permanent place for the dock so it is not in the way and the Roborock can easily find its way back to the dock consistently.
The mop was difficult to attach at first but once I was shown how it connected with sighted help it was fine, I also had to do a firmware update from the app before the mop would work correctly.
Accessibility
As smart home apps go, I found this product mostly accessible, apart from a couple of buttons that are not labeled correctly in the app. But the fact that I could link it to my smart speaker made it more accessible and made it easier to start cleaning when I felt the need. The buttons on the device were OK and were easy to get used to, mainly because there were only three of them.
Is there much of a learning curve?
If you are used to using smart home products there is not much of a learning curve. It is a very enjoyable learning curve because it is fascinating to see this device in action. The device and app are intuitive to use.
Current Price
Approx. €600.
To whom would I recommend this product?
I would recommend this product to anyone who wants to take the stress out of vacuuming. It is also good for guide dog owners that might want to keep on top of the amount of hair on the floor.