Neabot NoMo N2 Robot Vacuum Cleaner Review
- Self-emptying dust bin
- Automatic suction level adjustment
- Automatic floor type detection for mopping
- Affordable price tag
- Requires 2.4GHz band router connection
- Overly aggressive obstacle avoidance
- Vacuum is a dust and fingerprint magnet
Robot vacuum cleaners have become so common and widely available that it's harder than ever for smaller, newer players to stand out from the competition. Some have tried to employ gimmicks to get their products noticed, while others have tried to tempt consumers with cheaper prices. Not all of these methods work, however, and some people are left with buyer's remorse over their purchase. Despite this, there's no shortage of new contenders claiming to check all the right boxes, including the Neabot NoMo N2 robo-vacuum, which we recently put to the test.
Design
As robot vacs have started to become commonplace, so have their designs. There are very few surprises when it comes to how these automated house cleaners look, and that's probably for the best. The similarity brings a level of familiarity to the product line, which, in turn, inspires confidence in something that's still relatively new compared to traditional vacuum cleaners.
In terms of basic form, the NoMo N2 is no different from its rivals. The robot vacuum cleaner comes in a disc shape with very notable details beyond the small puck on top housing the robot's LIDAR eyes. Just like many other robot vacuums, Neabot decided to use a glossy material to cover the surfaces of the machine, making it the perfect dust and fingerprint magnet.
The charging dock is also typical in the sense that it is narrower than the robot itself. It's also taller than most charging docks because it holds a dust bin with a capacity of 2.8 liters. The bin's cover flips open to reveal the trash bag, which users can remove or insert using the cardboard slide inside.
Unlike the robot itself, the charging station has a matte surface that oddly contrasts with the shiny robot, making it look like they're two separate products. It also gives the station a cheaper appearance that could be easily mistaken for a trash bin.
Performance
The Neabot NoMo N2 might not have the looks, but it at least walks the walk. Its dual vacuuming and mopping functionality delivers the essentials of a modern robot vacuum, while the self-emptying dustbin feature is still on its way to being a staple in this kind of product. All of these while keeping the price tag relatively low.
With a maximum suction power of 2,700 Pa, the NoMo N2 isn't exactly the strongest robo-vacuum on the market, but it does a decent enough job, even on carpets. The device can adjust the suction level automatically, applying the strongest pull on carpets while minimizing battery drain on hard floors. It took an average of 30 minutes to make a full round of the house, and with a battery life of about two hours, it has plenty of juice left for a few more sessions.
On its first trip, the robot vac learns the layout of your floor and can map out sections depending on the different floor types. This is essential, for example, when automatically pausing the mopping function when it rolls over to a carpeted area. The robot also detects whether the removable mop is actually attached and won't activate that function if it isn't.
The NoMo N2's floor layout mapping is fairly accurate and the LIDAR does a good job detecting obstacles. In fact, it does too good of a job and might avoid what it perceives as walls or curtains, staying a good distance away from them while leaving dust and dirt uncleaned at the edges.
No robot vac is perfect here, though, and you might find it still going into places where it shouldn't from time to time. That's when you set up the no-go zones in the app, in case you notice it gets stuck in certain areas too often.
The self-emptying process is a bit of a hit or miss, depending on what the vacuum was able to suck up during its journey. Larger particles like clumps of hair and fur could block the small passageway from the robot to the bin, making the feature pointless. It can also be a bit noisy, so you might want to disable it at night and just manually collect the dust at your convenience.
Software
While it's certainly possible to manually activate the NoMo N2 and have it find its way on its own, you will naturally want to take advantage of the features that are only available from the mobile app, like setting up no-go zones, schedules, and remotely turning features on or off. The app is where the teething pains of a new product show themselves, but, fortunately, it is also the easiest to fix.
It seems to be the standard with many robot vacuum cleaners these days to require only 2.4GHz band Wi-Fi connections, requiring owners to change their router's configuration when using dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz. The connection process wasn't as smooth as it should have been when the product first launched, but an app update fixed those issues quickly.
In fact, the app and the vacuum cleaner's firmware get a lot of updates to fix bugs, which is at least a good sign of the manufacturer's active commitment to the product. For example, translations have been brushed up and some mopping bugs were ironed out in the latest releases. Hopefully, the vacuum's obstacle avoidance system will also be refined via an update.
The app does have the standard features you'd expect from robot vacs, allowing you to see how the NoMo N2 sees the layout of the floor, as well as keep tabs on the status of the battery and the internal dust bin. You can even direct it to clean a specific spot outside of its usual path or, if you're feeling a bit devilish, play with pets using the robot.
Wrap-up
All-in-all, the Neabot NoMo N2 doesn't sound like anything special in a sea of robot vacuum cleaners. Make no mistake, it performs admirably for both vacuuming and basic mopping, though it does have a few flaws we hope could be fixed with a software update soon. The self-emptying feature is also becoming a standard among robot vacuums, so its presence here is a big plus.
At the end of the day, the NoMo N2's biggest pull will be its $399.99 price tag. That puts it on the lower end of the scale, but, at the same time, delivers features you'd expect from its more expensive rivals, including its own sibling the NoMo Q11. It is far from perfect, but the Neabot NoMo N2 will be difficult to ignore, especially if you're on a tight budget.