When individuals contemplate the top robot vacuums suited for pet owners, they typically emphasize the collection of pet hair, including effectiveness on carpets and possibly a self-emptying function for those with allergies. Nonetheless, there exists another feature that is increasingly becoming essential for pet owners and is not related to suction strength. This is the function to remotely check in on your residence via a livestream camera mounted on the front of the robot vacuum, which has emerged as one of my preferred attributes among all the robot vacuums I have evaluated.

This capability resonates with both meticulous pet owners and those who experience anxiety about their pets, likely a considerable intersection. If your protective instincts surface the moment you leave your house, such a robot vacuum may provide more comfort than a traditional stick vacuum. While the brain of a cordless vacuum departs when you do, robot vacuums maintain a connection. Those equipped with a camera can provide a livestream perspective of everything the robot vacuum observes while it cleans, granting a more dynamic approach to supervising your home compared to a static pet camera.

Many robot vacuum livestream cameras also feature remote control viewing, enabling users to utilize on-screen arrows to steer the vacuum. With the Roborock Saros Z70, you could even manually control its robotic arm to grab obstacles like a claw machine, although it required too much accuracy to be practical. Nonetheless, the ability to maneuver a robot vacuum by hand while it records could be advantageous for gently approaching a pet startled by a machine buzzing nearby.

While I frequently monitor my cats during my absence, they rarely exhibit any engaging behavior. Occasionally, I catch them wandering about, yet they are mostly situated on furniture that the vacuum is unable to view. However, if your pet tends to conceal itself under the bed, the roaming floor-level camera could offer reassuring verification of their location.

Beyond checking on pets, you can also connect with individuals at home via the robot vacuum’s camera. Most robot vacuum cameras incorporate a built-in video calling feature with two-way audio, enabling you to reach out to anyone who is at home while you are away: house sitters, children, or the dog walker. The recipient does not need to “answer” — the call initiates automatically. I have utilized it to contact my roommate after she missed my calls because her phone was silenced.

I have particularly appreciated the livestream cameras in premier Roborock vacuums like the Roborock Saros 10 and Saros 10R. The view is the clearest I’ve encountered, and the “locate the pet” function is simply enjoyable. It could be beneficial for pet owners lacking the time to observe the vacuum clean each room in the hopes of spotting their pet.

However, onboard cameras are no longer exclusive to high-end robot vacuums priced over $1,000. I tested and was impressed by the 3i G10+ budget robot vacuum, especially its economical small obstacle avoidance and remote viewing features.

Can a robot vacuum camera be utilized for genuine security purposes?

As a lover of horror films, I’ve envisioned concepts for a low-budget, very 2020s supernatural short where a robot vacuum camera captures household objects moving during the night. It would likely receive a low rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nonetheless, the movie wouldn’t translate well into a slasher. Despite appearing clever, a robot vacuum camera wouldn’t excel at secretly catching someone in the act — every time you enter live view mode, the vacuum announces “remote viewing activated,” and also indicates when live viewing is deactivated. This notification occurs audibly even if you’ve muted the vacuum’s smart assistant or docking volume.

This also implies that the cameras aren’t recording continuously or monitoring around the clock while charging. All robot vacuums with cameras I’ve tested necessitate a PIN code or a draw-to-unlock pattern. Some friends have inquired if a random individual could eavesdrop through your robot vacuum if your phone was stolen, but similar to unlocking a smartphone or smart doorbell, they’d need to know the passcode. This can be specific to the robot vacuum application and is not automatically the same as your phone’s passcode.