It was only a few weeks ago that we had the opportunity to test the erabros RS1. It is a very clever robot that can pick up a lot of pet hair and dirt without any tangles. While it has a lot of unique features, it doesn’t have LiDAR, which means you can’t send it to a specific part of your home for deep cleaning. The erabros LS1 changes that. It is an affordable LiDAR robot vacuum and mop with app, Alexa, and remote control.
We recently had a chance to get our hands on one of these robots. It shipped with a simple base, mop pad / water tank, the main robot and brushes that you can install easily. The remote is very similar to RS1’s but it lets you change mop settings. We didn’t even need to look at the manual to attach the brushes and mop.
In order to get started, we had to charge the robot to get it ready for the first mapping session. You can connect this robot to the Smart Life app by holding the two buttons on it at the same time for a couple of seconds. If you have used Smart Life products with Alexa in the past, you can count on it to recognize the robot automatically.
The remote is a nice touch. It saves you from having to use your phone to control the robot all the time. It has buttons for edge and spot cleaning as well as vacuum power and mop settings. The companion app gives you access to various modes, including auto, zone, room, and spot cleaning. You can also manually control the LS1 from your phone.
The erabros LS1 is ready for multi-floor mapping. It lets you set forbidden zones for mopping/cleaning and mopping only. You can summon the robot to a specific room to do cleaning. Y-pattern deep mopping can also be activated from your phone. The Smart Life app lets you create 5 maps for the robot.
The erabros LS1 robot has anti-drop sensors. We couldn’t get it to drop off our desk or get in trouble around the stairs no matter how hard we tried. The dust bin is very easy to remove. Unlike a few other LiDAR vacuums that we have tested, this one has its water tank separate from the dust bin. You just have to make sure you remove the mop before docking.
Overall, we found the LS1 to be very easy to use. It may not have the highest advertised suction power but its direct suction design allows it to pick up a lot of dirt. Connecting it to our WiFi network was a breeze, so was setting it up to map, mop and vacuum our home. We wish it had an auto-lift function for its mopping pad but that feature is available in much more expensive models.
