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The Shark ION Robot 750 is a robotic WiFi vacuum cleaner that doesn’t break the bank. It has most of the advanced features you’d expect in a Roomba including self-charging, room scanning and mapping, remote app control and Alexa/Google Assistant compatibility.
Our Impression: Shark ION Robot 750 Robotic Vacuum cleaner with WiFi + Voice Control
Summary
One of the most affordable WiFi robotic vacuum cleaners.It delivers frustration-free cleaning and comes with most of the advanced features of pricier Roombas.
Great for:
• Low-pile carpets
• Vinyl
• Hardwood
• Tile
• Linoleum
• Pets
Avoid if:
You have a very large home with multiple rooms. Get a Roomba with multi-room cleaning instead. It’s also not ideal if most of your flooring is covered by thick or shaggy carpeting.
Price:
Overall Impression
When it comes to buying the best robotic vacuum cleaners with WiFi, Roomba has for long been the automatic choice. But that is quickly changing with the introduction of new cheaper models that have the same advanced features as the best Roombas.
The Shark ION Robot 750 is one of them. For less than $350, it offers a long list of features that are traditionally associated with pricier Roomba models. It has WiFi connectivity, voice control, self-recharge and has sensors to scan and map out a room.
A comparable vacuum cleaner is the Roomba 890 which costs around $500.
When it comes to cleaning, the Shark ION robot is just as impressive. A combination of a long-running battery, tangle-free rollers, multiple sweeping brushes and high suction power delivers fast, efficient cleaning on all kinds of floors.
It’s fairly easy to set up. But, as is the case with WiFi vacuum cleaners, it may take a couple or so tries before it connects to your home WiFi network.
Once it’s connected, it is easy to control either manually, through the app or using an Echo or Google Home speaker.
If you want a WiFi robotic vacuum cleaner with all the bells and whistles of a Roomba but at a more affordable price tag, we highly recommend the Shark ION Robot 750.
Cleaning Ability
The Shark ION Robot is not just all smart features like voice and remote app control. It also cleans well.
It navigates the floor with ease, using a roller to capture hair, dust and other allergens in its path while two side brushes sweep in debris from corners and along the wall.
The vacuum can clean all types of floors including hardwood, tile, and vinyl. The brushes and wheels are gentle on the floor and won’t leave any scuff marks behind.
Because of its low profile design, it can penetrate under any furniture including sofas and low beds. If it gets stuck under a really low piece of furniture most times, it can wiggle itself free.
The robot vacuum has enough suction power to clean most carpets without getting stuck. It may slow down a bit and clean slower, but it’ll pick up most of the dust and crumbs on the carpet. The only place it struggles is on high-pile carpets. So keep your old stick vacuum cleaner close if you have a shaggy carpet.
It performs well when it comes to picking pet hair. The anti-tangle roller allows the vacuum to pick up long hairs without getting tangled up. In fact, it’s one of the best new robotic vacuum cleaners for pet hair and a great buy for owners of pets who shed a lot.
All the hair, dust and debris is filtered and collected in an oversized bin. The bin has easy side access that allows you to remove and empty it quickly.
Overall, this is one of the most effective robotic vacuum cleaners you can get for less than $350.
It doesn’t miss many spots, goes under furniture and cleans edges and corners. Once it’s done, you’ll be surprised at just how much debris it has collected.
Cleaning Modes
The Shark ION Robot has only two cleaning modes. There is the auto mode which is the default mode when you switch on the vacuum cleaner. In this mode, the vacuum will automatically select the best settings based on where it’s cleaning and the type of floor.
You can press the STOP button at any time to stop the robot before it finishes the cleaning cycle. Press the DOCK button to send it back to its base for charging.
There is also a SPOT mode. In this mode, the vacuum cleaner will focus its movements and clean on a specific radius. It’s ideal when you want to clean only a single spot or clear up a non-fluid mess (e.g., spilled flour or food crumbs).
The two common cleaning modes missing in the Shark ION are multi-room cleaning and edge cleaning. There is also no power boost feature for carpet cleaning.
Cleaning modes and other functions can be accessed either directly on the robot vacuum or through the app. Some functions are also available via Alexa/Google Assistant voice control. See the Automation and Scheduling section further below for more details.
Navigation
The Shark ION Robot 750 uses Smart Sensor technology to navigate the room and cover every inch. Using sensors, it can detect where furniture and other obstacles are and evade them. This allows it to nimbly weave its way between chair legs and under the sofa without getting stuck.
But as with any other robotic vacuum cleaner, there is a limit to the size of obstacles it can detect. It cannot evade obstacles that are too small or too low on the ground.
That’s why you should always clear up the room before letting the robotic cleaner lose. Remove strewn toys, clothes, utensils and electrical cords from the floor. These could easily get the vacuum stuck.
If you cannot remove all obstacles – e.g., pet feeding bowls or cables at your workstation –use the included magnetic strip.
Simple place it across the area where you don’t want the vacuum cleaner to cross. You can place it in the doorway or around the pet feeding area. The strip does the same thing as Roomba’s virtual wall barriers.
You can also use the strip at the top of the stairs to prevent the robot from tumbling. But this is not necessary since the vacuum cleaner has the cliff sensor that can detect a drop-off and move away from it.
The lithium-ion battery runs for around 1 hour before it needs a recharge. But there’s no need to bother yourself plugging it in. The vacuum cleaner will navigate itself back to base and plug into the charging dock.You can also send the vacuum back to base by pressing the DOCK button on the vacuum cleaner or the app.
Unfortunately, there is no recharge and resume feature. If the vacuum were in the middle of cleaning, it would not come back to finish the job once it finishes charging.
Automation and Scheduling
The Shark ION robot vacuum cleaner is compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant. When you connect it to your home WiFi network, it’s easy to control it from either Amazon Echo or Google Home smart speaker.
It is not yet compatible with HomeKit so you cannot control it with Apple’s HomePod.
To link the robot to either Alexa or Google Assistant, you’ll need to download the Shark ION ROBOT app which is available free for Android and iOS.
The app will direct you on how to register an account and connect it to your smart home assistant. After that, you just use various voice commands to control the vacuum. E.g., Alexa, tell Shark vacuum to clean.
If you don’t have a smart home assistant or don’t want to use one, you can also control the vacuum from the app.
One of the best things you can do on the app is scheduling both by day and by the hour. For instance, you can set it to clean every weekday at 9 am and on the weekends at 11 am.
The app also allows you to remotely start or stop the vacuum, find the robot, receive notifications and view the robot’s cleaning history.
What It Misses
One area where the Shark ION falls short is in terms of the number of cleaning modes. The only mode available other than the default auto mode is spot cleaning.
Most other robotic vacuums, even those in the same price range as the Shark, have more cleaning options such as an edge cleaning mode which focuses on cleaning along the wall and the multi-room mode where the robot will clean multiple rooms on a single level.
Another area where the Shark could do better is in carpet cleaning. When it encounters a carpet, it will slow down and clean more slowly. It might get completely stuck if it is a high pile carpet. A power boost feature would come in handy when tackling carpeted floors.
But for a robotic vacuum of this price, these two shortcomings are not a huge deal. The auto mode is plenty good enough for most situations, and the robot can clean most types of carpet, although a bit slower compared to cleaning a hard floor.
Maintenance
Maintenance is pretty easy. You just need to do certain things regularly to ensure the vacuum is running well:
After each use:
- Empty the dustbin.
- Remove any tangled hair and remaining debris on the main brush roll as well as the side brushes.
- Wipe down the sensors on the sides and under the robot. This ensures they are working properly to prevent the robot from bumping into obstacles or falling down the stairs.
Once every week:
- Check the brushes for any signs of damage or wearing.
- Clean the dustbin filter.
- Remove the front caster wheel and clean it.
The manufacturer recommends replacing the main brush roller every 6-12 months, the side brushes when they appear worn out, the filter every two months and the front caster wheel every 12 months.
Pros
- Super-Affordable
- Compatible with Alexa and Google Home.
- Remote app control with scheduling.
- Cleans well without missing spots.
- Side brushes for edge and corner cleaning.
- Low profile to avoid getting stuck under furniture.
Cons
- Limited cleaning modes. No multi-room or edge cleaning.
- No power boost feature for carpet cleaning.
- No recharge and resume; only automatic recharge.
Specifications
Dimensions: 12.6 x 12.6 x 2.6 inches
Weight: 5.5lbs
Running time: 1 hour
Recharge time: 3 hours
Multi-room navigation: no
Entire level cleaning: no
Self-charging: yes
Recharge and resume: no
Scheduling: yes
WiFi: yes
Remote control: yes (through the app)
Voice control: yes (Alexa and Google Assistant)
