Customer Ratings & Reviews

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

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.

Verdict: I highly recommend getting the Wybot F1 Solar Skimmer… it has been a game-changer for us, reducing bottom-of-the-pool cleaning substantially with maximum convenience through solar charging. Just remember to clean the basket regularly because it gets nasty with bugs, leaves, etc. In my testing, I let it run from Wednesday through Saturday, with the robot charging through solar and stopping on low charge. Our pool has full sun, so this thing could in theory just live in the pool indefinitely. Background. I have an inground 30k-gal gunite pool. We’ve had a pool for eight years now and we’ve maintained our pool ourselves the whole time, cleaning by hand, then with a connected pool robot, and finally progressing to a rechargeable robot in 2025. The Wybot skimmer is our first skimmer. Setup. After unpacking the unit, I installed the app, created an account, and connected to the robot. The app easily detected and added the robot; the robot will blink purple lights when it connects to the app. During setup, the app will ask basic questions about your pool. I did the firmware update, and then there was still a notification to update, so I did the second update. The robot only had 50% charge, so I very much wish it came with the cable so I could get it going at full charge. App. Through the app, you can choose the standard mode or the smart mode for cleaning. You can start/stop cleaning and you can control the robot with a joystick. It’s important to note that you do not need the app to operate the skimmer; you can just turn on the robot by pressing the power button and the propellers will start working within 10 seconds (they stop if they don’t detect water). Performance. The skimmer moves slow. You can’t expect it to clean the pool as quickly as a human can clean with a hand skimmer. Accordingly, I don’t think this robot is the best tool to throw in your pool after a big storm. However, it’s a fantastic all-day everyday tool that will keep your pool cleaner for little additional work. The robot will steadily pick up surface debris, preventing them from dirtying the bottom. I doesn't seem to be detecting and navigating to a target... Instead, I think it just moves back and worth randomly, which seems to work just fine. I am consistently surprised about how much stuff is in the basket when I empty it… bugs, leaves, debris, etc… After a few days, there is a lot in there, and there is a lot less stuff to clean at the bottom of the pool. Cleaning is easy; just pull the basket out, dump the contents, and do a quick rinse. Finally, solar and/or rechargeable is infinitely better than the old robots that were connected by a cable. Steps. At the bottom of robot, there are feet that can be pulled down about three levels in case you have shallow steps where the robot can get stuck. I actually use these because my shallow step is just the right height for the robot to get stuck. The feet will prevent the robot from getting on the step, essentially hitting the step and stopping the robot. If you don’t have a shallow step, you can keep the feet tucked away to eliminate any drag through the water. Of note, having different heights for the feet is great so you can use the least height required to prevent the robot from getting stuck, while avoiding unnecessary drag in the water. Edges. When the robot gets to a wall, the propellers keep going forward and eventually the robot will rotate (there are small rollers on all four corners) and go a different direction. At first, it looks like the robot is stuck, but it’s part of its edge cleaning feature. Obstacles. I put a beach ball in front of the robot, and it started to maneuver to avoid it. Not sure if it’s recommended, but in our observation, you can swim in the pool while the skimmer slowly moves around the pool and works to avoid people and large obstacles. Things I love: - Solar charging for no-hassle cleaning - Significantly reduces bottom-of-the-pool cleaning - Very easy to clean; just pull the basket out and dump contents - Fairly light weight, so it’s easy to pull out of the pool - Effective cleaning over time - Joystick option is both fun and very handy when you really want to get that one leaf Things I don’t love: - While the robot charges through the solar panel, I think they should have included the plug-in charger. The cost of a charge is minimal, while convenience is wort much more. If the robot is dead, for example after storage (for winter in some parts of the country, going away for a while, etc.), it gets complicated with solar only. It would be so much nicer to be able to get the robot started on a full charge, rather than putting it in the pool and wonder if/when it will recharge itself - The rear middle bumper is already falling off (see picture). That’s not a big deal… but the bumpers really shouldn’t be falling off Overall, this solar skimmer is amazing! It’s easy to use, effective, easy to clean, and pretty affordable for how much value you get from it. Not sure how it compares to other skimmers, but we are very happy with this one. I give it a solid 4 stars (1 star less for the two issues noted above).

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.

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!!

Summer is almost here. And backyard activities like being in your pool is nearing. With a pool comes many expenses and other maintenance requirements that can be burdensome. 1 item is to skim your pool from leaves, dust, bird feathers, and other debris that the wind brings. Even if you cover your pool you inherently drop stuff from the pool cover into the pool. So no matter what you do you have to do some type of up keep no matter what. I already reviewed the C2 vacuum and that is on another post. This is specific for the F1 Skimmer. First and foremost setup. Setup was super simple. I have a charger which I highly recommend using prior to first time use. I initially tried to use with just solar recharge and because there is a lot of shade in my backyard and it is kinda still winter here in California the F1 could not get a decent charge through the day. Another way you can get it full into place the solar panels in full sunlight out of the pool for several hours until it reaches 100%. Ok after battery is good. Setup via app is super simple. Download connect and you are in. Multiple modes to clean. Also you can control the skimmer using the remote control function which is nice. The net or basket is pretty fine so it picks up small particles. It even picks up the salt in my pool since I have a salt chlorinator. Cleaning the basket is pretty easy. Pull out and rinse and use your hand to rub it if you need to. The only con to this F1 Skimmer that I found was that it kept on getting stuck on my pool's top step. I deployed the anti grounding devices which are pegs at the bottom of the skimmer, but it just was not long enough to prevent it from getting grounded on my step. This also caused it to not be able to get into the sunlight which caused it to not get charged up again. Other than 1 con this is another tool in my arsenal to my automated home along with other home vacuums that keep it clean and tidy. Other than the grounding issue that I encountered I would recommend this product for what it was intended.

I’ve had an opportunity to use the F1 for the last week, and it is a pretty cool piece of kit. First of all, I want to preface my review by noting that the first unit that was sent to me stopped working after just a few minutes of operation. Reaching out to Wybot, they sent me a power adapter to charge it, and when that didn’t work, they sent me a new unit. I appreciate the excellent customer service! The F1 is unique because it has a solar panel mounted on top of it. If you live in a nice, sunny climate, you will be please with this inclusion. If you live somewhere where you may not have a lot of sun for a couple of days, you may find that the solar panel doesn’t quite get the job done and you’ll have to extract it from the pool and charge it yourself. The first unit I received didn’t have a power adaptor, but the second one did, so charging doesn’t take much effort. The Wybot app is easy enough to install and sync up with the F1. There aren’t a lot of options when it comes to the F1 and the app. You can tell it to clean, to stop cleaning, and to use its smart mode. Smart mode cleans based on solar/battery power. It fires itself up, moves around the pool, cleans, and then shuts down. I left it in smart mode. In use, the F1 works great. It runs surface water through an internal filter, cleans it, and deposits it back in the pool, using the flow to propel itself around the pool. If you don’t have a pool skimmer, the F1 would do a good job. I do have a pool skimmer, and the F1 isn’t going to take the place of that. But, when there are high winds and a lot of dust in the pool, the F1 does a great job of relieving the load on the skimmer, and thus keeping the filters from getting clogged up.

The F1 Robotic Pool Skimmer is a promising product, and I am hopeful that future firmware upgrades may remedy some of the following shortcomings or all of them, which would make this device a real must-have: 1. The solar panel struggles to charge the battery fully. Even when the unit was exposed to full Florida sun for 2 days and not running, the battery charge level did not make it above 48%. As such, 24/7 continuous cleaning is not possible. Eventually, the battery is depleted even under full sun. 2. The unit appears to only work at its best when fully charged (above 50%), which makes charging it through the wall charger a necessity (if none was provided, best contact the very responsive WYBOT customer service team). 3. The unit struggles to move against currents in the pool, e.g., waterfall features and especially the pool skimmer (the unit becomes sort of "stuck" in front of the pool skimmer as it is not able to move away from it with its jets/thrust. As such, it's best to run the unit when the pool pump is off, i.e., when there are no currents. 4. It runs into walls, and it takes a longer moment until it changes its thrust to remove itself. However, on the plus side, I have experienced the following: - With a full battery charge and no water currents present, it does a great job going up and down the pool water surface and picking up lots of debris, bugs (in particular, mosquitoes, which float on top of the water, and leaves, thanks to its rather large fine-weave basket. - Even though you need to charge the unit with the external wall charger, it's a good moment to empty the basket. - Cleaning the basket is easy; rinse it using a water hose or a running faucet. - Very quiet operation thanks to the use of jets; as such, you could run this unit at night without disturbing anyone. - The F1 Robotic Pool Skimmer comes fully assembled and with a wall charger (100-240V, 50/60 Hz, 0.75A, Output: 12.6V, 1.8A), and a hook (which fits into a standard pool pole, not provided) so you can fish out the unit. (Note: If the wall charger is missing, best contact the very responsive WYBOT Customer Support team.) - It is controlled through the WYBOT App. As such, best install the WYBOT App before first use, and add this unit through the main menu. If new firmware is available, you'll be prompted to install it. - The WHYBOT app provides a visual of the battery level and whether it is being charged. Before first use, fully charge the battery using the wall charger (may take up to 3 hours depending on battery level). - The WYBOT app offers you to select from three cleaning modes: (1) "Smart Mode" (recommended); (2) "Standard Mode" (use this for continuous skimming; it stops when the battery is exhausted); and (3) "Remote Control" (with forward, backward, left, and right movements of the skimmer) Verdict: As tested, 3 out of 5 stars. Future firmware upgrades might provide for a 4 or even 5-star experience (e.g., once "24/7 continuous cleaning plus solar charging while in operations" is enabled/available).

The WYBOT pool skimmer has been an absolute gem in my pool. I’ve never owned a pool skimmer before, and I very quickly realized how big of a difference it makes. I have this skimmer as part of the combo set with the WYBOT C2 Pro Vision, and together they make a really powerful duo. The skimmer dramatically cuts down on how much actual vacuuming the pool needs, which makes the whole maintenance process easier. Setup couldn’t be simpler. You open the box and toss it in the pool. That’s it. You’ll honestly spend more time breaking down the packaging than getting the skimmer up and running, and once it’s in the water, there’s really nothing else to do. I did connect it to the app alongside my C2 Pro Vision, but I haven’t really needed the app for the skimmer itself. It just charges up and zips around the pool doing its thing. It’s currently January and we’re in the middle of a cold front, but it’s still getting enough sun to stay charged and move around the pool without any issues. Overall, this has been an amazing addition to my pool setup. It’s fairly large, so it can scoop up a lot of leaves and debris, and the big solar panel gives me confidence that it’ll stay charged. This would make a huge difference for anyone who doesn’t cover their pool during the off-season

I got the Wybot F1 Pool Skimmer at 51% battery life. I started to look for the AC adapter so I can charge it up before using it. I looked all over the box and finally read the manual. It turns out that it does not come with one. The robot does have a solar panel on top. I downloaded the app and already a firmware update. This is a good sign as it looks like the device has support. Update did not take too long. Pairing was easy. The app layout is easy. You can set it the mode from standard cleaning to smart. There is also a remote so you can control it from your phone. My pool is 15,000 gallons. I have had lots of wind lately and lots of debris. I ran it for 15 minutes and the battery according to the app is still at 51%. The battery seems to be charging while it is in use. And so far with no energy loss, the AC power adapter is not necessary, unless your pool is in a shaded area. When the robot steers toward the edge, it will remain there for about 10-15 seconds. I thought I had to intervene and move it or use the remote control but it will eventually move. The minimum depth is 2.8”. If you have steps it may get stuck. I have steps and it did not try to go on top of it. There are an anti-stranding bars at the bottom that can be adjusted. After 30 minutes, the battery is still at 51% according to the app. I had it running on standard mode. I would say it did a good job at picking up debris on top of the pool. The robot is near silent. I like the results so far. I did not think the solar panel was enough to keep the charge going while cleaning. I looked up what size the solar panel is and what I found is between 24-33W. 2.5 hours of use and the batter went down to 25%.

I’m a bit disappointed in this purchase, but not sure it’s the skimmers fault. Our pool is in shade much of the day, and there just isn’t enough sunshine to keep it charged. Therefore, we still have to take it out and manually plug in to charge it. I was hoping it would just be self-sufficient except for emptying out. I would have liked to have known this before purchasing, so hopefully this review might help someone else make a more informed choice.

This is a pretty great product. Keeps the surface clear for the most part. What I mean is, because of the size, it has a hard time getting into two of my corners that are by the water fall, so I have to do that by hand, usually. It goes for about 5 hours before I need to check the filter/bag and battery status. The pool still gets 6-8 hours of sun here, but since it is winter and cold, it doesn't last as long as I would like. It would be nice to have a charger come with it to keep the battery charged. But, I can just sit it out on the hot tub and it gets plenty of sun. The app works great and I was able to set the configuration via the app and connect it to my WIFI network with ease. The app is very easy to use and connection to the device was also quick and easy. The skimmer has been running for 3 days now in smart mode, which means it runs for a bit, turns off, runs for a bit and repeats. This is to allow it to continue charging through the day and hold the charge overnight. So far, no issues and solar has been sufficient to recharge the device. So far, no issues other than the initial charging time due to the cold winter sun.

i got the Wybot F1 robotic pool skimmer for my backyard pool and i’ve been using it for a few weeks now and honestly it’s done a way better job than i expected picking up leaves and surface debris. it’s a solar powered surface skimmer that works by itself in two modes. you can let it go in smart mode or standard if you want more continuous cleaning. it just cruises around grabbing stuff off the water. i love that it’s cordless and solar powered so i don’t have to mess with dragging cords or hooking it up to the filter system. i just set it in the pool and it starts skimming the surface while i’m inside or doing other chores. the big filter basket grabs a lot of leaves and debris so i’m not emptying it every five minutes, which is awesome when you’ve got trees nearby. the app control is pretty neat too. you can start it, choose cleaning mode, and check battery level from your phone. it’s also kinda fun that you can manually steer it if there’s a spot with extra junk floating around. battery life is decent but not perfect. it runs great in good sun, but on cloudy days or in shaded areas you’ll notice it slows down sooner. it has obstacle avoidance so it doesn’t just slam into walls constantly, but sometimes it takes a bit to figure out corners or spots with heavy debris. one thing i’ll mention is that it’s a little noisy when it’s running. not horrible, but you’ll hear it if you’re sitting nearby. also this is really meant for floating stuff like leaves, bugs, and pollen. it’s not replacing your pool filter or anything like that. overall i’m pretty happy with the Wybot F1. it’s saved me a lot of time skimming by hand and keeps the pool looking cleaner day to day. if you deal with a lot of surface debris and want something you can mostly set and forget, this thing does a solid job.

I was in the market for a new pool robot and came across this skimmer that I thought was cool. Same company I got the robot vacuum from, so I know if it works anything like that, it would be great. I actually didn't know these floating skimmers existed; I would either pay somebody or do it myself. When it came in, there was no charger included which worried me a little; then I noticed the huge solar panel covering the unit and figured it didn't need a charger. I was surprised at how light it weighed compared to the pool vacuum robot; totally different use since it needs to float. It came with about 50% charge that I discovered after I downloaded the app and easily connected the unit. As soon as I exposed it to sunlight, it turned itself on and started charging and occasionally cycling thrusters. I thought the LED bar at the back of the unit would function as a charge status, but they all just flashed green once, then solid blue; not sure why there's a bar of 10 LEDs if they either all go on or don't. Anyways, after a few hours on the deck in the sun, it got to 92% charge, which I thought was great. I set it in the water, and it sunk just enough to submerge the bottom of the entrance. I set the program to standard and watched it go quicker than I expected. I set it at the deep end, and it tracked across the whole pool in less than a minute. When it hits a wall, it stays for a few seconds, then backs up, turns and continues until it hits another wall. My pool is a 20x36 freeform, so the skimmer It picked up pine needles, oak leaves, and little twigs. Normally, the skimmer won't hit walls head on and rollers on each corner allow it to course correct. It needs about 3" clearance, so I had to extend a set of anti-stranding pegs at the bottom corners so it wouldn't get stuck. When full, the basket has a built-in handle that pulls out easily, then a hinged front to easily expel the debris. With the solar panel, the Wybot F1 is pretty low maintenance. It charges itself, operates either in standard, smart cleaning mode (10-minute intervals for efficiency) or with manual control using the very basic app. This is a really great pool skimmer that just makes owning a pool that much easier. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't like wasting time skimming their pool before they want to use it.

The WYBOT F1 Robotic pool skimmer is not a necessity, but it is definitely worthwhile. Cleaning pool walls and floor is one thing, a separate problem is fine surface debris that floats and is never fully removed by the built in skimming port of every pool. The built in skimmer in my pool is about 18 inches wide at one side of the pool. It sucks in surface water that comes within 2 feet of the skimmer opening, and traps it in the skimmer basket. Surface debris that is 20 to 30 feet away can only be skimmed if the pool circulating water is stirred enough to travel around the pool and get close enough to be sucked in at the skimmer entry. Built in pool skimmers work somewhat, especially when swimmers are stirring up the water, but absent pool activity, they do a so so job. The Wybot F1 does a superb job of traveling the length and breath of the pool surface. It doesn't miss any floating fine particles or debris. It has a large compartment drawer with an extremely fine set of filters that trap just about everything. The F1 is very easy to use. Push the start button and place it in the pool. The F1 is solar powered, and that is its only weakness. The F1 has to rely on sunlight, many hours of sunlight to function as desired. I have tried to get the F1 battery fully charged for days, and I have only been able to get its battery charged to a maximum of 43%. When it is in the pool and in SMART mode (its default), it runs for awhile, then rests and charges, then runs, then rests and charges, but it never gets fully charged ( not even to 50%). There is a DC charging port that is built in, but the F1 does not come with a charger. The manual says it may be ordered, but that is false. I went to the web site, and I also used the Wybot application on my iPhone, there are chargers for all their devices except the F1. I phoned and I was sent a link to AMAZON where an F1 charger could be purchased. I read the customer reviews and they were negative in that the charger they received would not fit the proprietary receptacle of the F1. I use the F1 solely with its solar recharging and it works, but it has short skimming cycles because the battery is never able to fully charge in the water. Wybot made a terrible decision to ship its F1 skimmers without a charging cord. Because the F1 is light weight, easily handled, does an excellent job of skimming, I am giving it a generous 4 star rating, but not being able to charge the F1 with a DC charger, and not even having an F! charger listed on its website as an option speaks loads about policy, and not creating happy customers.

Compared to the C2Pro Vision underwater robot from Wybot, this one is exactly what I was expecting. This nifty robot, floats on the surface of the water, and wishes around the pool, picking up all the leaves and debris floating on the top, before it has time to sink. It seems to be built decently enough, with a solar panel on the top, for constant charginfg while in the sun. There is a charging port, although strangely enough you do not get a charger in the box, not too bad though, because I have not had the need to yet. The app again, is actually the worst part of this. It is so amateurish, and has the worst UX. You barely have any idea ever if the page is still loading with info, or if its done. And sometimes the info takes ages to load. So, when the page initially opens, you see some random settings selected, and you might think, something is messed up and try updating them, but then over the next few seconds they keep changing on their own ( my guess is the comm with the robot is slow over bluetooth (even through there is a wifi connection as well). But as I said my gripe is with the experience in the app, there are ways to make it clearly apparent that the comm is not fully established yet. Not that there are a lot of settings for this - 2 modes - Smart and Standard. And an option to auto start. And my mode keeps switching back to standard , every time I set it to Smart. And I keep the Auto start on as well, so that whenever the battery is "sufficient" (whatever that means), that it will automatically start cleaning. There are extendable feet on all four edges (not to have it stand up, but to prevent it from going over shallow steps, where it might get stranded on ground). I initially though I wouldn't need them, but since the robot is always half sunk , I ended up having to use them, and its never gotten stuck again. This one has almost eliminated the number of times I have to take the pool net out, and clean the debris manually.

This Wybot F1 pool surface skimmer is very neat. The whole robotic cleaning industry of just about everything just seems to keep adding more and more options – now it’s surface pool skimming. The unit works well and behaves just as you’d think, it chugs around the pool all day sucking up scattered debris on the surface, reducing the amount of debris needing to be collected in the wall skimmer and eliminating the need to manually skim with a pole. The unit is easy to set up and operate and can even be used in manual control mode in the app to drive it around like a remote-control toy and attack specific areas of heavy debris. I prefer to just set it up and let it run around on its own. Its surface cleaning ability is very good. We have a freeform pool and I was afraid that the straight/flat front of the unit would have a difficult time around curves or sharp corners, but it does very well and always manages to keep the pool surface clean of debris. We have many trees in our yard and a windy day can destroy our pool with leaves, grass clippings, and bugs. This has really helped to reduce and practically eliminate the amount of extra time I spend skimming and emptying the wall skimmers on those days. Love/hate the solar aspect of this, well love more than hate. The solar aspect of the unit is really awesome since it can literally run all day long and continuously clean without giving it any extra attention. On an overcast day it’s unable to rejuvenate itself and will obviously end up losing charge over time, but still runs for a majority of the day if it started out with a full battery. The solar feature really makes this a fairly independent unit without the need to constantly take it out and recharge between cleanings. The large 7L/1 gallon debris bin also helps with this long term running ability without too much need for attention to the unit. The debris bin is plenty large enough to allow the unit to run for several days at a time without the need for attention and bin emptying. My only complaint about this unit would be the noise level. I can definitely tell when its running if I’m out and around the pool, not silent like an underwater unit. Honestly this factor doesn’t bother me much though since I typically let it run throughout the day while we’re not using the pool and then simply turn it off and remove it whenever we do want to us the pool area. Overall, this is a fantastic unit with easy setup and operation. Runs continuously on sunny days and still has enough battery to run and get its job done on a cloudy day. If you plan to let it run while using the pool you may not like the noise level, but that’s when I just put it on the side it’s no bother. I love it, would definitely recommend to a friend.

I received this for evaluation back in January, but I had to wait for the weather to cooperate before I could go to the pool. My pool is above ground, with a level deck around half of it and the entire structure is partially in-ground. Amazingly, when I went down there the water surface had almost nothing to be skimmed off, so I can't be completely confident about its cleaning ability. But from my observations I believe it will be perfectly successful skimming the entire water surface. The first thing I noticed while unpacking was I could not find a charger in the box. Reviewing the manual confirmed the charger is not included. I think this is a major mistake. While it has a large solar panel on the top for self-charging, it is dependent on decent sunlight reaching the panel. My pool is on the north side of the house, and only gets direct sunlight in summer afternoons. Most of the time the skimmer will be in my storage area under the house, and will be in darkness the majority of the time. During my testing, the battery dropped from 49% to 39% after about 30 minutes. Higher sunlight levels would probably maintain the battery sufficiently. When I went to the Wybot website to look for a charger, they actually don't list one for the F1. While the plug on different models looks like it would fit, it bothers me they don't list a charger for something they sell. In actual use the skimmer is quiet, and moves around the poll surface at a slow but steady pace. It does eventually realize when it's stuck in position (pointing into the wall or the ladder) but will finally back up and resume cleaning. From what I could see, it should skim the water surface quite well and gather up anything found. The opening is large, so leaves should not be an issue for it. It has good directional control with water jets for each direction. The app has less information than I expected. It does not display the serial number or other hardware details. The battery level doesn't always display. It was constantly losing connection as it was cleaning the pool, and I had to press the reconnect button. It showed an update available, but after I installed it the available message remained. I tried several times but it still tells me to install the update. It does have a way to manually control the skimmer in the pool, allowing one to 'drive' it to a specific location if necessary. Unless your pool has a good clear path for sunlight, I suggest trying to find a charger for it. I will reach out to Wybot to find out exactly what charger in their store will fit the F1 skimmer.

The Wybot Robotic Pool Skimmer is one of those items, that a pool owner really needs to help keep it looking in tip top shape. This Robot arrived when temperatures when freezing in the south ( and getting lost in the neighborhood), so I had to give it a few days before I could test this out. Once I got it warmed up, charged and put together I had to setup the app to maximize the system. My pool is an inground pool system, normal 30 foot long pool and 15 feet wide. Over the new five days, the usage of this device showed its true capabilities. The debris clearing is top notch! The pool looked crystal clear, no more manually skimming the top every day. That was very nice. But there is one drawback. Its really loud, not like your typical vacuum noise, but louder at times. I believe this is from it being a surface robot. Since it was cold, and overcast and cloudy, the battery life was abysmal. This week once the sun came back it was doing better and holding and charging more. But I had to use the backup charging method for the first week of use, but once the sun came it was perfectly fine. Now- Navigation aspects it ram my pool walls alike a bull on the loose. Ill give it time to navigate and work its memory to where it needs to go. Overall Im really happy with this product and its a welcomed addition to my pool, the basket is very large and I didnt have to empty for 3 days!