I got this Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner from a Lazada seller (based in Singapore) which delivers the very next day. I was so impressed with the quick delivery.
Why this Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner model
This is the cheaper model of about SGD 290 as compared to the many more expensive models of Roborok and Ecovacs. I am pretty sure they will perform better than this model I bought. Should be much better since there are many excellent reviews of these models but they cost more than $500 each.
Previously about 8 years ago, I had one robot vacuum cleaner at home and it let me down a lot (keep getting stuck, broke down after less than 1 year of use etc) and hence I was quite sceptical of buying one. But you know, sometimes, the woman in the house decides everything 🙂 But since she does not know, I bought this cheaper model 🙂
I always have a soft spot for Xiaomi products. God knows how many Xiaomi power banks and I bought. And Mi Band and Mi TV box. And even in ear phones which I don’t know where it is now :).
But it turns out, so far, to be pretty good. It is not the most quietest but it does the job pretty well. More importantly, by now, the software has stabilised a lot and indeed with the Xiaomi Home app, it has become a great tool at home !
Happy wife, happy life.
Unboxing Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Opening up the box
This is the water tank. It does not look too big and does not store too much water but it is more than enough for my small unit.
This is the lid you need to peel aside to fill it up with water.
This is the mopping cloth. I cleaned it once a day after two or three cleaning sessions per day.
The Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner itself
The reverse (back side) of the cleaner. There is a roller brush (the one in orange colour) that is detachable and you should clean it often. Lots of hairs are stuck there 🙂
This is the charging home base which the cleaner will return to by itself (or when you command it through the app or through the HOME button on the cleaner).
A normal usable in Singapore power cord. Some people find this important 🙂
The brush that “brings” dirt into the vacuum cleaner as it goes around the house.
At the top of the vacuum cleaner is a POWER BUTTON, a HOME BUTTON and a camera.
If you open up the lid on TOP of the cleaner, you will see the dirt box which all the dirt will be collected into. Clear it often :). No one said that with a vacuum cleaner, you will have nothing to do 🙂
The dirt box comes with a HEPA filter too.
Using the Xiaomi Home App
After you set up the cleaner’s physical parts, it should be charged in the dock.
In the meantime, download the Xiaomi app and add the device. The bluetooth scanning did not work for me as it could not find my vacuum cleaner. In the end, I find it easiest to just scan the QR code in the manual and it was immediately done.
After it has been done… I affectionately named it “CK Vacuum”. Don’t ask me why. Maybe I like my CK boxers a lot 🙂
And off it goes 🙂
In its first few runs, it will “map” out your house so that you can then configure where the places you don’t it to go (e.g. your toilets).
This is my current map management with RED parts not to be cleaned due to the presence of wires or just difficult places for the vacuum cleaner to clean without getting stuck.
This is a photo of how the vacuum took 39 minutes to cover the whole area. The dark blue area is the area it covered during this run and the lighter blue are the parts it did not. The red parts are parts it will not go as I have blocked it out in the app.
One thing I noticed was that it is possible to access the app and hence the vacuum cleaner EXTERNALLY. That means you can be outside (not at home) and still “command” the vacuum cleaner to start a clean up or monitor the clean up. I feel it quite therapeutic to do so. Weirdo.
Scheduled Runs for Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner
There is also a section where you can scheduled runs for the days and nights with different type of cleaning (silent, standard, turbo etc). I just wish I can configure different maps of the house for different cleaning. E.g a map for the night to just clean the living room etc. I guess it can be done by placing physical blocks in appropriate sections. I saw that being sold online 🙂
Summary of the Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner
So far, this Xiaomi MiJia 1C Robot Vacuum Cleaner has been great and the house feels very clean. Every day, I use some dettol detergent (a little bit) mixed with water for a nice clean. I feel the floor is very clean and I am most happy to see all the dirt and hair inside the dirt box after each clean.
Having said that, you do have to fill up the water tank (for mopping) and clean the vacuum cleaner quite regularly.
