Rating: 4.6 Review by Linda
As the Roomba robot vacuums develop, the 900 series offers the best features.
The iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum with Wi-Fi Connectivity powered by Lithium Ion is no exception, it can clean up after your pets, it can work out the most efficient way to clean your room and you can set it up with Alexa so you can tell it to go and clean and it won’t argue back.
Check out the iRobot Roomba 960 if you want a robot vacuum that has extra power for carpets
If you’re looking for a more basic vacuum that can work with Alexa check out this iRobot 690 review
Roomba 960 Review
Top Feature
Can clean the entire floor of your home with iAdapt 2.0 Navigation with Visual Localization.
The best improvement on the 900 series is the mapping capability. It maps the room with visual localization so it knows the layout of the room and the objects in it. Then it works out the best route to clean every part of it. Not only that, but it can keep track of where it’s at. It will go back to re-charge it’s batteries when it runs down and then return to where it left off and carry on till it’s finished.
Other Features
How does it do with pet hair
The 960
uses the AeroForce Cleaning System to clean the floors. It uses 2 patented tangle-free brushes that work to loosen dirt and hair and drive it into the path of the suction which is 5 times more powerful than the Roomba 650. There is a side brush for getting right into the edges of the room so it doesn’t miss anything. The brushes don’t get filled up with hair so it keeps them picking up efficiently and the extra strong suction does the rest. If you have pets that shed a lot of hair you may have to empty the dust bin more than once. The Roomba 960
comes with a high efficiency filter which can filter out up to 99% of allergens and pollen so it can keep the air cleaner and help any members of your family that might suffer from allergies.
Cleans all floor types
This robot vacuum can clean all floor types and transition between different ones, automatically adjusting the cleaning head. What that does is keep the brushes in contact with the floor at all times to get the best clean. Most robot vacuum cleaners manage hardwood floors well but don’t all deal with carpets or a mixture so you won’t be disappointed with the ability of the Roomba 960
.
Dirt Detection Technology
If you have areas where you walk a lot or where your pets access a lot you may have more dirt collected. The sensors on this robot vacuum can track dirtier parts of the floor and it will clean over that part of the floor until it’s happy it’s clean.
Lithium Ion Battery
The iRobot 960
has a lithium battery giving it the ability to run for up to 75 minutes on one charge it will then return to the docking unit which should be situated against a wall with sufficient space around it to allow the vacuum to manoeuvre onto the charging points. If the cleaning cycle isn’t complete the robot vacuum will resume cleaning until it’s finished. Keeping the vacuum on the dock means it’s always ready to clean whenever you need it.
Controlled via an app
The iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum
is wi-fi controlled via an app which you can download onto your smartphone. Using the app you can set up a schedule for automatic cleaning every day if you wish or as many days as you want. You can set the time to suit your lifestyle depending on whether you would prefer to be in when it’s cleaning or if you want it to clean when you are out. You don’t have to schedule cleaning you can just set your vacuum to clean by pressing the clean button on the vacuum or on the app even if you’re out.
You can choose whether you want the vacuum to just clean with one pass over the floor or if you want a more thorough clean you can do 2 passes. You can also tell the Roomba 960
to do a final edge clean and it will clean around the perimeter of the room after it has finished the main clean. The app can show you progress of the cleaning and it can also tell you if the bin is full. You can set up on the app whether you want the Roomba to return to the dock when the bin is full so it’s fully charged when you go to empty it and it will carry on from there.
Does it work with Alexa
At the moment you can set up your vacuum with Alexa and ask for it to clean the room and it will do it. You can also get it to stop and return to the dock.
Virtual Wall
If you have areas of your home that you don’t want the Roomba 960 
to clean, maybe floor vases that you don’t want the vacuum to bump into then you can set up the virtual wall to create an arc around the article so it won’t come near it. You can also set it up in a straight line if there is a doorway you don’t want it to cross but you need the door kept open for kids or pets.
Customer Opinion
Customers giving Roomba reviews have found it to work well, consistently and are always amazed at how much dirt and hair it can pick up. They have found it to be such a time saver, another chore they don’t need to worry about. The Roomba is one of those purchases you don’t think you need but after you’ve bought it you find you don’t want to live without it. The parts that people haven’t liked are the fact it is a bit noisy, some people have found that it gets stuck a lot and doesn’t always manage to return to the dock.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a robot vacuum that can clean on a schedule, manage any type of floor and handle pet hair then consider the iRobot Roomba 960 Robot Vacuum with Wi-Fi Connectivity powered by Lithium Ion
. It hasn’t got the same suction power as the Roomba 980 but the price is lower making it a more affordable option.
