Wybot - F1 Robotic Pool Skimmer - Black

The Wybot F1 Robotic Pool Skimmer is a great supplemental device to help keep your pool clean of debris. It runs on the surface of the pool much like a little square boat, riding around and swallowing up bugs, leaves, and other floating debris before it all falls to your pool floor. This skimmer isn't perfect. It makes a bit of a high pitched whining sound when it's running which I am not particularly fond of; but it does it's job well and I'm not going to be running it when people are swimming of course so it's not a deal breaker. The skimmer can be charged with an optional power cord, but mostly will run off power from the sun via the large solar panel on top. It seems to charge well from that and I don't see needing to charge it with a power supply often. The basket operates much like a typical pool system skimmer - it has a trap door that only opens inward as it's propelling itself around the pool so stuff gets in but can't get out. The basket is fairly large and would easily hold a ton of leaves and debris. The app allows you to switch between two different modes of operation as well as fully control the skimmer manually. You can also click the "pickup" button to have it "dock" at the side of the pool for removing the basket for emptying. The basket is easy to clean with a water hose so it's ready to go again. The look and design are excellent. It looks like a premium pool robot - very sleek as it's skimming across the surface. It is semi-smart in that it knows when it hits a wall and immediately turns and goes in the opposite direction so it really does go all over the pool. One thing I really love is that it doesn't get stuck against the pool skimmer even when the pumps are running like another robot skimmer I have does so that's a big plus. Side Note: When I first set it up and it started running, it didn't work right. The "engine" seemed to be running fast and loud and it would run into the wall and then just keep going - wouldn't turn around or anything. I let it do that for an hour then took it out and powered it off. The next day I powered it back and and put it back in the pool and then it worked exactly as it should with no issues. I have no idea what that was about, but just in case you run into the same thing, consider removing it, powering it off, waiting a day then going again. Might just be updated firmware that didn't quite take effect or something. Another Side Note: You may or may not receive a power adapter with your skimmer. Initially, they weren't including them, but later decided they should. So if you don't get on in the box, I'd suggest reaching out to customer service to request one be sent to you. The solar panel works great in general, but it's good to have a power cord for the initial charging as well as for cloudy/rainy days. This is overall a great little robot skimmer. It does what it's supposed to do. It's easy to use. It looks good. It does have an annoying whining sound it makes but it's something that I'm guessing most people might not even notice, though it does drive me a little crazy. Nonetheless, I'm glad to have it and look forward to it doing a lot of work for me to keep the pool surface clean and keep the yucky stuff from getting to the floor. The Good: - Sleek, good looking design - Great at grabbing surface debris - Runs primarily off the solar charging - Easy to empty and clean - Doesn't get stuck in skimmer The Bad: - High pitched whining noise when running - Took a little time to start working correctly

I've had a pool skimming robot for about 7 years (3 different ones). They've all improved, but the harsh weather of Phoenix, AZ does a number on anything left in a pool 24/7, 365 days a year. You see I have a 60'x60' Ficus tree with about 250K leaves on it. They periodically fall and inevitably end up in the pool. I've been relying on skimming robot to pick up the bulk of these leaves, however under windy conditions some will make it to the bottom, as do figs that fall from the tree and don't float that long. When I have little or no wind I have to empty my skimmer every 2-3 days, when its windy I have to empty them (at least) twice a day. It's still it better than manually using a leaf skimmer. The Wybot F1 is similar in size to my previous skimmers, but it does not have any external propellers (as my others have). It also has a mesh filter which is slightly finer than my robot have been. In order to empty the F1 you have to remove it from the pool. My others have had lids that lifted open and the debris basket could be removed while it was in the pool, but with the water level being below the top of the pool this is a real reach, so it's just as easy to take the robot out of the pool when emptying the debris basket. My pool has a large rock waterfall at one end, which means the pool is not smooth (not cool deck all the way around). My first robot had a issue with this and it could get stuck; the WyBot F1 and my prior robot floated high enough this was not a problem for them. The WyBot F1 has 2 cleaning modes: Smart and Standard. In standard mode when the battery is above 20% the robot runs pretty continuously, and stops and starts periodically when the charge is below 20%. In Smart mode when the battery is above 50% it runs intermittently cleaning in 10 minutes cycles. Below 50% it cleans less frequently, this allows it to lower power consumption and clean day and night. It can also be controlled from your smart phone (remote control - but I don't plan to use it like this}. I'd say the leaf bin of the F1 is holds about the same volume as my previous robot. My previous robot could carry a chlorine tab, the F1 does not have provision to do this (so I'll just use a pool float as I did before). Both robots randomly move about the surface of the pool picking up any leave they run across. If you created waves in the pool my previous robot might loose some leaves from it's debris bin, this seems less likely to happen with the F1. The F1 has a provision to be charged via a charger (a different voltage than WyBot C1/C2 uses (but don't use the wrong charger, the plugs are the same (and a charger for the F1 is not provided). This is nice option for the winter months when the sun does not shine as long. And it should not be necessary in the longer days of summer. The F1 uses the same app as other WyBot products use. It connects via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (2.4Ghz only). I've had an opportunity to compare the F1 to my prior robot, keeping both in the pool at the same time over several months (a pretty fair competition). After extensive comparisons the F1 did not collect nearly as much debris as my prior robot. The F1 did not move about/across the pool nearly as often as my prior robot (unless I manually charged it via their charger (not solar only like my prior robot)). The F1 would periodically need to be reset via the power button (as it would stop reporting to Bluetooth). When this happened it would not wake up (using the external charger also corrects this issue). The F1 seemed to perform better/longer in standard mode than in smart mode. And in my opinion F1 seemed to float to low in the water, making it difficult for it to pick up floating debris (there is a floating flap at it's "mouth" if the float is too high it prevents debris from entering it). Over a typical day with a fair amount of leaves in the pool I'd say the F1 picked up less than 20% of the debris my prior robot did. I found that even leaving the F1 in Phoenix's full sun would still not fully recharge it. I did work with Wybot's customer support regarding these issues. They were great at correcting issues that they had control over, but they really never addressed that fact that the F1 did not work as well as my prior robot. So I'm now using their WyBot C2 robot to clean bottom and walls of my pool (love it). And I'm still using my prior robot to clean up floating debris. The two pool robots come close to giving me a low maintenance pool. Pool robots are the way to go. I just can't recommend the Wybot F1.

This is the first pool skimmer I have owned. Until now, I have used the traditional leaf skimmer to eliminate leaves, grass, bugs, etc. from the surface before they sink to the bottom of the pool, where they are much more difficult to clean. The Wybot F1 Robotic Pool Skimmer measures 21"H x 20"W x 11"L & weighs 18 lb. It has a bin capacity of 1 gallon & is super easy to lift from the pool, dump the bin & place it back in the pool. I was surprised by the leaves & debris collected in the basket in only 3 days! The huge onboard solar panel charges the 4600 milliampere hour Lithium-ion battery in 180 minutes. Because the skimmer charges by solar power, it can stay in the pool all of the time, other than when you are cleaning & rinsing the basket. Dual cleaning modes: Standard will run for 8 hours and Smart mode will run for up to 10 hours. Smart Mode will adjust its run time and frequency to maintain skimming all day. Once started it will follow a programed path. The app also allows remote control, so you can target a leaf & pick it up. Adjustable anti-stranding bars eliminate it from getting stuck on shallow steps. CONCLUSION: The Wybot F1 instantly became one of my favorite pool accessories. The bottom of our pool is noticeably much cleaner than ever before, as debris is eliminated before it sinks. This robotic pool skimmer earns my highest recommendation.

he solar powered Robotic Pool Skimmer does pick up most of floating things. Does do what is meant to as per design. Once it is fully charged and setup with its App and placing in the pool, then from the App can indicate “Start/Stop”, “Pickup” and control the direction via Control Remote mode. Cleaning Once place in the pool, it remains floating, then it would work based on the selection from the App. Based on the observation, it seems to prioritize the border or the wall side of the pool most of the time. It moves toward the wall side and some time changes the direction across. Now from the App, its instructions are limited to 3 mode types. Smart Mode, Standard, and Remote Control. In Smart Mode, it automatically adjust the run time and frequency. In Standard Mode it run continuously until battery level is low. The Remote Control mode is actually controlling manually. On this, it takes some use to get used to. Cleaning the filter basket. Once the cleaning is completed, cleaning the basket might result in time consuming a bit. As the filter net is being very fine that has tiny dust or things, and being deep, noticed it was a bit hard to remove them. If there were only small amount, doesn’t become an issue. What I wish it work better 1. DC Charger. It is not included in the package and the manual states as such. Hence, I needed to charge via Solar charing mode. And this is issue for long term usage. The solar panels in long term it does reduce charging capability, hence as it is used frequently and charg the battery, lower its capability. Due to this, the DC Charger should have been included to support it. On the other hand, using the charger from C2 ProVis, it doesn’t charge. And from Wybot website couldn’t find information of which charge can be bought. 2. Charge while cleaning: under plain sunlight, if it is working, simultaneously it doesn’t charge. It looks odd that the capability of Solar panel is only limited when it is on stop mode. 3. Pool water condition: as part of safety instruction, it states to use the device for chemical conditions of Chlorine, pH, Temperature, NaCI. Considering the device as advanced and robotic and there is such condition of water, it lacks its measurement detection from the device to update in the App. 4. Charging Status: this is only noticeable when I am next to the device. Otherwise, despite of the device can be seen from the app, its status is not updated in real time. Considering it is connected to WiFi, should this be possible. But not. Constantly had to go to next to the device to see its charging status. The app doesn’t tell neither when the charging completed. Similarly, doesn’t notify or doesn’t show in the App when the work is completed. 5. Weir: it is meant to prevent the debris from leaking out of the drawer. However, it doesn’t seem to work correctly as it remains opened. When the skimmer goes backward to make turn or alike movement, could see debris leaking out. Then further checking, it doesn’t close correctly as conflict with the Drawer Handle. In bottom line, it does pickup floating leafs and etc. But the user experience of the App and the Robot in conjunction comes short of expectation considering a Robot.

The Wybot F1 skimmer is great for top water cleaning, with the included solar panels. It can run up to 30 hours. A charger is not included with the F1. All that it needs is sun. My unit immediately beeped when I took it out to the pool signifying that it had started charging in the sun. I hit the power button and let it go. The F1 took off immediately and started skimming the pool for debris. It even was able to suck in leaves that were stuck on the side of the wall at the waterline. When it is finished it parks itself by the edge of the pool for removal and cleaning. Or you can just leave it in the pool and when the sun comes back up it will take off again. The F1 utilized a Weir type gate to negate captured items from floating back in to the pool. I clean my unit daily along with a rinse off. It is always good to remove plant material from your pool so your phosphate levels remain low and help keep the food away from algae. The F1 has anti stranded bars on the bottom of the unit that can be extended so it doesn’t get stuck on Baha shelfs 2.8 inches or less. My 12000 gallon pool took under 2 hrs. to totally clean the surface but the F`1 continues to seek out debris until the battery is drained. The Wybot F1 is great for people who have leafy plants, trees, bushes in your back yard or from encroaching plant life from neighbors or HOA ha-ha. This is an excellent tool to add to your pool cleaning tool chest. It sure beats using a skimmer net for 20 minutes!!