Create’s Wipebot Review: A New Robot Has Arrived Home

For years now, robot vacuum cleaners have become faithful cleaning companions in many homes. For even longer, if possible, kitchen robots. The time for verticality has arrived, now it is the turn of the windows. The Spanish brand Create brings us the Wipebot, an automatic window cleaning robot that promises to give us a hand with the tedious task of cleaning the windows. We have had the opportunity to try it and we tell you about our experience.

First of all, when we open the box, we find the following:

• Wipebot robot vacuum cleaner
• Remote control
• 12 mops
• 100ml sprayer
• AC cord
• Adapter
• Security cable
• User manual and quick start guide

The first sensation that the Wipebot transmits when taking it out of the box is that of a quality, robust device with good finishes. It may surprise that it is relatively light (just 1kg and something), something that, as we will see, is a very positive point if we take into account its functions. It maintains, like all the devices that we have been able to test from Create, a simple and elegant design, in this case with a black finish and a rounded shape.

Wipebot Specifications

The Wipebot has a navigation system called TechMap, which maps the cleaning area and detects the edges so that cleaning is as efficient as possible. Except for some exceptions that we will discuss later. Its only cleaning mode is based on zigzag movements, with which it can cover a surface of up to 1m² in just 4 minutes.

Power and operation

It has a suction power of up to 2400Pa, and 90w, which allows us to clean our windows quite decently. However, if there is a lot of dirt accumulated or we want a more thorough cleaning, from the remote control we have the option to clean twice (x2), so that the result is better. Even if we consider that we want more shine, we can change the mops and pass the Wipebot as many times as we need.

To ensure that the zigzag of its cleaning mode works correctly, the Wipebot needs an area of ​​at least 30x30cm, which is quite small. I think this is one of the positive points of the robot, and what sets it apart from other window cleaners on the market, and is that its small size allows it to be used on smaller surfaces than other devices.

However, we have a drawback, and that is that its rounded shape does not allow it to adequately reach the corners of the crystals, so that will be a part that we have to clean by hand. Being positive, it will really save us a lot of work, and it will limit the manual part to just a few details so that the cleaning is complete. Personally, I don’t consider it a big problem, but for other more demanding users it could be.

We should note that when we take a look at devices of this type that we have on the market (including another robot cleaner from Create), the pattern tends to be that the small ones have rounded edges, and the ones with corners are of a much larger size. In short, the norm would be something like small size equals rounded finishes, and large size equals corner finishes. So we would have to choose between a compact device that allows us to work on small surfaces, or a large device that reaches corners.

First impressions

One of the things that caught my attention the first time I used the Wipebot is how simple the surface adhesion system is. It is enough to turn on the device and simply stick it to the glass. It will stick and start wiping in a zig-zag pattern. Of course, remember to anchor the safety cable before.

A downside that we found during use is that the fan is noisier than expected. It is true that Create at no time presents it as a silent device, but I think it is important to point it out. It is also true that, since it is used mainly outdoors (although you have to leave the window slightly open for the cables to pass through), it is not as annoying as in other devices, such as robot vacuum cleaners.

The Wipebot works with a remote control, from which you can control the robot while it works. With it you can: pause/continue; move it in 4 directions (up, down, left and right); clean once; clean twice; continue cleaning and scroll from the current position, in three directions (up, left and right).

Although the remote control operation is practical and quite complete, today it falls a bit short and we miss the app control. It seems that the more home automation apps we have on our phone, the more of the future we feel. But it is true that an app is missing, not only for control, but perhaps for it to give us some other type of information (such as warnings or notifications, possible errors that may arise, etc.).

Safety and fall control

To avoid possible trouble, in the box we find a 6-meter safety cable, which we must anchor to an object robust enough to support the weight of the Wipebot in the event of a fall. In this way we put an end to the main fears that window cleaning robots have caused us since we learned of their existence: that they fall into the void and break or that they “break” someone. Goodbye problem, and at most they will do bungee jumping.

If the bungee jumping option does not convince us much either, it is important to note that it has a 30-minute backup battery. In this way, despite the fact that it works by cable, if at any time there is a power cut, this Li-On battery guarantees adhesion to the surface that we are cleaning for at least that time.

One detail to note is that the carabiner with which we must anchor the safety cable to a robust place, which can support the weight of the robot in the event of a fall, is quite small. In my first contact with the Wipebot I found myself looking around, with the feeling of not knowing what could be a good option, and finally I anchored it to the strap of the blind.

Like all devices of this type, they have accessories that will need to be renewed over time, in this case the mops. The good news is that the Wipebot already comes with 12 mops so that we can clean several windows without fear of running out of wipes. Of course, once used they are washed and reused.

conclusions

On this occasion, Create brings us the Wipebot, a window cleaning robot that, thanks to its small size, can work in small spaces. This feature makes it a versatile device that can be adapted to all types of homes. Despite the fact that it has some drawbacks, such as the absence of an app or that it does not reach the corners well due to its rounded shape, it is very practical and will undoubtedly help us a lot in cleaning the windows at home.

Right now the Create Wipebot is discounted by 23% in the brand’s official store and can be purchased for €129.95.