Xiaomi Lydsto R1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner: A budget robot vacuum cleaner with a self-cleaning base

Greetings to all readers! We've received a rather interesting robot vacuum cleaner for our review, considering its price. It's the Xiaomi Lydsto R1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, which costs under $300 at the time of writing and features not only a lidar sensor, a wet cleaning function, but also a self-cleaning base. Currently, it's one of the most affordable options. self-cleaning robotic vacuum cleaners On the market, if not the most affordable. So, below, we'll take a detailed look at and test the Lydsto R1, and then express our opinion on whether this robot vacuum is worth buying. So, let's get started!

Equipment

First, let's check the Lydsto R1 package. In addition to the robot vacuum cleaner itself and the self-cleaning station, the kit includes:

1. Wet cleaning nozzle with a microfiber cloth installed.
2. Operating instructions in several languages, including Russian.
3. Six spare bags for the base, with one more already installed inside the station.
4. Set of 30 disposable wipes for wet cleaning.
5. Tool for cleaning the dust collector and central brush.

That's the entire package. Considering the robot's budget price, I actually appreciate the manufacturers including so many spare parts. However, I think it would have been better if they had cut the number of bags and disposable wipes in half and included at least one spare HEPA filter and side brush. Otherwise, you'll have to buy additional parts after just a few months of using the robot, which I recommend doing right away when purchasing the robot.

Appearance

Now let's take a look at the Lydsto R1's design. It's round and black. The plastic is glossy and easily soiled. Throughout the review, I had to constantly wipe the body down to keep the robot looking presentable.

The mechanical bumper has two wall sensors on different sides and an obstacle detection sensor in the center, which is a plus.

Navigation is handled by a lidar sensor, which is additionally equipped with a mechanical button to prevent the device from getting stuck under furniture. The device also has two mechanical control buttons: a forced return to the charging base and a start/pause button. The mechanical bumper is relatively easy to operate.

The combined water and dust container is removed from the rear. It features connectors for connecting to the self-cleaning station, as well as a dust bin emptying flap. Three holes are located underneath for feeding water to the cleaning cloth.

The water tank holds 250 ml, while the dust container holds only 200 ml of dry waste. The container features a shutter that prevents waste from accidentally falling out when the dust container is removed.

The filtration system uses a mesh, foam, and HEPA filter. It's also worth noting that the tank has a pump inside, allowing for electronic water flow control, which is a plus.

Let's take a look at the Lydsto R1's underside. It has four anti-fall sensors. It has a single, three-beam side brush, secured with a screw. The center brush has bristles and petals. Both sides can be removed for cleaning hair and pet hair. The brush module itself is floating, allowing for better contact with the surface during cleaning.

The cloth is attached to the nozzle via a groove and Velcro. The cloth is fluffy throughout and is quite well made.

Now let's look at the base itself. It's also black, but the matte plastic finish is less easily soiled. There's a storage compartment for excess cord, which is a plus. The dust bin suction hole is located on the end. This speeds up the self-cleaning process and improves emptying quality.

There's a lid on top, underneath which is a bag. It's easy to remove. Beneath it, you'll find the engine vent, protected by a mesh filter. Overall, the build quality is average, which is understandable considering the price.

One small note: it's unclear where the included turbo brush cleaning tool is supposed to be stored. There's no designated space for it either on the station or in the dust bin. It's not exactly inconvenient, but it does raise some questions.

Technical specifications

The main characteristics of the Xiaomi Lydsto R1 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, as stated by the manufacturer:

• Li-Ion battery 5200 mAh.
• Station power consumption: 1 kW.
• Suction power up to 2700 Pa.
• Operating time up to 150 min.
• Cleaning area up to 200 sq.m.
• Dust collector capacity is 250 ml.
• The water tank capacity is 200 ml.
• Obstacle clearance up to 20 mm.
• Dimensions: 350*98 mm.

The specifications are quite standard for mid-range and premium robot vacuums released in 2021. Let's move on.

Functional capabilities

Now let's look at the Lydsto R1's functionality. It's important to note that this robot vacuum is controlled via Lydsto's proprietary app. Surprisingly, this robot doesn't support Mi Home, despite having the "Xiaomi" prefix in its name. The manual includes a QR code for downloading the app, but for some reason it didn't scan in my case. I had to download the app manually from the Market. Registration and installation went smoothly.

In the app, the robot creates a precise map of the room, automatically zoning it into rooms, and saving it to memory. First, let's look at the functions section. Here you can:

1. Set up a cleaning schedule by selecting the days of the week, time, cleaning mode, and desired rooms.
2. Control the robot vacuum cleaner manually.
3. Adjust the volume and language of voice notifications. By the way, Lydsto R1 speaks Russian.
4. Enable double pass of the entire available area and additional pass of the perimeter of the room after automatic cleaning.
5. Set the time when the robot should not disturb you.
6. Share control with other family members.
7. Activate the automatic power increase mode when driving on carpets.
8. Set the frequency of self-cleaning.
9. Study the operating instructions in electronic form.
10. View the cleaning log.
11. Track the status of consumables.
12. Change the robot name and update the firmware if necessary.

Let's return to the main control panel. Here you can choose one of three cleaning modes: room, spot, or zone. In room mode, you can select the rooms you want to clean and the order in which you'll clean them. In spot mode, you can either direct the Lydsto R1 to a specific point on the map for spot cleaning or start spot cleaning where the robot is currently located. In zone mode, you can select areas on the map where you want the robot vacuum to clean. You can also choose the number of passes for the selected zone: one or two.

Let's switch to the map mode. Options such as setting virtual walls, general no-go zones, and no-go zones for wet cleaning mode only are available. You can also edit the map by combining multiple rooms into one, dividing a room into zones, and optionally choosing a name for each room.

There's a useful user mode that lets you customize cleaning settings for each room, adjusting the suction power and water flow rate. This is a significant advantage for the Lydsto R1 compared to many similar devices. Furthermore, in the maps section, we see that the robot vacuum can store multiple cleaning maps in its memory.

By the way, you can also adjust the suction power and the water flow level to the cloth on the main control panel.

That's all the app's functionality. I was very impressed with the Lydsto R1's capabilities. It has all the cutting-edge features. The only thing worth noting is that some features are still poorly translated, a common problem with Chinese robots, and this model doesn't support Yandex.Alice. But for many, this isn't a big deal.

Testing

Let's move on to the more interesting part of the review – a detailed test of the Lydsto R1. First, we'll test the navigation in challenging conditions.

Navigation

First, the robot vacuum cleaner sweeps the entire accessible area along the perimeter. The legs of the chair presented a slight challenge, but it was able to navigate around them and continue cleaning. After sweeping the perimeter, the Lydsto R1 began sweeping the entire accessible area in a serpentine pattern. It managed to clean around three of the four chair legs and the box separately, before returning to its base. The test was successful.

When it comes to cleaning the entire house, the robot vacuum cleaner moves room by room, first along the perimeter and then in a serpentine pattern. There were no uncleaned areas, and the cleaning speed was very high. There were no complaints about the navigation. The test was successful.

But one thing should be highlighted here very important note Within the scope of this review, the robot vacuum cleaner started making a grinding noise while moving. The sound is unpleasant and occurs intermittently. Either the central brush module's scraper is pressing hard against the floor, or the wheels are squeaking. Overall, it's a strange sound that leaves a rather unpleasant impression of the robot. We'll publish a video review soon, so you can hear the grinding sound for yourself.

Suction power

The suction power is on par with similar devices that claim 2500-2700 Pa. The Lydsto R1 was able to suck up debris from a 2 mm deep crevice, which is sufficient for keeping your home clean.

Dry cleaning of laminate flooring

Dry cleaning performance on laminate floors is good. The robot vacuum was able to pick up most of the debris from the floor. This included not only small household debris, but also pet hair, hair, cat food, and even litter. Only a little debris remained in the corners, which almost all round robots on the market fail to clean effectively.

But even in the corners, it swept relatively well, better than many others. Most of the debris was collected in the dust bin, but pet hair and fur got tangled up in the side brush. The center brush also managed to collect some hair. I think the test was a success.

Cleaning the carpet

The same trash was scattered on the carpet. The Lydsto R1 performed admirably in this task. All the trash was collected. The test was successful.

Wet cleaning

We also have no complaints about wet cleaning. The quality of cleaning dirt from laminate flooring is on par with premium counterparts. Only one streak remained along the baseboard, but this is a weak point of all the robot vacuums we've reviewed so far.

Overall, even at the medium level, the robot wets the floor well and evenly. It won't damage wood surfaces with this generous amount of cleaning, and it doesn't leave streaks after each pass.

Obstacle clearance

Speaking about the robot's cross-country ability, the Lydsto R1 is capable of crossing thresholds up to 2 cm high. Its obstacle clearance is good.

Driving on dark surfaces

However, the robot vacuum cleaner, like all other Xiaomi products, is sensitive to dark surfaces. This is a drawback.

Noise level

Finally, we measured the Lydsto R1's noise level in different modes. At minimum power, the noise level ranged from 59 to 61 dB. In standard mode, it reached 62 dB. In high power mode, the noise level reached 68 dB, and at maximum power, the peak was 69 dB. The noise level is quite standard for robot vacuum cleaners.

Let's sum it up

The Lydsto R1 has been thoroughly reviewed and tested. our evaluation system he was able to dial 69 out of 100 points and was able to enter the top twenty robot vacuum cleaners tested at robovac.washerhouse.com.

What can I say about the Lydsto R1? My opinion is mixed, but mostly positive. Let's take it one step at a time. I'll start with the positives.

Here are the advantages we were able to discover:

1. High level of navigation, including automatic zoning of the room into rooms and storing multiple cleaning maps in memory.
2. Self-cleaning at the base.
3. Simultaneous dry and wet cleaning.
4. Very low cost compared to similar products with a self-cleaning base.
5. All advanced functionality in the application.
6. Automatic power increase on carpets.
7. Good quality dry and wet cleaning.
8. Good cross-country ability of the robot.

As for the disadvantages, I would like to highlight the following:

1. The robot vacuum cleaner is afraid of dark floor coverings.
2. The combined container's small dust collector capacity means the robot will have to self-clean several times when cleaning large areas.
3. Lydsto R1 does not support Mi Home, which is quite strange.
4. And most importantly, during testing, the robot vacuum cleaner started making strange sounds.

The first two drawbacks are minor and won't be a big deal for many. As for Mi Home support, I think the manufacturers will add this feature soon. At least, I really hope so. However, the occurrence of creaking noises after a few days of use is a more serious issue, which calls into question the robot's recommendation.

Perhaps the problem is unique to my device; it happens sometimes. However, given that the robot is very budget-friendly, it seems the manufacturer must have skimped on parts, resulting in less reliability than more expensive alternatives. In any case, this doesn't affect cleaning performance, and perhaps over time, something inside will wear down and the squeaking will disappear.

As a result, the Lydsto R1 is a rather interesting option for a budget of under $300, and one might even say it's one of the best. However, if a self-cleaning base isn't as important to you, I recommend additionally considering similar options that offer similar functionality and navigation, but are clearly better built. Alternatively, consider more expensive self-cleaning robots that offer no complaints. For example, Viomi S9, which costs around $400. In any case, the final decision is yours, but the Lydsto R1 itself left a positive impression in most respects.

Its slightly improved twin, the Roidmi EVE Plus, will be available for review soon. If you're interested in hearing opinions on this robot, subscribe and stay tuned for updates.

I'd like to end this review on that note. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments. Happy shopping, everyone!