Roomba Accessory Upgrades
Well my Roomba finally succumbed to a common issue with the cleaning head module (CHM) that plagues many of these devices. We've been using the Roomba for over 2 years now and have been generally pleased with our investment. See my previous Roomba review for more details.
The good news is that the company sent me a replacement cleaning head module at no charge. During my effort to get the cleaning head module replaced I decide to invest in a few upgrades for our Roomba to see if they could enhance our return.
Roomba 500 Series Remote Control
This Roomba remote control purchase was a gamble. I couldn't find definitive product information about what this remote could do, so I just purchased it on a whim. My hope was that the remote would allow us to start the Roomba (while it was on the charger) from a different room thinking we'd actually use our Roomba more frequently if we didn't have to walk over to it to hit the start button. Guess I am getting lazy.
For anyone looking at purchasing a 500 series remote this information may be valuable.
1)The remote is an infared remote with the same buttons located on top of the Roomba and appears to mimick all the same functions (except demo).
2) Its a line of sight (infared) remote just like a tv remote.
3) The charger also has an infared beam on it, so the remote and charger (As well as virtual walls) don't work well together.
4) That being said I can usually start our Roomba while its on the charger by hitting the start on the remote buttons between 1-2 times. There have been occasions where it won't work, but it isn't often.
5) There are buttons on the remote as well to steer the Roomba, but I don't see any value in using them.
The net is I have the remote strategically placed near our bedroom door. If I miss starting our Roomba before I head up to our bedroom for the night (as I regularly do), it is much easier to hit the remote so the remote control is working well for us. Definitely worth it to us for the added convenience, but a bit of a splurge since it doesn't work 100% of the time.
Roomba Aerovac Bin
The Roomba Aerovac bin is a highly rated accessory on the Roomba web site. I decided to give it a try as it indicated it was a higher capacity bin so I hoped I wouldn't have to empty the bin as often. Its hard for me to say whether the bin actually gets the floor any cleaner as some reviews claim, but it does appear to hold more as it combines the two compartments into 1 easier to empty bin. Likely worth the money if you find yourself emptying the Roomba bin very frequently.
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Comments (1)
How did you get them to replace the cleaning head at no charge? I've had my roomba for about 2 years now and it is also starting to get clogged (makes a whirring clicking sound) frequently -- even when I empty the bin and clean the brushes.
PS - if you buy the roomba cable, you CAN program a Roomba 530 to run automatically (it's a hidden feature!). See my post here: http://www.robotreviews.com/chat/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9235
Posted by Benjamin Chodroff | November 28, 2011 4:16 PM