Chinese robotics specialist, Ecovacs, has expanded its local portfolio, with its ‘wet & dry’ Deebot Ozmo 930 (A$1,299) fast becoming my favourite household appliance. This nifty robotic vacuum may just be the cleaner I always wished I had…
No judgmental eyes about the amount of hair a woman sheds on her bathroom floor.
No awkward moments, trying to find a polite way of telling someone they “missed a spot”.
No wondering whether the cleaner is enjoying a mojito on the couch while you’re at work, because you p****d them off last time, by mentioning said “missed spot”.
Context:
- 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment in Sydney CBD
- Water views and propensity to gather a lot of dust
- Tiles and wood floors only
- Two housemates; young professionals; one male, one female, no pets
Determining the value of Ecovacs’ Ozmo 930 is highly dependent on personal context.
If your circumstance is close to mine, you’ll likely find a similar experience. For those with double storey homes or pets, other reviews may be more suitable.
For us, the Ozmo 930 has become our sole vaccum and mop. We have not reached for another floor cleaning device since its arrival, which makes its price well worth it.
Value
Costing A$1,299, Ecovacs’ Deebot Ozmo 930 is not cheap, and immediately raises a person’s expectations about its capabilities.
With patented ‘wet and dry’ dual functionality, the Ozmo 930 harnesses sensors and SMART NAVI technology, to map out an individual’s home for a vacuum/mop. Users can track the robovacs’ exact location in the house, from ‘anywhere in the world’ via the accompanying app.
The Ecovacs app allows users to remotely turn on the robovac, start a clean, manually guide it to spot clean a specific room, set up restrictions for ‘blocked zones’, schedule regular cleans, plus more.
Setting up the device for the first time was not seamless. The inital annoyance in set-up made me wonder whether it would be worth it. Evidently, it was.
The Deebot Ozmo 930 comes with several attachments (e.g. a dedicated mopping attachment, brushes), and with the enclosed manual, is easy to assemble.
The device’s charging station requires an open area, with about half a metre clearance on both sides, and preferably in front of it.
It also needs to be charged before first use, which for the ‘instant satisfaction Gen Y culture’ of our household wasn’t exactly appreciated.
The device is fully charged after four hours, and generally runs for about two hours on a single charge. However, this nifty robovac automatically returns to its charging station after every clean, thereby removing the need to constantly keep charging it.
The Ozmo 930 can start cleaning via manual control (e.g. pressing the ‘AUTO’ start button), however, its full capabilities come through when connected to the iOS or Android Ecovacs app.
Wi-Fi Connection
To connect to the Ecovacs app, the robovac has to connect with a household’s WiFi, which unfortunately was not effortless. The device can only connect via a 2.4GHz bandwidth, meaning some consumers may have to change router settings.
Following the instruction manual did not offer explicit clarity regarding WiFi connecting, neither did app instructions. I tried several times, to no avail. Perusing the comments section of the Android app, it was clear others had experienced similar issues.
After much online scouting I stumbled across some Youtube videos [Ecovacs videos in German] which highlighted steps, not otherwise clearly stated. (e.g. hold down the connect button for an extended time, rather than “press” as the app states).
After an annoying hiccup, everything was largely smooth sailing.
Performance
Ecovacs claims the Ozmo 930 customises a clean according to floor type (e.g. tiles or carpet). For best results, I’d recommend some light preparation before starting a clean – e.g. removing shower mats, picking up any curtain strings from the floor [more on this later].
Trialling the product for the first time was done from work. From the app, I could see the device was ‘online’ and pressed ‘start’. Glancing up from my computer, I could see the Ozmo 930 mapping out my house, and cleaning. As claimed, the device returned to its charging station once finished.
Returning home to assess the quality of clean, I was shocked. Corners with ‘dust fluff’ were completely clear. Despite its circular design the Ozmo 930 has the ability to clean angles well.
Our bathroom is also slightly raised (~2cm) and the device had no problems entering.
Our mid sized apartment was completely cleaned in about 40 minutes.
Design
Only 80mm tall, the Ozmo 930 even cleaned under our TV cabinet and beds.
All traces of hair I intentionally left on my bathroom floor – following a particularly vigorous shampooing session – were completely gone. Whats more, all wooden floor surfaces looked… polished.
Ecovacs claims the Deebot Ozmo 930 is intelligent enough to swap between vaccum and mopping modes – e.g. engaging mopping on hard surfaces, and reverting to a dry vaccum on carpeted floors.
Courtesy of a 300mL onboard water tank, the device does a great job. It doesn’t offer an elbow greasing ‘scrub’, but for our household this isn’t an issue as we usually scoop up things manually, before they harden.
Ecovacs claims the Ozmo 930 moistens its wash cloth according to floor surface, however, this can also be adjusted via the app.
It’s also not particularly noisey, making for a comfortable living situation as it cleans around you.
The Ozmo 930 also features a “high effiiciency filter”, said to reduce airborne allergens and dust, however, I can’t comment on that.
The Ozmo 930’s primary value surrounds flexibility and convenience.
I appreciated the ability to start cleans via the app from work, knowing guests would be coming over that night. I enjoyed doing my makeup and watching the device clean my apartment, smirking a little.
As my housemate says, “It’s a lazy man’s dream”. It’s also the delight of the time poor.
Concerning energy efficiency, the Ozmo 930 retains mapped data even when disconnected, and simply resumes settings once reconnected to the charger and WiFi. Disconnection does lose its ability to communicate with the app. In a bid to cut down energy usage, individuals can simply connect the device to the charging pad on days when they intend to start a clean.
Following a new software upgrade, the Ozmo 930 can even connect to Google Home, enabling voice control support.
Hiccups and Mishaps
As mentioned earlier, for best results some preparation is recommended before starting a clean – e.g. moving away unnecessary items.
We once trialled a clean without moving things away first.
I soon received an error app notification while at my friend’s house, informing me the device was “suspended”. Turns out it had chewed up our curtain string, and was up in the air.
My housemate manually untangled the robovac, and it continued to clean.
On some occasions the device seemed to lose a sense of direction, struggling to determine its location in the home. I simply placed it back on the charging station and re-started a clean. Compared to the overall quantity of use, the number of times this has happened is rare.
Maintenance
Complementing convenience, maintenance of the Deebot Ozmo 930 is minimal and no fuss.
I found the inbuilt dustbin could last about three cleans for our mid sized apartment, before requiring empty. This is a one click task.
I love that an inbuilt cleaning brush, with blade, is enclosed in the robovac undercarriage, allowing users to easily clean cut out trapped hair. I generally do this only when emptying the vacuum, as it doesn’t otherwise impact the quality of clean.
Summary
Ecovacs’ Ozmo 930 has proved itself an innovative, intelligent and disruptive device, truly displacing our household’s vaccum and mop. The device offers unparalleled convenience via remote app control, and welcomes the era of smart home cleaning. The intelligent Deebot Ozmo 930 robovac has largely delivered on its claims, and is pleasure to use and incorporate in our daily lives.
Ecovacs’ DEEBOT OZMO 930 is exclusively available in Australia from Harvey Norman for RRP$1,299.
