Manageability and configuration possibilities
Although this section is closely related to the previous one, insofar as it refers to a large extent to the different possibilities that the vacuum cleaner for laminate floors i.e. a robot vacuum offers us, we have preferred to show it separately, to review the different options that the robot can have when handling it and to configure the cleaning of our home exactly as we want. A vacuum cleaner with retractable cord can also be helpful in moving around the home to clean the hidden spaces.
Remote control
Almost all the devices have a button on the top to start it. In addition, some robots include remote control, from which it is possible to operate it comfortably, in addition to accessing other functions that cannot be operated from the robot itself.
For example, there are robots that have room cleaning (the robot will clean a room for a period of time, for example, 20 minutes, or half an hour, and then it will stop, or go to the base if it has it in that room), area or zone cleaning, deep cleaning mode, etc., which can be operated from the remote control.
App
Another alternative to handle the robot, typical of high-end robots, although it is also beginning to become generalized in mid-range robots, is handling through an application.
This option, which we will discuss in-depth in the next section, allows great comfort and versatility since we can operate our robot from anywhere and at any time, in addition to accessing a multitude of functionalities. On the negative side, that you must have an Internet connection for this, and that there are people who do not like that there is a device in their house connected to the Internet.
Voice commands
Another function that is being incorporated into some robots is the possibility of handling them through voice commands, through assistants such as Alexa or Google Home. Thanks to this option, you can give some simple commands to the robot, to start cleaning or go to the base, for example. Devices like the affordable and comprehensive Netbot S15 incorporate this functionality.
Restricted areas
One of the most common needs is that the robot’s access to a certain area can be limited. For this, there are several possibilities.
There are robots that have a magnetic strip (like, for example, the excellently valued Bagotte BG600), which would be placed on the ground, and which would act as a barrier so that the robot does not pass by; it has the disadvantage that the band is usually seen and can be annoying.
In other cases, virtual barriers are used, such as the famous Virtual Wall Dual and Virtual Wall Halo of some Roomba models, which creates a barrier using infrared.
And finally, the most advanced, in which restricted areas can be delimited through the app, such as the Conga 3090, the Xiaomi Vacuum 2 or the Roborock S6, which allows you to configure the places exactly and at any time, comfortably, where we don’t want the robot to pass.
Area to be cleaned
This would be the opposite option to the previous one, it is an area that we specifically want to clean. In the simplest versions, there are robots that have a predetermined zone cleaning, so that they will clean the area around the point where it is activated, with a size of 1-2 meters in each direction.
In the most sophisticated appliances, again through the app, you can establish which areas we want to clean on the home map that appears on the screen of our mobile.
Room cleaning
Some high-end robots include an even more comfortable and simple function. Devices such as the Roomba i7, the Roomba S9, the Deebot Ozmo 930 or the Roborock S6 have room cleaning, which works as follows:
When the robot creates the home map, it establishes the rooms that make it up, which can be edited. In some models, we can even rename the rooms created.
Once defined, we can tell you to clean one or more rooms (or the entire house, of course), or even schedule cleaning by rooms.