REVIEW: Ecovacs Ozmo 930 – The Cleaner I Always Wished I Had

Specialist robotics company, Ecovacs, has launched its latest range of robotic vaccums in Australia, and its ‘wet & dry’ Deebot Ozmo 930 has quickly become my favourite household appliance – this nifty robovac may just well 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, 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
• Mentality: One self-admitted ‘clean freak’, one a little more… lax

Determining the value of the Ecovacs Ozmo 930 is highly dependent on a households’ personal context. I can only report on my own scenario, so if yours is close to mine, you’ll find a similar experience. For those with multi-level homes, numerous pets or other unique attributes, other reviews online may be more suited to you.

For us, I’ll just say it – the Ozmo 930 has become our sole vaccum and mop. We have not reached for another floor cleaning device since it arrived at our door, which makes its price tag well worth it.

Value

Priced A$1,299, Ecovacs’ Deebot Ozmo 930 is no cheap device, and immediately raises a consumer’s expectations about what it can do.

Featuring patented ‘wet and dry’ dual functionality, the Ozmo 930 incorporates several 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 Ecovacs app.

The Ecovacs app allows users to remotely turn on the device, start a clean, manually guide it to spot clean a specific location, set up restrictions for ‘blocked zones’, schedule regular cleans, and more.

Unboxing + Set Up

Setting up the device for the first time was not a seamless endeavour. [However, I hope the tips in this review provide assistance, forgoing extra pain]. The inital annoyance experienced in set-up made me wonder whether it would be worth it. Evidently, it was.

The Deebot Ozmo 930 comes packed with several attachments (e.g. a dedicated mopping attachment, different brushes), and following the enclosed manual, is easy to fit with the standard parts.

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 an effortless endevour. The device can only connect via a 2.4GHz bandwidth, meaning some consumers may have to change their router’s settings.

Following the instruction manual did not offer explicit clarity about connecting to WiFi, neither did the app instructions. I tried several times, to no avail. Perusing the comments section of the Android Ecovacs app, it was clear others had experienced similar issues.

After much online scouting I stumbled across some Youtube videos – e.g. Ecovacs videos in German – which highlighted minor steps which were not otherwise clearly stated. (e.g. hold down the connect button for an extended time, rather than “press” the button as the app states).

After that initial 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 general preparation before starting a clean – e.g. removing shower mats, picking up any dangling curtain strings from the floor [more on this later].

Trialling the product for the first time was done remotely, from work. From the app, I could see the device was ‘online’ and pressed ‘start’. Glancing up from my computer amidst writing articles, I could see the Ozmo 930 mapping out my house, and cleaning it. As claimed, the device returned to the charging station once finished.

Returning home to assess the quality of the clean, I was shocked. Corners with minor ‘dust fluff’ were competely clear, proving that 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 it.

Our mid sized apartment is completely cleaned in about 40 minutes.

Design

Only 80mm tall, the Ozmo 930 even cleaned hard to reach areas – its compact design allowed it to clean under our TV cabinent, and under our 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 just 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 mopping job. It doesn’t offer an elbow greasing ‘scrub’, however, for our household this isn’t an issue as we usually scoop up such things manually, before they harden.

Ecovacs claims the Ozmo 930 moistens its wash cloth according to the 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.

Remote Control

Clearly, the Ozmo 930’s primary value surrounds flexibility and convenience – a claim it truly lives up to, thereby making it worth its hefty price tag.

I appreciated the ability to start cleans via the app from work, knowing guests would be coming over later 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 intrusions or items.

We once trialled a clean without moving things away first.

I soon received an error notification via the app 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.

The device was manually untanged, and continued its clean.

On some occasions the device seemed to lose its sense of direction, evidently struggling to determine its location in the home. At such times, I’ve 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 not a lot.

Maintenance

Complimenting its ability to offer ultra convenience and flexibility, 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 quick and seamless, with one click.

I love that an inbuilt cleaning brush, with blade, is enclosed in the undercarriage of the robovac, allowing users to easily clean the cleaning brush when needed, and cut out any 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 as an innovative, intelligent and disruptive device, truly displacing our household’s vaccum and mop. The device offers unparalleled convenience via remote app control, and heralds in 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.

Overall: 8.7/10