Beatbot (not Pro) Short term review

[Katodude]

Well, I did not go out and buy one. Turns out a neighbor and friend just did. So I am borrowing it for a few days. Thats why this will only be a short term review.

It is slightly bigger and heavier than the S1. It also has WiFi and an app. We will see what those do. Downloading and setting up the app is fairly easy and straightforward.

It has a floor only mode, walls and floors, and a walls and floors X2

The charging stand is kind of nice and looks good.

It also comes with a hook for retrieval so I believe unlike the Pro model it will not come to the surface and wait to be extracted. I was really hoping that would be a feature.

 

[Katodude]

It has 2 brushes in the front and two in the back that seem to spin together or independently. What is interesting is it is very clear the brushes are spinning faster than the treads are moving so it does probably provide some scrubbing action. Every other robot I have seen has the brushes spinning at the same speed as it moves.

It’s running now in wall and floor mode. It seems to want to clean the floor first (unlike the S1 which does walls first). Its movements seem random for now. But it does have Ultrasonic AI. So we will see what that means.

 

[Katodude]

So it’s doing the walls now. It handles them differently that other robots I have seen. It will go half way up the wall, turn diagonal for a bit, then straighten up go do the waterline, then roll down to the floor.

Not sure yet if it is better or worse, just different.

 

[Katodude]

Ok, finished its first cleaning cycle.

Good news, it does park itself at the waterline for retrieval. However, it is under power while doing so. I think if the battery runs out it will just drop, but that will get tested. Also it did not notify me through the app that the cleaning cycle was finished (this is a big miss). But it did tell me when I pulled it out that the battery was low (duh, could have guessed that). I will continue to test this feature, might have been a one off mistake.

The pool was pretty clean so it did not pick up much. The filter looks finer than the S1. The filter is about the same effort to clean as the S1.

 

[Katodude]

Filter and robot open

 

[Katodude]

You do get a report of what it did. Not sure about the usefulness, but kind of fun to have.

 

[PCR]

Ok, finished its first cleaning cycle.

Good news, it does park itself at the waterline for retrieval. However, it is under power while doing so. I think if the battery runs out it will just drop, but that will get tested. Also it did not notify me through the app that the cleaning cycle was finished (this is a big miss). But it did tell me when I pulled it out that the battery was low (duh, could have guessed that). I will continue to test this feature, might have been a one off mistake.

The pool was pretty clean so it did not pick up much. The filter looks finer than the S1. The filter is about the same effort to clean as the S1.

Their website says that it parks at the waterline for 10 minutes at the end of the cycle and would then drop. I wouldn't normally be watching for when it finishes, so I don't think I would get much use out of that feature.

 

[iadams]

Their website says that it parks at the waterline for 10 minutes at the end of the cycle and would then drop. I wouldn't normally be watching for when it finishes, so I don't think I would get much use out of that feature.

So you need to program it so it finishes at a time that you could rush out within 10 minutes to grab it at the waterline? That doesn't seem.....helpful, even if you're home.

 

[Katodude]

Running another standard mode session this morning. It seems to be spending some time on the bench and some more time on the stairs. I dont know if it is confused or is trying to clean those. Even if it is accidentally cleaning the bench and the steps, that would be an improvement over other robots.

I am hoping the app gives me a notification of when it is done. Otherwise the park feature is pretty much useless.

 

[Belo]

Seems like you didn't get the pro model? That one also does surface skimming too. Correct?

 

[Katodude]

Correct, this is not the Pro model. I believe that one does surface skimming. The one I am reviewing does not.

 

[Katodude]

So second impressions. It cleans the pool. Unfortunately it has not been windy here and the Betta is doing an exceptional job of keeping stuff off the bottom. But whatever is there it cleans. The filter is fine enough where it is picking up sand.

The app does not notify you when it is done, and I was on a work call so it drifted to the bottom. Once you pull it out of the pool it gets very chatty. This message amused me. It told me to clean the filter, then yelled at me for taking the filter out.

 

[Katodude]

Another interesting feature. You don’t actually need to turn it on. You can just grab it off the charging stand. Set it on the ground for 5 seconds and then drop it in the pool. Not sure why you need to set it on the ground, but the manual says to do that. I might try it without doing that next run.

Seems to maneuver around the pool randomly. Dont know what the ultrasonic AI is doing other than looking fancy on the front of the bot.

 

[Bbp]

Would you recommend this one the S1? I have the S1 Pro now. It's only been a few days, but with all the wheelies and getting caught in the same area. I think it's going back.

 

[Boblablah]

Would you recommend this one the S1? I have the S1 Pro now. It's only been a few days, but with all the wheelies and getting caught in the same area. I think it's going back.

I have the S1 pro and just got the Beatbot Pro. I’m sending the S1 back. The Beatbot seems to do everything better. I really, really, really wanted to like the S1 better because of the price, but it just doesn’t perform as well.
In corners, the Beatbot will double back to make it sure it starts right where the wall begins. On the floor, it drives around the perimeter before starting the zigzag pattern. I can see the rollers going in different directions and turning at a different speed then the tracks (makes me think it’s actually scrubbing). And then it docks itself in the edge of the pool when it’s done. I haven’t had to use the hook to retrieve it yet.

 

[Katodude]

Final test today. I feel like I should be returning it to its rightful owner.

Going to run the M500 with pleated filters right after to see what the Beatbot does not pick up.

 

[HermanTX]

Final test today. I feel like I should be returning it to its rightful owner.

Going to run the M500 with pleated filters right after to see what the Beatbot does not pick up.

I was thinking a similar thought If you are using it in your pool and if the Beatbot has mapping technology, what will happen when it is put back in the owner's pool? Or is the mapping technology only specific to each run?

I am just thinking how my iRobot vacuum cleaner works - it has a map of the house floor plan and knows where to go.

 

[Katodude]

I am very skeptical about its mapping capabilities. There is a section where you can scroll to a map, but it is just a rectangle. The FAQ says if the pool is complicated it wont map it.

Overall, I think this is a pretty good cleaner. But I have not witnessed any more intelligence in it than any other cleaner.

If they were to actually build intelligence that could sense steps, or a bench or some sort of shelf and have a mode to clean that, well that would be something. I dont think we are there yet.

 

[Katodude]

Well it tried to map my pool today. I think I need to check the wine cellar because it might have been drunk.

 

[jaguar]

thats a shame, i have been waiting for a robot to accurately map a pool and have the ability to zone. Hopefully that isn't too far in the future