Vacuums may not be the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions tech. However, “Robo vacs” are a highly competitive segment of the market and have advanced to have internet-connected features much like many other smart home devices.
I’ve been testing the Smart360 S7 Pro Robot Vacuum for the last three weeks and came away with a positive outlook on this cleaner. Let’s get down to the details to see where it excels, and a few places it could use some improvements.
Design
The design is nothing earthshattering from Smart360. You get a large hockey puck-like disc on wheels. It’s roughly two and a half feet in diameter. The casing is a glossy plastic that makes the S7 Pro vacuum look modern but does make it prone to show both dust and smudges.
Atop the S7 Pro is a large “cap” housing that contains the LiDar system. This is a 360 laser array that the vacuum uses to determine depth and distance for mapping rooms. We will get into that more later.
Around both, the back and front of the vac is a bumper system that helps limit damage to your baseboards and the S7 Pro while in motion. This is assisted by another infra-red sensor on the sides that helps detect walls.
Four more infra-red sensors are positioned on the bottom edges of the Smart360 S7 Pro vacuum. These allow the unit to detect when the depth below the vacuum changes past what’s safe and stops the S7 Pro from tumbling down the stairs.
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The undercarriage is where the more fundamental parts live on the S7 Pro. You have a spinning 3-prong bristle brush for sweeping and a rolling brush for picking up. The wheel system is also present here with two drive wheels and a rotating steer wheel on the front.
The S7 Pro can also mop with a reservoir that clips onto the back of the device. You fill it full of water and attach the cloth mop to the casing with included Velcro strips.
Real results
We can talk about sensors and specs all you want, but if it can’t vacuum you’ve got nothing. Well, I’m happy to report that most of the claims and features from Smart360 are a reality when using the S7 Pro robot vacuum. The mentioned sensors do a great job of reporting back to the included software to create a map of your home that offers consistent cleaning.
The app is fairly simple in that you use it to connect the device to your Wi-Fi to allow remote usage and to help tweak the maps. You can also choose different suction strengths, set schedules, and change the modes: cleaning, mop, or both.
The S7 Pro vacuum spends the initial startup session to map your home using the LiDar and other sensors. I was impressed by how well this function worked. The S7 Pro did an admirable job of avoiding objects as well as guessing the rooms in my home. This even split my open floor kitchen and living room as separate rooms.
After this first-run mapping, you are presented with a room count and total area. You can use the app to rename rooms to your preferred name. I like this and make them easily recognizable.
It also means you don’t have to mark tape or have extra equipment to fence off zone. The red blocks on the map below are spots that have cords or fragile items in my house that I wanted to avoid with the S7 Pro. The vacuum will also suggest areas if it has a hard time with the terrain.
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This comes in handy when you want to just run the S7 Pro vacuum in a single room. You open the app. Check the room you want to clean. Then, hit sweep. The S7 Pro will then only clean that designated area and return to the charging station.
The sweep action and suction on the S7 Pro does a great job at general cleaning. It’s not going to beat a standard Dyson vacuum anytime soon but is a much easier solution to touch up hardwood and low ply carpet.
The mopping feature however leaves a lot to be desired. I really couldn’t tell it did much. It’s the equivalent of running a damp washcloth over the floor. It struggles to even snag a small coffee drip recently spilled on a tile. Be prepared to still roll up your sleeves with at least a Swiffer mop for most instances.
Cleanup of the cleanup
One thing I’m happy to report over my only other experience with automated vacuums is that the Smart360 S7 Pro is pretty painless to maintain between uses. The dust bin is a cartridge style stored under a lid behind the LiDar cap.
I have one of the original Roombas from iRobot and the dust compartment is not intuitive at all and you often dump the debris you just cleaned up back onto the floor. This is due to this bin living on the underside of the unit. It’s nice to see Smart360 avoid this with a top-loading system.
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Additional cleaning is simply removing the rolling brush and using the included hook and blade cleaner to remove hair or strings that may get tangled up. This is a struggle as static and “gunk” make it difficult to really remove everything. I tend to use the vacuum a few times and then soak the rolling brush and dust bin in lightly soapy water overnight.
Runtime
I have roughly 1,500 feet on my ground floor and the S7 Pro can clean the entirety on a single charge. I think that’s acceptable for the cleaning and size of my home. From start to finish takes about an hour and twenty minutes.
When the S7 Pro does need to recharge it simply goes back to the charging station. Using the map as a memory, the vacuum automatically retreats for a refresh. You don’t have to lift a finger… unless you have the door closed to the room the charging station is located.
Final thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Smart360 S7 Pro performed. Having a machine that reliably maneuvers my home and cleans while I’m doing something else is awesome.
It’s also been a plus to see how far these types of machines have come since my last purchase. The additional technology makes it smarter, safer, and more efficient.
Pricing seems competitive as well with the S7 Pro at just over $400 on Amazon. I’d like to see this a little lower for the lack of results with the mopping option, but I think Smart360 has a great vacuum that should be worth your money.