Tag: smart home

3 Best Smart Scales (2024): Luxe, Budget, and All App-Connected

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The humble bathroom scale has long been overdue to learn some new tricks. After all, who needs to devote precious real estate to a device whose purpose is merely to tell you your weight? The “smart scale” category sprung to life in the early days of the internet of things, but early models weren’t always the best, hampered by connectivity issues and general usability problems. As such, the category has largely stagnated; only a handful of companies are now making the devices, and some haven’t updated their product line in years.

Only recently has that started to change, as newer, faster, and all-around better products have begun to hit the market again. Not only can newer smart scales track a bevy of health metrics for multiple members of your household via sophisticated mobile apps, but they’ve also ironed out all the kinks, so it’s easier than ever to track your weight.

Just how smart can a scale be? And which should you buy? If an accurate weight is what’s most important to you, don’t sweat the decision too much. All of these scales I’ve tested are quite accurate. My highest and lowest weight never varied by more than 0.6 pounds across all of them—that means getting one of the cheaper models will suffice. But if you’re serious about weight loss or physical training, you’ll probably want to get further into the weeds and consider the accuracy of the additional body metrics, the wireless format, and the overall usability and robustness of the hardware and software. It’s here where I’ve spent the bulk of my testing time to find the best smart scale. With all that in mind, I have some thoughts.

How Do Smart Scales Work?

Smart scales come in two basic flavors: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The former connects directly to your phone to sync its readings. The latter uses your home’s wireless network to sync readings straight to the cloud, which your phone’s app can then access. Wi-Fi scales are more expensive but more versatile. While older scales often featured erratic wireless connections, newer models have had many of their kinks worked out—and firmware updates have improved connectivity.

Virtually all smart scales use the same type of system to gauge your additional vitals: bioelectrical impedance analysis, which involves sending a minuscule electric current up one leg and measuring what happens when it comes down the other side. Some mathematical magic converts all of this into any number of derived measurements about things like your body’s percentage of fat, water, and bone; body-mass index; and, sometimes, arcana like your basal metabolic rate, a measure of your body’s energy consumption at rest. All the scales I tested can sync data with Apple Health and Google Fit or Health Connect, either directly or by passing data via the app.

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May 11, 2024
Eureka E10 Review: An Adorably Dumb Robot Vacuum

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This is not the best robot vacuum I have tested.

The Eureka E10 is fairly affordable in the face of other robot mop-vacs; our recommendation for an affordable option is $800, while the E10 is $600. You might think to yourself, why buy a more expensive model then? Why spend more if I don’t have to?

The Eureka is a little dumb. It bumps into so many things you’d think it’s wearing a blindfold, and if I move the vacuum around too much–like flipping it over to cut the hair on the brush, or my toddler gets curious and pushes it around–it will forget where it is and wipe my home map from its memory. It’s adorably dumb when it can’t figure out how to get around my husband’s office chair, and infuriatingly dumb when it gets itself stuck on the same patch of rug-to-carpet transition five times in a row.

It’s not a bad vacuum. If you can find it on sale and mostly want it for carpet cleaning, you’ll likely be satisfied. I was plenty happy with how it vacuumed my carpet. But the mopping and built-in smarts left something to be desired.

B-Level Cleaning

The E10 is just a B student trying to survive out here in the world, at least when it comes to vacuuming my carpet.

I was pretty happy with the E10’s vacuuming. It left the satisfying vacuum lines and fluffy carpet behind that screamed “freshly cleaned!” But it wasn’t great at getting all the cat litter off the floor, and it tended to pool a little bit of litter underneath itself when it returned to base. Still, the vacuuming experience wasn’t much different than I got with the much more expensive Dreame X30 Ultra (7/10, WIRED Review), and the E10 was much, much quieter than the Dreame while it zipped around my home.

Photography: Nena Farrell

The difference is in the mopping job. Most robot vacuum-mops today have rotating scrubbers or refillable water tanks or self-cleaning tools. Not the E10, which has the same system as robot mops of yore where you pour water into a canteen in the vacuum that’s above the single mop pad. Then the vacuum drags the lightly damp pad around your house to mop your home.

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May 10, 2024
Abode Smart Lock Review: Great for Renters

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You do, however, need to pay a monthly subscription fee to get accurate notifications and to be able to see the timeline of when the door is locked and unlocked, and by who. Otherwise, you’ll just get a notification that the lock was used without specifying what exactly it did. The app will show you if the lock is currently locked or unlocked, but vague notifications and lack of a history aren’t exactly helpful. I also had a connection drop at a random hour of the night. Seeing a vague notification that something happened at 12:30-something in the morning completely scared me that my home had been robbed overnight. It hadn’t, but I didn’t know that until I signed up for a subscription to see my history.

Photograph: Nena Farrell

After that incident, I chose the Standard Plan ($7 a month) that’s designed for self-monitoring my home. There’s also the Pro Plan ($25 a month) that includes a professional monitoring service, but that’s designed for Abode’s larger smart-home systems rather than just the lock.

Speaking of, while you don’t need to use the Abode Lock with Abode’s other security setups and hubs, it can add onto those as an accessory. Abode has three security hubs and starter kits to choose from: the basic Abode Kit ($140), the Smart Security Kit ($280), and the Iota All-in-One Security Kit ($330). Each of these has a different type of hub—the main differences are that the cheapest hub doesn’t work with Apple HomeKit, and the iota has a built-in camera. All three work with the same accessories, though, so you could upgrade down the line and reuse any accessories you received. Adding a hub lets you create automations within the Abode app, so I could set up the Abode Lock to unlock when I arrived home.

You can also use the Abode Lock with smart home systems without needing a hub, but you’ll still need one of the subscription plans. Amazon’s and Google’s ecosystems work with all three hubs, as do Sonos and Bose products, but you’ll need one of the more expensive hubs if you want it to work with Apple HomeKit.

Door Stoppers

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The Abode Lock, for all it can do, can’t tell you whether your door is closed–just if the lock is in the locked position. Some smart locks come with door sensors so you can see whether your door is both locked and closed in one place.

Abode’s lock can’t do this, but all of its hubs come with a Mini Sensor ($25) that can be used on doors and windows, so any hub package could help solve this issue to a certain degree. It certainly isn’t as seamless as being a single device that can do both, though, if it’s something you’re worried about. My door, crappy rental that it is, has a loose knob that sometimes doesn’t believe in closing until we re-screw it together, so this missing feature is a bigger issue for me than most folks with better (or just normal) doors.

Since Abode’s main business is its full security system, it makes sense to have some features you can access only by going all-in on Abode. Still, you can enjoy several features right out of the box with just the Abode Lock alone, and no one outside your home will be the wiser.

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April 30, 2024
10 Best Robot Vacuums (2024): Mops, Budget Vacs, Great Mapping

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No other product I’ve tested has advanced as quickly as the humble robot vacuum. Just a few short years ago, they were mostly annoying, overpriced devices that fell off steps and got stuck on rugs. Now you can find robot vacs at every price point with an incredible array of features, including mapping capabilities, self-emptying bins, and even cameras.

Vacuuming an ever-changing household is a complex task, and no robot vacuum is perfect. However, I test them in one of the most challenging environments possible—a carpeted, two-story family home with messy kids and a shedding dog—and I find them indispensable. Whether you’re choking on cat hair, need to lighten your chore load, or just want to spend more time with your family, we have a pick that will help.

Looking for more cleaning solutions? Check out our Best Dyson Vacuums, Best Cordless Vacuums, and Best Air Purifiers guides for more.

Updated April 2024: We added the Eufy S1 Pro and X10 Pro Omni, the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, the TP-Link Tapo RV30C Plus, and the Dreame X30. We also added more information on the iRobot and Amazon acquisition and noted a new Samsung robot. We also updated prices and links throughout.

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April 27, 2024
The Best Govee Smart Lights (2024): M1 Light Strip, Envisual T2, and More Tips

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Here are a few tips we have learned from using Govee smart lighting for the past few years.

Installation: Plan installations carefully, particularly with panels, by testing your intended layout before you stick anything to the wall. In particular, think about where the power cord will end up. Clean any surface you intend to stick smart lighting on thoroughly and bear in mind that the adhesive can damage paintwork or wallpaper if you ever remove it.

Connecting: Even after connecting Govee lights to Wi-Fi, your phone will connect via Bluetooth for direct control and firmware updates. If you’re having trouble connecting, get physically close to your lights (within 6 feet).

Calibration: Some Govee smart lighting, such as the TV or gaming syncing products, requires a calibration process to work properly. Take your time and follow the instructions precisely for the best results. You can always redo calibration in the Govee app.

Names: If you didn’t choose a descriptive name during setup or you want to change your light names, select the Device tab, choose a device, and tap the cog at the top right, then Device name to edit. Remember these names will also be used for Alexa and Google Assistant if you set up voice controls, so short and memorable is best.

Rooms: If you have multiple Govee lights, it is worth tapping the three dots at the top right on the Device tab in the app to select Room Management, create the rooms you want, and add your lights to them. This will make it easier to control groups of lights.

Voice controls: Since the Govee app is such a mess, for basic stuff day to day, you may prefer using a voice assistant to control your lights. You can link most Govee lights with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. You can find detailed instructions in the Govee app. Choose a light on the Device tab, tap the cog at the top right, and look under User Guide. If any other connections, such as Razer Chroma, are available for that device, you’ll find the instructions for them too. Sadly, the Matter-supporting M1 above is the only Govee option so far to work with Apple Homekit.

Automation: You can schedule lights to turn on and off by selecting them on the Device tab and choosing Timer. You can also create automations on the Automation tab. You can choose to turn all lights off at a certain time every night, but you can also set up triggers to change brightness, color, color temperature, mode, and more (available options depend on the device).

Colors and effects: Choose a light on the Device tab and tap Effects Lab to find all the available colors and effects to try. If you want to cycle through different effects, tap on Auto-Play, specify how it should change, and create a list of effects to cycle through.

Explore: You will find some suggestions on the Home tab in the app, but if you look at the bottom, there’s an Explore option (globe icon). The Explore section is a great place to learn more about what your lights can do. You can see group options or select individual devices at the top.

Discover: One last thing worth looking at on that bottom bar in the app is the Discover section (compass icon). You can find different hashtagged topics and loads of posts and videos made by Govee light owners. It can be a good place to find ideas, tips, and troubleshooting help for your Govee lighting.

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April 26, 2024
13 Best Outdoor Security Cameras (2024): Battery-Powered, LTE, No Subscription

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We have tested several other outdoor security cameras. These are the ones we like that just missed out on a place above.

Arlo Essential Wireless Security Camera for $50: This is the most affordable way to try Arlo’s wares, and it’s a solid security camera. Setup is a breeze, the 1080p footage is clear, and the rich notifications are the best, but you need an Arlo Secure subscription ($8 per month for one camera, $13 for unlimited). Compared to our top pick, the Essential has a narrower field of view and lacks HDR, so it loses details in bright and dark areas. I also tried the Essential XL ($100), which is the same camera with a much larger battery (4x longer lasting).

AlfredCam Plus for $50: The AlfredCamera app allows you to turn your old smartphones into security cameras, but the company also has its own line of budget cameras. The AlfredCam Plus has an IP65 rating, can record video at up to 2K, and comes with a 64-GB microSD card. You get a 9.8-foot cable with it, but you will need a power adapter. The ad-supported free version offers seven days of cloud storage for video clips. Sadly, you need a subscription at $6 a month or $30 a year to unlock 14-day cloud storage, smart features (including person detection, scheduling, and zones), and better quality video for the live feed and recordings.

Ezviz H3C for $70: I had issues setting this wired camera up because it can only connect to 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, but once up and running, it proved a decent performer. The Ezviz app has 2FA and allows fingerprint unlock, which is handy. There’s also onboard AI for person detection, a spotlight, black-and-white night vision, and two-way audio, though it’s laggy and poor quality. The video quality is decent at up to 2K, and the live feed is fast to load. All in all, it’s not bad for the money. I also tested the Ezviz EB8 4G (£300), which is quite similar to the H8 Pro we recommend above, except it can connect to 4G mobile networks—this means it doesn’t require Wi-Fi, though you will need a SIM card and cell service plan.

Imou Knight Spotlight Camera for $160 or £100: A smart design and solid feature set make this an attractive security camera for the right spot. It can record at up to 4K with HDR, has a 600-lumen spotlight around the lens, and can take microSD cards up to 256 GB (sold separately) to record locally. The app offers a wide range of features, including detection zones, cross-line alerts, and human or pet detection, though the AI sometimes gets it wrong. Sadly, the low frame rate (15 fps) too often results in blurry footage, but this came close to snagging a spot above.

Reolink Go PT Ultra for $250: If you need a wireless security camera that can connect to cellular 3G or 4G LTE networks, you could do worse than this offering from Reolink. It’s a pan-and-tilt camera that can record up to 4K video on a local microSD card (sold separately), or you can subscribe for cloud storage. It has a wee spotlight and decent color night vision, and it comes with a solar panel to keep the battery topped up. The detection is reliable but doesn’t always categorize subjects correctly. Loading time and lag will depend on the strength of the signal. Just make sure you check carrier compatibility and get a SIM card before you buy.

Annke NC800 for $350: Capable of capturing high-resolution footage up to 4K, the NC800 boasts color night vision without a spotlight. This is an IP camera designed for local use with an NVR (network video recorder), though you can also insert a microSD card for local recordings. There is PoE (power over Ethernet), or you can plug in via Ethernet to your router with a separate power connection, but either way, you will have to run cables. I had some trouble with the frame rate to my phone at higher resolutions, but it delivers good picture quality with no lag. I also like that the app supports 2FA with fingerprint unlock. But configuration is tricky and far from intuitive.

Defender Guard Pro for $134: Previously our top tethered pick, the Defender Guard Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) ticks most boxes. It’s affordable and delivers 2K video, two-way audio, and local storage via an included microSD card. Plus, there’s a spotlight and siren. Setup was glitchy and you have to run a power cable inside, so it’s a hassle to install. The price has also increased since we first recommended it, and stock seems to be limited.

Swann AllSecure650 4 Camera Kit for $700: This kit includes four wireless, battery-powered cameras and a network video recorder (NVR) that can plug into a TV or monitor via HDMI. The cameras can record up to 2K, and footage is crisp and detailed enough to zoom in on, though there is a mild fish-eye effect. The night vision is reasonably good, but the two-way audio lags and sounds distorted. I like the option to view all camera feeds simultaneously, the backup battery in the NVR makes it a cinch to swap batteries when a camera is running low, and everything is local with no need for a subscription. Unfortunately, the mobile app is poor, camera feeds sometimes take several seconds to load, and there doesn’t seem to be any 2FA. The NVR interface is also clunky to navigate with the provided mouse.

Arlo Pro 4 for $140: This camera was our top pick, and it is still an excellent buy that is widely available. Its successor, the Pro 5, has slightly better battery life and enhanced color night vision, but there isn’t a huge difference. This camera provides crisp, clear footage; responds swiftly; and has an excellent detection and notification system, but you must also factor in the cost of an Arlo subscription starting from $8 per month for a single camera.

Reolink Argus 3 Pro for $100: There’s a lot to like with this security camera, not least the affordable price. It offers 2K video, local or cloud storage, two-way audio, a siren, and person recognition. The live feed loads fast, and it’s cheap to buy a solar panel accessory for power. The app is a little confusing, but Reolink recently added 2FA. I also tested the Reolink Argus PT with solar panel ($160), which is a solid pan-and-tilt camera with an otherwise similar feature set. Both Reolink cameras also support dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).

Eve Outdoor Cam for $250: This stylish floodlight camera must be wired in, and installation is tricky (you may want an electrician). It can replace an outdoor light to give you motion-activated light (up to 1,500 lumens), 1080p video (157-degree field of view), and two-way audio. But as a HomeKit camera, you will need an Apple HomeKit hub (Apple TV, HomePod, or iPad) and an iCloud+ storage plan. Sadly, the video and sound quality are average; it only works on 2.4-GHz Wi-Fi, and there’s no Android support.

Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera for $50: Toucan’s wireless camera resembles our top pick from Arlo with a smart magnetic mount and easy installation. The 1080p video is good in ideal conditions but struggles with mixed lighting (no HDR). The two-way audio is passable. The app works well and loads the live feed quite quickly, but this is cloud-only, which means you need to subscribe (from $3 per month) if you want tagged events, more than the last 24 hours recorded, or to download more than five videos per month.

Toucan Security Light Camera for $100: You can simply plug this camera into an outlet, and it comes with an 8-meter waterproof cable. It has a motion-activated light (1,200 lumens), records 1080p video, and supports two-way audio. I found the footage quite detailed, but it struggled with direct sunlight. You can record locally on a microSD card (sold separately), and you get 24 hours of free cloud storage, but it has limitations. Plans start from $3 per month. Even with motion detection set to the lowest sensitivity, this camera triggered too often during testing, and there’s no way to filter for people, so I got frequent false positives (blowing leaves, moths, and birds all triggered alerts).

Blurams Outdoor Lite 3 for $50: This is a feature-packed security camera for the price, with support for pan, tilt, and zoom functionality; spotlights; siren; motion tracking; continuous recording; and two-way audio. You can store footage locally on a microSD card (sold separately) or subscribe to a cloud plan. Video quality is reasonable, but the app is very glitchy and loading the live feed was inconsistent (sometimes it just buffered indefinitely).

SimpliSafe Wireless Outdoor Security Camera for $160: A solid set of features, crisp 1080p video, and support for HDR sounds tempting, but you need a Simplisafe security system (9/10, WIRED recommends) and monitoring plan to make this camera worthwhile, making it too expensive for what you get. (The Arlo Pro 4 offers better-quality video and more features.) It may be a useful add-on for existing SimpliSafe customers, though.

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April 25, 2024
Yale Approach Smart Lock Review: Magical Door-Unlocking Powers

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The smart home doesn’t always feel smart. I test a lot of devices for a living, and they take a lot of babysitting and steps to do everything you want. Whether you’re setting up skills on an Alexa speaker or getting your smart lights on the right schedule–shout-out to Daylight Savings for ruining my existing one—it takes work.

While the Yale Approach Lock still has plenty of hassle (Physical install! Accessory calibration! App setup!), its ability to unlock all by itself when it senses you’ve arrived home feels actually smart. It’s all done within the Yale app, with the help of your phone’s location. As someone whose arms are often full of toddler things (Why are his shoes never on his feet?), it’s been a relief to just walk up and not worry about what pocket my keys ended up in after leaving the parking lot.

Slick Setup

Photograph: Nena Farrell

Installing the Yale Approach was easy, thanks to the short video clips and steps inside the app to guide you through installation. Since you’ll remove part of your existing lock, I recommend having a sandwich bag handy in case you want to use it again in the future (or need to put it back when you move out, like I will). It took me about 10 minutes, including video-watching time.

You’ll also be prompted to set up the included Yale Connect Wi-Fi Bridge and Door Status at this time. The Wi-Fi Bridge will look familiar if you’ve ever used an August Lock (8/10, WIRED Recommends). (Yale bought August in 2017 and now uses the same Wi-Fi connectors.) The little white square sits in a nearby outlet and connects via Bluetooth to the lock, and then connects the lock to Wi-Fi. The Yale Approach didn’t like my outlet location, which was around a corner about 3 feet away, and told me so during setup, but it’s worked perfectly fine.

Meanwhile, the Door Status lets the Yale app tell you whether the door is shut, along with whether it’s locked. It works great and is easy to pop onto your door frame, since it’s just a little sensor you’ll line up with the lock. Especially since I have a door that resists shutting, I love that I can use the Yale to check if it’s open.

Digital Keys

Photograph: Nena Farrell

You can choose to buy the lock with or without the keypad. The default pricing includes it, and it does pack some features I really liked, but it’s not a perfect fit to install outside every home, the way the lock is.

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April 25, 2024
How to Set Up a VPN on Your Router to Protect Your Home Wi-Fi Network

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Perhaps the easiest option here is ExpressVPN: Not only is it one of the best VPN providers around, it also sells routers with its software baked in. If you’re looking for a solution that just plugs in and works, then this is probably the one to go for, and the standard one for homes will set you back $190.

Otherwise, find a VPN matching the router you’ve currently got installed, or find a router compatible with the VPN service you’re already signed up to. Listings pages for both routers and VPNs should tell you everything you need to know about compatibility, and if they don’t, message the companies directly—you want to make sure your hardware and software are going to work together before you attempt to set anything up.

NordVPN will provide configuration files for your router.

Courtesy of David Nield

We’ve already mentioned ExpressVPN, but NordVPN is another service with very good support for router installations. It has extensive support documentation on its website: Here’s the main portal page you need, which also comes with a list of supported routers and router models specifically recommended by NordVPN.

As for routers, many of the models designed to augment or replace the device you’ve been given by your internet provider support VPNs, including routers from Asus, Netgear, Linksys, and TP-Link—but do check the small print before buying. These manufacturers will typically give you some help when it comes to adding a VPN, as with this Netgear guide.

Getting Set Up

This is where the process is very specific to your choice of router and choice of VPN, but you can usually find official, online guides from the companies involved. I’ve already linked to a couple of them above. Basically, what you’re doing is getting your router to connect to your VPN service of choice. This will route all of the internet traffic from your home through your chosen service, so that every internet-connected device on your Wi-Fi network goes through that VPN.

Proton VPN is another VPN provider with an extensive router installation guide. As you can see from those instructions, most of the time you’re opening up your router settings. This is usually done through a web browser. Instead of typing in a web address, you type in your router’s network address (something like 192.168.50.1). Then you enter your login and password to get to your router’s admin menu; you should’ve set up this account info when you first configured the router.

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April 25, 2024
Dreame X30 Ultra Review: A Robot Vacuum With Flex Arms and Detachable Mop Pads

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You can create room dividers in open layouts to better separate seating and dining areas, and drop in furniture to tell it what to expect in certain spaces. The in-app AI also tried to add furniture during some of the mapping, but it wasn’t accurate.

The 2D map is the main one that you’ll edit and see detailed info for, but you can also look at it in 3D. The 3D map version was hilarious, since many random objects were shown visually as a toilet (including the X30 Ultra’s own base station); I didn’t find it nearly as useful as the 2D.

Editing the map within the app wasn’t as intuitive as I would have liked, but once I got the hang of the tools, it was easy enough to customize it with room labels, separation for more targeted cleaning, and types of flooring. In the map you’ll also see an option for zones, where you can draw a zone box for specific area cleaning.

Get in Swirl Formation

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The X30 Ultra did a good job moving around all kinds of objects and from various carpet and flooring heights. It even managed to navigate through the tricky legs of my toddler’s high chair and my vintage dining table’s C-shaped legs. It had a little trouble figuring out my living room rug, though; I ended up using zones to focus on my rug so it could vacuum in a timely fashion. Otherwise, it was constantly on a mission to get into the smallest crevices it could, bless its little digital soul.

The robot did fine vacuuming up things like Cheerios, cat food, and cat litter, but it never got 100 percent of it. That’s pretty normal with robot vacuums, but a little disappointing given how high the price tag is. For example, it doesn’t do edges as well as you might expect; there was still a little litter on the edges of the hall, which is what the flex arm promised to fix.

Overall, it’s a pretty great hybrid robot vacuum and mop, and I love being able to leave the damp mop pads off my carpet. But it’s a steep price tag for the removable mop pad and that flex arm, which didn’t even work that well. You’d have to really want those to make the vacuum worth it (or have a massive home that requires the X30’s long battery life). Otherwise, the rest of these features can be found in cheaper vacuums.

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April 25, 2024
Eufy X10 Pro Omni Review: Great Mopping and Decent AI Smarts

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Like last year’s model, it also meets the TÜV Rheinland privacy and security certification. This is important, because it navigates via AI.See—a “visual recognition technology.” Basically, it uses a camera to steer around your house. It’s not upward-facing, and Eufy assures its customers that the photos are not stored in a server and are deleted before the next cleaning cycle. However, Eufy also doesn’t offer additional security features like two-factor authentication. This is just something to keep in mind if you feel squicky about having a camera in your home.

AI.See is interesting. Its estimates of its own accuracy seem generous—I forgot to screenshot all the instances where it identified my daughter’s various hair things as poop and warned me to “clean this area immediately.” I did think it helped the robot navigate seamlessly around my house. The few times it got stuck, I found that the roller brush had become ensnared in my daughter’s or my long hair. It’s understandably much harder to see hair than it is to identify and avoid shoelaces, which tend to trip up even the best robot vacuums.

My first floor has five rooms with a total of about 800 square feet of cleanable space, depending on how widely my children’s stuffed animals are scattered at any given moment. The mapping function works quite well; it stored multiple maps on multiple floors without a problem. The battery life is decent—it can finish a whole first-floor vacuum in about an hour and a half, using about 75 percent of its battery life. You can also raise or lower the cleaning intensity, from fast to deep, and the suction power has a range from Quiet to Max.

Photograph: Adrienne So

On Max, it has a suction power of about 8,000 pascals. I have a theory about suction power. As I learned from the founders of the robot vacuum Matic, the level of suction power may matter less than whether your roller brush is able to agitate the carpet thoroughly. In any case, I didn’t notice a huge difference in the cleanliness level on the frequently trod areas of my carpet when I upped the suction power from Standard to Max.

The Price Is Right

The mopping is particularly good. The X9 Pro was capable of cleaning up half a jar of spilled syrup, and the X10 Pro works just as well. As with last year’s model, it exerts about 2 pounds of downward pressure with two mops that rotate 180 times per minute. When my children inexplicably decided to throw bananas at the breakfast table and leave sticky banana mash on the floor, the X10 Pro cleaned it up in minutes.

Mopping is the most disgusting household chore and the one I would do the least frequently if I could. Mopping the hardwood and tiled areas of my first floor (about 230 square feet) takes about 30 minutes, including time spent washing the mops. An onboard water tank keeps the mops continuously wet for the entire cleaning time. The dirty water tank has to be emptied and rinsed out every three or four cleans. Emptying and rinsing the tank is, as always, a vile and terrible task, but at least it doesn’t happen that often.

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April 25, 2024