Deebot Ozmo T8+ with extraction station and 3D obstacle avoidance

Ecovacs moved with the T8 AIVI into the AI competition with the Roborock S6 MaxV, which is still ongoing due to updates on both sides. However, the manufacturer wants to go one step further and is launching the Ozmo T8 with optional extraction station (T8+). Although without a camera, but with TrueDetect 3D technology. Does this enable it to detect even small obstacles easily?

• Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 (without vacuum station)
  • at Amazon for $549.99 (activate $100 coupon) | Amazon.de for 699€ | Amazon.com.au for $999 (Coupon: ECOVACST8)
  • Extraction Station currently not available at Amazon.com

You can see it: The “+” behind the “T8” stands for the optional suction station, otherwise there are no further differences between the T8 and the T8+. None of this should be confused with the T8 AIVI, which works with camera obstacle detection.

Technical data: Comparison to Deebot T8 AIVI

Packaging and scope of delivery

Except for the iRobot Roomba s9+ I had never had such a big box in my living room before. But of course, such a vacuum station needs space.

In the sumptuous scope of delivery you will find:

• the vacuum robot itself with 0.42 l dust chamber
• Suction station with an already inserted dust bag and charging cable
• additional spare bag
• four brush heads (two spare, two for bottom side)
• Packaging with wipes
• Spare HEPA filters and foam filters
• Ozmo Pro water tank
• a lot of manuals in German and many other languages

There are one or two highlights in the scope of delivery, such as the large electric water tank or the vacuum station. But what caught my attention is this “handkerchief dispenser” with disposable wipes.

In the end – as with so many things – it is up to everyone to decide whether or not to use the disposable wipes. I continue to believe that it makes much more sense to wash out a microfiber cloth over and over again instead of using disposable cloths.

Unlike the T8 AIVI, the T8+ only comes with the electric Ozmo Pro water tank and not the “normal” Ozmo tank. This is not meant as a criticism, after all, in practice you only use the Pro version anyway.

Design and finish

Probably to distinguish it from the T8 AIVI, the new robot is in white-rose silver. Yes, after a lengthy debate in the editorial office we decided on the color constellation. Or what color do you think it is?

Design is a matter of taste, quite clearly. But if you choose such unusual colors, the workmanship and the material used must also be top notch, otherwise it quickly looks cheap. But the T8+ is – what you can expect in this price range – very high quality and offers little surface to attack. From above it looks like the T8 AIVI, but in a different color.

You could write a lot at this point about how beautiful the T8+ is, but maybe we’d rather let pictures speak for themselves.

Bottom side of the robot

Not so my color choice, but a pretty little guy, I have to admit.

Extraction station like with iRobot

Extraction stations are loading stations and “emptying” of the dust chamber in one – automated. When the robot drives to the station after cleaning, the battery is charged and the dust is sucked out of the dust chamber. However, the whole procedure is anything but quiet. Treat yourself to an eavesdrop:

https://youtu.be/HdQVuOH_qeg

With models such as the Proscenic M7 Pro or Neabot NoMo, the operation of the extraction station can also be switched off in the app. You can also set whether the station should only extract every second or third time. This is practical if the four walls are not so dirty that you would have to have the dust chamber automatically vacuumed after each cleaning. I would have trusted a manufacturer like Ecovacs with this app function.

Why does the title of this section say “Extraction station like iRobot”? Very simple, visually and functionally the extraction station is very similar to the iRobot station that comes with the Roomba s9+. I haven’t been able to test whether the bag has to be removed every 30 cleanings – I only get about 12 runs and the bag still has plenty of space.

The station is of much higher quality than the Proscenic M7 Pro or Neabot NoMo, but with a unit price of ~$300 it leaves a deep hole in your wallet. I want to be honest: I can well imagine ordering the T8+ directly with extraction station, but never individually at that price.

The extraction station – like all the extraction stations I have tested so far – operates very loudly at a volume above 80 dB, but the extraction process does not take as long as with other stations. At least. If you let the T8+ start from its own station, it takes only seconds to find it again.

Working time and continued cleaning

After a working time of 3 hours the robot has to go back to its loading/extraction station for a loading time of 5 hours. This happens with a remaining battery capacity of 20%. Even though this is not really necessary with such a long working time (unless it is to clean over 250 m²), the T8+, like all Ozmo models, masters continuous cleaning. This allows the robot to return to the charging station when the battery power decreases, recharge the battery and then continue the cleaning process from the last point to complete it. Stop n’ Charge so to speak.

If you only let the robot work while you are on the road, you will not notice the process of continuous cleaning. However, the core of a vacuum robot with laser room measurement is the associated app. And I will show you that now.

App control via Ecovacs Home

Integration into WLAN

After downloading the app Ecovacs Home (Android, iOS), which we are already familiar with, the (disposable) mail address must be used for registration as usual. Then you scan the QR code of the robot or search for it from the list.

Connecting the T8+ to the WLAN is quick and easy with the following steps:

• Switch on the robot under the flap with the red slider.
• Press and hold the reset button for one second (T8 AIVI reports that it is ready for network connection).
• Select WLAN and enter the corresponding password (only 2.4 GHz network is possible, but 5 GHz can usually stay on).

If you have problems with the connection, either look into the guide or write us in the comments.

After the integration a firmware update pops up, which you can download and install. Firmware updates are very welcome, because they can contain new software features or bug fixes. The Ozmo T8+ updates itself via OTA (Over The Air), you just have to press “Update”. Next step: Make some settings. Some things should be set before the first cleaning run of the robot, so that you can use all functions.

Functions and setting options

Compared to the T8 AIVI, where you were almost overwhelmed by the multitude of settings, the app was “purged” a bit. Only the most important functions and settings are left, which I personally welcome. As there are:

• Switching carpet detection on and off (increase of suction power on carpets)
• Schedule working hours (when robot should move), set sleep mode (when robot should not move)
• Extended mode (allows no-go zones, selective room division and floor storage)
• Set suction power (four levels)
• Set water flow rate when using the wipe function
• Continuous cleaning (continues cleaning after charging the battery if it is not yet finished)
• selective room division incl. merging and naming of rooms
• Floor storage (save multiple maps for multiple floors)
• 3D obstacle avoidance on/off
• Download and install firmware updates
• Trace the condition of the individual parts
• Voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Home
• Select language pack
• Cleaning cloth reminder (when to change?)
• Trace the cleaning protocol
• Set volume of the robot’s “voice” (voice output)

TrueDetect 3D technology vs. AIVI

My review conclusion with the T8 AIVI with AI detection of small obstacles was: You buy the robot because of AIVI, but the technology is not yet as mature as you might hope. But if one would omit AIVI, one would have a very good vacuum robot with a view to the top step of the best vacuum robots.

Now the T8 is there without AIVI, but again has a different way of detecting small obstacles in the software package. TrueDetect 3D-Technologie: Marketing promise or cool software? Time for a detailed room tour:

https://youtu.be/hwti919VHZQ

Chair legs, curtains, cables, slippers … the list of small obstacles with which vacuum robots still have great difficulty in detection is long. 3D technology is now to change this and the Ozmo T8 will be able to avoid such obstacles. In addition, the detection of objects with dark surfaces will be improved. So when the robot approaches an object with a dark surface, it actively slows down its speed. In this way, dark carpets should no longer be misinterpreted as steps.

Let us start with the positive points: The carpet detection, i.e. the suction power boost on carpets works perfectly:

https://youtu.be/muHw7qWgVXE

Otherwise, the T8 is based on its older brother with AIVI: laser room measurement, mapping with floor storage and selective room division, app control via Ecovacs Home (Android, iOS) – the full program. The Ozmo Pro vibration water tank is also part of the package.

The first ride

Before the very first ride, you should not ignore the instructions for action recommended in the app. Especially starting and ending at the charging station is important, otherwise you won’t be able to use the selective room division.

You are ready to go. I don’t put away any cables or other small objects that I usually put away before the first ride (on which you can draw virtual walls on Ecovacs). After all, the robot should be able to recognize almost anything and avoid it accordingly. And that doesn’t look too bad for the first few meters – until I stopped it by app because I had to go to the door. Whatever happened in the half minute between the messenger’s parcel acceptance and the restart, it seems to have completely upset the robot. The whole thing looked a bit, well, let’s say clumsier:

https://youtu.be/AObH8QAIDdo

On the map it looks chaotic as follows:

I let the T8+ work a little bit longer, then I wanted to spare it and me any further shame and sent it to the extraction station. He didn’t find it by himself, the manual placing of the robot on the station didn’t create any vacuuming either.

The second ride

But hey, robots sometimes just need some time to get used to our four walls. So I cleaned all sensors (even if they were not dirty) and sent the little household helper off again. And lo and behold:

Luckily, it is a real Ozmo model that gets along well with my premises as usual. Room by room first the outer, then the inner areas. Interestingly, the working time in my four walls is about the same for all Ozmo models. And this, although the T8+, T8 AIVI, Ozmo 960 or even the Ozmo 950 navigate differently.

Once the Ozmo T8+ has “grooved in”, the 3D obstacle detection also works well to very well. However, it is not always equally reliable on every journey, especially when moving furniture between two journeys. Push notifications are also sent to the smartphone (if you like).

Selective room division

Due to the live display of the map, it is possible to see where the robot is currently located even when it is on the road (office, university, etc.). The T8+ automatically divides the individual rooms into different areas by color. This allows you to vacuum or wipe rooms in a specific order, or to have them run in a specific order. If you do not agree with the division of the robot, you can also merge or separate areas with finger movements. But I agree with the arrangement.

For your own orientation you can also assign symbols for the individual rooms. For example the bathtub for the bathroom or the bed for the bedroom. In addition, virtual walls and non-wiping zones can be drawn on the created map. The robot does not drive over virtual walls or no-go zones (screenshot below in red), while the robot ignores non-wiping zones when the wipe function is switched on.

Talking about the wiping function: We don’t want to bore you with repetitions, so we spare you a rewritten text about the wiping function of the vacuum robot. As already mentioned, the Ozmo Pro vibration water tank is back in the game, the wiping function is identical to that of the T8 AIVI.

Conclusion: Buy Deebot Ozmo T8+?

You will notice that you should think twice before buying the extraction station. If you buy the station for the T8 later, you pay a total of $100 more.

Personally I am not convinced of the new robot, which is mainly due to the price. I would have wished for a T8 AIVI without AIVI for much less money, instead we have a new technology here that Ecovacs can pay well for. Especially with extraction station, the manufacturer has now landed in a price class with Vorwerk, Dyson or iRobot with its premium models. Although this may be justified in comparison to the manufacturers mentioned above due to the powerful vacuum robots, in my opinion it is not a step in the right direction.

As expected the Deebot Ozmo T8+ is a very good vacuum robot, the 3D obstacle detection works most of the time and the material quality is great. In itself there is not much to complain about, but the price also plays a role. And I simply find it too high.

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