Latest robot gadget replaces ’unloved’ chore
Robots and AI for good might not seem possible, but they do serve a purpose, as this gadget that makes a tedious but necessary task proves.
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If the rise of robotic vacuum cleaners has shown us anything, it’s that Australians want robots that make menial household chores easier.
Ecovacs has heard the call with its second generation Winbot W2 Pro Omni window cleaner.
The Winbot uses suction power to attach to your window or glass door, and then systematically makes its way around the glass, spraying a cleaning solution. It then wipes away dirt and debris with a microfibre cloth, leaving your windows clean and streak-free.
It is, undoubtedly, one of the most impressive things I’ve tested all year.
HOW WE RATED THE ECOVACS WINIBOT W2 PRO OMNI
- Features
- What is the set up like?
- How does it clean?
- Noise
- Run time
- Easy to maintain
- How much is it?
- Is it worth buying?
Winbot W2 Pro Omni Window Cleaning Robot
HOW WE TESTED THE ECOVACS WINBOT W2 PRO OMNI
Washing windows has never been one of my favourite household chores, so to test the Winbot W2 Pro Omni I used it to clean my home’s windows, both inside and out. It got quite the workout.
I also used the robot to clean glass shower screens and the mirrors on my kids’ built in wardrobe doors.
FEATURES
Ecovacs has been making window cleaning robots since 2011, but the Winbot W2 Pro Omni feels like it’s the first model to really offer the complete package.
From the moment you open the Winbot box, it’s obvious this gadget is designed to be easy to use. Everything is neatly stored in the all-in-one Omni base station. It features a 4,500 mAh battery, providing around 110 minutes of cleaning time – enough to clean up to 55 square meters of glass.
For a product that uses suction to attach itself to a vertical window, Ecovacs has included a huge amount of safety features. The compound safety rope and power cable has a tensile strength of up to 100kg, and there’s a 1-metre safety rope inside the station for extra security.
Everything packs into the base station, for easy transport and storage. The main window cleaner slides into the main opening effortlessly along with the washing solution, while the back of the unit houses the power cable, safety rope and mop pads.
Everything can be easily controlled from the unit itself, without needing an app – though there are some controls exclusive to the Ecovacs app, like manual control. You can easily cycle through cleaning modes on the base unit, while the start button is conveniently placed centrally on the window cleaning component itself.
HOW HARD IS IT TO SET-UP THE ECOVACS WINBOT W2 ROBO WINDOW CLEANER?
Because everything is all packed into the base unit, set up is barely a thing. You carry the base unit to the window you want to clean, attach the mop pad to the window cleaner and fill the tank with cleaning solution.
Because of the on-board controls, you can easily cycle through the cleaning modes, then turn it on and the Winbot does the rest.
What’s more, the Winbot will guide you through the entire process with its voice overview, confirming when the Winbot has a firm attachment to the window and is ready to start cleaning.
When it has finished cleaning the window, it will return to the spot you attached it, and let you know to hold on to the device before powering it off to move on to the next window.
HOW DOES THE ECOVACS WINBOT W2 ROBO WINDOW CLEANER CLEAN?
Using automatically optimised suction power of up to 5,500 Pa, the Winbot attaches to your window and stays there until you remove it.
The Winbot W2 Pro Omni has a small 60ml tank for its custom cleaning solution. The solution helps dissolve dirt and offers a streak-free clean.
The Winbot has three-nozzle sprays on both the top and bottom of the unit. Depending on which direction it is cleaning, it sprays the solution out of one of them then wipes over the sprayed solution, which helps it clean much more efficiently.
The Winbot also has dedicated sensors with a super-fast 0.2-second response time, which allows it to detect and get right to the edge of the window. A gravity acceleration sensor also helps keep the machine stable at all times while cleaning, so you don’t have to worry about it falling.
When it’s on, the Winbot regularly reminds you that the Thorough Cleaning mode is best for external windows, while the Fast Cleaning mode should be used indoors.
While the Winbot does an impressive job of maintaining windows that aren’t overly dirty, there isn’t any real scrubbing action involved in the cleaning process. This means stubborn marks don’t actually get removed without manual intervention.
I had one window that a bird had left quite a mess on, and the Winbot wasn’t able to remove it effectively. I used manual control within the app to go over the spot repeatedly, and it helped, but ultimately, I had to wipe it off the old-fashioned way.
It’s worth pointing out that the Winbot is not a set-and-forget appliance. Unlike a robot vacuum, you can’t set a schedule and have the Winbot do the job for you without you touching it.
You will need to move the robot from window to window, and even window pane to window pane. That does make the process take longer than manually cleaning your windows, but it certainly requires less effort.
HOW NOISY IS THE ECOVACS WINBOT W2 ROBO WINDOW CLEANER?
Because the W2 Pro Omni uses suction like a vacuum to connect to your window, it does make a bit of noise while in use. It’s not distractingly loud at 63 dB, which is about the same as a fridge running.
The more noticeable noise is the voice communication the robot offers, confirming when the Winbot is securely attached and when to remove it. It also reminds you that you can use the robot to clean windows every month, which gets annoying and can’t be switched off.
WHAT’S THE RUN TIME AND BATTERY LIKE ON THE ECOVACS WINBOT W2 ROBO WINDOW CLEANER?
With a 4,500 mAh battery inside the base station, the Winbot has enough juice to clean about 55 square metres of windows between charges.
That makes it great for cleaning external windows where you may not have an available power point, though you have to factor in the amount of time it takes to move from window to window while moving around the house.
Fortunately, there is a 5.5 metre AC cable inside the base unit, which makes it easy to charge while cleaning. The cable itself can be a bit fiddly to fit into the back compartment – I wish it auto-retracted like the main cable that connects the robot to the base station does.
EASY TO MAINTAIN
After every clean or two, the Winbot W2 Pro Omni will tell you to clean the mop pad and the corner sensors on the robot, and after a bit longer you’ll get a notification to clean the treads.
It’s easy enough to wipe down with a cloth to get ready for the next window. You get two mop pads with the unit, so you can swap to clean for longer, and they are machine washable.
HOW MUCH IS THE ECOVACS WINBOT W2 ROBO WINDOW CLEANER?
The Ecovacs Winbot W2 Pro Omni has an RRP of $999 and is available from Amazon, The Good Guys and Ecovacs.
You will need to replace the cleaning solution. You get 230ml in the box when you buy the cleaning unit, with the robot taking a maximum of 60ml at a time, this means you get under four refills. At $37.50 per litre from the Ecovacs Store, it’s not exactly cheap, either.
VERDICT: IS THE WINBOT W2 PRO OMNI ROBO WINDOW CLEANER WORTH BUYING?
There is a definite “wow” moment the first time you attach the Winbot W2 Pro Omni to a window and watch it make its way around, cleaning as it goes. And there’s no question that my windows look much, much cleaner having used the robot.
It doesn’t offer any real scrubbing function, which means it’s not going to do the best job on really dirty windows. But it’s not designed for that. This is a device that should be used regularly to maintain a level of cleanliness across your home’s windows and glass.
And in that regard, it’s exceptional.
The W2 Pro Omni is an extremely well-designed package that does a good job of maintenance cleaning, though at an RRP of $999 it is definitely not for everyone. It’s a luxury purchase, though if you can afford the luxury, you won’t be disappointed.
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Nick Broughall
Nick has been reviewing the latest technology and gadgets for over two decades. He’s edited leading Australian technology publications like Gizmodo, TechRadar and Finder; was a co-founder of gadget site EFTM and currently runs BTTR.reviews. He is a regular finalist in the Australian IT Journalism awards, and won the Best Reviewer award in 2016. These days, he tries to balance his gadget addictions with board games and bushwalking.
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