if you are looking for a budget robot vacuum that can clean and mop your house, TP-Link recently released the Tapo RV10 series which retails from just RM699 for the basic model. It goes up to RM1099 for the flagship model which comes with mopping function and an auto-empty dock.
It’s 2023 and most people are back to working in the office or on a hybrid setting. This means less time at home and having a robot vacuum is pretty handy in keeping the house clean at all time. TP-Link’s Tapo RV10 robot vacuum series comes with 3 models with a really attractive pricing and decent specs.
Table of Contents
| RV10 Plus | RV10 | RV10 Lite | |
| Suction Power | 2000Pa | ||
| Auto-Empty Dock | Yes | No | No |
| Internal Dustbin Capacity | 350 ml | 400 ml | 800 ml |
| Mopping Function | Yes | Yes | No |
| Price | RM699 | RM799 | RM1,099 |
All 3 models are pretty much identical with minor differences on the mopping function and the auto-empty dock feature. The model I will recommend is the range-topping Tapo RV10 Plus model with the auto-empty dock. Continue reading to see why I prefer the flagship model of this series.
Tapo RV10 Vacuum Power
After using it for 2 weeks, the Tapo RV10 did a pretty good job at keeping my house clean. I enabled the scheduled cleaning function when I am out for work and the vacuum is doing a great job at removing pet hairs and reducing the amount of dusts on my floor as I stayed near a construction site.
That’s mainly due to the powerful 2000Pa suction which can pick up most objects on the floor including smaller coins easily. The Tapo RV10 series is also great for people with pets as they don’t seem to get tangled on the main brush easily unlike other robot vacuum that I tested.
The Tapo RV10 vacuum comes with a decently sized 2600mAh battery and TP-Link claims that it can operate continuously up to 3 hours. For my case, it can vacuum and mop my 1500 sq ft condominium 3 times with 20% battery left to spare. That should be good enough if your house is within 4500 sq ft.
Mopping Function
Both the Tapo RV10 Plus and Tapo RV10 comes with a mopping function with the included mopping cloth and internal water tank in the robot vacuum. It does the job fairly well, leaving my tiles floor nice to walk on and free of dust. The mopping cloth is reusable and detachable from the unit.
However, since it is just a basic wiping motion, it doesn’t remove tough stains on the floor. However, the mopping feature is great at further reducing the amount of dusts and removing minor stains or grease. I find it makes a difference at keeping my tiles floor streak free and better to walk on.
Tapo RV10 Plus Auto-Empty Dock
Of the 3 models, the RV10 Plus is my favourite for a very good reason. That’s because the auto-empty dock will clean the robot vacuum automatically after every vacuum session. All the dirt from the dustbin will be sucked into the dust bag at the auto-empty dock.
Once the bag is full, I can dispose the full dust bag replace it with a new dust bag. The whole operation is hygiene and dust-free as the dust bag is automatically sealed when removed. That’s a huge improvement over my other robot vacuum which require cleaning the filters manually on a weekly basis.
This also ensures that the vacuum always operate the best performance as the internal dustbin and filter is not clogged up. The powerful suction on the auto-empty dock can remove everything that’s stuck in the robot vacuum after each cleaning session.
Build Quality
Despite being really affordable, the build quality of the Tapo RV10 is on par with other robot vacuum that costs more. It’s really well build and runs very smoothly when in operation. The noise level is similar to my other robot vacuum,
I also liked the fact that all compartments can be easily detached for easy cleaning. However, manual cleaning is not required on the Tapo RV10 Plus model with the auto-empty dock. All 3 models on the Tapo RV10 series also come with HEPA filter system to ensure 99.99% of microscopic dusts are captured.
Navigation System
The gyroscopic navigation combined with infrared sensor on Tapo RV10 series work quite well. The smart algorithm does actually allow the Tapo RV10 to cover my entire house without overlapping. I can also easily bring it to another floor and it will start working properly normally.
The biggest downside with the Tapo RV10 series is they do not retain the map after each vacuum session. That’s because it doesn’t use a LiDAR sensor or camera for navigation. However, this means the robot vacuum is slightly smaller which allowed it to sneak into places where my other vacuum can’t
Tapo App
Another great side with TP-Link is their Tapo app. It works really well with a very user-friendly design. You can control your robot vacuum even when you’re not at home and get it to clean your house for you. However, the only feature you need is the cleaning schedule to clean that house at a set time.
The app also shows you some helpful information such as the current filter level. You can also control the robot vacuum on the Tapo app like controlling a remote control car. I also like the fact that the firmware can be updated easily on the Tapo app.
Closing Thoughts
TP-Link Tapo RV10 series is a decent budget robot vacuum that get the job done. Despite being really affordable, it comes with a great navigation system which eliminated overlapping and ensures the entire home is cleaner. The suction power and battery life is also sufficient for most medium sized home.
My favorite model is the flagship RV10 Plus as it provides a really seamless maintenanace free operation. The auto-empty dock eliminated all dusty maintenances that’s usually required on other robot vacuum. The mopping function is the cherry on top for an even cleaner tiles or vinyl floor.
Tapo RV10 Robot Vacuum
7.5
Tubi Rating
pros
- Affordable pricing and great cleaning performance
- Efficient cleaning path despite having no LiDAR or camera for navigation
- Auto-empty dock is a great convenience
cons
- Does not come with LiDAR or a camera for the mapping and navigation feature
- Mopping function does not avoid carpeted areas
Does Lidar really matters when one of the Pros listed that it has good efficient cleaning path?
A little confused with some of the ambigious writing here.
LIDAR offers better navigation and mapping on millimeter accuracy which you can point the vacuum to an area on the app and it will go there automatically. LIDAR also provide better obstacle avoidance as the vacuum is always aware of any obstruction in all 360 degree. The Tapo RV10 series uses passive path planning that’s based on the contact sensor. It’s better than other robot vacuum in the same range but it is far from the efficiency offered by a LIDAR sensor.