If your home has a floor, this article is for you. I will assume it does and that you are still here. I want to talk to you about the Roomba 630 robotic vacuum. I know what a struggle it is to maintain the cleanliness of your floors. Especially if you are busy, or have to run around after small children all day.
This review will cover the budget-friendly Roomba 630 and all the good, bad and ugly things about it. Perhaps you are in need of a floor cleaning assistant. If you are also worried about your budget, then this robot might just be the answer you are looking for. If not, I give you some other options along the way.
Let’s dive in and take a deeper look at the 630 and find out, together, if it is the right robot vacuum for your home (with floors).
Contents
Who is the Roomba 630 For?
Unfortunately not every robotic vacuum will work for every person or every home. Some do better than others. The Roomba 630 could be right for you if:
- You just want assistance between regular cleanings with your upright vacuum.
- There is no need for wireless communications or voice commands.
- You have pets with a lot of shed hair.
- You want a budget-friendly vacuum that simply works.
Who is the Roomba 630 Not For?
You may need to look at other options if you need features or require options that the 630 just doesn’t have. You fall into this category if:
- You want the ease of a mobile app of voice commands for control.
- You need to have the vacuum resume cleaning after a recharge.
- There is a lot of open floor space in your home or have a lot of high pile carpet.
Dimensions, Features and Options
It isn’t often that we are presented with a decent cleaning machine without a lot of frills and whistles. The Roomba 630 is just such a machine. Let me take you through the features it does have and give you a better explanation of how they all work.
The Battery is Good but Maybe Not Good Enough
Roomba 600 series robots use lithium-ion battery packs, though they do have different sizes. The Roomba 630 uses a 2600mAh battery pack. This limits the length of time that it can run before needing a recharge.
The Roomba 630 has a runtime of up to 60 minutes. An hour may not seem like long enough for the little robot to completely cover your entire floor. It very well may not be. However, if you keep up on the maintenance and the collection bin empty, it may not be as bad as you think.
If you have minimal carpet coverage and more hard flooring the 630 can cover about 1100 square feet on a single charge. In the event that it isn’t long enough, the Roomba 630 will return to the charging station all on its own and recharge the battery.
The recharge time will take approximately three hours to recharge completely. The one caveat is that there isn’t the ability to resume cleaning after the battery recharges. Without this entire level cleaning option (that is available in the late 800 series models and the 900 series Roomba models), you will have to tell the robot to continue cleaning manually.
While there aren’t a lot of extra features such as wireless communications and visual navigation and mapping to drain the battery, it could still be a better battery pack. iRobot makes use of larger battery packs like the 3300mAh battery found in the 900 series robots. It would be nice to see these more powerful batteries in the lower level vacuums.
The Filtration is Good, Not Great
The 600 series makes use of the AeroVac filtration technology which makes use of an AeroVac filter. Don’t let the cool names fool you, they are good filters, but they aren’t great. AeroVac filters are not HEPA certified.
HEPA certification is good news for allergy sufferers as they will capture particles down to 3 microns in size which will effectively collect up to 99 percent of all in-home allergens in the flooring of your home.
The AeroVac filter will not capture particles to three microns in size. However, it will capture particles down to 10 microns in size. This will collect pet dander and larger tree pollens. The allergy reduction is only about 80 percent, but unless you have severe allergies, it should reduce most triggers in the home.
While iRobot has stopped having their filters HEPA certified, they do have a HEPA quality filters in their second generation AeroForce technology, but this is not available in the 630.
There is Only One Button for Local Control and Nothing More
When it comes to controlling the Roomba 630 you only have one option: local control. You do not have wireless capabilities which would enable you to use the mobile app or link it to Amazon Alexa devices for voice commands.
Instead, you have only the local controls which consist of a single button: Clean. When you press this button the robot will scurry off and do its job cleaning your floors. When the job is complete or the battery is depleted the vacuum will return to the docking station and recharge its batteries until the next time you press the button.
As there is only the clean button, you cannot create schedules, force docking or pause cleaning. For simple controlling and ease of use, it doesn’t get much more simple.
There is a separate purchase of a remote control that you can buy to control the Roomba 600 series robots, including the 630. However, I can’t recommend it. The controls are iffy and there haven’t been any positive reviews for the 600 series.
Connections are difficult, making the robot find the infrared signal is virtually non-existent and if you can get it to work, it may not work as you expect. It is an option, though, if you want to give it a try.
The Roomba 630 is Rated for Cleaning All Floor Types; It Almost Does
We get robotic vacuums to clean our floors and one thing we don’t contemplate is what type of floor it will actually help with. Some models are better on hard floor than they are on carpet and some are the opposite.
It is difficult to find a vacuum that will be effective on all floor types and all carpet styles. The Roomba 630 comes close. It will clean all hard flooring types including tile, vinyl, laminate, stone and hardwood.
You will notice that with the edge cleaning abilities the Roomba 630 will efficiently clean along the baseboards and in corners and on hard flooring this is especially noticeable. As this is where shed pet hair and dust tend to collect, the cleaning ability of the 630 in this area is better than most other robots on the market.
Carpet is a different story for the Roomba 630. Low pile and medium pile carpets of all styles are easily and efficiently cleaned by the robot. When it comes to high pile and shag style carpeting, though, the 630 will struggle.
Because of the brush bars the Roomba 630 uses to collect debris, the high pile fibers will get tangled, causing the robot to shut down and alert you that it is stuck. You will have to manually free the robot and set it back on its course.
Containment is Included, Which is Rare for the Series
Roomba has two different methods of containment they have used over the years and both are quite possibly the best in the industry. The Virtual Lighthouse and Virtual Wall Barriers are battery operated towers that send out infrared beams to block access to certain areas and rooms where they are stationed.
The Roomba 630 comes with one virtual wall barrier. This device has two modes: halo and linear. In halo mode, the device sends out an infrared ring to protect an area just under four feet in diameter.
In linear mode, the infrared beam is straight out and can be used to block doorways or certain areas of a room. You will use this to block robot access to entire rooms or around items you don’t want the vacuum to contact possibly. Items such as planters, pet bowls or floor lamps are common items blocked off.
Specifications Chart
I want to give you a full feature visual aid to see what the Roomba 630 has or doesn’t have so you know exactly what you are getting with this model.
| Roomba 652 | |
| Battery | 2600mAh Lithium-Ion |
| Runtime | Up to 60 minutes |
| Charge Time | 3 hours |
| Automatic Recharge | Yes |
| Dimensions | 13.4×13.4×3.6 |
| Weight | 7.9 pounds |
| Dust Bin Capacity | 0.6L |
| Navigation | Sensor based iAdapt technology |
| Drop Sensors | Yes |
| Bump Sensors | Yes |
| Dirt Detection Sensors | Yes |
| Filter | AeroVac |
| Spot Clean | Yes |
| Edge Clean | No |
| Side Brushes | 1 |
| Cleaning Method | Dual Brush Bar 3-stage |
| Wireless Communications | No |
| Mobile App | No |
| Remote Control | No |
| Local Control | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes |
| Containment | Virtual Wall Barriers (1 Included) |
| Warranty | 1 Year |
Alternative Options
Perhaps you have read this review to this point and decided that the Roomba 630 is not the right model for you. Or maybe you just want other ideas for options that are available. I will give you a few options to consider instead of the Roomba 630.
Roomba 980
When you want the best of the best, then the Roomba 980 is one that is continually at the top of the mountain. With the 980 you get all the bells and whistles. Wireless communication for use with the mobile app that is arguably the best app made for robotic vacuums.
You also get HEPA quality filtration, precise navigation, and the latest generation technology. You will, however, pay the premium price. If you are looking for an entry-level or budget-friendly option, then the 980 is not the one for you. However, for the price, there isn’t a better robot available.
Eufy 11 Plus
The Eufy 11 Plus is a viable option if your home has mainly hardwood flooring. The Eufy is not very good on carpet, even low pile and will leave much to be desired in that area. However, it does have HEPA certified filters and will clean up after pets and small children on hard floors better than most.
The cost is a little more than that of the Roomba 630, but you also get more features, including wireless communications. One downfall is that the sensors aren’t the highest quality and there are a lot of reports of the Eufy 11 Plus knocking hard into furniture and walls, sometimes to the point of causing damage to the object or itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Allow me a moment to answer a few questions that come up often when talking about the Roomba 630.
Q. How many sensor types does the Roomba 630 use?
A. There are three major sensor types used by the 630. The first and most prominent is the drop sensor. This prevents the robot from falling off ledges or taking a tumble down stairs. There is a known issue with dark colored flooring fooling the sensor into thinking it is a drop-off, but this is true for all robots, nit just the 630.
The second sensor is the bump sensors that prevent the robot from knocking into walls and furniture. They work really well and the robot will slow down as it approaches the obstacle and turns without making contact.
The last sensor is the dirt detection sensors that tell the robot that the area it is cleaning is still dirty. The robot will make a secondary sweep of the area to make sure the floor is clean.
Q. How much maintenance is required for the 630?
A. There is the standard maintenance that is required of all vacuums and Roomba has made the process pretty simple. You need to empty the collection bin regularly of course and wipe the sensors and body of the robot to keep the dust from collecting and refracting the infrared beams.
You will also need to check the counter-rotating brush bars for tangles and obstructions. You can easily remove the brush bars and reassemble them in just a matter of moments. Other than that, you won’t need to do much of anything to keep the Roomba moving.
Q. Does the virtual barrier that comes with the 630 the only one it can use?
A. Absolutely not. You can purchase virtual wall barriers or even lighthouses to your heart’s content. The beams produced by these barriers will work with any Roomba, including the 630 at any time.
In Conclusion
The Roomba 630 is a simple, introductory level robotic vacuum. It is budget friendly and comes without a lot of frills and features. However, if you are in the market for a simple and effective machine, the Roomba 630 might just be the one you are looking for.
If you need wireless communications or want to use your voice to control your robot, then you will need to look elsewhere. Similarly, those that are severe allergy sufferers may want a vacuum that has HEPA certified filters. However, those two downfalls aside, the Roomba 630 is an effective, efficient and reliable vacuum for almost any home.
In a Nutshell
The Roomba 630 is a capable cleaning robot. If you want a budget-friendly vacuum that will meet your needs without a lot of fuss, you could do a lot worse than the Roomba 630.
What I Like
- Ease of use. Push a button and let it get to work.
- Edge cleaning picks up after your pets (and children).
- Low cost for the budget minded.
What I Don’t Like
- Lack of battery power, especially with better options available.
- No HEPA certified filtration.