A lot of folks with robotic vacuums run into a pesky problem: tracking down their little cleaner and dumping out its contents. This challenge pops up frequently for many users of these handy devices.
Newer models on the market now come with docking stations for automatic depositing of the collected debris. Navigation and mapping have also evolved over the last number of years, making the latest robot vacuums a lot smarter.
Today we review the Lydsto R1 which comes with a docking station and LIDAR smart navigation.
Lydsto, who are affiliated with Xiaomi, are bringing the high-end features of self-emptying and smart navigation to the market at a very competitive price point. Check out our video review below where we put this robot through its paces
Note: Lydsto provided me with a free sample of the product for the purposes of this review.
The R1 is a smart vacuum cleaner and mop in one. With impressive LIDAR laser radar navigation, the robot vacuum can map the rooms of your home and detect obstacles in the way to avoid them. With the app, you can create “walls” and “forbidden zones” to instruct the robot to avoid those areas.
Laser radar navigation and intelligent cleaning patterns
Self-emptying dock for depositing of dust and debris
Robot vacuum and mop combo
- Great price – Hundreds of dollars cheaper than competitors for similar features, without any noticeable drop in quality
- LIDAR navigation works great and means the robot rarely gets stuck
- Low profile means the robot can traverse through your home and under furniture
- Lydsto is affiliated with Xiaomi who have a track record of producing quality electronics
- Self Emptying is hassle-free and dramatically reduces the maintenance required
- Two-year warranty and 30 day return period
- No voice control as of yet
- Documentation could be better – Some typos and instructions could be clearer
- Lydsto is a relatively new brand. Some customers may prefer the comfort of industry leaders iRobot or Samsung.
- Mopping container requires regular refilling
Lydsto R1 Review – Focus Areas
Self-Emptying
The robot vacuum cleaner comes with a self-emptying base. The vacuum returns to the base (which is also the charging station) after every cleaning and whenever it needs to recharge. It will then automatically dump the dust in the in-built dust bag. The dust bag has a capacity of 3 liters, which is enough for about a month of regular cleaning.
With the self-emptying base, you hardly ever need to take care of the cleaning yourself. Empty the dust bag once a month and you’re all set! Let the vacuum cleaner do its job while you relax.
Integrated Mop with Water Tank
This robot vacuum cleaner is not just a vacuum cleaner—it’s also a mop! The machine features an in-built water tank. The water tank will close automatically when it senses a carpet. You can also choose whether you want the robot to mop or vacuum the floors manually via the app.
When mopping, the machine provides a sufficient amount of water followed by high pressure and suction to get the floors perfectly clean.
Suction
The Lydsto R1 robot vacuum cleaner offers powerful suction of 2700Pa. The vacuum works through rotation of the bristles along with applied suction.
While it’s not the most powerful robot vacuum on the market, it is well above average. Less powerful devices usually leave dust and dirt on the floor. Especially big particles of dirt are always at risk, as you need more power to get rid of them.
Self-Charging
This vacuum cleaner is self-charging via the docking station! That’s right, you don’t need to worry about making sure it’s got enough charge for another round around the house. The vacuum cleaner makes its way to the charging station as soon as it needs a little juice. It also does so after it’s done cleaning, so it always stays charged for the next session.
If the vacuum starts running low on battery in the middle of cleaning, it will go to the station to charge and return to the cleaning place when it’s ready.
Different Floor Types
This vacuum cleaner by Lydsto is meant for hard floors and low pile carpets. Since it’s a vacuum cleaner and mop in one, it will both vacuum and mop the floors for you.
Any type of hard flooring will be just fine. If you have ceramic tiles, this is the perfect vacuum for you. The same goes for hardwood floors.
Remote Controls
The mobile app makes the robot vacuum cleaner even easier to set up and operate. First, it will walk you through the setup process. Then, you can map out your house to outline where you want the vacuum to clean. If there are any restricted areas, you can highlight them on the map and build virtual walls around them.
Using the app, you can always keep an eye on the vacuum and see where it is. The app will also notify you when the vacuum is just starting to clean when it’s charging when it’s emptying the bin, and so on.
The vacuum cleaner features the newest laser navigation technology. LDS laser navigation allows the vacuum to scan the surroundings and stay on top of everything in real-time. The device can position itself accurately in any surroundings, even if it’s dark inside.
In other words, laser navigation technology serves as the eyes of the vacuum cleaner. The vacuum can store several maps of the surroundings. All it needs to do is scan the environment once. The areas in your home can be divided and named. Each area can have its own cleaning settings, including the water volume, cleaning time, suction, and so on.
Smart Mapping & Virtual Walls
Smart mapping and virtual walls are features that allow you to build virtual walls in your house. The walls you build are not concrete, but they might as well be for your vacuum cleaner! If there is a wall in the way, the vacuum won’t cross it.
Similarly, you can program the vacuum to only take care of one room, one part of the room, or one part of the house. Do all of that using your mobile phone. The vacuum works according to your instructions, not the other way around!
Anti-Collision & Obstacle Avoidance
The vacuum cleaner features two mechanical collision-sensing optocouplers. Because of the anti-collision feature, the vacuum knows exactly if it can fit through any given passageway. The vacuum is perceptive and can feel obstacles in its way. It has a 20mm obstacle crossing ability. That means that if there is an obstacle in the way, the device will go around it or under it safely.
Low Noise Operation
The robot comes with 4 suction modes – from quiet to max. The max has a suction power of 2,700 Pa. The vacuum cleaner features sound-absorbing technology reaching 0.94 in the range of 125-4000Hz.
The docking station can be loud when sucking the duct from the robot however that typically only lasts about 10 seconds.
The Verdict
With the Lydsto R1, you get a lot of bang for your buck. There's a lot of tech packed into this robot vacuum and mop combo and at such an affordable price point, it’s a great entryway into smart cleaning!
The R1 is a smart vacuum cleaner and mop in one. With impressive LIDAR laser radar navigation, the robot vacuum can map the rooms of your home and detect obstacles in the way to avoid them. With the app, you can create “walls” and “forbidden zones” to instruct the robot to avoid those areas.
Laser radar navigation and intelligent cleaning patterns
Self-emptying dock for depositing of dust and debris
Robot vacuum and mop combo