Not just another robot vacuum cleaner
Rs. 21,990 (promotional price), amazon.in
Robot vacuum cleaners have been in demand in the last few months and Trifo is trying to kill two birds with one stone with its latest product. The Trifo Max not only works like any other robot vacuum cleaner but also comes with a camera at the top that can be used as a security camera.
Trifo Max looks like any other robot vacuum cleaner in the market. The circular robot vacuum features a bumper on the front, whereas the top hosts a camera along with physical buttons. The upper lid can be pulled up to reveal status lights for the Wi-Fi, reset button, a USB port (to charge gadgets!) and the dustbin. At the bottom is the side brush that sweeps everything towards the large main brush, which vacuums the dirt in the dustbin. The wheels let the Trifo Max roam around while it cleans the surface and even features sensors so it does not topple down from the stairs or higher ground.
The easy setup requires the use of the Trifo Home app, which also acts as a gateway to all the other things Trifo Max can do. Although vacuuming can be initiated by pressing the power button on the Trifo Max, using the app is preferable because you can use features like adjusting the suction power that goes up to 3,000 Pa. The suction power also determines how loud the robovac will be, so you can adjust it accordingly. The app allows manual control of the Max and even turn on the surveillance camera, which is a nice feature to have but feels inadequate compared to a proper home security camera. The motion detection works well, but the images seen from the camera are at an angle that makes looking at the feed a little impractical. The only advantage with it is that you get the mobility if you need to see something and talk via the 2-way chat feature.
The first couple of cleaning sessions seem like a bump-into-every-obstacle session, but what Trifo Max is doing is creating a virtual map of the room, which you can see in real time on the app. The robovac is learning the environment for a more efficient cleaning route. In short, the more it cleans the room, the better it gets. It’s handy, but only if you keep it docked in the same area. The app does not allow any geo-fencing (requires a physical obstacle) or naming different rooms in the house which means if you move the charging station to a new place, say, to another floor of the house, the Max needs to learn the new room and previous room again. Trifo has confirmed to us that the memorising feature will come, but no idea when.
Regarding its vacuuming performance, Max leaves the floor spick-and-span. It even comes with mopping pads and a tiny water tank that makes mopping possible, but in our experience, it was underwhelming.
Despite some of its shortcomings, Max is a formidable robovac that does its job well with the ability to adjust the suction power, up to 2 hours of battery life and controllable via Amazon Alexa.
RATING 4/5
WE’RE IMPRESSED Vacuum performance, easy to set up
WE’D IMPROVE App experience, camera
THE LAST WORD Trifo is pitching Max for its security camera feature, we prefer Max for its cleaning performance and adjustable suction power.
This review was originally published in the November edition of T3 India. Subscribe here.