ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner is one of the most popular robotic vacuums on the market. ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is designed for cleaning hard floors and low pile carpets and it features good suction, several cleaning modes, two side brushes, WiFi connectivity, Smart App and Amazon Alexa compatibility etc. and it comes at very acceptable price.
Published: September 20, 2018.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Features and Specifications
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is designed for cleaning bare floors like tiles, marble, hardwood and similar, and for cleaning low-pile carpets and similar carpeted areas. Thick carpets and area rugs, and carpets with tasseled edges could cause various problems to ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S and other similar robotic vacuums.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is improved version of their very successful ECOVACS DEEBOT N79 robotic vacuum.
Main difference between these models is that N79S model features Maximum Suction Mode and is Amazon Alexa compatible unit.
Maximum Suction Mode allows the user to increase the suction when cleaning really dirty areas.
Amazon Alexa integration allows the user to use voice commands to control the unit (clean, stop, charge).
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S features so-called three point cleaning system:
- it comes with two side brushes, designed for cleaning edges and for picking up various types of dirt and pushing it toward the suction inlet,
- main brush is designed for cleaning hard floors and low pile carpets. It helps the unit clean dirt commonly found at home, like crumbs, dust, pet and human hair and similar.
- strong suction lift off the dirt and store it into the dirt bin. Maximum suction is 1000 Pa and perhaps it could be stronger, but it is more than strong enough to clean floors thoroughly.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is able to automatically docks and recharges itself when the battery is low.
Note: in order to help the unit to find the docking/charging station, keep area around docking station free from obstacles. Also, before the very first use, be sure to read the manual.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is intended for use in small to medium homes and is able to clean up to 1070-1080 square feet (~100 square meters) on a single battery charge. Maximum cleaned area also depends on the floor types, amount of dirt, furniture layout and similar.
During operation, noise levels are up to 67 dB, but with the Maximum Suction Mode on, noise levels can reach up to 70 dB. Nonetheless, it is relatively quiet unit.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S features simple navigation system, with no mapping or path planing.
Unit comes with several cleaning modes:
- auto-clean is most common cleaning mode. DEEBOT N79S cleans the area in a straight line and when it meets the obstacle, it changes the direction.
- single room is used for cleaning a single room. Since the unit doesn't feature Virtual Wall or any similar technology, to limit the robotic vacuum, simply close the door. However, since cliff drop sensors are doing their job well, some users use matte black duct tape to limit where unit can and cannot go. Obviously, this is not officially recommended nor supported.
- spot mode is used for cleaning very dirty areas. Unit moves in a spiral and cleans the area using Maximum Suction Mode. This mode can last up to three minutes.
- edge cleaning mode is used for cleaning edges and corners. In this mode unit cleans along the wall edges or in the corners.
Note: Unit features WiFi connectivity and using Smart App (both from iOS or Android), all tasks can be 'programmed' using remote control or smart device. Since the unit support task scheduling, many users simply program the unit to clean when there is nobody at home.
Also, ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is compatible with Amazon Alexa devices (sold separately, of course) and integration is relatively easy.
Integration with Google Home Assistant is not the best and people have issues with setting N79S to work properly with it. Also, other smart home systems are not officially supported.
So, if you intend to use Amazon Alexa with your N79S, no problems, but if you plan to use other smart home systems, perhaps you should consider some other robotic vacuum cleaner.
ECOVAC DEEBOT N79S is powered using 2600 mAh lithium battery, providing some 100 minutes of constant operation on a single battery charge. When the battery is discharged, it takes some 4 hours to fully charge it.
Dirt bin capacity is 450 ml and is rather small, but comparable with the dirt bins of similar robotic vacuums. Dirt bin can be quickly emptied when required.
Thanks to the wheels design, although N79S is very compact unit, its barrier crossing height is 0.55 inches (1.4 cm), which is fairly good. Also, unit can clean under furniture - it requires slightly more than 3.1 inches (~8 cm) of free space to be able to clean under beds, sofas, tables etc.
If you have really thick carpets and area rugs, try to limit access to such floors - remove the carpets or prevent the DEEBOT from accessing them.
ECOVAC DEEBOT N79S comes with set of sensors which help the unit with navigation, prevent bumping (up to the point) into walls and furniture and prevent dropping off the stairs and similar 'cliffs'.
Since cliff sensors do their job well, unit has issues when traversing really dark floors (dark carpets, matte duct tape and similar) since sensors on such surfaces can signal false-positive (cliff detected, but there is no cliff).
Also, on a very glossy surfaces, like stairs with glossy tiles, it is possible that sensors signal false-negative (no cliff detected, but cliff ahead of the unit).
If there are such areas that can 'confuse' the unit, limit the access to such areas.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Air Filtration
Air filtration is very good and it is based on combination of several air filters:
- filter net stops and filters out larger debris, crumbs, pet hair and similar type of dirt, protecting the other filters,
- sponge filter traps smaller particles like dust,
- high efficiency filter traps even the smallest particles of dust and other debris. Although some sites claim that N79S come with true HEPA air filtration, we couldn't find any confirmation for that claim on official DEEBOT site.
True HEPA or not, air filtration is very good.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Maintenance
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is relatively simple robotic vacuum cleaner to maintain.
When the unit arrives, be sure to charge it first in the charging station. Also, be sure that charging station has no objects and obstacles around it, in order for unit to be able to find it.
Dirt bin - empty the dirt regularly. If the unit is scheduled to clean on a daily basis, empty the dirt bin also on the daily basis.
Dirt bin, filter net and sponge filters are washable and should be washed from time to time under running water. Before reinstalling them back into the unit, be sure that they are thoroughly dry.
Gently tap high efficiency filter few times onto the trash can in order to clean it from fine dust and dirt.
Note: high efficiency filter is NOT washable!
Side brushes and the main brush should be cleaned periodically. Due to their wear over time, be sure to replace them periodically.
Other cleaning/maintaining tasks include:
- cleaning the wheels, especially if there are entangled pet and human hair,
- cleaning the anti-drop sensors, charging contacts and charging dock pins.
It is good practice to check the unit and clean it on a weekly basis, although this significantly depends on the unit's use and amount of dirt present in environment.
When required, replace the brushes and high efficiency filter.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S comes with 1-year warranty.
Long Story Short: ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S is for a reason one of the most popular robotics vacuums on the market: it is one of the cheapest units with WiFi and Amazon Alexa compatibility. It has very good suction and generally it does very good job cleaning the home.
It can't replace main home vacuum cleaner, especially when cleaning of elevated surfaces and stairs is required, but it can help one keep home cleaner and more pleasant to live.
For more reviews and recommendations, check ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Amazon link (link opens in the new window).