AUTONOMOUS HELP: Ecovacs Deebot N10

Suction power and battery life define this ordinary-looking robot

- SUJITH GOPINATH

This is one useful device that eluded us for a long time. Some were promised, but never arrived. A robotic vacuum cleaner is one of the hottest products in Indian home and lifestyle category, with multiple players entering the scene. Ecovacs is a Chinese robotics brand, and the Deebot N10 is their latest Indian debutant.

The Deebot N10 is a two-in-one device that combines vacuum and mopping. Robotic vacuum cleaners are all shaped the same, and the Deebot N10 is no different. The unit is available in white colour. Unboxing and setting it up is quite simple, and it comes with a comprehensive user manual. Other contents in the box include the compact charging dock, power cord, two brushes, mopping plate and mopping pad. You will find the water tank, dust collection chamber, HEPA filter, floating rotary brush and cleaning brush attached to the body. Once paired with the Ecovacs Home app and connected to WiFi, the first step is to do a full home mapping. Once the floor has been mapped and the map saved, you get access to additional settings. The device offers multi-floor maps so that you can use the robot on multiple floors.

On top of the device is the LiDAR navigation system using dToF (direct Time-of-Flight) sensors. The front bumper allows it to detect furniture and walls, and minimise impact while cleaning close to objects. The robot uses two corner brushes to effectively direct dust to the suction area. The Deebot N10 uses a motor with 4300 pascal suction capacity. This is the major difference between this model and the more affordable Deebot N8, which has less suction at 2300 pascals. The N10 also has a higher capacity 5200 mAh battery.