iRobot Roomba i3 (3150) Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum Vacuum – Wi-Fi Connected Mapping Works with Alexa Ideal Carpets

21 reviews for iRobot Roomba i3 (3150) Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum Vacuum – Wi-Fi Connected Mapping Works with Alexa Ideal Carpets

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   Darrell Vanterpool – January 17, 2022

   This vacuum is great, I have a 760sq.ft apartment and this covers the whole place. I have a dog and I was surprised at how much it holds and how great it picks up. It was easy to set up to my Google Home account and to schedule.

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   stuart hodge – January 17, 2022

   I waited over a month to review because I had my doubts. I had been watching YouTube reviews on all the different robot vacuums and finally hit the purchase button on the I3. I found in all the reviews that it was a solid mid price model that has strong build quality and great carpet reviews.

   45 days after purchase and ill sum up my experience with this……. I loved it so much that I bought a second one. One for each floor. The amount of dog hair, dust and dirt that it picks up is crazy. My floors and carpet look clean and then the two roombas go to work and blow my mind at how full the dustbins get. I opted out of buying the self emptying dock because I like seeing how much debris they pick up each time. We’ve only had the roomba get stuck once and now it avoids that obstacle. If I had a third floor I’d buy another!

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   Michael Leach – January 26, 2022

   Charge and resume is where it’s at. Having a large main floor, a robo vac without this feature needs to be minded and monitored in order to clean the whole area, that’s not my idea of convenience. The i3 can charge and resume without fancy LIDAR or cameras. And the baseboards against hardwood and tile look way cleaner than when cleaned with an upright. The overall results are just amazing. I vacuumed with my Dyson upright then ran the i3 and was amazed at the improved look and feel overall of the floors. I think robo tech has finally caught up to the promise for large homes.

4. Rated 5 out of 5

   Zen_digo – January 27, 2022

   First time robot vacuum user. Exceeded my expectations. I have two cats and a dog, this thing works great. I’m amazed at how well it navigates my house. Watching it weave it’s way around my dining room table and chairs for example is impressive. It’s not exactly silent but it’s quieter than my regular vacuum and seems to do just as good of a job. Only cons would be that the bin full indicator is inaccurate and says it’s full when it isn’t. I turned that off but would have been nice to have it notify me when it’s full. Instead I just empty the bin once or twice for each of the two floors of my house. Which brings me to my only other complaint – the bin is a bit too small. Other than those two things I absolutely love it and it has simplified my life. I’m blown away by the technology and am convinced they will eventually become as ubiquitous and “necessary” as stoves, washer and dryers, dishwashers, etc.

5. Rated 4 out of 5

   ♫ Trouble ♫ – January 31, 2022

   This iRoomba does not have all the bells and whistles of some of my other iRoombas, but it is a powerful tool. I really just need it to get my dogs’ hair. They are big and hairy and leave a lot behind. Among many other things, it is the first one of my last several that hooked up to my app. I would not set a time for it to run because dog toys and pets, but I appreciate the idea.

   This iRoomba is different than my others because it seems to stop and pause and then start up again. It also has a smaller bin than my last two. I was concerned about that last time but discovered that is seemed to pulverize the dust and hair into smaller amounts. It could still collect the same amount.

   I have another iRoomba that I had been using daily, in addition to my Dyson pets and sweeping with an ~actual~ broom, but it had been giving me grief over an error. Sadly I was able to get it to work again, for 5 additional minutes, by kicking it. Be sure, that was not my favorite solve; however, none of the cleaning out and all the other remedies were working.

   I love having a fresh iRoomba that does not hate me and ignore my requests, nor need to be kicked when I am still wearing summer sandals. I have three giant dogs and they leave a lot behind, as does the cat, and problematically, the guinea pig. (She leaves hay.)

6. Rated 5 out of 5

   J. DAVIS – February 3, 2022

   Enjoy not having not to clean the brushes! Love being able to start it with my phone!

7. Rated 3 out of 5

   Omri Ran – February 5, 2022

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   I’ve own older iteration of the iRobot Roomba and my last one is already 6+ years old so I was excited to test an all new version and check out new features. As it’s mid range it’s not very clear if it’s better to stay with a lower end model or get a higher end one unless this one checks all your needs, hopefully the following will help you decide.

   * Design *
   It’s around the same size as my older 780 Roomba but defiantly a lot lighter. The weight balance is not that good and the unit is a lot heavier in front (battery) then the back. There is no handle like on my older Roomba. Maybe iRobot don’t plan on you lifting this thing around… I like the next upper texture finish. The sounds its making are much nicer and modern then the old beeps and the overall built quality feels a bit better. there is still that small bumper up front to detect a wall (which got slightly bigger but not sure it’s better). On the bottom there are the usually 3 wheels, spinning side brush, new airforce cleaning system (the two green silicon brushes stand out) and some extra sensors for navigation.

   * Vacuum Functionality *
   charging is pretty quick. Quicker then the older model I own. The charging station looks the same as the old one. there are three buttons. One for clean on/off, go home (charging station) and another for communication setup.
   Noise Level is around the same, maybe slightly lower then the older model so some people find it too loud but then again you can schedule it to work when you are away from home. Speaking of which, unlike my older model, any advance features can only be access using iRobot app. from the testing I’ve made the vacuuming power and ability is much better then the older model. I must admit I was surprise it was better then the older brush style design. Dust bin is smaller and a bit awkward to place back unlike before when it’s slide in and out you need to first insert it in an angle and then slide it in. It adjusted seemingly for different types of surfaces. A nice feature is that it will pick up from where it left after recharging.

   * Cleaning It *
   Other then the silicon brushes that seems to be easier to clean, the rest of the parts are prune to the same issues, which is a shame. Hair will get tangled on the wheels and spinning brush. Dust bin has some funny corners to get it clean properly. You get an extra filter but I wish they implemented a washable filter like in the Dyson products.

   * App *
   Lots of features to explore, from scheduling and syncing with other products (like the mop robot) to receive notification on cleaning progress, mapping of the house, voice control link and so on. The user interface is sleek and modern but I guess most of the features will be useless for most people.

   Overall it’s a nice budget upgrade for older model, unless you have an higher end one which will have more or less the same features. If you don’t need all these connectivity features to another robot or the option of the self emptying station (aka a vacuum for you vacuum…) there are two lower tiers ones that will be cheaper. If you require extra features like specific room cleaning, anti allergen and more look into higher end models.

   With all the competition iRobot has now, specially in this price range, I don’t think they have done enough with this model.

8. Rated 4 out of 5

   KA – February 9, 2022

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   1 year update: Sept 2021

   This i3 is still going strong, so far no major maintenance, suction is till good with rolls and brushes functioning well. It is still loud as it was on day 1, so I don’t believe someone saying ‘the sound will decrease with roll wear’. I noticed the strong suction is pulling some pile off the carpet, initially thought it was dust coming off of our carpet but comparing with another vacuum, I have understood it is I3 two roll lift and suction causing it. In hindsight I feel it is good to upgrade to I3+ or any self emptying ones, as Roombas with good suction fills up the bin quick and without self-empty station my I3 more often pause the job than to finish it (unless I empty the bin), I had 2 out 5 successful runs in last month in cleaning my whole house. I am keeping the rating same and recommend this I3, these are unique, simple yet smart in it’s own way compared to laser navigation that are restricted to a map (unless they have multi-floor mapping).

   Original review below (Sept 2020)
   Summary:
   iRobot Roomba i3 is a new generation (a step down to s-series) robot vacuum that combined the good of i7 body / suction that is approx. 10x power (compared to 600 series vaccum) and iAdapt 2.0 navigation (of 980’s) for an efficient cleaning. It is however a iRobot’s budget version with NO vSLAM or imprint mapping that enable multi floor use or customized room cleaning.

   If you are a fan of iRobot technology and never able to get one due to their high price tag, this i3 version is for you. It is an efficient robot that does good job with navigation, which can work in dark, good suction and can ‘recharge & resume’ to complete entire home cleaning.

   __________________________________
   Feature …………………………….. Rating/5
   _________________________________
   Performance ..…..…………………….. 4
   Software / APP .……………………….. 5
   Battery (runtime)…….……………….. 4
   Tech / sensors ……………..………….. 3
   Maintenance …………………..……….. 4
   Customer support ……………………. 3
   ———————————————————
   Final rating …………………….…………. 3.8 stars
   ———————————————————

   Read below for details on the above ratings

   Performance:
   Roomba i3 has a good suction capability and it performed great both on hardwood and carpet. It is however very loud on tiles and hardwood floors but runs quite on the carpet. If you have pets and carpet floor this is a perfect choice vacuum.
   I have tested the i3 cleaning capability on edges and corners, it does reasonably good due to the side brush that helps to scoop out the dirt from the edges. I have placed some rice at edges, tight corners with 90 deg and at 120 deg corners (see pictures), i3 picked 100% of the right angle corners and about 90% clean from larger angled corners.

   Key performance differences from other models:
   – Roomba i3 performance improvements comes from iAdapt 2.0 navigation with floor sensors that helps to navigate in straight lines. Actually other i-series models like i7 use advanced iAdapt 3.0 navigation in combination with vSLAM (visual simulating location and mapping) camera that can create imprint maps to clean selected areas as well as ‘no go’ zones. On the flip side, the advantage with i3 model is it can work even in the dark as there isn’t a visual camera guide for navigation.
   – ‘charge and resume’ feature is also a new feature from Roomba for a budget price robot, this helps i3 to finish all house vacuum irrespective of the floor size.
   -clean maps are generated after end of the cycle to see where Roomba cleaned. There is a Dirt detect technology (basically a floor sensor) automatically activates if robot detects dirt and makes multiple passes until it detects no dirt.
   -Even though i3 generates clean maps, there is no learning methodology, therefore, each cycle is a new mission and there won’t be any improvement in vacuum cycles like in high end i7 and s9 models.
   -i3 can be upgraded to i3+ by purchasing the ‘clean base automatic disposal unit’ separately.

   Software and App:
   iRobot has one of the best interfaced robo vacuums in the market, you can do the setup in a breeze due to easy stepwise guide with pictures and/or suggestions. The app is easy to navigate without much clutter, it is simple to use, and I have not experienced any glitches so far. In case of issues, the Roomba gives the error code on the app as well as walk-through guide to help resolve it quickly.

   Software improvements on Roombas are worth noting, i3 makes mostly straight lines even without a visual or laser sensing navigation equipment. It is awesome how i3 can do efficient (not as efficient as high end vSLAM or LIDAR navigation but much better than bumping navigation) straight lines as well as under furniture cleaning without being stuck, kudos to the software. See video of the bumper sensor triggers spin movement to clean under the dining table.

   Battery (runtime):
   Roomba i3 gives a solid 90 min run time (so far) before it needs charging and it can resume the job from where it stopped without any issues. I successfully cleaned the whole house with a single recharge break, it does resume from where it stopped.

   Technology and sensors:
   Roomba i3 is a budget version and especially comparing to i7,s9 or 980’s it does not have the video localization (i.e. a camera). This reflects in pricing of i3, however there are Neato, Roborock and Eufy robo vacuums that come with either vSLAM (camera based) or LIDAR (laser based) advanced navigations that makes vacuum process faster and efficient. However, I think i3 does a decent cleaning job with only few random paths (when it needs to find anchor point to localize) and mostly straight (efficient) paths. It comes with a cliff sensor to avoid falling off the stairs, dirt (optical) sensors and bump sensor. Since it does not have advanced sensor to map location, it can not find the docking station unless it started the mission from it or it is close enough within base IR range.

   Maintenance:
   It is easy to clean i3 both dust bin as well as the bottom rolls. However, the dust bin has deep straight corners that are difficult to clean if there is hard to clean mess, it should not be a problem with just dust.

   Customer support:
   All Roomba’s come with 1 year limited warranty, which is an industry standard, no other known brands offering more than a year. I have contacted customer support with few questions regarding i3’s learning capabilities and I received only one reply back out of three emails and the one reply I got was a ‘copy and paste’ from the website and not addressing my specific question. iRobot is a US based company and hopefully the email response I got does not reflect who they are.

   Finally, I hope this review will help your purchase decision on Roomba i3 to some extent!

9. Rated 5 out of 5

   William Thomas – February 10, 2022

   I had two Roomba 692’s which I used to clean my 1100 Sqft split level townhome. And even though they used the older “bounce” style navigation, were still effective cleaners. However, they tended to attack dirt and furniture with equal ferocity. That’s why foam rubber bumpers for Roomba’s are a thing you can actually buy here on Amazon.

   The 600’s got the job done, it’s just that it wasn’t always pretty.

   Enter the i3. It’s a master class in refinement. Not only does the i3 smartly navigate the home, but it is much more gentle on your furniture. It deftly figured out how to navigate the maze of table legs underneath my kitchen table, and it no longer attempts to leap over the stabilizing arm of my coffee table, like Bigfoot crushing a row of cars. It also seems to better cope with “low clearance” issues. It seems more cautious when entering tight fits and less likely to get stuck.

   Even the fit and finish of the I3 is a cut above. The textured plastic on the top looks like a cloth finish and is resistant to finger prints. The dirt bin has been redesigned to be “rinsed” so that it can be more easily cleaned. The i3 has higher suction while actually producing less noise. The rollers are also easier to clean of Pet Hair.

   The clean report at the end tells you exactly where it cleaned, and it’s smart navigation allows for charge and resume, which is great for larger floorplans, or if you want the robot to simply do two passes for a given job.

   Since it knows where it’s already cleaned, it finishes it’s jobs in about half the time that the random navigation 600’s do. And of course you don’t get a detailed clean report with the 600’s.

   The i3 is also compatible with the self emptying clean bin, and when paired with a Braava m6 mop, will automatically tell the mop to begin a cleaning job when it is done vacuuming. These are some great future proofing aspects.

   However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

   The lack of an upward facing camera, might ally some folk’s privacy concerns regarding robot vacuums, but it also prevents the use of “smart mapping” and the ability to label rooms in a house, direct the robot to clean specific rooms, or the use of virtual “keep out zones”. These advanced features are only available on the i7 and S9.

   The App does allow you to schedule cleanings, even multiple cleanings in a day. It also allows you use the location services on your phone to start a job when you leave the house. The App will keep a history of your last 30 cleanings, so you can review the clean maps from each one to see where your high traffic areas are.

   The ability to set the robot to clean multiple passes during a job, however, is a “global” setting in the app. It would be nice if this feature could be set for individual scheduled jobs, or “favorites”.

   As it stands, the i3 is hindered by it’s current position. It is hampered by the 600 series lower price, but users who want more advanced robots typically will pay full boat and get the more feature rich i7 or s9.

   iRobot should really position the i3 as it’s entry level bot. It offers great cleaning capability, refined navigation, detailed clean reports, compatibility with a self emptying bin and it’s M6 mop. It’s the perfect starting point for iRobot’s product line. Leave the Random Navigation to the cheap knock offs.

10. Rated 5 out of 5

    A. McGee – February 24, 2022

    So I purchased the i3 first but it would take about a week to come. During my wait, I changed my mind and decided I wanted to splurge and buy the S9 plus instead. It was too late to cancel the i3 so I figured I would just return it when it came. I received the S9 the day after ordering it (I bought it from Best Buy which had overnight shipping) so I got it before I got the i3. This gave me an opportunity to try out the S9 plus and see if it was worth the $1099 price tag. Long story short, it is the loudest thing. I could not stand to hear it for the hour and 1/2 it took to clean my downstairs. And then when it went to emptied itself out into the automatic dirt disposal, it was even louder. I returned it. A couple days later, I got the i3 model. I was worried that it would be just as loud but i figured since it was much cheaper, I would just use it when everyone in the house was awake. Talk about much quieter!! and its suction was just as good as the S9 plus. I said all of this to say, unless you have money to burn, don’t bother with the most expensive iRoomba model. I know its cool and everything but being in quarantine, I just could not bare to hear it clean for so long. iRoomba’s take their time cleaning. And just like with the S9, the i3 can be used with Alexa but its much quieter and doesn’t disturb anyone in the household.

11. Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – February 25, 2022

    I was a bit skeptical which is why it took years for me to consider buying a robot vacuum. I am a slave to my vacuum as I have to dogs that shed constantly so vacuuming every single day is just part of my routine. But after many hours of reviewing and researching, I gave iRobot a try and I am thankful I did! It has been a full week I had it and it works great. For a non dyson (strongest suction vacuum) it has decent suction for hard wood floors and even area rugs. Works slowly and when it does bump furniture, it is very gentle. Noise is a minimum compared to a “true” vacuum. My one golden retriever is DEATHLY afraid of it and runs to go outside the minute I turn it on.

    Pros:
    Picks up all pet hair on hard wood and most in the area rugs
    Decent suction for a robot vacuum
    Quieter than a traditional vacuum
    Goes “home” when press home button as long as vacuum wasn’t picked up and placed down as that disorients it
    Easy to clean all parts
    Ease of set up with iPhone

    Cons:
    As all reviews say. This is smaller type of vacuum so expect (based on square footage of area) to have to empty dust bin depending on square footage of house and how dirty floors are. Vacuum will alert you when dustbin full.

    Cycle of vacuum sometimes is off. It may go back and forth in a given area over and over despite being a large expanse of floor in front of it. Sometimes gets frustrating and you need to pick it up and place it in other parts of the floor it has not gotten to.
    However, I have learned to just put it on for an hour or so and let it go where it needs to go. If left on its own for the time, it will navigate all over floor, under couches, under chairs
    I know the more expensive line has dust bin emptying and “mapping” of floor plan so it covers the entire floor but I did not buy this to replace my dyson animal cinematic traditional vacuum. I bought this to keep the pet hair under control so I can take 1 day off of vacuuming every other day and let the robot pick up the pet hair.

    All in all, REALLY impressed with this robot vacuum especially for dog hair. It picks up ALL the hair and allows me a day off of traditional vacuuming. It is quiet. It gets the job done so it frees me up.

    HIGHLY recommend!!!

12. Rated 4 out of 5

    Brett N. Anderson – February 26, 2022

    Overall the product is very good quality and does a sufficient job. Below is my opinion on various aspects.

    Pros:
    Cleans in a relatively symmetrical pattern which does a more complete clean.

    Good edge, corning cleaning ability.
    Good hair cleaning ability, we have a golden and its tumbleweed season.

    The rubber rollers don’t grow a wig like some rollers, way better design.

    App that provides alerts if device needs assistance and shows floor
    map once complete.

    Cons:
    It is loud.
    Never makes it through a daily clean without having to go back and charge and the resume, annoying.

    Bin is decent size but with long haired dogs you will be emptying after every job.

    Also daily maintenance is required with animals as the ball roller at the front get hair wrapped around it. Also the brushes used will face the same issue you will need to remove and clean up the wound up hair on the edges.

    Device struggles to transition from hardwood to rugs or really anything raised a bit, seamlessly. It eventually does but I would expect a 1/4″ raise wouldn’t cause the device to re-route multiple times.

    Again overall cleaning ability is good but our previous robot vacuum was an ilife and I feel it had better battery life, bigger bin capacity and ability to transition changes. The only thing it lacked was a symmetrical complete clean pattern.

13. Rated 3 out of 5

    Ryan – February 28, 2022

    It’s not what I expect for the name and $400. Bought this one specifically because it’s supposed to run in a straight line. It’s specifically advertised to do that. When it comes to our kitchen cable or couches it’ll just randomly shoot of in a new direction. It’s nice to have a robot vacuum, but I could have gotten an off brand for this performance

14. Rated 3 out of 5

    Tracye – March 5, 2022

    Probably like everyone else, I was tired of vacuuming like every day. I have a cat and personally, I have long hair (which sheds too). I’ve dreamed of having a Roomba and so I thought I’d invest. I honed in on this model because it says it’s “ideal for pet hair,” and it was in the mid price range. I’ve waited to do a review until it had done at least 6 full house cleanings. Here is my analysis.

    1. Its behavior can be impressive or baffling. I’ve seen it maneuver out of tough spots, but then sometimes it can’t get out the bathroom. LIke today, it literally couldn’t get out of the bathroom with a cleared open space and finally its red light when on. I was like c’mon little guy, the way out is RIGHT here. But, nope, it gave up.

    2. Sometimes it doesn’t finish rooms. It will do half my bedroom but not the rest. Or it stays in the living room obsessively (and no it’s not super dirty). A couple times it hasn’t finished the whole house, yet it does know the whole house because it’s done the whole house.

    3. It does pick up lots of things and hair BUT you do have to clean the wheels and sensor as it gets tangled in hair.

    4. Customer service is very responsive, so that’s a big plus. You can actually talk to a human. I’ve yet to have the time to sit down and troubleshoot all my woes, but I’m hoping I can get it whipped into shape.

    5. Overall, it’s a cool concept but I can see where robotics still needs a lot of work. I’m not sure what generation of product this is, but down the road I imagine it will be amazing. And, I’d like for the app to be a little more comprehensive. It’s very basic and not super helpful.

15. Rated 5 out of 5

    Skeptical purchaser – March 9, 2022

    I have long delayed on picking up an autonomous vacuum as I have heard more horror stories than happy owners. For Christmas this year, we decided to take the plunge and get one to save us some housework (or at least reduce the frequency that we’d need to sweep. We have all laminate flooring in a single story house, so it’s practically a requirement to sweep daily.

    With all the options on the market, and rabid fans for each brand, it’s very difficult to get honest information on what which ones within given price brackets win out and which features are really important to have. Ultimately, we opted to give the roomba a shot since during the black friday sales, nearly all competitors had their pricing roughly around the same levels for similar devices. We opted for the i3 for highest suction power to lowest cost. In hindsight, I wish we had gone with the i7 for the ability to map our house out and designate zones for specific cleaning (would have been a excellent feature for days when I was in meetings and the roomba could not get to my room to clean during its scheduled time).

    As for the actual device itself, my expectations were very tempered for considering what we were purchasing. Fortunately, I can say that we have been very satisfied with Nagatha’s performance (kudos to anyone that gets the reference). It is surprisingly thorough considering the i3 re-maps the floors every time it cleans. Only on particularly high traffic days do we ever notice particles on the floor, and that’s usually hours after it has made it rounds.

    The only cons I have (if it really can be considered a con) is that it picks up some much animal fur and particle junk that its not uncommon for the bin to be full and have to cancel it’s clean until the bin is cleared. Having the option to resume a clean after the bin is emptied would be nice, and not have it start all over again (A full clean of our house usually takes 2 full charges and roughly 2.5 hours of cleaning with roughly an hour of charge time between that). Being able to pause a clean and send roomba back to its base to charge while on pause, then resume when ready (because sometimes I have longer meetings during the scheduled clean times) would be a nice to have feature so we don’t have to start the whole clean over. Last complaint is the cost of replacement parts. Considering the glut of off market replacement options and how well these cheaper alternatives seem to perform/review, iRobot should seriously consider making replacement parts (like filters) either reusable or competitive with alternatives.

    Overall, 5/5 based on my tempered expectations of what these things would actually get done. Quite satisfied with it’s performance so far. Looking forward to upgrading to an i7 (or the equivalent of that) in the future.

16. Rated 4 out of 5

    Shannon – March 10, 2022

    I’ve had a deebot brand before this. I like that the deebot came with a remote so I could use it without having to hook it up to wifi. This irobot doesn’t have that option, it won’t work without it. I would like to have the option, but no big deal because we have wifi. The other thing is it is thicker than the deebot, so it can’t go under my ottoman like the deebot could. However, because it is more heavy duty it can track over obstacles and doesn’t get stuck on much. It works on an organized order and it maps your home VERY precisely. It is so cool to see the map of made of my living room. It has different cleaning options, which I love. I can start it with my app, change settings, schedule it. I absolutely love it. I have cats and I never have to sweep litter or see cat hair floating in my hardwood floor. This picks it all up.

17. Rated 5 out of 5

    positivity – March 11, 2022

    I’m really happy with the i3. I had read these things work well on carpet and although not scientific, I’m pretty sure it did a good job. The cool thing I like is that it can go under the bed getting a place that I wouldn’t get to as often. If you’re thinking about picking up a vacuum, this is a good choice.

    One negative is the first cleaning was a little slow about an hour. But I wonder if it will get faster in next cleanings as it learns the area. However, I supposed one hour twice a week and I don’t really have to do anything makes it totally fine.

18. Rated 3 out of 5

    Flojos – March 13, 2022

    The i3 is my 2nd Roomba. My first experience was with a Roomba 690 which lasted about 16 months before it went in the trash. I HATED the 690 and am hoping to have a better experience with the i3.

    Take One – My first i3 would not connect to my 2.4 Ghz home network. After about 2 hours of trying and growing more and more frustrated I finally gave in and called Roomba tech support. For about 30 minutes the Roomba rep walked me through all of the troubleshooting steps I already completed but we still got the “Failed to Connect to Network” error message. I packed up the i3, drove to the UPS store and returned it. Amazon had a replacement i3 on my doorstep the next day (Thank you Amazon!)

    Take Two – The 2nd i3 connected to my home network within minutes. So we have confirmation that the first Roomba delivered was defective. This does not bode well for product durability or assuage my concerns about Roomba quality after my experience with the 690 model.

    Operation – My house is almost entirely hardwood floor and the i3 cleans vey well. I have 2 big dogs and the i3 does an excellent job picking up their hair. The i3 does not get trapped on my area rug either with the asinine “stuck near a cliff” error like the 690 did more or less everyday. Also, when I send the i3 home via the app it makes a beeline back to home base and doesn’t continue to wander aimlessly around the house like the 690 did.

    The i3 is significantly quieter than the 690 and doesn’t have that “grating” sound; it operates with more of a “smooth” sound if that makes sense. The tones and chimes on the i3 are much more pleasant as well. The i3 cleans in “straightish” lines but not perfectly straight; it drifts noticably as it crosses the room, but that’s not a deal breaker for me. I did not opt for the self emptying bin base (the i3+ model.) One important thing to note is that the i3 bin is significantly smaller than the 690 bin. If you don’t opt for the self emptying bin base, then expect to empty the bin manually after every cleaning as the i3 bin is very small, relatively speaking (see pic.)

    My final thought is so far so good, but only time will tell if this was a good purchase. If the i3 is still operating like this in 2-3 years I will upgrade to 4 stars.

19. Rated 4 out of 5

    CDamon – April 4, 2022

    After about one month, my Roomba i3 is so much better than I ever imagined! It can’t map the house, but it seems to remember where it needs to go and it’s behavior isn’t random – most of the time. With the app, you can set the time and days you want it to run, you can start it and pause it and send it home. I have low-pile carpets and it does an amazing job of sucking up the dirt. The parts are replaceable…you can essentially rebuild the machine if you need to. The machine itself deserves a 5+ star rating. I downgraded it to 4 stars because iRobot gets you with the after-market replacements especially the HEPA filters and and side brushes, things that get dirty every time you use it. I’ve been using my hand vac to vacuum the little HEPA filters because they are expensive… oh! the irony. None of the parts are cheap and some of them need to be replaced with some frequency. Yes, I highly recommend this little machine, but be prepared to spend more than the purchase price on it.

20. Rated 5 out of 5

    Honest Rate-R – April 9, 2022

    Enjoyed prompt delivery. Charged it overnight in our living room via its small, floor-based, plug-in home station. In the morning, I pressed the CLEAN button, and it took off. It cleaned the floor in the living room; then in its auto mode, it went to and cleaned the dining room floor (under chairs & the table), followed by the floors in the kitchen and sun room. Finally after a bit over 1 hour, it auto-returned to it home base where it auto-recharged. Amazing! Its vacuum container was now packed with dog hair and dirt/dust.

    Only CONs: The round i3 is mid-sized, so it can’t get under small tables or get into square corners.
    PROs: The i3 auto-vacuumed our throw rugs with rubber backings, runners, and area rugs . . no problems. Just push a button to open its dirt/dust bin, and dump its contents into a trash can.

    TIP 1: Survey your room(s) BEFORE you start the i3. Create a clear field for it to travel around on. No small stuff on the floor(s): e.g. shoes, toys, dog food/water bowels, etc..
    TIP 2: Cut to size and place a 2×4 wood plank across the any place you DON’T WANT the i3 to go, such as the door opening to a room or to an entry way to lower-floor stairs.

21. Rated 5 out of 5

    Tanya – April 20, 2022

    I’v had this little guy for exactly 5 days now and WOW. We have a brand new 3000sqft house, with 2 German Shedders. From my last place, i knew i’m not a regular vacuumer, AT ALL (maybe every other week). I never really cared because the last place was a dump anyway. Here, i knew that i wanted to keep on top of vacuuming regularly and consistently. I’ve always wanted one of these but didn’t want to spend the money, so when we got our new home, i considered it an investment. We have a main floor, which is mostly vinyl flooring and the basement is all carpeted. This guy has made life sooo much easier already. Set up was a little bit of a pain. It wouldn’t connect for many tries that i attempted over a period of about an hour. Then i went online for troubleshooting. The very first hint was to force-close the app, then try again. Worked on the FIRST try after that. So our main floor has a lot of complications for the robot, so it takes a while. First go around took almost 4 hours (re-charging included). Basement is less complicated, first go around there was 2 hours (with 1 recharge). However, on the second try in the basement, it obviously learned our floor plan and cut the clean time to 58 min! (Battery lasts for 75 min on 1 charge). It’s still trying to figure out the first floor because we’re constantly moving things around, but it still manages to get everything each time. This thing is SMART. It avoids the stairs, has INCREDIBLE suction, super EASY to empty/clean. It’s pretty QUIET on carpet, but i can’t say the same on the hard floors, which makes sense, you know, science and all… Of course this can’t replace ALL my vacuuming, for example it doesn’t get behind doors or tight corners, behind the toilet, etc, but it has been impressing me every single go around so far. I can’t really use the ‘scheduling’ feature since i have to carry it from floor to floor, but if it keeps doing a good job, i am going to SERIOUSLY consider getting a second one. Maybe even a mop! Apart from this house, this Roomba is absolutely my favorite purchase in a while!