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Do robot vacuums work in the dark?
Updated
Robots that map with lidar work in the dark, because the laser is its own light. Robots that map with a camera need some light in the room. Four of our five picks use lidar, so a night run with the lights off is fine for them. The fifth has no map at all and finds its way by bumping and infrared.
What the makers say
- The Shark AI Ultra listing says its 360 degree lidar gives whole-home navigation "even in the dark".
- iRobot's support site says its newer Roombas with ClearView lidar, the kind on the Roomba 105 Vac, can clean in the dark.
- The same iRobot page covers its camera models. It says to make sure the house has adequate light, that dark rooms can cause problems with navigation and coverage, and that daylight or dim lighting is enough.
Lidar, camera or neither
| How it finds its way | In a dark room | Our picks |
|---|---|---|
| Lidar map | Works. The laser measures the walls with no room light | roborock Q10 S5+, roborock Qrevo S Pro, Shark AI Ultra, Roomba 105 Vac |
| Camera map | Needs at least dim light to see the features it steers by | None of our picks |
| No map | Drives until a sensor or the bumper turns it, so room light does not change much | eufy 11S MAX, which names an infrared sensor and drop sensors |
Two things darkness can still change
- Spotting small things on the floor. Mapping the walls and seeing a sock are two jobs. The Q10 S5+ listing names structured light for obstacle avoidance and the Qrevo S Pro names obstacle detection. We saw no claim on either listing about how that works with the lights off. Pick up cords and socks before a night run.
- Dark floors are not the same as dark rooms. Black carpet can fool the drop sensors on the bottom of a robot whether the lights are on or off. We cover that in robot vacuums on black carpet.
How to tell from a listing
Look for the word lidar or laser in the bullets, or a round turret on top of the robot in the photos. If a listing talks about a camera or "visual" navigation and never says lidar, plan on leaving a light on. If it names no mapping at all, assume there is none. More on the three types in suction vs navigation.
If you plan to run it at night
Noise will matter more than light. The listings show 55 dB for the eufy 11S MAX, 55 to 60 dB for the Qrevo S Pro and 65 dB for the Q10 S5+, and owners call the Roomba 105 very loud. A self-empty dock is loud for a few seconds at the end of a run. The roborock listing names settings for emptying modes in its app, so check those before the first night run.
See all five picks in the roundup.