Bagless WiFi-Connected Robot Vacuum

This bagless hands-free vacuum wifi-connected robot has an all-black, utilitarian design. Its price is in line with other high-end smart robotic vacuums for home use.

You can control it with the physical Clean and Dock buttons at the top, via the SharkClean app or with voice commands using Alexa and Google Assistant. It comes with a variety of smart features like home mapping and virtual "no-go zones".

Matrix Clean

The top vacuum cleaner in America (based on NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service data). Matrix Clean has incredible suction power and Matrix & Precision Mapping. It also features a self-emptying bottom.

It's easy to connect the Matrix to your wireless network and start mapping out your rooms with the SharkClean app on your smartphone. After mapping, the app lets you make a schedule for your robot to keep your home spotless, or select individual rooms to have the Matrix begin a cleaning session. You can also set 'no go zones, such as beds or closets that you don't want Matrix to access.

The app lets you make use of the "spot cleaning" function on demand. You can select an area that is dirty on your floor map and the robot will scrub the area on its own with many swipes of its cleaning pad. It does a great job of picking up everything from loose dog hair tumbleweeds to tiny pieces of cut paper scattered from a recent project.

When the Matrix completes its cleaning task the Matrix will return to its dock and empty itself into the included bin. This is an interesting feature because it reduces the amount of hand-on maintenance you have to perform.

One thing to be aware of about this particular model is that the LIDAR mapping sensor is situated directly on top, which might prevent it from getting under some low-to-the-ground furniture, such as tables and sofas. If you're not worried about being a bit taller than some other robots it's an excellent choice. Be aware that this model doesn't come with a HEPA filter like the other models on this list.

Precision Home Mapping

Shark's Matrix Clean Navigation is a precise grid that makes sure that no spot is missed. Incredible suction pulls dirt, dust and debris into a bag-free base with a 60-day capacity. Precision home mapping combines 360deg of LiDAR vision with an exact home map that is available in the SharkClean app to allow for completely autonomous movement and intelligent object avoidance. It creates a detailed mapping of your living space, whether day or night, to allow full navigation without bumping furniture and other obstructions. This means that your robot will be left to complete a cleaning schedule or you can initiate Matrix clean whenever you want and set room-specific targets anywhere from the app.

"The team at Precision is amazing They understand that building a home can be stressful, and they do a great job of keeping you calm when you're concerned about permits or weather, timing, etc." - Josh C.

Powerful Suction

The RV2502AE is a solid mid-range robot vacuum that checks all the boxes. It's easy to use and creates precise home maps, and has an empty bag that self-empties. It's also less expensive to run than other robot vacuums.

It also has plenty of power, scooping up debris through its suction opening, and relying on its side brushes to push hair and carpet threads into the brushroll. This helps prevent the accumulation and blockage of the brushroll as seen on other robotic vacuums, and makes this machine more effective at picking up pet hair.

Besides its suction-boosting and self-emptying base, this robot comes with Matrix Clean Navigation for a thorough cleaning process, Precision Home Mapping for objects to avoid, a high-efficiency HEPA filter that catches 99 percent of odors, dust mites and allergens and two power modes for different floor types and a remote control that grants the user full access to all of its functions. It is also compatible with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and allows you to begin cleaning without having to touch the robot.

While it's a great option for most homes, some may find its navigation capabilities problematic. This bump bot had trouble with stairs. Other bump bots are able to avoid them however this one didn't. It relied on infrared and LiDAR sensors to map the house however it was constantly mistakenly assuming my cat's condo as stairs and asked me to move it away from the way. It also had a shorter runtime than the advertised time of 180 minutes.

Self-Empty Base

Some robots - like this one - feature self-emptying bases that can vacuum or dump the debris that is in the onboard dustbin into an external dirt compartment to make maintenance easier. They are referred to as the Clean Base Dirt Disposal by iRobot, Auto Empty Station by Ecovacs or bagless modern vacuum Self Emptying Base by Shark. They're a wonderful convenience, however they can be noisy and messy, and they usually require the use of special disposal bags.

This Shark model is bundled with a HEPA-filtered bagless self-recharging vacuums base, and has a remarkablely large capacity. It can accommodate up to 60 days of debris and doesn't need emptying every day unlike some of the other models. Shark's incredible suction can handle even the toughest debris. The only drawback is that the docking station's vacuum system that is used to clean the onboard dust bin is quite loud.

When the robot is connected to an outlet on the wall and charged the battery, a beep is heard and the green light will flash on its top to signal it's ready to start cleaning. When the battery of the robot is low it will be able to dock itself to its base and cease to work until it is recharged. It is important that the dock, or Self-Empty Base is set up so that it is not inaccessible by furniture or other objects and is free of any obstructions.

While it's slightly more expensive than other mid-range robotic mop models we've examined, it is well-built and has better performance on plain floors as well as a longer battery life, less demanding maintenance requirements, and a greater variety of automation features that include virtual boundary markers. The iRobot Roomba i7, however remains our top pick because it feels sturdier and more sophisticated, charges faster and gets caught on rug tassels much less frequently and has a larger capacity battery.

Easy Setup

The Shark AI Ultra has a simple to use schedule that only requires only a few inputs. You can select the date and time of sunset and sunrise as well as the duration of the ramp time (increasing or decreasing the brightness) and if you wish to switch on the lights at night.

It doesn't include voice control or smart mapping like Alexa or Google Assistant, but it has a useful free programming suite. The suite comes with a variety of Windows-based applications that allow setting operating parameters and communication including dmXLAN switch, node configuration and live testing and fast replication to multiple installations.

Even the most novice of users will have no problem navigating through the interface. It has tabs on the top that correspond to the various screens that the installer will show as well as tabs that allow you to play with different options for messages and colors. It's a very powerful tool, and it lets you build a quick and easy program installer. The program is just 1.3MB in size and can be used with Windows 7 to Windows 95.