INTRΟDUCTION

   For well over a decade now home automation has been a faraway dream of the electronics industry and even though we're not just there yet it does seem that we're finally at a point where it's at least part a reality since today we have a plethora of available smart home devices. These range from power plugs, smart lights, activity detectors (motion/flood - leak/smoke), thermostats, video doorbells, home security systems all the way to TVs, music systems, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and even robot cleaners utilizing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity with protocols like Z-Wave and ZigBee. Personally, even though I’ve used and tested my share of smart home devices (and will continue to do so) one kind in particular has actually helped make my life a lot easier, robot vacuums. Because of that when Liectroux reached out a couple of months back to ask if I’d be interested in testing their X6 Window Cleaning Robot the obvious answer was yes.

   Liectroux, the leading global consumer robot company, designs and manufacture robots that empower people to do more both inside and outside home. Liectroux's products, have been welcomed into millions of homes around the world. Liectroux Robotics has been engaged in improving people's life and helping people to enjoy life more and more! Visit http://www.liectroux.us/.

   Just like regular floor robot vacuums the X6 window cleaning robot by Liectroux uses two motors, one to create a powerful enough suction (centrifugal fan / 2800pa - just to be on the safe side recommended glass thickness needs to be at least 1.5mm even though Liectroux doesn't put a limit on that) to attach itself on the vertical surface you place it on (doesn't really have to be glass since the X6 can be used on other materials like marble, ceramic tiles and wood) and another to provide side movement via two non-slip rubber tracks/belts. The X6 also features two laser sensors (mapping / detects and avoids obstacles and/or edges of frameless windows), intelligent pressure sensor (monitors and determines the proper amount of vacuum suction needed) and a built-in rechargeable battery pack (UPS system - up to 20 extra minutes of holding onto the vertical surface - battery mode does not clean). Also, instead of a smartphone app the X6 window robot comes bundled with its very own 2.4GHz remote control (15 meters range) from which you can both control it manually and/or choose one of the 3 available cleaning modes. To clean your vertical surfaces the X6 uses of two interchangeable and washable microfiber mopping cloths, one designed specifically for dry and dusty surfaces and one for wet ones (in most scenarios both need to be used for optimal result).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The X6 window cleaning robot arrived inside a white box the front and rear of which are taken by a product picture in front of a terrace.

Liectroux lists all the uses of the X6 on the left side of the box.

The product's features and specifications along with several proper use warnings are all printed on the right side.

Inside the box you will find the X6 window cleaning robot with its safety cord and carabiner pre-attached, power adapter with extension cable (5 meters long total), remote control, safety rope with carabiner (can hold up to 150Kg), two microfiber cleaning cloths (one is already mounted on the device), owner’s manual and a quick start paper.

THE X6

The Liectroux X6 window cleaning robot features a white and black polished plastic (ABS) enclosure measuring 240mm in length, 240mm in width and 100mm in height.

On the far right side, we find the on/off power switch and the DC in port.

Moving on the far left side we see the activity LEDs (power/UPS - battery) and several tiny holes beneath which Liectroux has placed a small speaker.

As already mentioned, the X6 comes ready with a safety cable and a carabiner but even though the safety cable can hold up to 150Kg the carabiner can only hold up to 30 (still more than enough for the X6).

Turning the X6 over we see one of the two microfiber mopping cloths, the suction area at the center and the two tracks/belts at the top and bottom.

The microfiber mopping cloths attach onto several Velcro style surfaces.

As you can all see from the above pictures the gray microfiber mopping cloth is meant for wet surfaces (thicker) whereas the orange is for dry and dusty surfaces.

The remote control is made out of plastic (not of high quality unfortunately) and allows you to start/stop, manually control and choose one of the three available cleaning modes for the X6.

Remember that in order to use the X6 you need continuous power so when not plugged into the power the best it can do is stay on for about 20 minutes (it will not however keep cleaning while on battery mode).

NOISE LEVEL TEST

Since the X6 doesn't feature a smartphone app from where we can check its efficiency, we just recorded its noise levels from just 10cm away with our HD600 Decibel Meter both while connected to an electrical socket (High) and while in operation with just its UPS/Battery (Low). To make things more interesting and since this is a Robot cleaner, we placed our results in the same chart as the Robot vacuums.

CONCLUSION

   Even though i don't happen to have large windows or glass doors either at the lab or at home i did end up using the X6 window cleaning robot by Liectroux for almost 2 weeks with very good results, at least when it comes to cleaning. Indeed, if you use both bundled microfiber mopping cloths (first the one for dry surfaces followed by the one for wet surfaces) the end result is almost perfect and just as Liectroux points out the robot manages to clean almost the entire surface of the window (only small areas on the corners didn't get cleaned sufficiently). Now i do realize that a window cleaning robot has but one function (to clean) but there are also other important factors at play and there the X6 does fall a bit short. For once noise levels are quite high and annoying, at least when you use the X6 on the inside of the windows (this however is due to its powerful suction which in turn means it has less chances to fall off when in operation). Then you have the how long it takes to actually setup the X6 to clean a window (plug the power adapter into the power socket, add the extension cord, plug it onto the X6, secure the X6 with its safety cord, then attach the first microfiber cloth, place the X6 on the window, wait until it cleans the window, remove the microfiber cloth to attach the microfiber cloth for wet surface and place it on the window again). Now if i happened to have a terrace with very large glass doors like the one showcased on the box of the X6 it would be a whole different story and I’d probably have no problem performing all the steps i mentioned above but for regular windows like the ones i have at home and at the office (most are 1.5 meters in height and 1 meter in length for each of the two sides) this is just way too time consuming.

   Currently the X6 window cleaning robot by Liectroux retails for USD184.37/166.38Euros (Aliexpress.com) a price tag that puts it right in the middle of several similar products. Purely from a technological standpoint there’s not much more one could ask from a robot window vacuum, yes it would be nice to have longer battery life in order to avoid having cables hanging from the device but that would add extra weight which in turn would require higher amounts of suction and so the end result would not only be larger but also far more expensive. Bottom line if you have large glass doors or large windows and you can put the X6 window cleaning robot to good it's definitely worth checking out.

PROS

- Suction Power (2800Pa)
- 3 Different Cleaning/Path Modes
- Remote Control
- Two Microfiber Mopping Cloths (Dry & Wet)
- Up To 99% Cleaning Efficiency
- Surface Material Compatibility (Glass / Marble / Ceramic Tiles / Wood)
- Safety Cord / Carabiner Endurance (150Kg / 30Kg)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Noise Levels
- Short Battery Life (20 Minutes)
- Time Needed To Setup (For Some)