How well does the xv-11 handle running over cables?

[bleomycin]

Hello everyone,

I'm about to order an xv-11 but one thing i have not seen mentioned is how well the neato handles running over bunches of cables or a throw rug with loose strands. I'm planning to use the robot in rooms where there is a good amount of power/networking cables under desks and in corners where the neato will definitely find them. Overall my roomba doesn't get stuck too often and is able to stop the brush and untangle itself most of the time, does the neato have a similar feature or is the laser range finder accurate enough to detect them in advance? Thanks!

[piokrza]

When XV-11 get stuck, stop brushes and doesn't try to untangle it. Although it has brush protection it is not able to untangle from e.g. rug tassels. Just stops itself and tell you on the LCD display whats wrong.

[neato]

If you can't vacuum over the cables and wires with and upright vacuum the Neato can't handle them either. The Neato cleaning system design does a good job of keeping out long flat cables. Cables that are hanging down will get pulled until they click the bumper. Loose ends can get pulled into the brush and cause the Neato to stop. Piles of cables are not quite high enough to bump and avoid but difficult to drive over.

[joeygil]

I'm curious to see how it'll go over moldings. I've got a 5/8" transition from wooden floors to tiles using a 1.5" wide molding.

Guess I'll find out after I get home and charge it up

[justflie]

please let us know, Joey. I had to put in "ramps" for my roomba. I'd love to be able to take them out if this thing has enough clearance. Neato, any word on what kind of rise the XV-11 can deal with? If it comes to a door frame, what is the highest the next floor can be that the Neato can climb?

[spazzwig]

I'd say it is unlikely to have an issue. I've had one for a couple days and it climbs up the base of our cat trees fine (over an inch thick of carpeted plywood), climbs over an inversion bar I have propped in a corner (1" thick round metal tube... its handling of this corner and obstacle overall is impressive), and manages to get over the edges of a vinyl covered gel kitchen mat that have curled up considerably over time.

[joeygil]

Good to know. I'm still in the middle of construction, and haven't put in that molding/ramp yet. So I don't know how it'll do.

I did notice, it seems to get a little confused by mirrors (which makes sense using a laser range finder). I have a big closet with mirrored doors, and it tries to "go through the looking glass." Obviously it bumps and stops going. Maybe I'll put down the mag strip.

[neato]

The Neato is designed to handle a 3/4” transition. A wide molding with a low slope helps the brush and wheels get over the top. The Neato can also approach a difficult transition from a side angle and fuss and wiggle and work it’s way over.

[wdudley]

We got ours, just yesterday (from Amazon - didn't expect it until early Oct, was pleasantly surprised) and after a good 2+ hour charge, I was quite ready to push the orange button. We have a very complex floor plan / Victorian / French Country decorated rooms with several 1/2" to 3/4" thresholds (tile to hardwood) -- The Neato handled all very well... one is even a double threshold. Because the size and complexity of rooms, it was obvious it was "tiling" the cleaning effort, even in 1 room, before going to the next. It didn't finish and found its way back to the charging station quite a distance away. We then cancelled the cleaning program since we were going to bed.

Will try to post a new review with pictures of some of the unique obstacles. With our 1st floor layout, one can make a "loop" going through different rooms.. interesting to see how The Neato will handle this multi-room layout. Will certainly take 2-3 charges (hope 3 is enough!).

So far, so good, though. VERY impressive (and our 2 cats, who are afraid of our Oreck XL were quite curious about The Neato -- cautiously followed it around -- and even fuzzed at it when it bumped their food bowls! They weren't happy about that!)

[justflie]

Hey Dudley. I think you're supposed to charge it for longer before the first run. Not sure though, still waiting for mine to come in. Chris (Fraggboy) mentioned in his review that he got a longer battery life on the second run so you might find that it does the same thing. The battery might take a couple of charge/discharge cycles to get to peak performance. And by battery and I mean batteries plural as there are two!

[wdudley]

Hey Dudley. I think you're supposed to charge it for longer before the first run. Not sure though, still waiting for mine to come in. Chris (Fraggboy) mentioned in his review that he got a longer battery life on the second run so you might find that it does the same thing. The battery might take a couple of charge/discharge cycles to get to peak performance. And by battery and I mean batteries plural as there are two!

Oh sure -- it was getting late; was excited to see it work for the first time, so as soon as we had a green light, off we went! It's now charged overnight. We'll do more cleaning this weekend! (Funny thing - we had JUST finished manually vacuuming before we noticed that it had arrived -- sitting on our front porch!)

[sageman]

wow cant wait thanks for giving us your time

i wonder if it will be possible to either in the pictures or a drawing your floor plan if it isnt too mutch

also about how far round was neato before it had to charge

thanks

[wdudley]

wow cant wait thanks for giving us your time

i wonder if it will be possible to either in the pictures or a drawing your floor plan if it isnt too mutch

also about how far round was neato before it had to charge

thanks

I was actually thinking of including a floor plan and/or some photos to show the obstacles. Plan on writing a quite extensive review.
The first charge from unboxing to punching the orange button was around 2 hours -- then it ran around and cleaned on hardwood, area rugs (with lots fringe) for about 45-50 minutes, before shutting down the vac and returning to its base, several rooms away. I do realize it should have charged longer, but I was excited about trying it out.

Are you people telling me you would wait 16, 24 hours before trying it out when you get yours? Wow - more patient than me!

Of course, now I've been at work all day; my wife has been out, so it's been sitting at its dock for around 18 or so hours... tonight and this weekend, we'll give it a thorough work out... on multiple floors.

[sageman]

not patience just trying to get the battery up to totally full capacity in order to keep the performance better but i think being on the dock for the 18 now probably hasnt done it mutch harm also we dont know if this is a necessity anyway as of yet

[robotreviews]

This thread has gone a bit off topic, so it has been split. The questions regarding charging times have been split into the following topic:

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13525

[sageman]

woops so it has

[denodan]

Hello everyone,

I'm about to order an xv-11 but one thing i have not seen mentioned is how well the neato handles running over bunches of cables or a throw rug with loose strands. I'm planning to use the robot in rooms where there is a good amount of power/networking cables under desks and in corners where the neato will definitely find them. Overall my roomba doesn't get stuck too often and is able to stop the brush and untangle itself most of the time, does the neato have a similar feature or is the laser range finder accurate enough to detect them in advance? Thanks!

I would not even trust my Roomba to keep running over cords, one day your going to get into trouble, and eventually the Roomba will wreck your cables.

I did read somewhere, with HiFi cables, even though Roomba will untangle, it was said they will eventually still even cut through the cables, or wear then down to expose the wire, or warpping, so I recommend you place your wires under your carpet, or inside your walls, or even under the floor.

I put physical barriers around my cords. Don't ever trust your robo vac to handle cords ok, even if they have an untangle feature. From experence it does not always work well and can drag your cables before it lets them go, which can lead top problems in itself.

[Wing Nut]

The only time a cable might stop my old XV-11 is when the cord is looped in some way, rises well off the floor and there's other obstructions restricting back-up space. The Neato doesn't catch the cable in it's beater, but instead is lassoed around the front corner of its casing. It can't go forward, can't turn and can't go back. Initially it stops its beater to save power while extracting itself and if that fails, stops completely and beeps!

It's a very rare event though. My Neato rolls over a tangle of power and PC cables under my desk without hesitation almost every day. Once in a blue moon it gets stuck. It also vacuums over a length of thin speaker cable almost every day without a hiccup and without showing any damage to the insulation.

[glnc222]

Problem is backwards navigation across thicker cables like video, and under furniture is just where backing up occurs. Such cables need to be secured against the wall, as it sometimes can pull them out where it will later hang up on them. Backing up the wheels can slip on these more than forward motion, ending up with a stuck wheel error. Wood strips can sometimes work without permanent attachment to block off the cables behind furniture. Line cords can sometimes be pulled up behind furniture to keep them off the floor. They are easier to get pulled out.

[denodan]

Hey Dudley. I think you're supposed to charge it for longer before the first run. Not sure though, still waiting for mine to come in. Chris (Fraggboy) mentioned in his review that he got a longer battery life on the second run so you might find that it does the same thing. The battery might take a couple of charge/discharge cycles to get to peak performance. And by battery and I mean batteries plural as there are two!

That is a myth actually, when the battery is fully charged, it cannot hold any more charge. It accually takes 2 or 3 charge, discharging cycles before the battery runs at it's full capacity, even if you where to leave it 10 hours or longer, still the same results, so a long charge beforehand is a myth. Will always take a few charges and discharges before the battery reaches full capacity.

My Roomba, in the manual said 16 hours before use and will even go into a 16 hours cycle, but never did, was almost charged when I got it. and indicated fully charged in 1/2 an hour and no problems with it.

Anyway with any multimeter you can prove the first charge needing to be 3 or so times longer then normal, just measure the voltage, then do it again a few hours later, not difference.

If the battery went into a charge, discharge cycle you could understand a longer first charge, but they don't do this, so when the battery is fully charged, cannot hold any more.

I think very few manufactures actually recommend it nowadays.