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At a glance
The Roomba 690 may not have all the bells and whistles, but it is a practical and useful robotic vacuum with the fundamental features. It offers good performance, and it comes with useful features like Wi-Fi connectivity, excellent filtration, and a Roomba Virtual Wall Barrier. Check the latest price on Amazon.
Pros
+ Wifi-connectivity for controlling the vacuum with an app
+ iRobot Home application is easy to use
+ Dual-Mode Virtual Wall Barrier enables creating restricted zones
+ Great features for the price
+ Easy to use and operate
+ Offers good cleaning performance
+ Lengthy 90-minute runtime, Charges up quickly
+ High-performance filter for filtering out dust and other small particles
+ Edge-sweeping brush makes sure edges and corners are cleaned as well
Cons
- Doesn’t have a recharge and resume feature
- Random cleaning paths
Our rating
iRobot Roomba 690 - Full Review
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The Roomba 690 is a great budget option if you’re looking for a robotic vacuum for a home with pets. It comes with the Roomba Robot Essentials and a couple of advanced features thrown in as well.
Continue reading to find out everything you need to know about this product before deciding if it's the right one for you:
Performance
The Roomba 690 has a 3-stage cleaning system to offer excellent cleaning results. It uses the Dual Multi-Surface Brush, the edge-sweeping brush and suction to provide a careful clean. It also has Dirt Detection technology that can find those high-traffic areas that need a more thorough cleanup.
The high-quality brush roll with bristles and blades engages the surface and digs deep into carpets. It loosens pet hair, dust, and dirt so that the suction can then pull it in. It also automatically adjusts to the surface to offer an optimal clean on any floor or carpet.
If you have high-pile carpeting or several plush area rugs, we might suggest a robotic vacuum with stronger suction. But for hard floors and low to mid-pile carpets the 690 is a great option.
Controlling the vacuum
You have four ways of controlling your Roomba vacuum.
Firstly, you can use the physical button on top of the vacuum to start a cleaning cycle. You can also stop a cycle and ask the vacuum to return to its Home Base, but for more advanced options you need a Wi-Fi connection.
A Wi-Fi will enable you to control the vacuum using the iRobot Home application on your smartphone. This way you can schedule cleanups, view the cleaning history and start cleaning cycles remotely. It allows you to start the vacuum while you’re away from your home and to come back to a clean house that has just been vacuumed.
You can also use the Wi-Fi connection and connect the Roomba with Amazon Alexa or Google Home. You can then use the speakers to give the vacuum voice commands.
Lastly, the Roomba 690 comes with one Roomba Virtual Wall Barrier which you can use to restrict the robot from cleaning specific areas.
For pet owners, this is an important feature because pets might feel uncomfortable around the robovac and need a peaceful space they can retreat to. It is also a good way of protecting your pet’s water and food from the robot to make sure your pet is not disturbed while eating or drinking.
Battery life
The 690 has a runtime of 90 minutes which is pretty good for a robot in this price range. The robot will automatically return back to its dock for charging, but it will not resume cleaning after it has juiced up. This is a minor shortcoming but something that is to be expected at this price point.
In smaller and mid-sized homes 90 minutes allows the vacuum to finish its job, but if you have a big house, you might want to consider another product with longer runtime or the ability to automatically resume cleaning after charging up.
The charging is fast, and in just 2-3 hours you will have the robot ready for another cleanup.
Navigation
The Roomba 690 uses the iAdapt 1.0 navigation system to find it’s way around. It is a fairly basic system that does not enable mapping, which can be expected at this price. The robot uses its bumper to collect information about its surroundings, which means it will lightly bump into objects.
The navigation provides enough information for the vacuum to do a good job at cleaning, but the cleaning paths are random, and it might miss a spot sometimes.
Users have said they don’t mind this though, because with daily cleaning cycles the vacuum will keep your floor cleared of dust and debris even without the more sophisticated (and more expensive) navigation.
Filtration
The 690 model uses the Roomba High-Performance AeroVac filter. It is not a HEPA filter, but it does do a great job at capturing all dust, dander and other small particles.
Having a high-quality filter is an essential detail for vacuums in pet homes. An inefficient filter might reduce the indoor air quality by allowing the vacuum to push allergens like dander and other disgusting particles back into the air.
With the High-Performance AeroVac filter, this won’t be a problem, and you’re guaranteed clean exhaust air.
