The fashion of robotic vacuum cleaners for smart home cleaning has now fully entered the technological landscape, and there are really many exponents in this field.
Unlike a few years ago, it is no longer necessary to spend a lot to have a good ally in domestic cleaning, and 360 is a brand that offers several models in its catalog. On test today 360 S5, the smart robot that cleans the house autonomously and can be controlled directly from the smartphone.
Aesthetics
On an aesthetic level, smart robots all resemble each other, differing in small details. 360 S5 has a truly minimal aesthetic. It is almost totally white, circular in shape and on the upper part it offers two buttons: the one for switching on and the one to start charging.
On the top there is a small rise, which is missing in some competitors and which, probably, will not allow you to clean under the lower furniture, such as a container bed not too raised from the ground. On the front there is the laser, while the 550 ml waste bin is housed under the central compartment.
On the lower part there are two rather large rubber wheels and a single main brush. From an aesthetic point of view, there is nothing original compared to other competitors, but overall this 360 S5 robot vacuum cleaner is modern and minimal.
It is the charging base that presents something different than others of the same type. For example, it has no track to house the robot, which will recharge “in reverse” having the sensors placed on the back.
The charging base, also white, allows you to hide the power cord under a special compartment, so as to make the charging station more tidy and less intrusive to the eye.
Technical features
The 360 S5 power robot vacuum cleaner has a maximum suction power of 2,000 Pa and a battery life of about 110 minutes, thanks to the 2600 mAh battery. It is capable of climbing obstacles around 20mm thick and uses LIDAR mapping technology to tackle obstacles to determine the distance to an object or surface. As already mentioned, the removable dustbin offers a space of 550 ml, while the total weight of the robot vacuum cleaner is over 3.5 kg.
There are many cleaning functions, including the one that allows you to limit the suction to a particular area of the house, without the robot continuing to wander through other rooms. The vacuum cleaner does not include any remote control for remote control, which instead occurs only on the basis of the application for iPhone and Android.
It is possible to turn on the robot and start cleaning, or recharging, also using the two buttons on the top, thus allowing cleaning even without a smartphone.
360 S5 manages itself and if the area to be cleaned is too large, or the autonomy approaches zero, it automatically returns to the charging base, to recharge to 80% of its capacity before returning to the point where it left off.
This is thanks to the small turret placed on the top of the robot, where the LDS laser is housed, which scans the cleaning area to create a map of the room on the basis of which the robot can navigate independently. The robot is also equipped with a series of sensors that help it move around without falling and hitting obstacles.
During our test, to tell the truth, there were some collisions, obviously of absolutely negligible extent, which do not damage in any way the furniture in the house. The only precaution is to move any cables or wires, which the robot tries to overcome, but which could instead block the brush or the wheels.
After the robot creates the house map, it will calculate the most efficient way to clean. Following the generated map, 360 S5 moves back and forth in a straight line, so that nothing is overlooked. 360 S5 is able to save the maps of several floors; this makes it ideal for multi-storey houses.
How it cleans
Obviously, the main concern of those who buy a robot vacuum cleaner is always the same: does it clean well? Also in this case we respond positively, having to make some necessary clarifications. Such a robot will never be able to replace a broom and a bucket of water.
During our tests, the 360 S5 managed to clean the rooms independently, without any hitch, managing to collect most of the accumulated dust. When we opened the small dustbin we really found a lot of debris and impurities, a clear sign that the vacuum cleaner is working. He can't lie about that: the sack was full of dust.
The sensors work well, collisions with obstacles are reduced or in any case cushioned to the maximum by the self-propelled front edge. Certainly the vacuum cleaner is not able to eliminate 100% of the dirt on the floor.
At a general look at the floor, after the passage of the 360 S5 we notice a greater cleaning of the floor, as if someone had really swept, but it is not a solution to avoid 100% more thorough cleaning with traditional systems.
Note that 360 S5 is able to automatically identify the different types of carpeted floors. Once the robot passes the carpet, its suction power is automatically increased to a maximum level, providing deeper cleaning. When the robot is out of the carpet, the cleaning mode automatically returns to the standard.
360Smart Application
The application that controls the robot, available for free on iOS and Android, is in English. Don't be afraid, it's intuitive, easy to use, but it has everything you need for a complete smart cleaning.
The app allows you to start cleaning immediately, choosing between the different suction powers, between light, standard and maximum, as well as allowing you to recharge the robot with a simple tap.
If these are the immediate cleaning functions, by accessing the other menu, instead, it will be possible to choose the areas in which to limit cleaning, reset the saved maps, use a virtual remote control on the screen to manage the robot, carry out maintenance, or program the cleaning times.
Zoned cleaning is particularly useful if you want to keep the robot inside a particular room, while it is possible to draw imaginary lines beyond which the robot should not go. It is also possible to create a rectangle on the virtual map within which to carry out the cleaning, therefore in a targeted way.
Conclusions
At the moment this vacuum cleaner costs just 270 euros. This is a really adequate price for the quality of the product. It is well built, has brushless motors, is quite quiet and does its job.
On the other hand, there is no support for digital assistants such as Alexa and Google Home, not being able to start cleaning via voice commands, nor deep automations.
In any case it cleans well, does not replace 100% broom and bucket of water, but provides a satisfying basic cleaning.
It costs 270 euros and can be purchased directly on GearBest .
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