Wybot S1 robot pool cleaner review

Wybot S1: Introduction

Over in Vegas at CES 2024 one of the big themes of the show, at least in terms of emerging consumer tech trends, was robot pool cleaners.

A number of brands had devices on show and, you won’t be surprised to learn, the majority of these brands were Chinese.

As with robot vacuum cleaners, China seems to be leading the way when it comes to innovation in this expanding market.

One such brand was Wybot, a new division of Binhai based Wybotics, who have actually been making swimming pool cleaning robots since 2005. They claim they are the world’s first in the area and who are we to argue with that?

The Wybot S1, which we’ve been testing for the past few weeks at our Florida test lab, sits in the middle of the new line-up and not only offers automated cleaning but also Bluetooth connectivity so as you can control everything in a companion app… in theory at least.

Read on to find out exactly where it did and didn’t impress in our full Wybot S1 review.

Design and components

Weighing 23.7 lbs and measuring 17.8 x 16.8 x 11.5 inches, the Wybot S1 is designed with both functionality and aesthetics in mind, featuring a black and gray color scheme with blue accents.

We actually tested it in tandem with a rival, the Aiper Scuba S1, and visually there isn’t a great deal of difference in terms of looks and dimensions.

On the top you’ll find the power button and the charging port, and around the back there’s a handle to carry the unit around.

Being a cordless model, there are no wires to worry about during cleaning, provided the port is securely closed before use.

Powered by a couple of pretty substantial wheels on each side are a pair of caterpillar treads, designed to give the Wybot more grip when climbing walls.

Flip the unit over an you’ll find the dual active roller brushes and a suction section, alongside 5 mini wheels for extra mobility.

Wybot informs us that there are actually actually three motors on board; two for traction and one for filtration but this is all hidden away from view.

On the back there are five LED status lights which will light up different colors depending on what’s going on; blue for in-use, yellow for low battery, red for a fault etc.

In the box you’ll find a collection hook, designed to fit on a regular pool cleaner pole, so you can easily retrieve the Wybot, even if it’s floating in the middle of the pool.

You’ll also get a couple of floating block pads, which can be inserted inside the unit to assist with wall-climbing; although I’ve not had to use these during our testing.

In use

Once you’re fully charged up and ready to go, the next step before throwing the S1 into your pool is to get the device synced up to your phone over Bluetooth for app control.

In theory, you could skip this part, but you’d be limited to just the normal cleaning mode and you wouldn’t be able to customize your pool and clean settings.

Pairing was pretty straightforward, a process that took just a couple of minutes, and then I was presented with an array of options for both my pool and the cleaning modes.

You can choose both wall and floor cleaning patterns, select a shape of pool that closely matches yours and even choose the pool’s material.

You also have the option to set schedules and, for each individual cleaning session, you can select what parts of the pool you want to focus on. For example you could choose just floor, floor then wall, just wall, a strong floor clean or even choose to just focus on the water line.

Once you’ve done all this, you can chuck the Wybot into the pool and let it do its thing.

Actually, don’t chuck it; just place it gently into the water to fully submerge it. You will notice all of the air escaping as it slowly makes its way to the bottom.

Obviously make sure that the cover for the charging port is in place before doing this, as otherwise you’ll have an expensive, useless, box of plastic on your hands.

And I have to point out at this point that this is a scenario that could end up happening to you anyway. While I’ve not experienced any power issues during testing, there is a large enough sample of negative reviews on Amazon all pointing at the same power problem for it to be a tangible concern.

The consensus seems to be that the power button itself malfunctions after continued use, leaving users no way of powering on their S1.

As I say, it’s not something I’ve personally experienced, but it’s an issue to be aware of.

Once the S1 lands safely the bottom of the pool, it will get straight to work. It’s worth noting that you probably won’t be able to communicate with the device at this point via the app; the Bluetooth waves can’t seem to penetrate the water, so be sure to get your settings right in the app before starting.

Wybot tells us that is supports pool sizes up to 1,300 square feet and it works with all pool shapes.

Performance

The pool we used for testing the Wybot has a slightly odd shape; two straight edges forming a right angle but one end curved slightly inwards to a B-shaped 4th side that also housed some steps and a raised section. At its deepest-point it’s around 8-feet.

The S1 had no problems navigating either the irregular footprint of the ball, nor its various levels. It mounted the stairs with no issues, climbed walls without fault, and it found and cleaned the higher section too.

Using advanced gyroscopes and depth sensors, the S1 “sees” your pool and intelligently plans the most efficient cleaning path.

The Scuba S1 has a filtration volume of 13m³ per hour and it collects large and small debris in its the basket as it goes.

It cleans pool floors, walls and the water level too and can run for up to 180 minutes at a time, from a full charge, if it’s doing both vertical and horizontal cleaning. If you just need the floor cleaned, that lifespan can be extended to 200 minutes.

When you’re done, you simply need to get the S1 out of the water, empty the debris basket of all of its contents and give the basket a rinse.

In our test pool, we didn’t have any issues with leaves as the pool area is screened-in but you can see from the image above that plenty of soil, sand and other gunk was collected. The pool’s floor and walls were noticeably cleaner even after just one session.

The S1 offers 180μm fine filter collection, which is more than adequate for picking up sand and dirt.

It boasts a 6,400mAh power pack and a full charge takes 2.5 hours. The LEDs at the back light up green when a full charge is complete.

Final thoughts

The Wybot S1 is a decent mid-range robo pool cleaner that performs well, and can be highly customized thanks to the app.

However, it’s impossible to ignore the large amount of negative reviews online that seem to all point towards a common power issue… albeit one that hasn’t come up in our testing.

It’s the same price as the excellent Aiper S1 Scuba. And although that model doesn’t have app connectivity, we’d still pick it over the Wybot.

How we test

When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.

Robot cleaners usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. And they are designed to offer a range of different cleaning options. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a robo cleaner for a week and deliver a verdict.

Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular smart cleaning machine compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.

Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.

Read our guide on how we test to learn more.