In a world of expensive robot vacuums, the Ecovacs Deebot 500 is an affordable option for families looking for a quality clean without spending a fortune. Deebot 500 is compatible with smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and can also be controlled via the Ecovacs mobile app. The Deebot 500 retails for $279.99.
The Deebot 500 represents an updated version of Ecovacs’ best-selling N79 series by adding smart home functionality; one of the most sought after features these days. The Deebot 500 connects to your home’s Wi-Fi network, which allows connectivity to both the Ecovacs mobile app and smart home assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Within the Ecovacs mobile app, you can set schedules, start or stop your vacuum, and change the cleaning mode. With the smart home assistants, you can simple use your voice to ask your Deebot to start cleaning or return to its charging base. If you want to go simple, you can always pick up the included remote control to start or stop your vacuum, change cleaning mode, or change the direction it’s moving.
Check out this great overview video from Ecovacs:
The Deebot 500 uses a three-stage cleaning system to maximize its cleaning abilities as it sweeps, lifts and then vacuums dirt off of your floor. It also has a “Max” mode which increases suction power 2x for bigger messes. Plus, it works great on a hard floor like tile and wood, as well as soft flooring like carpet and rugs.
The three supported cleaning modes are as follows:
- Automatic: General daily cleaning
- Spot: Intensive cleaning in one specific area
- Edge: Thoroughly cleans the edges of the room where dust accumulates the most
What I love about the Deebot 500 is that its smarter than your average bear. Not only does it get by with a little help from its friends, Alexa, and Google Assistant, it also automatically charges itself when it’s low on battery, avoids collisions and falls downstairs with sensors.
With a 110-minute runtime, the Deebot 500 will be able to clean your average sized floor in one run. I’ve found runtime to be a very important feature, since you don’t want the vacuum to run out of battery while you’re sleeping and can’t tell it to go back out and cover the spots it didn’t clean. It also has a 520 mL dustbin to hold enough dust and debris for at least two cleans.
During testing, we found that the Deebot 500 performed admirably, and while it’s missing some features of more advanced units, like optical or laser navigation, mopping ability, etc. it includes the most important features for simple automatic cleaning. We noticed that the 500 cleaned under the couch well and picks up a lot of dust and debris although it misses a spot here and there. Once in a while, it’ll get stuck under the couch, but that’ll happen to a lot of robot vacuums unless they’re super low-profile. We loved that it was delicate around our kids’ block towers and actually stopped before knocking them over. Overall, we think it’s great for general cleaning in between deep cleaning sessions with a real vacuum.
It’s well priced at $279.99, so you won’t break the bank improving your cleaning routine. The Deebot 500 is highly recommended as a vacuum that’s just a step above entry-level.
Check out these screenshots from Ecovacs’ mobile app:
You can purchase your Ecovacs Deebot 500 directly from Ecovacs at Amazon [affiliate link].
Source: The Ecovacs Deebot 500 was a manufacturer supplied review sample.
What I Like: Great features for the price; Cleans well; Fairly quiet; Collision and stair sensors; Cleans under the couch; App is easy to use; Smart assistant compatible; Easy to set up
What Needs Improvement: Doesn’t pick up 100% of dirt; Sometimes gets stuck under the couch
